We are looking for a dedicated SEND Specialist Practitioner to join our Children’s Services team.
In this role, you’ll provide targeted support to children, families, schools, and settings, helping to promote inclusion and positive outcomes. You’ll deliver evidence-based interventions, model best practice, and support transitions across key stages. Working collaboratively with parents, carers, and multi-agency professionals, you’ll play a vital part in building capacity and understanding of SEND needs.
We’re seeking someone with:
- Practical experience supporting children and families across a range of settings
- Strong knowledge of child development and complex SEND
- Excellent communication and organisational skills
- Ability to deliver training and work independently
If you’re committed to improving outcomes for children and young people and have the skills to make a real impact, we’d love to hear from you.
For more information or to chat about this opportunity please contact clare.cook@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
What will you be doing?
To be part of the delivery team around the Family Support Plan where appropriate, sharing information with other professionals, to ensure positive outcomes for children, young people and families and promote parental understanding of their child’s needs.
- To liaise regularly with parent/carers and other relevant professionals to fulfil the SEND Code of practice (2015) requirements in working with parents/carers effectively, adopting a think family approach to partnership working.
- To monitor, track and evaluate a child or young person’s progress.
- To work in partnership with parents/carers and other professionals, to plan, prepare and deliver SEND specialist groups for children and young people.
- To use your knowledge and understanding of the child or young person’s needs to make an informed contribution to the wider assessment of their progress and development.
- To contribute to the development of the Family Support Plans, therapeutic plans, pastoral support plans and any other appropriate individual documentation for children and young people with SEND.
- To update and maintain own knowledge and awareness of SEND legislation and best practice though continuous professional development, engaging with recent research and publications on good practice for children and young people with SEND.
- To be part of a virtual team of multidisciplinary practitioners within SEND Service 0-25, focusing on a key area of service priority, supporting the development of specialist project work, training and service development, and sharing latest practice with colleagues.
- To use individual and peer supervision to reflect on personal learning from casework and CPD.
- To record involvements and write/contribute to reports on specific children as required by the service.
- To champion the use of the Early Help Assessment (EHA) and Family Support Plans for information sharing, multiagency assessment, and joint working.
- To maintain casework information as per service specifications.
- To ensure an electronic calendar is maintained up to date at all times. To follow relevant County Council policies and procedures to in relation to safeguarding, lone working, HR and travel as directed by line manager.
About you
Qualifications
Essential:
- English and Maths at GCSE A-C or equivalent
- NNEB/BTEC/CACHE/level 3 certificate or equivalent skills and experience in EYFS and/or Teaching Assistant practice
Desirable:
- HLTA certificate
- Level 4 Advanced Skills for TA (SEND Focus) certificate
- Foundation degree in subject relevant to EYFS, Child Development, Education, or a SEND field
- Bachelor’s degree in a subject relevant to EYFS, Child Development, Education, or a SEND field
- Training in the use of augmentative and alternative communication strategies
Knowledge and Experience
Essential:
- Knowledge of child development and complex SEND
- Evidence of practical experience of working with children/ young people and their families in a variety of settings
- Knowledge of best practice across autism and communication, SEMH and cognition and learning to support children and young people
- Knowledge and ability to contribute to assessments of children and young people
- Knowledge and understanding of equality and diversity issues
- Proven recent and successful experience in working with pupils with a range of complex SEND
- Knowledge and experience multidisciplinary working
- Experience of working collaboratively with multiagency professionals, children and young people and their families
- Knowledge and good understanding of safeguarding
Desirable:
- Previous experience of work in more than one type of setting and across more than one key stage
- Experience of working with children and parents/carers in the home environment
- Experience of working and/or leading parent/child groups
- Experience of working with other professionals across directorates and from Children’s Services, Health, Social Care and education settings.
- Evidence of undertaking further training or experience of supporting children with complex and severe needs
- Knowledge and experience of Cambridgeshire Therapeutic Thinking/therapeutic approaches
Skills and attributes
Essential:
- Proven ability to have excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Knowledge of IT including email, word, PowerPoint, excel and relevant databases as necessary to fulfil the requirements of the post
- Proven ability to keep written and online records and produce clear, concise reports and contribute to ongoing assessments and reviews to service specifications
- Proven ability to work independently on agreed programmes and to plan, liaise and communicate with parents/carers on agreed programmes
- Ability to organise and run training sessions
- A positive attitude to change and continuous improvement
- Proven ability to work well with other professionals
- Proven ability to show empathy with parent’s /carers
- Proven ability to be flexible and adaptable
- Good time management and organisational skills
- Ability to travel within and across the county of Cambridgeshire to meet requirements of the post, using own transport
- The ability to monitor and evaluate interventions and report this back to others
Our benefits
We value our colleagues in Cambridgeshire County Council and have developed a number of benefits in addition to the basics like annual leave, sick pay, pension and mileage…
- A comprehensive wellbeing package to cover all aspects of wellbeing, both in and out of work, which can also be accessed by your family
- Buy up to 4 weeks additional annual leave (pro-rata) through our salary sacrifice scheme
- Take your bank holidays flexibly to better suit your personal circumstances
- Make Additional Voluntary Contributions (Shared AVCs) to your pension with tax and National Insurance savings
- Access to development opportunities, apprenticeships and qualified coaches to support your personal and professional growth
- Paid volunteering hours each year so you can make a positive impact on our community during your normal working day
- Access to Peer Support Groups through our IDEAL staff equality, diversity and inclusion network
- Opportunities to nominate and receive Employee Recognition Awards
- An Our Cambs Rewards account, giving you access to in-store and online discounts as well as our Car Lease and Cycle to Work schemes
Take a look at our Employment Benefits Brochure attached to this advert to find out more.
