Designated Clinical Officer for SEND | NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board

Dyddiad hysbysebu:	24 Tachwedd 2025
Cyflog:	Heb ei nodi
Gwybodaeth ychwanegol am y cyflog:	£55,690 - £62,682 per annum pro rata
Oriau:	Rhan Amser
Dyddiad cau:	24 Rhagfyr 2025
Lleoliad:	Warrington, WA1 1QY
Cwmni:	NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board
Math o swydd:	Parhaol
Cyfeirnod swydd:	7638360/493-ICB-7607965-A

Crynodeb

Applications are invited for a rare opportunity that has arisen to join NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board as a Designated Clinical Officer (SEND) at Halton Place within the Merseyside DCO cluster. This post is a 12-month fixed term contract for 0.6wte (22.5 hours per week) to cover maternity leave and secondments are welcome. The role is hybrid and the successful applicant is expected to work at Place for a minimum one day per week.

This senior post will provide leadership and direction on Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) delivery for 0-25-year-olds.Taking account of national and local strategy, you will work with Senior Strategic Managers, Heads of Service, stakeholders and partners to support the delivery of SEND, ensuring spread of best practice in respect of all commissioned services.

To apply for this post, you will be a Registered Nurse or a Registered Allied Health Professional (Speech & Language Therapist/Physiotherapist/Occupational Therapist) with extensive knowledge of SEND. The role offers the opportunity to utilise your existing skills and also to develop further working across organisational boundaries and championing partnership working.

In return, you will join a forward-thinking and supportive organisation, working as part of an experienced Cheshire and Merseyside DCO team with access to an extensive induction process, continuous professional development and clinical supervision by the ICB Head of SEND.

The SEND Code of Practice for children and young people (CYP) with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) 0-25 years indicates that partners should ensure there is a Designated Medical Officer (DMO) or Designated Clinical Officer (DCO) to support the ICB at place in meeting its statutory responsibilities for children and young people with SEN and disabilities. There are discussions at a national level about making this post a statutory requirement.

The post will primarily be a key point of contact and advice for local partners (e.g. Local Authority, Education, Social Care), professionals, parents and young people who have SEN and/or a disability. Ultimately the aim of the post is to help ensure that children and young people with SEND have their health needs assessed and that they can access appropriate services to meet their health needs.

A national handbook for Designated Clinical Officers for SEND developed by the Council for Disabled Children exists and the post holder will be expected to deliver the role as outlined in the handbook.

Cheshire and Merseyside ICB is a highly complex organisation serving a population of over 2.5 million people across nine Places (Boroughs including local Authorities), 17 NHS Provider organisations, 51 PCNs plus Northwest Ambulance service as well as third sector and voluntary organisations. Cheshire and Merseyside is the third largest ICS in the country, and regarding scope of organisations the ICS is double the size of the next largest ICS.

The postholder will be supported locally but will also be part of the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Team for support and development in this exciting role.

Terms and conditions will be as per Agenda for Change.

The Designated Clinical Officer will act as the key source of knowledge and experience for a wide range of clinical colleagues and key stakeholders working to implement the SEND agenda. The post holder will therefore require an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of the Children and Families Act, SEND Code of Practice and statutory requirements of the health system.

KEY DUTIES & MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

Communication and Relationships

To use a wide range of communication skills to convey complex and highly contentious information to a variety of stakeholders, including children, young people and their families and carers.

To develop a range of effective relationships and partnerships with stakeholders to support implementation of the SEND Code of Practice, ensuring involvement of key groups and individuals, making sure that they influence and own the outcomes using co-production as a basis.

To represent the ICB at Place by providing clinical advice to key planning groups in relation to SEND and develop close working relationships with colleagues within the ICB at Place, across the locality and Cheshire and Merseyside Footprint, ensuring effective leadership and management of the SEND programme.

To ensure the involvement of key stakeholders, particularly children, young people and families in the service redesign process and ensure this takes place in a creative and proactive manner and ensure they influence and own the outcomes.

