Organisation: Leicestershire County Council
Work Location: Coalville Social Care, Children’s Disability Service 3 High Street, Coalville, LE67 3EA
Salary: £43,860 – £47,829 per annum (pro‑rata for part time) (Pay award pending)
Working Hours: 18.5 hours per week
Contract Type: Permanent
Closing Date: 26th July 2026
Are you passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)? Do you want to play a key role in strengthening how Education, Health and Social Care work together across Leicestershire? If so, this could be the perfect opportunity for you.
About the Role
Leicestershire Children’s Disability Service is seeking a Designated Social Care Officer (DSCO) at Senior Social Work Practitioner level to support the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Service.
In this pivotal role you will provide expert social care advice to support:
- Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)
- Annual Reviews
- Ongoing improvement work linked to the SEN Annual Review Programme
- Strategic developments underpinning Every Child Achieving and Thriving White Paper
- The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
You will be at the heart of connecting Social Care, Education SEND, and Health, ensuring that children and young people receive high quality, coordinated support that helps them thrive and achieve their aspirations.
An enhanced with barred list DBS check is required for this post.
What You Will Do
- Provide consistent, high quality social care advice for EHCP processes
- Support timely and effective Annual Reviews
- Offer training and awareness‑raising across Children’s Services
- Contribute to service improvements and strategic SEND developments
- Ensure children’s voices and needs are central to planning
- Work collaboratively across Education, Health and Social Care
- Attend weekly SENA Case Decision Panels, with access to Mosaic and Synergy to provide advice on social care issues case‑by‑case
- Oversee Tribunal work within Social Care, ensuring relevant staff are briefed, the local authority position is clear, and any funding issues are resolved prior to Tribunal (including referral to JSP where needed)
- Produce periodic reports for the Senior Management Team on quality and timeliness of social care advice, tribunal outcomes, joint funding issues, training provided and other relevant matters
- Model good social work practice and encourage continuing professional development of colleagues through coaching, joint working and training delivery
About You
- Social Work qualification and demonstrable experience as outlined below
- Experience working within or alongside SEN services and health partners
- A strong understanding of the needs of children with disabilities, complex health needs and/or SEND and their families
- The ability to deliver high quality, child‑centred social care advice within statutory frameworks
- Excellent communication skills, confident in drafting clear written advice, presenting information and delivering training (online and face‑to‑face)
- The ability to form effective working relationships with key partners, young people and families
- A commitment to contributing to strategic developments that improve outcomes across the SEND system
Social Work Qualification and Registration with Social Work England is a requirement for this role.
In addition, we expect you to share our commitment to our values and to delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all residents. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process.
Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability. We are a Disability Confident Employer.
Flexible Working
We are open to discussions about flexible working. Options may include part time working, job sharing, term‑time working, flexible start and finish times, and hybrid working, depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below.
Contact
Helen Middleton, Service Manager Children’s Disability Service
Tel: 0116 3059230
Email: Helen.Middleton@leics.gov.uk
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