SEND Placements Team Manager

To strategically manage, develop, organise and control a professional service area ensuring the delivery of the service meets all Council, professional and legislative requirements.
To manage a team responsible for discharging the Local Authority's statutory functions in relation to the sourcing and ongoing monitoring of high-quality provision for those children and young people who are to be issued with or hold an Education, Health, and Care plan.
To contribute to strategic working and forward planning to ensure a high-quality service is delivered to children and young people and their families/carers through the Statutory Assessment process and Annual Reviews., To be responsible for ensuring that the appropriate systems are in place.
To be responsible for ensuring staff execute their responsibilities in a professional manner within SEND statutory timescales and the monitoring of all staff caseloads through effective use of available data to monitor and manage the caseload of the Placement Team.
Have overall responsibility for decisions regarding assessments, issuing plans, placement, and provision.
Required to attend, chair or contribute to decision-making panels & meetings as well as attend mediation, dispute resolution or other relevant multi-agency meetings as required, where there are concerns regarding provision/placement and ensure decisions taken are implemented within timescales and in accordance with local policy and statutory guidance.
Responsible for working in close partnership with children, young people, their parents, and carers who are to be issued with or hold an EHC Plan, as well as schools and other agencies to secure agreed outcomes in relation to SEND placements and provision. This includes working in a person-centred way with children, young people, and their families/carers and attendance at or initiation of multi-agency meetings.
To engage with parents in a collaborative manner to ensure swift resolution of any issues, including participation in informal dispute resolution or formal mediation. This will require the post holder to develop effective working relationships with young people and the parents or carers of children and young people who have applied for an EHC plan.
To be responsible for developing effective working relationships with schools including providing challenge, advice, and information as appropriate as well as wider professionals and key stakeholders.
To work closely with other teams to co-ordinate Tribunal evidence gathering and ensure all parties provide accurate and appropriate information within timescales.
Contribute to policy and planning groups as directed/required and take lead responsibility for strategic areas or projects contributing to the establishment of joint protocols and effective relationships with key statutory and voluntary partners to deliver a user-centred service.
To provide reports, updates and information (within timescales) as required including the drafting of responses to complaints, concerns and enquiries including those from parents and young people, MP's, Councillor's, LGO, Members, legal representatives, and other interested parties as well as producing local information and data to identify trends, anomalies & inform strategic local & Local Authority wide plans.
Ensure data quality within the databases used by the team, ensuring errors are identified and corrected.
Manage staff in accordance with LBWF Policy and to ensure services are delivered appropriately. This will require the post holder to effectively organise, plan and deliver their own and other staff workload effectively, to meet agreed goals and statutory or policy timescales, in-line with the service and corporate objectives.
To contribute to the strategic identification of need and assist in the planning of future placement needs.

To be considered for this position, you should meet the following requirements:
To have extensive experience of working with children and young people with SEND
Knowledge of SEND provision, and what good looks like
Experience of working with IT software such as Word and Excel
Experience of using Capita ONE system or a willingness to learn
Experience of writing reports and analysing information
Terms and conditions:
the below terms and conditions apply to this role:
Satisfactory employment references and CIFAS identity checks;
Satisfactory declaration of interest;
This role is subject to safer recruitment practices as it involves work with children and/ or vulnerable adults;
Satisfactory DBS check;
As a public authority, we must ensure that members of staff in public-facing roles are able to speak fluent English. This means that they must have a command of spoken English, with confidence and accuracy, sufficient for the effective performance of their role. This requirement does not refer to any particular English language qualifications, regional or international accents, dialects, speech impediments or the tone of conversations. It does not require staff to speak only in English.

Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work.
We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents.
London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the employers. This accreditation is a proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment., Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: - Promoting equality of opportunity - Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage - Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. - Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value.