Service Manager for Statutory SEND Team

You will have experience in managing assessment and annual review teams, as well as tribunal and SEND finance teams. You will be able to provide calm and purposeful leadership to ensure our statutory duties are undertaken and drive the improvement in our decision making, processing of EHHNA and annual reviews. This will include the monitoring of performance data for key areas of the team and reviewing process and system as needed. You will work with the Practice Development Team, SEND Sufficiency team, education settings (phase leads) social care and health colleagues as well as Bristol Parent Carer Forum.

You will be able to support in the reporting on key data corporately and to the DfE as well as support in the work for committee reports.

• Responsible for the effective management and development of the SEND team in the provision of identification of needs, capacity of needs across the city, and in development of reducing demand/answering the demand on specialist sufficiency places.

• Has a key role in supporting access to and availability of appropriate education provision for a range of children and young people with special needs and will provide SEND expertise and input into service improvement projects.

• Collate and report on the number of children and young people awaiting specialist places. Scrutinise the data, ensuring it is accurate, and useful for use in operational and strategic reporting and discussions concerning sufficiency for SEND.

• Social Work registration

• Knowledge of SEND Code of Practice and related local authority statutory responsibilities.

• Knowledge and understanding of the current financial pressures faced by education settings and local authorities.

• Experience of working with schools and settings.

• Senior leadership experience within a local authority setting and/or experience of leading multi-disciplinary teams.

• Experience of and evidence of success in leading improvements in local SEND systems.

• Excellent analytical skills including creating detailed reports. Ability to think strategically, problem solve and provide innovative solutions at pace.

• Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills, with proven ability to communicate effectively to a wide range of audiences both horizontally and vertically, financial and non-financial, throughout the organisation. Ability to quickly build rapport and trust with clients and colleagues.