Job Description
London Borough of Lambeth
Designation:
Assessment and Placement Officer
Grade:
PO2
Directorate:
Children & Young Peoples Education
Division:
Inclusion and Standards
Responsible to:
SEN Manager
Responsible for:
Line management of up to 2 Case Workers
Main Functions of Post:

To be responsible for the effective and efficient initiation, assessment and statementing
of children with Special Educational Needs, ensuring that procedures and timescales are
fully compliant with both statutory and locally derived procedures.

To deliver a comprehensive service for young people undergoing Statutory Assessment
of their Special Educational Needs.

To provide effective management of the delivery of a comprehensive service to young
people undergoing statutory assessment or with statements of special educational
needs.

To oversee and be solely responsible for the writing of statements of SEN.

To be the responsible Named LEA Officer for all statutory assessment cases, to parents,
carers, schools and other professionals should contact for information throughout the
assessment process.

To direct, oversee and be responsible for ensuring reliable and accurate systems are in
place for the monitoring of Best Value Performance Indicators. Responsible for
producing the source data, for the calculation and compilation of the indicator in
accordance with the agreed definition using the agreed systems, and for the
maintenance of appropriate records to support audit.

To ensure that the Authority meets statutory requirements in regard to assessment of
statements of special educational needs.
Key Tasks
1.
To be responsible for the administering of SEN procedures relating to those pupils
with a Statement of SEN.
2.
To be an integral part of the operational decision-making process relating to
assessment, statementing and allocation procedures. Including responsibility for
decision making at the LEA's SEN Panel.
3.
To be the SEN sole representative at the Social Inclusion Pupil Placement Panel,
and be responsible for any decisions made and their execution.
4.
To oversee and ensure that the assessment and statementing of individual children
is fully consistent with the LEA's policies, procedures and timescales. This may be
based on specific local procedures as well as national statutory procedures.
5.
To make key decisions relating to the assessment and statementing of individual
children, including:


