Designated Social Care Officer (DCSO)

Opus People Solutions Limited; Shrewsbury; On-site; GBP 57,000 - 81,000; Full time

Job summary

Shropshire Council is seeking an experienced Designated Social Care Officer (DCSO) to provide strategic leadership and quality assurance across SEND services. The role ensures statutory duties are fulfilled and children receive the right support at the right time, working with education, health and commissioning partners.

You will lead improvements in SEND practices, drive readiness for inspections, deliver training, analyse data, and produce reports for senior leaders.

Qualifications

• Qualified social worker with current Social Work England registration.
• Extensive experience in Children's Social Care and SEND services.
• Knowledge of SEND legislation and EHCP processes.
• Experience in quality assurance, auditing and service improvement.
• Experience in strategic leadership within local authority SEND services.

Responsibilities

• Quality assure social care input to EHCNAs and EHCPs.
• Monitor and evaluate the quality, consistency and timeliness of social care input into EHCP processes.
• Identify areas of non-compliance, practice concerns and service weaknesses, implementing improvement plans.
• Lead readiness for SEND inspections through audit activity, self-evaluation and performance monitoring.
• Develop and deliver training, workshops and learning opportunities relating to SEND legislation and policy.
• Improve workforce understanding of EHCP processes and statutory responsibilities.
• Collect, analyse and interpret data to understand needs and gaps in provision.
• Produce detailed reports and briefings for senior leaders and strategic groups.
• Lead development and implementation of social care elements of local SEND Strategy.
• Promote SEND reforms and statutory requirements across Children’s Social Care.
• Contribute to design and review of services for children with disabilities and additional needs.
• Provide specialist SEND advice to leaders, managers and practitioners.
• Support integrated commissioning arrangements to improve outcomes.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Quality assurance

Auditing

Stakeholder engagement

Communication

Education

Social Work qualification (SWE registration)

Job description

About the Role

Shropshire Council are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Designated Social Care Officer (DCSO) to provide strategic leadership and quality assurance across Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) services.This pivotal role will drive the quality and effectiveness of social care contributions to Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments (EHCNAs) and Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), ensuring statutory duties are fulfilled and children and young people receive the right support at the right time.Working closely with senior leaders, practitioners, education colleagues, health partners and commissioning teams, you will play a key role in shaping SEND strategy, improving practice and preparing services for inspection.Location: Abbey Foregate, Cherry Orchard, SY1 9XLRate: £50.00 per hour (Umbrella rate)Contract: TemporaryHours: 37 hours per weekOffice Requirements: 1-2 days office-based

Key Responsibilities

• Quality assure social care advice and contributions to Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments (EHCNAs) and EHCPs.
• Monitor and evaluate the quality, consistency and timeliness of social care input into EHCP processes.
• Identify areas of non-compliance, practice concerns and service weaknesses, implementing effective improvement plans.
• Lead and support readiness for SEND inspections through audit activity, self-evaluation and performance monitoring.
• Develop and deliver training, workshops and learning opportunities relating to SEND legislation, policy and best practice.
• Improve workforce understanding of EHCP processes, statutory responsibilities and high-quality social care practice.
• Collect, analyse and interpret data to understand emerging needs, service effectiveness and gaps in provision.
• Produce detailed reports, recommendations and briefings for senior leaders, partnership boards and strategic groups.
• Lead the development and implementation of social care elements of the local SEND Strategy.
• Promote the effective implementation of SEND reforms and statutory requirements across Children's Social Care.
• Contribute to the design, development and review of services for children and young people with disabilities and additional needs.
• Provide specialist SEND advice to leaders, managers and practitioners.
• Support integrated commissioning arrangements that improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
• Ensure SEND priorities are embedded within strategic needs assessments, sufficiency strategies and partnership planning.

About You

• Social Work qualification and current Social Work England registration.
• Significant experience within Children's Social Care and SEND services.
• Extensive knowledge of SEND legislation, the Children and Families Act 2014, EHCP processes and statutory responsibilities.
• Experience of quality assurance, auditing and service improvement.
• Strong understanding of services for children with disabilities and additional needs.
• Experience analysing performance data and producing strategic reports.
• Ability to influence practice and lead change across multi-agency partnerships.
• Excellent communication, training and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience supporting SEND inspection preparation and improvement planning.
• Experience of strategic leadership within local authority SEND services.
• Knowledge of integrated commissioning and partnership working across education, health and social care.

If you have the strategic vision, SEND expertise and leadership skills to drive improvement and ensure excellence in social care practice, we'd love to hear from you. You'll join a forward-thinking service committed to continuous improvement, collaborative working and delivering high-quality support for some of the most vulnerable children in our communities.This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. A DBS check may be applicable for this role, applicants are required to declare any cautions and convictions that are not protected under current filtering rules.