Central Bedfordshire Council
Senior SEND Officer
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Team: SND - SEND Statutory Service
Job Family: Supporting - CBG11
Salary: £41,042 - £44,296 per annum pro rata
Hours: 37 hours per week
Location: You will be expected to attend a CBC office location as often as needed to carry out your role, which will be no less than once per month.
Contract Type: Hybrid - Permanent
Closing Date: 2nd August 2026
Interview Date: w/c 10th August 2026
About the role:
Central Bedfordshire Council is looking to recruit to two full-time Senior SEND Officer positions with the EHC Team within Children’s Services.
The EHC team is responsible for carrying out statutory duties and processes linked to Education, Health and Care Plans for children and young people with SEND aged 0-25. The team works with children, young people, parents and professionals to co-produce education, health and care plans and agreeing provision and educational placement.
The successful applicants will have proven experience of working within the parameters of the SEND Code of Practice, a working knowledge of SEND Legislation and procedures and a history of working directly with children and young people with SEND. The successful candidate will demonstrate knowledge and experience of writing and/or contributing to high quality Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and an ability to review and amend EHCPs in accordance with statutory guidance.
Prior experience of working within a Local Authority SEND Team or similar, or as a SENCo/EHCP Coordinator within an educational setting is essential for the Senior SEND Officer role and therefore only candidates with proven experience in this area will be invited to interview.
Duties of the team include:
- Receipt and decision-making regarding requests for EHC Needs Assessments.
- Gathering information during the EHC Needs Assessment.
- Co-ordination and writing of EHCPs.
- Monitoring of annual reviews (please note: the team's attendance is not a statutory requirement).
- Processing of annual review documentation.
- Consulting with schools and supporting school admissions for pupils with an EHCP.
- Preparation of cases for our SEND panels and providing feedback to parents and settings.
- Case management and work regarding SEN Tribunals (SENDIST).
- Providing advice to schools, parents and professionals regarding statutory processes.
- Facilitation of training regarding statutory processes for professionals and parents.
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Main duties of the role include:
- Working to ensure effective management of a caseload of EHCPs within a geographic locality of Central Bedfordshire.
- Attendance at way-forward and mediation meetings with parents and professionals to explain Local Authority decisions.
- Management and oversight of appeals to the SEND Tribunal.
- Preparing cases for Local Authority SEND Panels, ensuring decisions are made within statutory timescales and that decisions are shared with parents, carers and professionals.
- Management of the monitoring and review of existing EHCPS; including amending and issuing EHCPs following a review and attending review meetings in complex cases.
- Providing advice to schools, parents and professionals regarding statutory processes.
- Planning and providing training regarding statutory processes for professionals and parents.
- Consulting with schools and supporting school admissions for pupils with an EHCP- particularly in cases of exclusion.
- Attending meetings and Local Authority Panels as required.
- Directing the SEND Officer as required to ensure effective case management.
- Representing the SEND team as part of the wider Children’s Services Team.
Our Offer
We have a number of rewards and benefits available to our staff, to view these please visit our Rewards and Benefits page.
Our aspiration is to be a truly flexible employer. We welcome discussion on location, hours and working pattern as part of the application process.
Safeguarding:
Central Bedfordshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees, volunteers and contractors to share this commitment. This post is subject to the disclosure of criminal records.
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To maintain a fair and consistent approach for applicants, it is Central Bedfordshire Council's policy to only consider applications made via our online application system and we therefore thank you for not submitting your application offline.
Our National Careers Service team offer a free monthly workshop covering CV writing and how to complete the statement sections of the Central Bedfordshire Council online application form. This MS Teams workshop is open to anyone from the UK and lasts around 1.5 hours. Please book your place here.
More information about this service can be found here: Support getting into work or learning | Central Bedfordshire Council
Your application to us is a reflection of who you are professionally and should give us an accurate and authentic picture of your skills, experiences and if applicable qualifications. Before you submit your application, we will ask you to confirm if you have used AI.
All new starters will join us on a four-month probationary period. During this time, if you are offered a Hybrid role you will be required to attend a Central Bedfordshire Council office location more frequently to support thorough and well-supported onboarding into your role. Please keep this in mind if you anticipate extensive travel to Central Bedfordshire.
Please note we are unable to offer sponsorship for our roles. Successful applicants that may require a visa will need to consider the options for obtaining and/or maintaining the legal right to live and work in the UK. Please confirm you have the right to work in the UK.
For an informal discussion about this position, please contact Hazel Barnsdale (hazel.barnsdale@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk) or Rebecca Fossey (rebecca.fossey@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk).
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