Please note that there are 2 positions available, 1 permanent position and 1 fixed term position for 12 months.

Essex County Council has embarked upon a programme of change for provision and services with the ambition to profoundly improve the outcomes and life experience of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Our vision is for a SEND system which identifies and assesses need at an earlier stage and which provides appropriate and impactful support without such high dependence on Essex County Council's statutory services. We have a responsibility to deliver effective services and support in the most cost effective and impactful way.

The Education Legal Services Officer provides a service to SEND Operations Teams to represent the Council in SEND appeals, providing advice on other legal issues to reduce the numbers of SEND appeals and undertaking complex casework and representing the Council at the Special Educational Needs & Disability Tribunal (SEND) hearings as required.

• Legal qualification e.g. law degree or CILEX (desirable)
• Experience of conducting SEN Tribunal appeals and representing parties at Tribunal hearings
• Extensive knowledge of SEN legislation, the Code of Practice and case law
• Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area with recent relevant training in SEN issues and education legislation.
• Experience of providing quality advice to other senior managers in a complex organisation.
• Experience of responding to ombudsman complaints and judicial reviews.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written with the ability to communicate in a range of mediums to a wide audience.

Qualification certificates should be brought to interview.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity is key to our success.