About this role
Job summary
We are looking for three compassionate and experienced clinically registered professionals (Nurse or Allied Health Professional) with significant experience in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to join NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (WYICB) as the Designated Clinical Officer (DCO) for SEND.Due to organisational change, staff who are employed by NHS West Yorkshire ICB who are not confirmed in a post/ are in the redeployment pool will have access to posts on a preferential basis. If an employee wishes to be considered for the posts and has not previously applied nor has not been confirmed in post, they can submit an expression of interest (via email) to the Appointing Officer.
Main duties of the job
Youll support the local SEND system to meet the statutory requirements of the Children and Families Act 2014 and SEND Code of Practice, helping us to improve outcomes for children and young people, aged 025 years with SEND.
Bringing expertise from your clinical background, you will work closely with local health providers, the Designated Medical Officer, education partners and Local Authority colleagues to ensure health services fulfil their SEND responsibilities. You will provide expert leadership and advice across the system, strengthen multi-agency partnership working, support the implementation of SEND reforms, and help shape the ICB's strategic contribution to services for children and young people with SEND.
The DCO plays a pivotal role in facilitating the collaborative approach required to deliver effective SEND provision. The role includes overseeing and quality assuring health contributions to the Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment and planning process, working closely with Local Authority colleagues, and leading workforce development to enhance understanding and implementation of SEND legislation, policy and best practice across health services. Through this work, you will help drive service improvement and ensure children, young people and families receive high-quality, coordinated support.
About us
We are proud of what we have achieved as a Health and Care Partnership since our establishment in 2016, and as an Integrated Care Board (ICB) within that Partnership since July 2022.
Our ICB has four core purposes:
Improving outcomes in peoples health and healthcare
Tackling inequalities in outcomes, experience, and access
Enhancing productivity and value for money
Supporting broader social and economic development.
We aim to make a difference to peoples lives by supporting providers and local health systems to further improve the way they deliver care for people and communities. Our staff are highly professional with the expertise, skills and knowledge to make a lasting impact across the NHS, and they are vital to the ICBs success.
In line with the national mandate to reduce running costs and become a strategic commissioner, NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board is implementing a new operating model, which will support and play a significant contribution to achieving the ambitions set out in the national Fit for the Future: Ten Year Health Plan for England.
The ICBs future role can be summarised under three broad headings. It will be the strategic commissioner for West Yorkshire, convenor of the Integrated Care System, and integrator of providers and services:
Job description Job responsibilities
The Designated Clinical Officer (DCO) for Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) will work as part of West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board. The DCO will work alongside the Commissioning Mangers for CYP, Continuing Healthcare and as part of the West Yorkshire SEND Transformation Programme.
The post holder will provide the strategic leadership necessary to ensure that West Yorkshire ICB and the health organisations it commissions services from, meet the statutory duties of the Children and Families Act (2014) and the SEND Code of Practice (2014) for children and young people with special educational needs and disability, aged 0 25 years.
The post holder will
Providing professional and clinical leadership and be a source of expertise on matters relating to health and SEND, acting as a strategic health lead for the Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) planning process and pathway
To work with and support organisations across health, social care and education in relation to the SEND operational processes including monitoring of quality and performance.
Ensure healths compliance with the legislation and spirit of the SEND Code of Practice leading to improved outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disability.
The post holder will ensure that the outcomes for disabled children and young people and those with special educational needs are maximised by working to improve quality of life, school absences, mental and physical health problems, personal autonomy and involvement in further education and employment, independent living and community inclusion.
To support Senior Commissioning Managers CYP with individual case work and commissioning of support packages where SEND is a significant issue, this may also include chairing MDT meetings or Care, Education and Treatment Reviews (CETRs) which is part of Transforming Care.
