We are St Helens Borough Council

Located in the heart of the Northwest close to Liverpool, Manchester and Lancashire, St Helens is a modernising Council which is passionate and ambitious for the children and families we support, our communities and our workforce. As part of our transformation journey, we continue to build on our progress and put children firmly at the centre of our care. We can only do this because of our highly valued, skilled, and supported workforce.

Working together, our workplace vision and values guide our organisation, and the contribution of our workforce is key to our culture journey. Employees with us receive a wide range of benefits including well-being in work, financial benefits, ways of working and learning and development support.

St Helens is seeking to attract a skilled and motivated person to join the Borough's SEND Service as SEND Casework Officer.

You will be joining St Helens at an exciting time of change, and will be part of a team delivering on an ambitious change agenda.

As a SEND Casework Officer, you will be responsible for ensuring that the special educational needs of children and young people in the Borough, are met by carrying out statutory assessments and drawing up Education, Health and Care Plans, (EHCPs), as well as ensuring that annual reviews of EHCPs are carried out and that appropriate action from the review recommendations are taken.

You will be a member of a multi professional team, who work closely with parents, educational settings and professionals, across health and social care, to ensure that effective, appropriate and joined up provision is made for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disability.

The successful applicant will have commitment, passion and enthusiasm as a champion for children with SEND and will have exceptional communication, negotiation and organisational skills and be able to influence practice at a senior level. A solid understanding of the Local Authority’s statutory responsibilities under the Children and Families Act, (2014) is essential, alongside a robust understanding of the SEN Code of Practice, (2014).

This Authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

This post is subject to Enhanced DBS Disclosure

Please note we reserve the right to close the advert early should we receive a sufficient number of applications and encourage you to apply early, to avoid disappointment.

Equality & Diversity

We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds, who share our values, our commitment to inclusion, and who will help us on our journey to transform our organisation. The Council guarantees an interview to disabled applicants who demonstrate that they meet the essential criteria for the job, as detailed on the Person Specification, and will, for qualifying disabled candidates, make reasonable adjustments within selection.

All Council employees are required to abide by the ethical standards embodied by the 7 Nolan Principles.

St Helens Council is officially recognised as one of the region’s leading fair employers, achieving accredited status under the Liverpool City Combined Authority Fair Employment Charter. The Charter recognises the ongoing commitment to fair pay, secure work, training & progression & staff well-being whilst celebrating employers who go above and beyond for their workforce providing an inclusive and supportive environment.

Be scam aware: St Helens Council will never ask applicants to share payment information or charge recruitment fees when applying for vacancies. If in doubt, contact recruitment@sthelens.gov.uk