Job responsibilities
Specific duties and responsibilities include
- Supervision and appraisal of designated staff as agreed with supervisor, ensuring that this is in
accordance with the supervision and appraisal policy. To ensure supervisees work within the
relevant legislation, guidance, and departmental procedures.
- Set and monitor standards and performance in line with Departmental internal and external
indicators with supervisees.
- Maintain up to date knowledge of workload and projects held be supervisees. Undertake regular
file audits in accordance with Departmental policy.
- Responsibility to ensure that the team works within legislation and the relevant protocols for
information sharing and retention of records guided by the best interest of children and young
people and based on consensual model.
- To ensure the effective operation of a Rota system to support SEND colleagues with decision
making.
- Prioritise enquiries in accordance with identified need and allocate work; make judgments in
respect of intervention relating to SEND and wider holistic needs.
- Operate within the Departmental policy and procedures. To keep up to date with national
initiatives, legislative changes, practice developments and best practice in the SEN/SEND field
and identifying their implications, working with all staff across services to implement the key
changes that arise from these.
- Model and provide good equalities practice and value diversity within the team and in contact with
other professionals, children, young people, and families. Ensuring that the service can respond to
and reflect the diversity of service users.
- To ensure that complaints and allegations are dealt with in accordance with departmental
procedures
- Able to travel throughout Wiltshire and beyond as required to carry out the duties of the post.
This role will lead in developing social care elements of the SEND strategy across Wiltshire Council in
compliance with legislative requirements of the SEND Code of Practice (2015). The role will directly inform
and influence the direction of wider SEND services through the knowledge and insight of the post holder.
The Designated Social Care Officer (DSCO) will have in-depth knowledge, and understanding of both social
care operations and the SEND reforms agenda and will identify areas where social care is not fully
compliant with the SEND Code of Practice, generating solutions and implementing strategies and plans to
address this ensuring that these are aligned to social cares operational and business plans and statutory
obligations.
The DSCO will be able to negotiate with and influence others, build and nurture effective partnerships,
working collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders across the local area, including different agencies
and with families and young people and be able to utilise opportunities for co-production within the role
The DCSO will be a source of expert professional advice on SEND reforms relating to social care within the
local area.
Specific duties and responsibilities include
Accountable for developing strategies, action plans and processes which support and enable the SEND
reforms agenda to become embedded within social care operations and practice, taking account of
relevant plans and strategies including the SEND Self-evaluation framework and the Wiltshire SEND and
Inclusion Strategy.
esponsibility for writing, monitoring, and updating the social care elements of the local authoritys selfevaluation process to ensure readiness for SEND Ofsted & CQC Inspections.
Responsibility for developing social care aspects of the Local Offer that provide relevant advice and
information and meet all legislative requirements. These will be accessible for Wiltshire young people
and their families.
Contributing to and influencing SEND communication processes, particularly with reference to the
interface between SEND and social care for supporting the education, health, and care needs
assessment process in Wiltshire Council.
Working closely with the SEND Service management team to ensure an oversight of the volume of social
care input required for learners with an EHCP or where one has been requested as well as an oversight
of the delivery of requirement. This will include engagement in the services quality assurance process as
well as considering the implementation of a quality assurance process for social care advice.
Establishing and leading a network of social care SEND champions. Facilitating and overseeing the
implementation of the SEND agenda within social care through this network and gathering insight and
intelligence from them and other groups such as the Wiltshire Parent Carer Council (WPCC) to inform
future planning.
Analysing work strands across functions, services, and agencies in order to identify and utilise
opportunities for co-production and integrated working between social care, health and education to
progress the SEND reforms agenda.
Maintaining an oversight of some cases involving social care and providing advice in relation to these
where it is required by SEND Lead Workers and other members of the SEND service.
Attending and contributing to SEND focused and multi-disciplinary meetings, forums, and panels where
decisions are made relating to children and young people.
Working collaboratively with directors, heads of service and service managers to ensure social care meet
statutory responsibilities under the Children & Families Act (2014) and Care Act (2014), and to drive
forward organisational culture change aligned to the SEND reforms.
Constructively challenging practice, systems, processes, and protocols to enhance SEND reform
compliance as part of this collaboration.
Contributing to social care workforce development by formulating programme of training relating to
SEND across varied audience profile and functions by working closely with Principal Social Worker and
OD consultant.
