SEND Operations Coordinator

Fixed Term, Full Time

£28,514 to £33,545 per annum

Location: Colchester

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date:

This is an exciting opportunity to support our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Operations team. Essex County Council has embarked upon a programme of change for provision and services with the ambition to profoundly improve the outcomes and life experience of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). 

Accountabilities

The SEND Operations Co-ordinator administers the Education Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessment process for children and young people (CYP) with special educational needs and disabilities.

The postholder is responsible for:

• Coordinating the EHC Needs Assessment and EHC Plan review processes for a specified caseload, efficiently and effectively, in line with the Children and Families Act 2014, the SEND Code of Practice 2015 and Essex local authority procedures.
• Being a single point of contact for families and partners during the EHCNA providing advice and information throughout the assessment. Ensure children, young people and their families are fully involved in the EHCNA and/or review process.
• Monitor existing EHC Plans by attending the first annual review to assess progress towards outcomes and the continued delivery of special educational provision in accordance with CYP’s EHCP’s.
• Receiving and interpreting reports and advice to prepare an EHCP which is of sufficiently high quality to reduce the risk of legal challenge within Tribunal and High Court arenas and comply with the requirements of the legislation and SEND Code of Practice.
• Drafting and amending EHCP’s that are accessible and outcome focused. Identifying indicative budgets for the Operations Lead.
• Act as the LA representative at formal and informal dispute resolution meetings relating to requests for EHC needs assessments.
• Ensuring that data is recorded accurately and in a timely manner to enable the Local Authority to report to stakeholders on a range of subjects including statutory timescales, out-of-authority placements and CYP with alternative education offers. The data will also be used to monitoring and track pupil records.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

The Experience You Will Bring

• Educated to RQF level 3 as a minimum or equivalent by experience.
• Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area
• Knowledge or experience of working with young people with special educational needs and disabilities and with their families including families that services find hard to reach.
• Thorough working knowledge of SEND Code of Practice 2015 and the Children and Families Act 2014.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to communicate with a varied audience including professionals and parents/carers who may have additional needs.
• Effective time management and prioritisation skills with the ability to manage own workload and adapt quickly and effectively to changing circumstances/situations.
• Ability to chair meetings and liaise with other professionals within education, Health and Social Care.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone’s Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you. 

In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government’s devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR)) on our careers site

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email Sandra.middleton@essex.gov.uk

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