Designated Clinical Officer

Job description

Job responsibilities

DCO specific responsibilities

(adapted from 2019 Council for Disabled Children Handbook for DCO/ DMO)

Inter-agency Responsibilities

Sit on relevant health and interagency committees and panels

Advise Education Services, schools and other relevant agencies, including social care, on health matters relevant to SEND

Support schools with their duties under the Supporting pupils with Medical Conditions guidance, in conjunction with the multidisciplinary health team

Advisory

Provide support and advice on the framework and preparation of EHCPs of a sufficient and consistent quality, and support resolution of operational issues

Ensuring that identification, assessment, planning takes place, and that health support is available for children and young people undergoing Education, Health and Care needs assessment and Annual Reviews of existing EHCPs

SEND policy

Provide advisory services on practical guidance and policies relating to SEND and advise ICB senior managers on their statutory responsibilities and SEND reforms implementation.

Work with the Head of SEND to devise, review, manage and update policies and procedures in relation to SEND for ICBs; ensuring that they reflect the current statutory guidance, and disseminate the policies and procedures throughout the ICB and local health economy.

To act as an expert resource for children and young peoples health for information, advice, guidance and support for families and professionals

To provide information and advice relating to the ongoing review of the Local Offer

Service planning and improvement advice

Advising Local Authority to support effective strategic planning and improvement of health services that will meet the education, learning and training need or social care needs of children with SEND. This will include an annual report of activity, demand and service gaps.

Promotion of joint service planning and improvement through establishing shared understanding of need within the SEND population, effective management of relationships and generation of shared system wide solutions with partner agencies wherever possible.

Ensuring mechanisms are in place to assure ICBs and the Council with regard to health providers identification, assessment, advice and intervention with regard to children and young people requiring an education health and care plan.

Ensure mechanisms are in place to enable smooth and seamless transitions between children and adult health services and alignment of services to effectively prepare children and young people for adulthood, including Annual Health Check arrangements and health assessments for 18-25 year olds.

The post holder will provide leadership and be a source of expertise on matters relating to SEND for the ICB and Local Partnership Area, including advice for strategic commissioning.

Working with the Head of SEND to advise the ICB, in consultation with the Health and Wellbeing Board, informing strategic planning priorities for SEND and contributing to Joint Strategic Needs Assessment

Coordination around EHC Plan

Engage and liaise with all relevant health service providers, including paediatricians, General Practitioners, specialist nurses, therapists, mental health services and continuing healthcare services to enable implementation of statutory requirements for SEND, and to decide with them an appropriate division of responsibilities relating to SEN - In conjunction with child and adult commissioning managers

Liaise with, advise and support healthcare providers on SEND issues

Work with partners in Education, Health, and Social Care to ensure that there are adequate quality assurance processes in place for professional advice for EHC needs assessment and EHC Plans.

Ensure an effective partnership process for the coordination and transition to all adult services (including health) for children and young people with an EHC Plan.

Work jointly to deliver an effective process for personal health budgets for children and young people (aged 0-25) receiving an EHC Plan and who are eligible to receive a personal health budget.

To act as a point of contact for families requesting health specific mediation in relation to an EHC Plan

To advise the local authority on health matters identified in extended appeals made to the SEND Tribunal

Communication between services

Work with partners in Education, Health, and Social Care to ensure that the needs of vulnerable groups (such as Looked After children and young people, the electively home educated, children and young people known to the youth offending service) are understood and that support is well coordinated.

Enable implementation of statutory requirements for SEND, and decide on an appropriate division of responsibilities relating to SEN, in conjunction with:

oICB managers

opaediatricians

ospecialist nurses

otherapists

omental health services and palliative care services

Liaise with other DCOs and DMOs to establish networks to share and learn from experiences and good practice

Key Duties:

Work closely and effectively with internal and external partners including residents, service users, carers, and providers of services.

Monitor system performance, KPIs and capacity against agreed metrics and outcomes, supporting a culture of quality improvement.

Where necessary attend regular recovery meetings with providers to support performance improvement.

