SEND Engagement Manager

ACHIEVING FOR CHILDREN COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

29 days annual leave

LGPS or Teachers Pension

Flexible working

Employee Assistance Programme

Learning & development

Job summary

Achieving for Children is seeking an SEND Engagement Manager to lead the engagement elements of the government SEND reform programme. You will design and embed a robust engagement plan, bringing together families, educational settings, and health and social care professionals to drive system reform.

You will collaborate with partners to convert lived experience into strategic action, support transformation initiatives, and monitor engagement outcomes against national indicators, ensuring

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of SEND, Children and Families Act 2014, SEND Code of Practice and reforms.
• Significant experience building relationships across education, health, voluntary and other partner organisations.
• Experience working with parents, carers, children and young people with SEND.
• Experience of line management and supporting change.
• A strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusive practice.

Responsibilities

• Design, shape and embed an engagement plan that unites families, educational settings from early years to FE colleges, and health and social care professionals.
• Lead multi-agency workshops and ensure lived experience informs strategy and service delivery.
• Oversee engagement performance against national and local indicators and evaluate co-production efforts.
• Ensure voices, experiences and needs of children, young people and families stay at the heart of decision-making, strategy and delivery.

Skills

Partnership building

Leadership

Change management

Performance management

Equality, diversity & inclusion

Job description

About the role

The SEND Engagement Manager will provide practical expertise for the engagement and partnership elements of the government's SEND reform programme. You will lead on designing, shaping, and embedding a robust engagement plan that unites families, educational settings (from early years to FE colleges), and health and social care professionals throughout this period of system reform.

On a day to day, you will be expected to:

• Work closely with local and regional partners to create accessible communication channels, establish dynamic feedback loops, and facilitate multi-agency workshops that convert lived experience into strategic action.
• Support the successful delivery of transformation initiatives that directly improve outcomes for children, young people, and families.
• Oversee engagement performance against national and local indicators, evaluating the impact of co-production and partnership working across our local area.
• Work with system partners to ensure that the voices, experiences, aspirations, and needs of children, young people, and their families remain at the very heart of decision‑making, strategy, and service delivery.

About you

We're looking for an enthusiastic and motivated professional with a strong understanding of SEND and a passion for ensuring children, young people and families have a meaningful voice in shaping services. You'll be confident building partnerships, leading others and turning engagement into positive change.

You'll also bring:

• Strong knowledge of the Children and Families Act 2014, SEND Code of Practice and national SEND reforms.
• Significant experience building relationships across education, health, voluntary and other partner organisations.
• Experience working collaboratively with parents, carers, children and young people with SEND.
• Experience of line management, performance management and supporting change.
• A strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusive practice.

About our benefits

We are focused on creating a positive supportive environment, where you will have access to a really wide range of resources, as well as a competitive salary and all the perks to enable hybrid working. In AfC you will also have access to:

• 29 days annual leave, increasing to 33 days after 2 years and 35 days after 4 years with an additional day off in your birthday month (Or for term‑time workers, your leave entitlement consists of the non‑working periods in your contract)
• Tailored induction sessions commencing on the date you start working for AfC
• Local Government salary and pension scheme (LGPS or Teachers Pension)
• Flexible working options - helping to keep a good work life balance
• A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
• A range of staff benefits and discounts
• An excellent learning and development offer to support your career pathway

Important Information

Start dates: Achieving for Children have set start dates meaning successful candidates join on a set date in each month. Candidates are advised to prepare for this should a job offer be accepted to ensure eligible continuous service is not affected.

Right to work: The UK has introduced a new points‑based immigration system affecting EU and Non‑EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.

Equality: We particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams. Achieving for Children are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.

Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).