Part Time SEND Operations Co-ordinator

This position is an Anywhere Worker role with the expectation the successful worker will attend Ely House, Basildon two to three days per month. 

Interview Date: Friday 26^th September 2025

To read more about our business area, please visit: Education

The Opportunity 

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).  Our vision is for a SEND system which identifies and assesses need at an earlier stage, and which provides appropriate and impactful support without such high dependence on Essex County Council’s statutory services.    

The SEND Operations Co-ordinator administers the EHCNA process for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities and coordinates school placement requests for children moving into Essex with an EHCP.  

Educated to RQF level 3 or equivalent by experience, thorough knowledge of the SEND Code of Practice 2015 and experience of working with young people with SEND.  

Accountabilities 

• Co-ordinate the EHCNA and EHCP review processes, efficiently and effectively, in line with the Children and Families Act 2014, the SEND Code of Practice 2015 and Essex local authority procedures. This will require excellent drafting skills to ensure that the legal document produced is of a sufficiently high quality to reduce the risk of legal challenge within Tribunal and High Court arenas. However, there will be a requirement to act as the LA representative at formal and informal dispute resolution meetings relating to requests for EHC needs assessments.
• Maintain existing EHCP’s to ensure compliance with statutory processes and continued delivery of special educational provision in accordance with CYP’s EHCP’s. This will involve consideration as to who is required to attend Annual Reviews so that work is appropriately prioritised and attending priority Annual Reviews were necessary.
• Act as a single point of contact for families and partners during the EHCNA providing advice and information throughout the assessment.
• Responsible for requesting and collating required statutory advice, advising on statutory process and timelines.
• Ensure children, young people and their families are fully involved in the EHCNA and/or review process.
• Receiving and interpreting reports and advice to prepare an EHCP which is of sufficiently high quality to reduce the risk of legal challenge and comply with the requirements of the legislation and SEND Code of Practice.
• Organising, preparing paperwork for and chairing Statutory Annual Review Meetings for home educated children, ensuring that the young person and their family and relevant professionals are fully included
• Taking responsibility for 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.
• 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.

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.

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

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