Support collaborative working across NWL ICS organisations and with other key organisations, including NHS England and local healthcare providers.

To ensure links and alignment with other programmes/ places in NW London, and act as a central point of contact/ spokesperson on all significant matters relating to relevant subject area.

Maintain clear and effective lines of communication at all levels with the programme/ place team and partner organisations.

Work closely with co-ordinating leads and relevant providers to inform service design, transformation and delivery.

Manage risks relating to the subject area ensuring that appropriate mitigations are in place and risks escalated as necessary.

Ensure relevant national and regional work and best practice is incorporated into work of the team.

Coordinate co-production within the programme/ place to drive development and delivery of transformation.

Ensure compliance with Standing Orders and Standing Financial Instructions in the discharge of this responsibility.

Identify the appropriate governance and programme management routes within the current structures to which to provide regular and timely reporting.

Participate in and attend relevant programme/ place groups.

Prepare papers/ presentations and follow up for key programme/ place meetings and any other groups as appropriate.

Provide regular reports and assurance to key governance forums of the ICB, ICS and place based meetings.

Coordinate data collation, sourcing analysis as required and ensure accurate assurance reporting.

Play an active role in team management; line manage, motivate and develop relevant team members so that they are able to deliver at their best, ensuring that they have annual appraisals, a development plan and that regular one to ones are held.

Work closely and collaboratively with other senior and delivery managers within across NWL and within partner organisations.

Keep up to date with relevant policy, legislation, guidance and professional developments and ensure that these inform the work of the programme.

Human resources

Regularly responsible for professional/clinical supervision of a small number of qualified staff or students in regard to SEND. Regularly responsible for providing training in regard to SEND for multi-agency partners.

Within the context of the DCO team, one DCO will be responsible for day-to-day supervision of the deputy DCO. Other DCOs will provide cover and support as required.

Finance and Physical Resources

Ensures compliance with Standing Orders and Standing Financial Instructions in the discharge of this responsibility.

Observes personal duty of care in relation to equipment and resources used in course of work.

Creation of Purchase Orders where required, and authorised for receipting invoices for payment.

Reducing Inequalities

Ensure services are developed and provided in a way that provides equal access and care for all our residents.

Promote approaches where residents views actively shape service and care provision.

Use data and information to actively review and monitor the impact of services and decisions on our diverse population, taking action where necessary to ensure greater equality of impact.

Ensure Equality Impact Assessments are proactively undertaken for all service developments.

Promote a culture that embraces equality and strives continuously to reduce inequality in for all NWL residents and staff.

Research and development

Plan, develop and evaluate methods and processes for gathering, analysing, interpreting and presenting data and information

Deliver projects to comply with key performance indicators.

Co-ordinating Research & Development initiatives, delegating as appropriate.

Undertakes research, for example surveys, where appropriate within a programme of work

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to masters level or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area.
• Evidence of post qualifying and continuing professional development
• SEND specific
• Qualified and registered Allied Health Professional or Registered Nurse or Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (child family) with substantial experience in SEND
• First Level Degree or Master qualification or equivalent in relevant subject or equivalent knowledge / experience

Experience

Essential

• Extensive knowledge of specialist areas, acquired through post graduate diploma or equivalent experience or training plus further specialist knowledge or experience to masters level equivalent
• Must have an understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy in London and appreciate the implications of this on engagement
• Should have an appreciation of the relationship between the NHS England and individual provider and commissioning organisations
• Understanding of Standing Financial Instructions, audit and other governance.
• Confidentiality of patient information, data security issues and other data protection governance.
• Babies, children, & young people
• Age-appropriate communication skills for parents, carers, and children of different ages
• Up-to-date knowledge of ICB statutory duties for children
• Understanding of multi-agency accountability for commissioning childrens health pathways

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

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

North West London Integrated Care Board

Address

5th Floor, Hounslow House

7 Bath Road

Hounslow

Middlesex

TW3 3EB

Employer's website

https://www.nwlondonics.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)