3 months contract with local authority

Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership for tribunal and formal disagreements, including preparing cases, liaising with Legal Services, and representing the Local Authority in a legal environment.
  
• Ensure mediation and problem resolution is an active feature at an early stage in caseworkers’ engagement with families to reduce tribunal numbers.
  
• Provide advice on and attend resolution meetings with parents and other practitioners to settle disputed issues without the need for formal legal redress.
  
• Engage with schools and other agencies to develop an awareness and understanding of best practice in assessment, planning, and person-centered approaches.
  
• Lead the workforce development strategy by working with team managers to identify and resolve practice concerns.
  
• Respond to concerns raised via the SENDT process, and through formal and informal mediation and disagreement resolution meetings.
  
• Act as the main point of contact for parents, carers, or young people who lodge an appeal with SEND Tribunal or make a request for mediation/disagreement resolution.
  
• Coordinate matters, keep clear records, and provide quantitative and qualitative reports and briefings to inform good working practice and service improvements.
  
• Use management information and data to contribute to policies and support effective record keeping in the SEND Team.
  

• Proven experience in dispute resolution and tribunal representation
  
• Strong communication and negotiation skills
  
• Knowledge of SEND services and legal processes
  
• Highly organized with the ability to keep clear records
  
• Proficiency in data analysis and reporting
  
• Understanding of EHC assessments and plans