The Role
Do you have a passion for supporting children, young people, and families with SEND?
Can you use your skills and experience to empower families to navigate education, health, and care processes?
Do you thrive in a collaborative and supportive team environment?
If yes, we have the perfect role for you!
Our SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) is looking for a passionate and dedicated SEND Information, Advice and Support Officer to join our amazing team and help make a difference today!
About the Role:
In this rewarding role, you will:
- Provide person-centred information, advice, and guidance to children, young people (0–25), and their families in line with the Children and Families Act 2014, the SEND Code of Practice, and Equality Act 2010.
- Manage a varied and complex caseload covering a range of issues such as EHCPs, school exclusions, travel assistance appeals, and SEND Tribunal support.
- Be the first point of contact for all enquiries, offering sensitive, timely responses.
- Support families at meetings such as Annual Reviews and Team Around the Child discussions.
- Manage and develop the Local Offer website, ensuring up-to-date and accessible information.
- Deliver outreach events, training sessions, and publicity to raise awareness of SEND support.
- Collaborate with parents, carers, professionals, and local organisations to strengthen partnerships and participation.
About You:
We are looking for someone who is:
- Knowledgeable in SEND legislation, processes, and best practices.
- Skilled at working directly with families in a compassionate, empowering, and professional way.
- Experienced in managing complex caseloads and providing tailored advice.
- A confident communicator, able to work with diverse stakeholders (families, schools, health professionals).
- Proficient in maintaining online content and comfortable using digital tools, including social media.
- Collaborative, proactive, and committed to continuous professional development.
About the Team:
You’ll join a passionate, experienced team dedicated to supporting families and young people with SEND. We work closely with colleagues across education, health, and social care, promoting partnership working and ensuring the voices of children, young people, and families are heard and valued. Our team culture is supportive and collaborative, offering ongoing opportunities for professional growth, accredited training, and involvement in innovative projects.
This is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of Southwark families - while developing your own expertise in a highly rewarding role.
For detailed qualifications and requirements, please review the job description and person specification located at the bottom of the advert.
Contact Information:
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Eleanor Howe at Eleanor.Howe@southwark.gov.uk.
Additional Information:
This post requires a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) DBS check at enhanced level.
Benefits and more information:
In your role, we want you to feel supported, challenged and rewarded. You will benefit from our family-friendly policies including flexible working, home working, and a local government pension scheme, plus many other staff benefits. You will join a motivated, driven and supportive team that strives for excellence and values its members. You will also be part of a successful and high-achieving development team that is making a real difference to the lives of residents in the borough. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Staff Benefits page.
Recruitment timetable
Advert close date: 11:59pm on 21st May 2025
Interview date/s: w/c 2nd June 2025
Guaranteed Interview Scheme:
As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:
- Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
- Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
- If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition
We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together programme. We particularly welcome applications from members of the Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.
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