The content of any statement or note-in-lieu - ensuring that part 4 of a statement issued
names an appropriate type or named school where the special educational provision set
out in part 3 is to be made.
Amendments to the proposed statement following any representations made by parents.
6.
To ensure that parents, educational psychologists, head teachers and others, as
appropriate, are fully consulted in the assessment and statementing of an individual
child and that they are kept fully informed as to the reasons for the decisions made
buy the LEA.
7.
As the responsible named LEA officer for all cases during the assessment process
you must ensure that advice and support to parents, carers, schools and other
professionals in line with LEA's policies and procedures is provided. Encouraging
parents to participate in all stages of this process, through meetings and other
contact.
8.
To meet with parents and others, if appropriate, in order to consider any matter
relating to the child's assessment and statementing, and resolve any affecting issues.
This includes attending relevant meetings at schools and with other services.
9.
To chair any formal meetings relating to the child's assessment and statementing that
takes place with parents or others.
10.
To ensure continued schools liaison: - collecting, monitoring and acting on
schools/SENCOs concerns and suggestions around communications, assessment
decisions and timescales.
11.
To ensure continued parent liaison: - gathering, monitoring and acting on parents'
views on the service they receive.
12.
To ensure through external liaison that development and on-going co-ordination of
procedures/practices with the Health Authority, Social Services, the Connexions
Services and others.
13.
To ensure through internal liaison that development work and on going co-ordination
of procedures/practices with the LEA support services.
14.
To be responsible for liaising with education, health and social services and other
agencies orally and in writing using standard and non standard letters.
15.
Responsible for replying to letters sent to the LEA by MP's, Councillors, The DfES,
the Local Government Ombudsman and others, on cases for which you have direct
responsibility.
16.
To take responsibility for ensuring written responses are made to solicitors’ enquiries,
liaising as appropriate with the LEA’s own solicitor
17.
Responsible for all relevant complex casework.
18.
To take responsibility for preparation of all relevant casework for Judicial Review or
other Court proceedings.
19.
To represent the Authority at such hearings as appropriate and be responsible for all
decisions made.
20.
To provide direct day to day management and supervision, target setting and
monitoring of work of up to 3 SEN Case Officers. This includes responsibility for such
matters as authorising annual leave, performance management; overseeing
professional development and dealing with absences, return to work procedures,
probationary procedures and any disciplinary procedures.
21.
To be responsible for the performance monitoring, staff training and development of
caseworkers. Monitoring the quality and turnaround of assessment decisions and
statutory assessments and linking these to staff training and development needs.
22.
To assist and advise the SENdisT and Conciliation Officer on those cases where the
parents have formally appealed or requested mediation for which you have direct
responsibility. Including Preparation of panel notes and case documentation for SEN
and Disability Tribunal appeals for consideration by the SEN Panel.
23.
To direct and oversee and be responsible for ensuring that all Best Value
Performance Indicator data is accurate and in accordance with the statutory
definition.
24.
Responsible for completing the analytical review for Best Value Performance
Indicators, and for providing any comment / explanation required on the underlying
performance within monthly/quarterly monitoring reports.
25.
To ensure reliable and accurate systems are in place for the monitoring of
Performance Management targets and Performance Indicators. Including collation
and preparation of statistics.
26.
To contribute as appropriate to LEA policy and procedures, planning and review,
including the development, monitoring and review of the business plan.
27.
To ensure systems are in place to meet day to day service delivery requirements,
ensuring a high level of customer care.
28.
To ensure compliance with statutory deadlines for drafting of statements of SEN
through monitoring throughout process and drafting statements as necessary.
29.
To be responsible for developing processes to monitor the delivery of assessment
services to all service users ensuring they are responsive as well as effective and
efficient. To develop and implement action plans to overcome any identified areas of
weakness and/or underperformance.
30.
To contribute to the organisation and delivery of training and conference events
31.
To direct, oversee and be responsible for the collation and presentation of
confidential papers for consideration by Senior Officers who constitute the LEA's
SEN panel.
32.
To be responsible for implementing the decisions of the SEN panel including
ensuring that the decisions of the panel are conveyed to parents, carers, schools and
other professionals - to be completed within statutory timescales.
33.
To deputise for the SEN Manager, Head of Assessment and Intervention and other
Senior Officers as necessary. Responsible for decision making in their absence.
34.
To ensure that financial control information is effectively communicated to colleagues
and others.
35.
To prepare monthly reports as to the progress of individual cases based on
information received from supervision with caseworkers for which you have
responsibility as well as own workload.
36.
To keep up to date with changes in legislation impacting on the area of special
educational needs and ensure that all standard letters and other information complies
with legislation.
37.
To take a lead role in the development and review of manual and computerised
records and systems of the section.
38.
To be responsible for using Information Technology to keep manual and
computerised records for ease of manipulation and to enable professional standards
of presentation of information.
39.
To be responsible for ensuring that assigned caseworkers keep up to date and
accurate manual and computerised records and case files and computerised data by
monitoring.
40.
To understand implement the Council's Equal Opportunities Policy in relation to the
duties of the post, and be responsible for ensuring that caseworkers also follow
policy.
41.
To carry out research activities, special assignments and/or individual project work
and present findings.
42.
To seek information from and give advice to local authorities and outside agencies
with regard to procedures and pupils. Including attending meetings to give and
receive information related to service activities.
Special Condition
On occasion work in the evening or at weekends will be required for which time off in lieu
arrangements will apply.
ASSESSMENT AND PLACEMENT OFFICER – COMPETENCY BASED PERSON SPECIFICATION
It is essential that in your written application you give
evidence or examples of your proven experience in each
of the shortlisting criteria marked E for Essential
KEY
KNOWLEDGE
K1 Detailed Knowledge of legislation related to Special Educational
Needs and other relevant legislation relation to young people
with SEN.
SHORTLISTING
CRITERIA
E
K2 Knowledge and understanding of the role of different agencies in
this area of work.
K3 Knowledge of issues relating to support to pupils with SEN,
which will enable the post holder to resolve day to day
operational issues.
K4 Working knowledge of standard IT packages
Relevant
Experience
E1 Extensive experience of working in an educational environment
with children of school age and their families.
E2 Experience of managing and supervising a team.
E3 Experience of working and liaising with parents, carers and other
agencies in a multi-disciplinary setting.
E
E
E4 Experience of administration, in a position of responsibility
E5 Experience of managing conflicting demands and priorities,
working to tight timescales
E6 Experience of producing reports for a variety of audiences
E7 Experience of managing complaints and resolving
disagreements.
E8 Experience of chairing meetings
Key
Competencies
M1-Leading and Motivating: Provides a clear and equitable
leadership, motivating others to maximise performance.
E
P4-Developing Productive Relationships: Builds effective
working relationships with a diversity of individuals and groups.
E
M18-Creating Customer Centred Services: Develops services
which involve and respond to customers, meeting real needs with
good quality delivery.
E
SM5- Building Effective Partnerships: Builds Productive working
relationships and strategic partnerships, demonstrating selfawareness, perception and a collaborative approach.
M19 -Delivery Results: Meets deadlines and targets demonstrating
an ability to achieve despite constraints or obstacles.
E
M6-Communicating in Writing: Writes clearly and succinctly,
conveying key information effectively and creating a positive impact.
M20-Managing Diversity: Ensures oppressive practices are
effectively tackled, promoting positive recognition of differences,
mutual respect and merit based opportunity.
P6-Communicating Orally: Conveys messages
creating a positive impact on the listener (s).
effectively,
P12-Applying New Technology: Embraces technological changes
and develops the skills necessary to effectively applying it.
E
E
E