Main Responsibilities
To work as part of the West Yorkshire ICB joint commissioning approach in providing expert input into strategic and clinical planning, standard setting, and assurance process in service provision for children and young people with SEND. The post holder will be a source of expertise and specialist knowledge for all issues relating to the local and national SEND agendas, and where appropriate, encompassing safeguarding and children looked after. The post holder will provide specialised clinical advice in safeguarding and children looked after in association to SEND
Engage with social, education and health care providers and other stakeholders to promote the needs of SEND children including designated and named professionals for safeguarding and looked after children.
Engage with, support, and facilitate the development of networks for a range of people who are involved in the delivery of the SEND agenda. For example, families, commissioners, service providers.
Engage with regulators and commissioners to continue to develop high quality support and services in West Yorkshire ICB.
Provide support and advice on the framework and preparation of EHCPs to a sufficient and consistent high quality, and support resolution of operational issues.
Work alongside the SEND lead within the community health provider service to ensure that identification, assessment, planning takes place, and that health advice is available for children and young people undergoing an education, health, and care needs assessment. Monitor the timely completion of relevant health assessment and reports for statutory EHC needs assessment.
Resolution of disagreement on health issues / provision with parents and young people, and with the local authority.
Work alongside others in relation to personal budget for health provision within EHC plans.
Ensure the delivery of health provision in EHC plans is being made appropriately and meets the expected quality standard.
Work with health providers and commissioners on the information requirements to monitor the care of children and young people with SEND.
Work with partners in education, social care, and health to ensure that there are adequate quality assurance processes in place for EHC Plans.
Support an effective partnership process for the coordination and transition to adult services for children and young people with an EHC Plan.
Develop and maintain integrated and collaborative working arrangements with key stakeholders including the Local Authority SEND Team. Attend and actively participate in appropriate SEND board / partnership meetings at place and ICB level. Support collaborative working with the regional SEND leads
Devise, review, manage and update policies and procedures in relation to SEND for WYICB, ensuring that they reflect the current statutory guidance.
Disseminate the policies and procedures throughout the local health economy and enable understanding and compliance of their statutory responsibilities in relation to SEND reforms implementation.
Ensure that governance and health components of SEND policy and procedures are updated and communicated. This may include identifying gaps and system solutions in the following areas of scope: Ensuring mechanisms are in place to assure the ICB and the local authority about health providers early identification, assessment, advice, and intervention regarding children and young people with SEND and those requiring an education health and care plan.
Respond to relevant Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), Health Needs Assessment (HNA) and any other local assessments requiring input from a health perspective.
To provide information and advice relating to the ongoing review of the Local Offer.
To support and represent WYICB in the complaints, mediation, disputes resolution and tribunal process relating to EHCPs.
Develop and maintain integrated and collaborative working arrangements with key stakeholders, including the SEND team to review and address any concerns in relation to processes for notification and requests related to education, health and care planning (assessment, care planning and review).
To be part of the West Yorkshire network of DCOs and DMOs to share and learn from experiences and good practice
Lead and influence system and culture change across multiple organisations in relation to the SEND reforms.
Engage and liaise with all relevant health service providers, including paediatricians, GPs, specialist nurses, therapists, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), 0 - 19 public health services, and continuing healthcare services to enable implementation of statutory requirements for SEND, and to decide with them an appropriate division of responsibilities.
Work with partners in education, social and health care to ensure that the health needs of vulnerable groups (such as children looked after, the electively home educated, children and young people known to the youth offending service and those on a child protection plan) are understood, and that support is well co-ordinated from a health perspective.
Advise education services, schools, and other relevant agencies (particularly social care) on health matters relevant to SEND.
Communicate very sensitive, complex condition related information about children to patients, relatives with empathy and reassurance.
To contribute to the local EHCP assessment process, by attendance at panels to approve requests for assessment and to confirm the health requirements within the EHCP.
To support the escalation of operational issues in relation to the EHCP process for highly complex cases.
Provide advice and guidance to health provider services and commissioners in relation to information and data requirements regarding children and young people including data on monitoring and future trends.
Use evidence-based knowledge and research findings in critical decision making which involves judgements where highly complex facts and situations require analysis within a framework of clinical governance.
