Gateshead Council are pleased share that a new post has been created to support with our strategic priorities in relation to children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities. This role is the Designated Social Care Officer (DSCO) and Tara O’Donnell has been appointed into the post. This post is positioned in Children’s Social Care and is jointly managed across Children’s Social Care and Education.
The key focus of the Designated Social Care Officer (DSCO) is to support and develop the social care elements of the SEND strategy, in compliance with legislative requirements of the SEND Code of Practice (2015), and ensure they are embedded within our working practice for children and young people aged 0 to 25 across all services. A key aspect to this role is to work collaboratively and strategically across health, education and social care to enable system change. Whilst being available as a point of contact for parents/carers, partner agencies and professionals to support the resolution of SEND queries and concerns related to the quality and interaction of Children’s Social Care and Early help for families of children and young people within special educational needs.
Key Aspirations for the role are :
- Working collaboratively with social care directors, service managers and commissioners to ensure social care meet statutory responsibilities under the Children and Families Act (2014) and Care Act (2014), and to drive forward organisational culture change aligned to the SEND reforms.
• The role will assist all staff across children social care, early help and specialist services to develop a greater awareness and understanding of the needs of children with Special Educational Needs and or Disabilities, to be clearer about the way in which we should be working to achieve the best possible outcomes for all children with SEN.
• Developing strategies, action plans and processes which support and enable the SEND reforms agenda to become embedded within social care operations and practice across Gateshead Council.
• To ensure high quality social care input and engagement with the Education, Health and Care needs assessment and planning process with a particular focus on how different roles are supporting coordination of social care input into Education, Health and Care Plans.
• Lead on implementing SEND agenda within social care through the development of SEND Champions.
• Improve the understanding of Social Care process by professionals in Education and Health.
• Improve the understanding of SEND across all areas of Social Care.
• Contributing to social care workforce development by formulating programmes of co-produced learning/training relating to SEND.
Contact Information: taraodonnell@gateshead.gov.uk
Tel: 0191 433 3826
Mob: 07714640428
