Title: Senior Tribunals Officer

Hours: Full time

Type: Contract

IR35: Yes

Day rate: £400/ day umbrella

Location: Kent

Applicants must have the right to work in the UK, sponsorship is not available for this position.

Purpose of the Job:

To provide a comprehensive, coordinated, and efficient response to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDT)

Main duties and responsibilities:

• Respond to appeals to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDT), including the writing and preparation of the authority’s response to SENDT appeals and responding to judicial orders, ensuring all judicial deadlines are met.

• Represent the authority at SENDT hearings.

• Support legal representatives with the management of appeals.

• Chair multi-agency meetings as part of case preparation. Take notes and follow up on actions to prepare cases.

• Manage data for the SENDT Team Manager on appeal trends to inform the unit’s Annual Business Plan and respond to ad hoc data requests.

• Keep accurate records of financial spend on specialist fees.

• To robustly maintain local authority databases including Synergy on a ‘live’ basis, ensuring all records are kept up to date and accurate ensuring that any errors are corrected to ensure a high level of data quality.

• Such other duties appropriate to the grade of the post as may be assigned from time to time by the SEND Tribunals Team Manager.

Person Specification: SEND Senior Tribunals Officer

QUALIFICATIONS 

• Educated to degree level in Law or Education or equivalent qualification.

EXPERIENCE 

• Practical experience in a relevant field to include working with parents/carers and schools in challenging situations.

• Experience of a customer or service-user facing environment.

• Experience of managing conflicting priorities.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES 

• High order interpersonal skills to deal with governors, head teachers, parents, and other senior professional staff, including staff in partner agencies.

• Excellent communication skills of all types applied to a wide variety of needs and audiences.

• Enthusiasm and the ability to get jobs done.

• Excellent organisational skills and ability to prioritise and work independently.

• Ability to work accurately under pressure of deadlines.

• Strong ICT skills.

KNOWLEDGE

 • Knowledge of policy and legislation relating to children’s special educational needs and disability issues coupled with an understanding of schools’ needs and current trends in education.

• Knowledge of Data Protection, GDPR and confidentiality issues.