Lead Officer

JOB DESCRIPTION

Responsible to: Head of Service, Specialist Provision Service

Responsible to: Head of Specialist Provisions Service

Job Purpose

Service Specific Responsibilities

The service leads for the Specialist Provision service will work as part of a regional, multi-service, team within the EA to support the delivery of services and professional development for Specialist provisions in mainstream schools. They will play a leading role in the development of the service for children with:

POST 1 – Service lead for Autism for Specialist provisions for social communication (SPSC) as well as the operational management and co-ordination of staff and key functional areas of service delivery.

POST 2 – Service Lead for Severe Learning Difficulties for Specialist provisions Special (SPS) as well as the operational management and co-ordination of staff and key functional areas of service delivery.

The Lead Officers are required to lead and co-ordinate this work:

·ensure that the services are compliant with the new duties to co-operate under the Children's Services Co-operation Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 and those duties outlined in the SEND Act (Northern Ireland) 2016;

·engage in formal external partnerships by encouraging participation in school corporate care/ multi-disciplinary teams and in multi-disciplinary assessments;

·ensure that the ongoing professional development programmes for staff develops a workforce that is skilled and equipped to assess and give advice on the management of pupils across all areas of SEN in Specialist provisions in Mainstream schools.

·monitor and report to the Head of Service the extent of the varying aspects of the work undertaken by the service in schools and other settings, including systemic work and of the pupil outcomes relating to the training or support carried out;

·ensure equitable service delivery in all identified service areas.

Other duties and responsibilities applicable to the role

Strategic Planning and Policy Influence

The Lead Officer(s) will be expected to:

·Lead the development and implementation of specific targets relating to the EA corporate plan and Directorate’s business plans;

·Ensure that priorities are set for the direction of the work and that this is understood and communicated to the team;

·Devise and implement effective systems to monitor, measure, control and report on the work of the service;

·Provide reports that can inform policy and strategic direction in relation to the service area;

·Provide input to The Lead Officers are required to lead and co-ordinate this work and other forums as required.

·Assisting with developing cluster arrangements as appropriate and work with external agencies in provision of this support.

·Supporting with the management of AAO’s, Advisory link teachers and intervention officers to settings and establishing key relationships within school leaders and practitioners

·Promoting effective partnerships with parents and contributing to the development and delivery of parent support

·develop and co-ordinate regional phase specific and specialist area support.

·Deputise for the Head of Service at internal and external meetings.

Corporate Leadership and Management

The Lead Officer will be expected to:

·Contribute to strategic planning, implementation and ongoing monitoring of the service area;

·In collaboration with the ASEO, advise the Chief Officer(s) and Director(s) on all matters relating to their service specific responsibilities;

·Ensure compliance with all relevant legislation and statutory frameworks;

·Establish, maintain, manage and review effective data systems;

·Facilitate the induction of new staff and ongoing professional development of all staff in relation to their service area

·Ensure that officers within their service area have an awareness of the corporate culture, values and processes which underpin organisational development;

·Delegate responsibilities and deploy staff in accordance with their skills and abilities, the needs of the EA.

Service Development and Quality Assurance

·Assist the Authority in the development of policies and plans in line with overall strategic policy and objectives;

·Ensure effective and rigorous quality assurance systems are in place to maintain high standards;

·Ensure effective engagement, capacity building and monitoring arrangements with local teams;

·Participate in review processes to enable the development, review and compliance of all quality assurance policies and procedures;

·Liaise and work co-operatively with other Directorates, education partners, Health and Social Care Trusts, and other agencies to promote co-ordinated services and provision for children and young people

·Manage staff to perform to their potential, promote their professional development and give support when required;

·Helping staff and settings to use a wide range of evaluation methodologies including self-evaluation to measure the impact of support against the agreed outcomes;

Training and Continuous Professional Development

The post-holder will be expected to:

·Lead on the development and delivery of all areas of professional development & training, including any EA website and on-line content relating to this functional area;

·Support the selection, recruitment and retention of the staff within this workforce;

·Ensure that the delivery of induction, training, professional development and ongoing supervision of professional staff is in line with professional requirements;

Managing Financial Resources

The post-holder will be expected to:

·Effectively manage their budget and monitor expenditure ensuring propriety, regularity and value for money;

·Facilitate reporting protocols that are required by the EA;

·Consider the financial implications relating to effective models of service delivery and ensure systems and procedures are in place to evaluate outcomes.

Partnership Working

The post-holder will be expected to:

·Co-ordinate the development of the service by building on effective partnerships;

·Develop links across the Authority’s Directorates as necessary;

·Contribute to attendance at meetings both internally and with other stakeholders, in accordance with corporate goals, service targets, multi-agency action plans and in line with EA and DE requirements.

·Engage in productive partnerships with schools, the Department of Education, the Health and Social Care Trusts, other statutory and voluntary organisations and the wider community for the benefit of children and young people with SEN

Other Duties

·Comply with EA policies and procedures in relation to the duties and responsibilities of the post;

·Any such other duties that the EA may from time to time require.

This job description is intended to provide a broad outline of responsibilities. As such, it is not intended to be exhaustive, and may be subject to on-going review and refinement to ensure it meet the evolving needs of the business. Other reasonable duties may be assigned by the Chief Officer or Director in consultation with the Head of Service.

In accordance with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act (1998), the post holder is expected to promote good relations, equality of opportunity and pay due regard for equality legislation at all times.

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