Specialist Support Worker (SEND) (5 posts)

Barnsley Council; Barnsley; Hybrid; GBP 37,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Employee discounts

Health & wellbeing support

Training and development opportunities

Pension scheme

Job summary

Barnsley Council invites applications for 5 full-time Specialist Support Worker positions within the Education Inclusion Service. You will support borough-wide inclusion for children with SEND, focusing on SEMH/SCI needs, and work with schools and settings to upskill staff.

Role is fixed-term for 3 years, term-time only, with travel across the borough. Requires collaboration with multi-agency teams and a commitment to wellbeing and inclusion.

Qualifications

• Training and/or qualifications in relation to supporting SEMH and/or SCI needs.
• Understanding of Trauma Informed Practice.
• Up-to-date expertise and knowledge of SEND legislation including The Children and Families Act 2014 and the Code of Practice for SEN and statutory guidance.
• Considerable experience of working in schools with children and young people who have SEND.
• Understanding of SEMH/SCI needs and approaches to meeting these in a mainstream school setting.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with school staff, leaders and multi-agency teams.
• Focus on the wellbeing of children with a child-centred approach.
• Ability to promote sustainable and positive change in SEMH/SCI in education settings.

Responsibilities

• Provide hands-on support, advice and guidance, interventions and strategies to remove barriers to learning.
• Upskill staff through coaching and modelling techniques in mainstream schools.
• Review provision and impact measures for the children and young people supported.
• Work with all schools, settings, children, young people and parents/carers as part of Barnsley’s SEND Reforms.

Job description

Position reference: 50147123, 50147122, 50147124, 50147121, 50147325

Directorate: Children’s Services | Service: SEND & Inclusion

Salary : £36,581- £39,481 pro rata

Working Arrangements : A gile Working, term time

Hours per week : 37

Contract type: Fixed Term for 3 years

We are happy to talk flexible working arrangements with you, please get in touch.

Suitable for Secondment: Employees wishing to be considered for secondment should agree with their head of service before submitting an application form.

See our range of Employee Rewards: Employee rewards and benefits

Closing date : 16/10/2026 a t 23:59

The successful candidate will be required to speak English to an appropriate standard.

This post requires an Enhanced DBS Check

If you are currently living overseas or have lived overseas in the last five years please be aware, if you are the preferred candidate for the post, you will be required to apply for an overseas criminal records check from the country/countries you have resided in. If you experience difficulty in obtaining an overseas criminal record check please email [e-mail]

When applying, please ensure you are prepared to start work with all the necessary legal documents, such as a valid visa, relevant to the type of work you will be undertaking. Please be aware that our organisation does not possess a Home Office license and, as a result, is unable to provide sponsorship for anyone seeking a visa as a skilled or temporary migrant worker.

Pensions Regulations have provisions to reduce pension payments in certain circumstances of those who return to work within local government service. If you are in receipt of a pension upon commencing employment with the authority, this may affect your pension entitlements and you should therefore seek advice from the relevant Pensions Authority.

At Barnsley Council you can start a career that makes a real difference to people’s lives, helping our council and residents to be the best they can be.

We’re an award-winning council and one of the biggest employers in the borough, supporting around 243,000 people. We put people at the heart of everything we do, and that includes our employees. As part of the team, we offer lots of benefits and rewards to support you to thrive and grow, like flexible working, employee discounts, support for your health and wellbeing, and opportunities for training and development to grow your career and develop your skills.

There’s so much happening in our thriving borough, and now’s the perfect time to join our excellent SEND & Inclusion team as we work to make Barnsley the place of possibilities.

• We’re an award-winning team and one of the biggest employers in the borough supporting around 243,000 people.
• Working at Barnsley Council means being part of a team that makes a real difference to people’s lives, where you can develop the skills you need to make change happen.
• If you join the team you’ll receive great pay alongside an excellent pension scheme. With flexible working we’ll also support your work/life balance, helping you to adjust your hours and take time off when you need it.
• We’ll help you to develop your career and grow your skills with opportunities for training and development.
• There’s so much happening in our thriving borough and your talent and skills will help us make Barnsley the place of possibilities.
• Key to our success is working with our residents, partners, businesses and organisations and building these partnerships to bring about change in Barnsley.

