Designated Social Care Officer

This role will lead in framing and developing the social care elements of the SEND strategy across the local authority, 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 facilitation of research, policy and best practice. The DSCO will have sound knowledge and understanding of both social care processes and the SEND reforms agenda and will look to strengthen practice and generate solutions. 

The post holder will have the ability to negotiate with and influence others, build and nurture effective partnerships, working collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders across the LA and promoting opportunities for co-production with partners within and outside of the Local Authority including health partners. The post holder will represent Haringey Council at key regional and national events and will be a source of professional advice on SEND reforms relating to social care within Haringey and will seek to promote learning across the department drawing on national standards and from the evidence base of best practice. 

To contribute to the development of practice and policy initiatives across children's services.

Responsibilities

• An operational and strategic role 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.

• Contributing to and influencing SEND organisational design and assisting in the development of Children’s Services in respect of children with an EHC Plan.

• Establishing and leading a network of social care SEND ‘champions’ and link workers across Children’s Social Care. 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 parent carer forum to inform future planning.

• Responsibility for developing social care aspects of the Local Offer that provide relevant advice and information and meet all legislative requirements.

• Understanding complex and varied work strands across functions, services and agencies in order to identify and develop opportunities for co-production and integrated working between social care, health and education to progress SEND reforms agenda.

• Working collaboratively with a range of departments 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.

• To attend as the Social Care lead the weekly SEN Panel and to ensure Social Care actions are communicated and followed up from the Panel as well as wider learning from Panel helping to impact practice.

• Constructively challenging practice, systems, processes and protocols to enhance SEND reform compliance as part of this collaboration.

• Working collaboratively to help frame the social care elements of the local authority’s self-evaluation process to ensure readiness for SEND Ofsted & Children’s Social Care Ofsted inspections.

• Involvement in and initiation of varied multi-stakeholder projects and work streams. Themes include participation and engagement, person-centred approaches, joint working initiatives, outcomes frameworks, operational function design, IT systems connectivity, EHC processes, quality assurance, joint commissioning, Early Years, Preparing for Adulthood, the Local Offer.

• Contributing to social care workforce development by formulating programme of blended learning/training relating to the SEND reforms across varied audience profile and functions.

• The duties and responsibilities outlined in this job profile are indicative of the role, however they are not exhaustive and may be subject to change. In addition, you will be required to undertake other reasonable duties as directed by your manager.