SEND Appeals Officer

SEND Appeals Officer

Permanent

Grade 5 - £41,511 - £49,764 Consultation grade - subject to formal evaluation under the Pay Equity Review

Working 36.5 hours per week (hybrid working)

Do you want to work within a team that is passionate about making a difference for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families?

Birmingham's SEND and Inclusion services (part of the Children and Families Directorate) are growing as part of the council's long-term commitment to children and young people to improve their lives and support their families. As part of this growth, the SENAR Service which is responsible for Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessments and over 12,000 children and young people with EHC plans, is looking for outstanding people to join the workforce and deliver a high-quality service.

As a SEND Appeals Officer, you will work within the SENAR Appeals team. Your focus will be on the effective and efficient management of First Tier SEND Tribunal Appeals, collaborating with stakeholders to resolve concerns and to find positive solutions, so children and young people have their special educational needs met. This will include attending SEND Tribunal Hearings on behalf of the local authority.

Key responsibilities include:

• To build and maintain effective relationships with senior colleagues, external agencies, children, young people, and their parent carers.
• To case manage appeals from notification of the appeal to the local authority to the hearing within statutory timescales.
• To relate the SEND Code of Practice directly to the situations presented by young people, families, and other stakeholders, drawing on evidence to present the position of the local authority accurately and empathetically.
• To supervise assistant appeal officers.
• To ensure statutory obligations, safeguarding, and performance objectives are met through robust procedures.

To succeed in this role, you will need:

• Expert knowledge of the SEND Code of Practice and experience representing a local authority in SEND meetings, mediations, and/or appeals.
• The ability to plan and manage work to optimise resources available, ensuring timelines and budgets are met.
• The ability to analyse and assess information, to pick out the key issues for action and to problem-solve.
• Experience of managing difficult conversations with families (and their advocates) empathetically, with tact and sensitivity.
• To be adaptable, meet deadlines, be solution-focused, and work under pressure.
• A commitment to equality, diversity, and safeguarding, alongside the flexibility to adapt to changing priorities and deadlines.

To be part of this dynamic team and contribute to the improvements we are delivering for Birmingham children, young people, and families, please get in touch. If you would like an informal conversation about this role, please contact Adam Clarke, SEND Tribunal manager at .

Please upload an up-to-date CV and Personal Statement via the attachments part of your application. The Personal Statement should outline how you meet the essential criteria for the role through your personal qualities, skills, and experience, and include your motivation for applying to the post. Note the Personal Statement should be no more than 1500 words. Unfortunately, we cannot consider any applications without a CV and Personal Statement attached.

Birmingham City Council is an accredited Disability Confident Leader employer, and we are committed to employing, retaining, and developing all of our people.

We are dedicated to supporting internal mobility and the development of our people. As such, applications from internal employees and those under S118 will be given priority and reviewed before external applications are considered.

We want to ensure your recruitment journey with us is a positive and equitable one, so please let us know if there are any reasonable adjustments, additional support, accessibility needs, or if there is any way in which we can support you through your application.

We welcome applications from people with caring responsibilities, and flexible working options will be considered.

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be undertaken.

Proof of Right to work in the UK will be required for all applicants in accordance with UK Home Office requirements , before any employment offer can be confirmed.

Job Description and Person Specification

We strive to advertise all roles for a minimum of two weeks. However, due to high application volumes, vacancies may close earlier than the stated deadline. We encourage you to submit your application without delay to ensure consideration.