Designated Clinical Officer for SEND

NHS; Warrington; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in the UK is seeking a Designated Clinical Officer for SEND to provide leadership on delivering support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. The role involves working with local authorities and stakeholders, ensuring the effective use of resources and compliance with statutory responsibilities. Candidates must be Registered Nurses or Allied Health Professionals with extensive knowledge of SEND. The position offers a hybrid work model.

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse or Allied Health Professional with extensive knowledge of SEND.
• Understanding of The Children and Families Act 2015 and SEND Reforms 2014.
• Experience in a senior children's services operational or commissioning role.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and direction on SEND delivery for 0-25-year-olds.
• Act as a point of contact for local partners regarding SEND.
• Develop partnerships to support implementation of the SEND Code of Practice.

Skills

Advanced communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Leadership skills

Education

Post graduate diploma or experience to Master's level equivalent in health

Job description

Designated Clinical Officer for SEND

The closing date is 05 December 2025.

3 x permanent, full-time DCOs for Cheshire West & Chester, Wirral and Sefton/St Helens.

Due to promotion and retirement, we have three opportunities to join NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board as a Designated Clinical Officer (SEND). These senior posts will provide leadership and direction on Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) delivery for 0-25-year-olds. Taking account of national and local strategy, you will work with Senior Strategic Managers, Heads of Service, stakeholders and partners to support the delivery of SEND, ensuring spread of best practice in respect of all commissioned services.

Within our Merseyside cluster we have two full-time roles available: one post for Wirral Place and a second post for Sefton Place (0.8wte) and St Helens Place (0.2wte) and within our Cheshire cluster we have a full-time post for Cheshire West and Chester Place. All posts are hybrid and will require a minimum of two days per week at Place. Applicants will be invited to express an interest in one, two or all three of the posts.

To apply for this post, you will need to be a Registered Nurse or Allied Health Professional with extensive knowledge of SEND. The role offers the opportunity to utilise your existing skills and to develop further working across organisational boundaries and championing partnership working.

Main duties of the job

The SEND Code of Practice for children and young people (CYP) with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) 0-25 years indicates that partners should ensure there is a Designated Medical Officer (DMO) or Designated Clinical Officer (DCO) to support the ICB at place in meeting its statutory responsibilities for children and young people with SEN and disabilities. There are discussions at a national level about making this post a statutory requirement.

The post will primarily be a key point of contact and advice for local partners (e.g. Local Authority, Education, Social Care), professionals, parents and young people who have SEN and/or a disability. Ultimately the aim of the post is to help ensure that children and young people with SEND have their health needs assessed and that they can access appropriate services to meet their health needs.

A national handbook for Designated Clinical Officers for SEND developed by the Council for Disabled Children exists and the post holder will be expected to deliver the role as outlined in the handbook.

About us

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside is responsible for planning NHS services for our population, which includes the care you receive at your GP practice, local pharmacy, NHS dentist, NHS opticians, or at hospital. We serve a population of over 2.7m people across Cheshire East, Cheshire West, Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens, Warrington, and Wirral. We value and promote diversity and are committed to equality of opportunity for all. This is a significant, high-profile role within the ICB which offers a unique opportunity to shape the speaking up culture within our organisation and across Cheshire and Merseyside healthcare system. We are looking for an individual who demonstrates a compassionate and inclusive leadership style, the ability to build relationships and gain credibility whilst maintaining impartiality, and who is committed to creating an open and transparent organisational culture.

Job responsibilities

To use a wide range of communication skills to convey complex and highly contentious information to a variety of stakeholders, including children, young people and their families and carers.

To develop a range of effective relationships and partnerships with stakeholders to support implementation of the SEND Code of Practice, ensuring involvement of key groups and individuals, making sure that they influence and own the outcomes.

To represent the ICB at Place by providing clinical advice to key planning groups in relation to SEND.

To develop strong coproduction and engagement across the locality and work in partnership with all stakeholders to design, develop and implement priorities in relation to SEND.

To develop close working relationships with colleagues within the ICB at Place, across the locality and Cheshire and Merseyside Footprint, ensuring effective leadership and management of the SEND programme.

To operate in a political and sensitive environment both locally and across Cheshire and Merseyside.

To ensure the involvement of key stakeholders, particularly children, young people and families in the service redesign process and ensure this takes place in a creative and proactive manner and ensure they influence and own the outcomes.

To act as a point of contact in the health system for enquires relating to the EHCP process and provide advice regarding alternative solutions as appropriate.

To ensure excellent partnership working and co-ordination to ensure effective transition to adult health services (including health) for children and young people with SEND.

To provide support and challenge to senior medical colleagues such as pediatricians and GPs.

For full details please refer to the job description and person specification attached.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Registration with NMC, HCPC and/or other Registered Body
• Extensive, highly developed knowledge of specialist areas, such as SEND, Learning Disabilities, or other specialist areas.
• Post graduate diploma or experience to Master's level equivalent in health.

Knowledge

• Must demonstrate understanding and interpretation of The Children and Families Act 2015 and SEND Reforms 2014 and utilise this knowledge to develop and implement procedures and processes.
• Clear understanding of the issues and challenges facing children and young people with special educational needs and disability.
• Previousprofessionalexperienceinasenior children's services operational, or commissioning, role for children and young people

Skills

• Advanced skills for communication on complex information and administrative matters to large and influential groups/customers, requiring highly developed interpersonal and oral/ written communication skills
• Advanced skills for communicating and influencing at an appropriate level with a diverse range of stakeholder including at a senior level
• To lead the SEND agenda within the ICB.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board