About The Post

An exciting opportunity has arisen within Barnsley Council. We are seeking to appoint 5 full time, Specialist Support Workers to work within our highly valued and well-established Education Inclusion Service to support the borough-wide inclusion of children and young people who have SEND. We would be particularly interested in hearing from applicants with expertise in all areas of SEND but with a focus on Social Emotional, Mental Health (SEMH) and Social Communication and Interaction (SCI) needs. Alongside other teams and professionals you will support the work of the Barnsley Schools Alliance in partnership with schools and settings. You will be joining a team of specialist teachers, support workers and SEND improvement officers. You will be expected to have excellent communication skills (both written and verbal) and the ability to upskill staff through modelling and coaching techniques in mainstream schools to support children and young people with SEMH/SCI needs.

This 3-year fixed term (term time) role will involve providing hands on support, advice and guidance, interventions, and strategies to remove barriers to learning and promote successful outcomes for individual, and groups of children and young people within educational settings. You will support and upskill staff through coaching and model techniques. There will be a key focus on reviewing provision and impact measures for the children and young people you will be supporting. The post will involve working directly with all our schools and settings, children, young people and parents/carers and will be a key function within Barnsley's Expert at Hand model and the implementation of the SEND Reforms.

This post involves travel across the borough and requires the successful candidate to be organised and able to manage their time efficiently.

Here at Barnsley, we live and work by four important values: honesty, teamwork, excellent services, and taking pride in what we do. Relational approaches are fundamental to how we work, and we support well-being through structured and informal peer support alongside professional development opportunities.

We are looking to recruit enthusiastic, creative colleagues to join a dedicated and innovative team of professionals to play a key role in shaping future approaches to inclusion at a local authority level. We offer excellent town centre office space, remote working, flexible working and promote a good work life balance. We offer a full induction from a welcoming and supportive team.

We Are Looking For Candidates With

• Training and/or qualifications in relation to supporting SEMH and/or SCI needs
• An understanding of Trauma Informed Practice
• Up to date expertise and knowledge of SEND legislation including The Children and Families Act 2014 and the Code of Practice for SEN and statutory guidance and how this should be applied in education settings to ensure whole school inclusion.
• Considerable experience of working in schools with children and young people who have SEND, including knowledge of strategies, approaches and resources to support inclusion and social, emotional mental health needs.
• Understanding of SEMH/SCI needs and of approaches to meeting these in a mainstream school setting
• The ability to collaborate effectively with school staff, leaders and across multi-agency teams and partners
• A focus on the wellbeing of children, taking a holistic view of each individual child and their circumstances
• A child-centred approach, offering tailored and bespoke advice to support SEMH and/or SCI needs.
• The skills to support school staff to develop their capacity and understanding to support children and young people with SEMH and/or SCI needs
• The ability to promote sustainable and positive change in relation to SEMH/SCI in education settings.

For more information, or to have an informal conversation, please contact Sarah Jeffries – Specialist Teaching Team Manager [e-mail]

Full-time, 3 years fixed term contract, term time only

Salary: NJC Grade 7

Why work for us?

Please ensure you view the job profile for this role, as you will need to demonstrate in your application form how you meet the required criteria.

We welcome the opportunity to have a chat about the role and are happy to address any questions you may have about flexible working arrangements, including as a result of caring responsibilities.

We're committed to creating a workplace where differences are valued and everyone truly feels able to be themselves. If you have any support needs during the recruitment process, please let us know.

CV's are not accepted for this role.

At Barnsley Council, we believe in second chances and value diversity. Our recruitment process is inclusive, and we welcome applicants with past convictions. We're committed to fairness and do not discriminate. Join us in building a future where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. #InclusiveHiring #SecondChances