Tribunal Officer

To lead and deliver the area service for the identification, analysis, case management and review of children with special educational needs (SEN) resident within Surrey who are at risk of, or are in the process of, an appeal hearing with the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal Service. This would include representing Surrey County Council at any appeal hearings as necessary. To lead and deliver a service that is in accordance with legislation, best practice guidance, agreed budget and resources and is appropriate to the individual child’s needs. The role holder will help ensure that Surrey County Council provides a world class service in relation to the appeals process, in accordance with Audit Commission and Best Value indicators. They will lead a solution focused, client orientated service delivery model with the aim to reduce parental recourse to SENDIST.

The SEN Management Team operates in a fast paced, complex interpersonal environment involving children and young people with high level and complex special educational needs, their parents/carers, schools and other professionals requiring an enhanced level of communication skill and strong case management. The SEN Management Team administers and is responsible for statutory functions on behalf of the Authority and has significant contact with members of the public and other professionals from within and outside of the County Council, approximately 408 schools and other settings. There are four SEN Management Teams who cover the four areas of the County (NW, NE, SE, SW), working across 11 Boroughs and Districts, and each will need to manage crucial interfaces with the support services, Children’s Service and the Corporate Parenting Team, as well as maintaining excellent multi agency working. A high proportion of the SEN Tribunal Officer’s role is working directly with parents, schools, parental appointed legal representatives and other professional bodies within the statutory and legal framework related to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal process. The Tribunal Officer will need to manage a complex range of issues utilizing effective case management and it is essential that they operate in a positive, collegiate and respectful manner to ensure county-wide service effectiveness across County Services and partners. The case management amounts to approx 145-150 tribunal cases per year, increasing by about 5-7% annually.

• Relevant professional qualification and relevant registration where required and experience, or considerable experience of working within the service area.
• High level working knowledge of relevant legislation and procedural frameworks and practice standards
• Able to plan and carry out specialist assessments and deliver and oversee programmes or packages of care and support.
• Ability to manage budgets in accordance with financial procedures.
• Proven written and oral communication and interpersonal skills with good negotiation and influencing skills, and the ability to maintain effective working relationships at all levels.
• Competent in a range of IT tools including MS Office and database management systems.
• High level problem solving skills with the capacity to devise and implement innovative solutions.
• Demonstrable experience in successful recruiting, managing, coaching and developing of staff.
• Understanding of the principles of confidentiality and information governance and how these apply to social care.
•Ability to communicate with compassion and authority in challenging situations and with resistant individuals, be able to effectively engage with people in complex situations both short-term and building relationships over time.
• Satisfactory DBS clearance might be required