Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) Senior Practitioner

Newcastle City Council; Cardiff; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a SEND Senior Practitioner to enhance support for children with special educational needs. This role involves building strong relationships with families, managing complex cases, and mentoring a dedicated team. The successful candidate will thrive in a collaborative environment, utilizing creative problem-solving skills to ensure the best outcomes for children and young people. With a focus on relational and restorative practices, this position offers a unique opportunity to make a significant impact in the community while enjoying a supportive workplace culture with numerous benefits.

Benefits

25 days annual leave

Local Government pension scheme

Flexible working hours

Access to Occupational Health

Wellbeing initiatives

Salary sacrifice schemes

Discounted travel passes

Qualifications

• Extensive experience with children and young people with SEN/D.
• Ability to coordinate Education, Health and Care assessments.

Responsibilities

• Manage and mentor SEND Caseworkers while handling complex cases.
• Support schools on inclusive practices and coordinate agency involvement.

Skills

Relationship Building

Creative Problem Solving

Communication Skills

Customer Focus

Education

Relevant Degree or Qualification

Job description

Why work for Newcastle City Council?

Newcastle City Council offers you an exciting opportunity to work in a vibrant city with proactive and committed people who have a genuine desire and motivation to support positive outcomes for the residents of Newcastle, striving to achieve the values of being Proud, Fair and Ambitious.

What do we offer?

As an employee of NCC, you will have access to:

• a competitive salary and access to Local Government pension scheme
• 25 days annual leave, rising to 29 days after 5 years’ service in addition to Bank Holidays, with the ability to buy additional leave annually
• family supportive policies
• a bespoke induction
• agile working, enabling both home working and office-based working
• a generous Flexi Scheme
• access to Occupational Health, Mindfulness sessions and other wellbeing initiatives
• access to various salary sacrifice schemes – covering cars, white electrical goods, and tax efficient saving contributions towards your pension
• discounted travel passes.

The SEND Senior Practitioner Role

This is a fantastic opportunity to work in Newcastle where we believe that families are our most important resource. We are looking for a SEND Senior Practitioner to work as part of the SEND Support, Assessment and Review Team, which has a clear aim to introduce and embed Relational and Restorative Practice throughout all its work.

We are looking for people who can build strong relationships with children and young people with SEN/D and their families, so they feel heard and understood and are provided with the support they need when they need it.

This role offers the opportunity to manage, coach and mentor SEND Caseworkers within the service as well as carrying a caseload of the most complex cases, offering the chance to maintain and develop your own skills whilst sharing your experience with others and supporting them to develop in their role as Caseworkers.

You will work closely with children and young people with SEN/D and their families to understand their needs and required support. You will be responsible for coordinating Education, Health and Care assessments, plans, and reviews.

You will support and advise schools and settings on inclusive practice, and you will also coordinate various agency involvement whilst maintaining the focus on positive and beneficial support for children and young people with SEN/D and their families.

You will have extensive experience of working with children and young people with SEN/D and seeking to achieve the best outcomes for them.

You will have the ability to think creatively, and problem solve, working proactively and collaboratively across various sectors to achieve safe and supportive outcomes for children and their families whilst understanding and appreciating the challenges this may present.

To apply for this role, you will need to be confident, customer focused, able to communicate with a wide and varied audience and have a flexible approach to work, meeting challenging deadlines.

If this sounds like a job for you, please keep reading and look at the Job Description and Person Specification provided.

If you would like to discuss this role prior to making an application, please contact Jane Bayley, Team Manager SEND Support, Assessment and Review Team Manager 07977034202 or via email ([e-mail])

Closing date for applications is 2 May 2025. Interviews are scheduled to take place on 15 May 2025 at the Civic Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Apply online at www.northeastjobs.org.uk, select 'Apply Now' and complete our online application form. Any communication sent to you regarding your application will be sent to the email address you have set up on your Northeast Jobs account, so you will need to ensure that you check your inbox.

If you require any assistance completing this application, please visit Newcastle Work & Thrive (https://www.workandthrivenewcastle.org.uk/) and speak to an advisor.