Communication and Interaction Advisor, ( SEND Education Support Service)

London Borough of Havering; London; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

The London Borough of Havering seeks a Communication and Interaction Advisor to support schools and families working with children with communication and interaction challenges. Join a multi-disciplinary team to enable positive outcomes through training and collaboration with educational settings, ensuring effective support for children in their educational environments.

Benefits

Excellent induction package

Protected CPD time

Opportunity for remote work

Supportive team environment

High quality IT equipment

Qualifications

• Minimum of two years working with school-aged children with communication differences.
• Experience coordinating communication interventions and programmes.
• Understanding of the SEND Code of Practice.

Responsibilities

• Enable school staff to understand and support children with communication skills.
• Provide training and resources for schools on communication strategies.
• Work collaboratively with Educational Psychologists and Speech Therapists.

Skills

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Problem-solving

Team collaboration

Tools

IT skills

Job description

Job Description

Grade 6- £38,058-£41,442pa- Term-time working plus agreed Corporate Days (0.92 - 0.94 fte) 2 Year Secondment Opportunity

Havering SEND Service is a multi-disciplinary team of Educational Psychologists, Advisory Teachers, Preschool specialists, SEND case officers and a range of specialist staff. The committed team work collaboratively to support children and young people (CYP) with SEND, within the context of their schools, educational settings and families.

There is an exciting opportunity to apply for the position of Communication and Interaction Advisor within the Communication and Interaction Support Team. This position supports schools, educational settings and families within the London Borough of Havering.

The Communication and Interaction Advisor will play a key role within the restructured SEND Education Support Service, leading to increased capacity and expertise within the Communication and Interaction Support Team to achieve positive outcomes for children, young people and schools.

The Communication and Interaction Support Team includes Advisory Teachers and Communication and Interaction Education Advisors. The function of the team is to provide advice, support, training and modelling of interventions and strategies within the school.

Our vision is to ensure schools, colleges and settings have the practitioner skills to support CYP effectively in their educational setting to understand social communication differences and improve outcomes.

The Communication and Interaction Advisor will:

1. enable staff to understand and support their CYPs communication skills (including social communication differences) and develop consistency across school and home environments
2. work closely with a team of specialist staff, including Advisory Teachers, Educational Psychologists and Speech and Language Therapists
3. work collaboratively with Advisory Teachers (C&I) to provide direct work and advice, including observations, modelling interventions and strategies to small groups and individual members of staff in schools and educational settings
4. provide training, resources and written support plans
5. contribute to indirect, consultancy-based multi-agency working with schools to achieve goals set out in Speech and Language Therapy reports
6. offer a solution-focused, collaborative approach to work towards positive outcomes for CYP and schools

We are looking for a candidate who has:

1. proven experience of working directly with school-aged CYP for a minimum of two years with communication and interaction differences
2. a secure understanding of autism and related neurodivergent conditions
3. experience of coordinating and personalising communication and interaction interventions, programmes, strategies and creating resources
4. experience of using visual supports for communication including paper based and/or power based approaches, as part of an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) system
5. significant experience of modelling and facilitating specialist groups and interventions
6. have either provided training, created resources or written group support plans
7. motivation to achieve a high level of service delivery, in collaboration with other professionals, to enable CYP to have positive outcomes
8. a commitment to continuing professional development (CPD)
9. the ability to work independently, manage their diary and liaise with colleagues and schools / settings to create positive working relationships
10. an understanding of the impact for the child, young person and the community, with regards to their communication and interaction differences
11. develop positive relationships to work in partnership with schools and other professionals
12. commitment to supporting the development of positive inclusion across all aspects of school and wider social communities
13. the ability to be flexible, reflective and positive in a range of contexts
14. high level communication skills and experience of engaging and communicating, verbally and in writing, with a diverse range of people and contexts
15. knowledge and experience of the SEND Code of Practice (2015), Equality Act (2010), Suspension and Permanent Exclusion Guidance (2023)
16. good listening skills, able to build strong relationships and implement reflective practice
17. strong IT skills

Our offer to you includes:

1. an excellent induction package
2. dedicated business support
3. protected CPD time
4. an opportunity to be part of a supportive team of professionals dedicated to achieving positive outcomes for children and young people with SEND
5. an excellent balance between remote, office and school based working
6. regular in-person opportunities to meet colleagues to develop team cohesion and peer support
7. easily accessible workspaces
8. high quality IT equipment and responsive IT support

Please view Job Profile here

For an informal discussion about the post, please contact Rosanne Stubbington-Daniels at [e-mail]

The closing date for the receipt of applications is 24/07/2025. However, interest in this job may be high and we therefore reserve the right to close the vacancy early.

You will be notified if your application has been successful. Interview date to be confirmed.

Should you require any help or advice with your online application, please contact the Recruitment Helpdesk on 01708 432770

Additional Information

We want everyone to choose Havering. When you apply for a job with us, your application is considered on its merits regardless of your age, disability, ethnicity, faith, gender identity or sexual orientation. Our residents and service users come from all walks of life, and so do our employees. Find out what it means to Choose Havering.

The London Borough of Havering has important responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. If you are appointed to a job that involves working with these groups, you may be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Please attach your supporting statement, explaining in no more than two A4 sides why and how you meet the criteria for this role.

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About Us

With its excellent transport links into central London, extensive town centre regeneration and the highest concentration of green space anywhere in London, Havering has a unique offer as a place to live, work and visit. By making the most of its position and opportunities, Havering is becoming a hub for start-ups and expanding businesses, as well as construction, logistics, engineering and manufacturing industries.

Find out why you should work for Havering Council.