To act as a point of contact in the health system for enquires relating to the EHCP process and provide advice regarding alternative solutions as appropriate.

To ensure excellent partnership working and co-ordination to ensure effective transition to adult health services (including health) for children and young people with SEND.

To provide support and challenge to senior medical colleagues such as pediatricians and GPs.

To participate in appropriate professional/developmental groups across the region and nationally in order to develop a community approach and share good practice.

Analytical Tasks

To analyse complex data sets to enable the dissemination of performance information relating to demand management and be able to respond to all queries in relation to these, which may include the interpretation of national guidance into local context.

To understand and present comparative provider performance reports and the clarification of the impact of changes through presentation of data.

To interpret guidance on SEND (including NICE) to ensure that new service models, service improvements and development projects are in line with the national and local agenda and the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment.

To analyse and use judgement on a range of options in conflicting, highly complex situations.

To analyse and evaluate both quantitative and qualitative data and research evidence from a range of sources and make recommendations to inform decision making.

To identify current and future needs of children and young people with SEND and their families to inform both Place and joint commissioning.

To develop and monitor quality assurance systems in relation to health input into EHCPs and performance of ICB commissioned services in relation to SEND.

To provide regular quality and performance information such as highlighting inequity in provision, timeliness of responses by health services to requests for into EHCPs, quality assurance and quality audits of EHCPs and achievements linked to personal outcomes and through this data inform both the ICB and joint commissioning processes.

To provide quarterly progress reports to the ICB at Place with regards to the implementation of the local EHCP process and highlight any risks and changes which are needed.

To provide assurance to the ICB at Place including quarterly updates and an annual report.

To provide timely and accurate information about children and young people with SEND (including data to help predict future trends) to the ICB at Place and input this data into the joint SEND dashboard where this is appropriate.

To contribute to data collection and audit of activity for the ICB at place and relevant providers in relation to SEND.

Planning and Organisational Skills

To contribute to the ICB at Place improvement strategy in relation to SEND.

To contribute to short, medium and long-term strategic programs to deliver reform and service improvement in relation to SEND with significant impact across care settings - these programs will deliver service improvement priorities for development and redesign which will positively impact on the health and wellbeing of children and young people with SEND.

To demonstrate excellent organisational skills, planning and implementation of care strategies and clinical pathways based upon organisational and national objectives.

To provide leadership and co-ordination across professional boundaries working closely with other clinicians and strategic leaders across the local area SEND Partnership.

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care

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 support Director of Nursing and care to fulfil their statuary responsibility for SEND, using established governance mechanisms e.g. Quality, Finance and Performance committee on updates for the SEND action plan and leading on any inspections for the ICB at Place

To support and represent the ICB at Place in the complaints, mediation, disputes resolution and tribunal process relating to EHCPs.

To have oversight of operational issues and provide expert advice where required in relation to the EHCP process for highly complex cases.

To represent the ICB at Place at Multi-Disciplinary/Multi-Agency panels, including Continuing Care and DSR to strengthen decision making processes.

To advise the ICB at Place when mainstream health services are not able to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND and therefore a personal budget may be required.

To contribute to the ICB quality assurance role in relation to ICB at Place commissioned health services which provide support to children and young people with SEND.

To alert the ICB at Place Children’s Commissioner of issues that could affect performance.

Policy and Service Development Implementation

To be responsible for policy development and implementation of the ICB at Place SEND policy and service development.

To implement and quality assure performance management and service improvement for major programme areas.

To ensure adherence to appropriate Place polices and OFSTED & CQC regulatory requirements to ensure health services meet statutory and regulatory standards in relation to SEND services.

To ensure compliance with national policy and achievements of associated targets and timescales.

To ensure that systems are in place that allow for the consistent delivery of high-quality services and organisational objectives and to contribute to the maintenance of the ICB at Place systems that support quality service provision


This advert closes on Friday 5 Dec 2025