Working to support effective joint commissioning of services that will meet the health, education, or social care needs of children with SEND. This will include ongoing reports of activity, demand, and service gaps.
Ensure parents/carers, children and young people are involved in the development of services and contribute to ensuring that when services are commissioned by WYICB incorporates the voice of children, young people, and their parents/carers.
To act as an expert on the needs of children, young people with SEND and their families and have an excellent understanding of the SEND services provided by the NHS, local authority, schools, voluntary and community sector.
To lead on the development of polices and strategies, which as part of the Childrens Alliance which will work towards ensuring WY ICB meets is statutory requirements under the Children And Families Act (2014)
Provide advice to all organisations across the health and care community on the implementation of effective system audit, training, and supervision in relation to SEND Code of Practice (2014) and any subsequent amendments and guidance.
Lead and oversee quality assurance and improvement across the health and care community for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Lead on the development of systems to monitor SEND performance in provider and commissioned services to meet national standards. And maintain oversight of these and ensure that relevant commissioner is aware of any issues in standards
Work with the Childrens Alliance to provide support and challenge to senior medical colleagues such as Paediatricians and GPs.
Work with the Childrens Alliance to provide support and challenge to partners in education and social care.
Please see attached job description for further information.
Person Specification
Skills & behaviours Essential
Skills & behaviours - EssentialClear and precise presentation, reporting and teaching skills in both informal and formal settings with focused aims and outcomes Ability to develop and provide education, training, and supervision as appropriate to the role Problem solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands Ability to analyse complex facts and situations and develop a range of options. Have good negotiating and leadership skills - negotiate on difficult and controversial issues including performance and change. Ability to coordinate complex assessments using a person centred planning approach ensuring clear outcomes are identified for children and young people. Computer literate with an ability to use the required systems/Microsoft IT office packages. Has attention to detail, able to work accurately, identifying errors quickly and easily. Has a planned and organised approach with an ability to prioritise their own workload to meet deadlines. Has good/excellent communication skills Able to exercise independent judgement where appropriate and problem solve
Other criteria Essential
Other criteria (optional) eg practical skills or Additional Requirements Demonstrable high level of personal professional autonomy and accountability Adhere to the core principles of the professional code of conduct, demonstrating respect and dignity and be open and honest, acting with integrity, upholding the reputation of your profession Excellent inter-personal and communication skills with the ability to build personal and professional credibility at all levels of the organisation as well as with external partners Excellent interpersonal skills to encourage facilitation, diplomacy, and negotiation Ability to challenge poor practice and support individuals to improve Ability to motivate colleagues/peers leading through example Ability to work effectively within a team Evidence of ongoing personal clinical supervision Able to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service and ensure a customer focused response. Able to regulate behaviour even when challenged. Enthusiastic about area of work and achieving results Has a responsive, solution focused approach to addressing issues and barriers.
Experience Essential
In-depth knowledge and understanding of the Children and Families Act 2014, Care Act 2014, continuing care frameworks and SEND Code of Practice 0-25 (2014). Knowledge and understanding of the main issues affecting outcomes for children, young people, and families, particularly children and young people with SEND Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of childrens services at both a local and national level. Knowledge and understanding of key issues affecting health services/modernisation/local commissioning agendas including national policy on reforms in the NHS. Knowledge and experience of developing needs-based services specific to SEND Able to demonstrate an understanding of professional issues, their relevance and application across all health care interfaces
Qualifications Essential
Masters level degree in related subject or equivalent experience Working at a senior clinical level which includes SEND as a specialist area Educated to Degree level. Professional qualification and registration as a health professional. Have substantial clinical experience as a professional in the field of SEND or other related areas of care. Evidence of partnership/cross organisational working to promote service integration and clinical excellence
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board
Address NHS West Yorkshire ICB
Scorex House West
1 Bolton Road
BRADFORD
West Yorkshire
BD1 4AS
United Kingdom
Employer's website http://www.westyorkshire.icb.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)