SEND Commissioning Officer

The SEND Commissioning team are looking to recruit a full time permanent Commissioning Officer. You will join a friendly, hardworking and committed team with a passion for achieving the best outcomes for children and young people. As demand for SEND services continues to increase and we work to deliver ambitious improvements across the SEND system, we are seeking an additional team member to help drive forward key commissioning priorities and support the delivery of our SEND Reform Programme. This is an exciting opportunity to work collaboratively with partners across education, health and social care to develop and improve services for children and young people with SEND and their families. Note: This is a hybrid role, with an expectation of being available to work from the office and attend face to face meetings as required.,

• Collaborate with a wide range of partners, taking a whole system approach to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
• Support the development and delivery of commissioning priorities that contribute to the improvement of SEND services across Staffordshire.
• Work through the SEND & Inclusion model to ensure children known to their local SEND & Inclusion Hub are supported to have their needs identified and met at the earliest opportunity.
• Enhance the support available to mainstream schools through the Enhanced Assess, Plan, Do, Review (EAPDR) Pathway, helping ensure children and young people receive effective support before a statutory Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment is required.
• Lead and support commissioning activity linked to the SEND & Inclusion model, ensuring new developments are effectively planned, implemented and monitored through robust commissioning arrangements.
• Support the delivery of improvement activity associated with the SEND Reform Programme, contributing to service redesign, stakeholder engagement and the implementation of new approaches to meeting need.
• Lead on the commissioning and development of Speech and Language provision in Staffordshire, working closely with key partners to ensure services are responsive, effective and deliver positive outcomes for children and young people.
• Work flexibly across a range of commissioning priorities as required, responding to emerging needs and strategic developments within the SEND system.
  
  We're particularly looking for someone who is equally passionate about improving outcomes for children & young people with SEND; is well organised; proactive; has great communication skills and is able to work effectively with a broad range of stakeholders; including children, young people and their parents / carers.
Desirable but not essential:
• Experience in commissioning, with a strong understanding of commissioning processes and the ability to manage and lead commissioning projects.
• Knowledge about the SEND landscape and the challenges faced by children and young people with SEND.
Candidates should ideally have one of the above desirable experiences or knowledge areas.

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