Principal Officer SEND Conflict Resolutions and Tribunals

You will lead a team of SEND Tribunal Officers and Caseworkers to ensure that the Local Authority responds to SENDIST appeals and hearings in accordance with the Children and Families Act (2014). Above all, and where possible, you will seek to resolve appeals before they escalate. Your primary role will be to: Performance manage and provide specialist technical, legal, and practice supervision to a team of keyworkers and tribunal caseworkers and provide professional support to District SEND managers. Be the primary point of contact for the Local Authority in relation to SENDIST appeals. Manage and triage SENDIST appeals listed against the Local Authority. Be responsible for coordinating and building the Local Authority case for SENDIST appeals, including the development and preparation of Local Authority witnesses. Attend and represent the Local Authority at SENDIST (SEN Tribunals). Be responsible and accountable for making decisions at SENDIST that relate to defending or conceding Local Authority decisions regarding all sections of the Educational Health and Care Plan. You will work closely with the Principal Educational Psychologist, Head of SEND, and school leaders and benefit from the support of an exceptional education legal team that provides invaluable advice and counsel. Minimum Requirements: A range of experience in this challenging area and an exceptional understanding of SEND law, practice, and guidance. Ability to work to very specific deadlines, communicate clearly with a range of professionals, and confidently present the Local Authority position at a SEND tribunal. About Disability Confident: A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal, and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident. The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively. Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy: We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future. We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too. Our benefits: We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance. In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to our rewards and benefits - Careers at Staffordshire.

#J-18808-Ljbffr