SEND Preparing for Adulthood Lead

Suffolk County Council; Ipswich; Hybrid; GBP 62,000 - 74,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Up to 29 days annual leave (pro rata)

LGPS pension

Travel, health and wellbeing benefits

Performance-related pay progression

Training and career development

Flexible working options

Diverse staff networks

Job summary

Suffolk County Council is seeking a Strategic Preparing for Adulthood (PfA) Partnership Lead to unite partners across Suffolk and drive the shared approach to improving how young people with SEND prepare for adulthood.

You will provide strategic leadership, coordinating PfA priorities within the Local Area Inclusion Plan, and building strong cross‑agency partnerships across education, health, social care, housing and the voluntary sector. Hybrid working available.

Qualifications

• Strong strategic leadership and experience of driving complex improvement.
• Good understanding of SEND and Preparing for Adulthood.
• Excellent partnership-building and influencing across organisations.
• Strong planning and delivery skills; coordinate priorities with evidence.
• Commitment to co-production with young people and parent/carer groups.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate delivery of the PfA priorities within the Local Area Inclusion Plan.
• Build strong partnerships across education, children's and adults' social care, health, employers, housing and the voluntary and community sector.
• Influence across organisational boundaries to align shared priorities across partners.
• Make sure the different PfA strands connect across journeys and outcomes.
• Put co-production at the heart of the work with young people and families.

Skills

Strategic leadership

SEND / PfA knowledge

Partnership-building

Planning and delivery

Co-production with young people

Job description

• Suffolk County Council
• Address: Endeavour House, Ipswich, IP1 2BX, Hybrid working
• Salary: £62,119 - £73,998 per annum (pro rata for part time)
• Hours: 37 hours per week, flexible working options available
• Status: Permanent

We're looking for a Strategic Preparing for Adulthood (PfA) Partnership Lead to bring together partners across Suffolk and lead our shared approach to improving how young people with SEND prepare for adulthood.

Preparing for adulthood is about much more than one service or transition point. It brings together education, health, social care, employment, independence and participation in the community. You'll take a holistic view across these areas, helping partners work together so young people experience a more joined-up approach as they move towards adult life.

Your role and responsibilities

You'll provide strategic leadership and coordination across the Preparing for Adulthood partnership, leading key priorities within Suffolk's SEND improvement work. You will:

• Lead and coordinate delivery of the Preparing for Adulthood priorities within the Local Area Inclusion Plan, providing oversight across the four PfA workstreams.
• Build strong partnerships across young people's and parent/carer groups, education, children's and adults social care, health, employers, housing and the voluntary and community sector.
• Influence across organisational boundaries, bringing partners together around shared priorities without relying on direct authority.
• Make sure the different strands of Preparing for Adulthood connect, taking a holistic view of young people's journeys and outcomes.
• Put co-production at the heart of the work, ensuring young people and families help shape, deliver and evaluate improvement.

You will need

We're looking for someone who can take a strategic and holistic view of Preparing for Adulthood. You might bring particular expertise from one part of the system rather than all of it; what matters is your ability to see the bigger picture and understand how different parts of the system connect.

You will need:

• Strong strategic leadership and experience of driving complex improvement.
• A good understanding of SEND and Preparing for Adulthood.
• Excellent partnership-building and influencing skills, including working across organisational boundaries.
• Strong planning and delivery skills, with the ability to coordinate priorities and use evidence to understand progress and impact.
• A strong commitment to co-production with young people and parent/carer groups.

Preparing for Adulthood is complex, and bringing different parts of the system together won't always be straightforward. You'll need resilience and persistence, staying focused on what will make a difference for children and young people. In return, you'll have a real opportunity to improve their experiences and opportunities as they move into adulthood, working alongside supportive and committed people who want to make a difference too.

You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile (JPP), which you can find in the How to apply' section towards the bottom of this advert.

Empowering Everyone

We're big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We're always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report (suffolk.gov.uk) .

For more information

If you'd like to find out more about the role, please email [e-mail] and we'll arrange an informal conversation with the Assistant Director for SEND and Inclusion.

Closing date:11.30pm, 11 October 2026.

Interview date: To be confirmed.

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts. #LI-Hybrid

As a modern and effective council, we offer a wide variety of careers to suit people with a range of skills, abilities and ambitions. We offer working options that flex to reflect the way people work today and take the time to understand and support your individual needs. We're driven to make a positive difference to the world around us and encourage everyone with drive and focus to join us and build an influential and impactful career. Reimagine the possibilities.

In return, you'll enjoy:

• up to 29 days annual leave entitlement (pro rata), plus UK bank holidays and two paid volunteering days
• membership of a competitive Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• travel, lifestyle, health and wellbeing benefits
• performance-related annual pay progression, in addition to an annual cost-of-living pay increase
• training and encouragement to expand your knowledge
• a variety of career development opportunities across our organisation
• diverse and active staff networks
• flexible working options, with the right to request flexible working from your first day

Plus lots more!

If you want to know more about our benefits, values and equality commitments please visit our Suffolk County Council careers website (careers.Suffolk.gov.uk) .