Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Programme Manager

Job description

Job responsibilities

The Directorate is responsible for the commissioning of Mental Health, Learning Disabilities, Children and Young Peoples and Maternity Services. In this context commissioning includes; scoping priorities, needs assessment, service review, market analysis, service design, pathway implementation and specification of services. The Directorate has a particular role in joint commissioning with the Local Authority and working across statutory and non statutory agencies. Commissioning roles include responsibility for elements of strategic commissioning as well as commissioning packages of care to meet the needs of an individual.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities is a key part of commissioning and this job role is to lead the programme of work to ensure that across the 0-25 age range, SEND is a high priority in the ICB, and that the workforce understand their role in relation to SEND, processes are developed and followed, and appropriate service provision is provided.

Work closely with staff from other agencies to deliver transformational change, recognising that lasting and sustainable change requires a whole systems approach.

Interpret and implement national policy directives.

Ensure statutory responsibilities are delivered in the designated areas of responsibility.

The post holder is responsible for elements of the Directorate commissioning budget that relate to the needs of the population for which the Programme serves.

The post holder is responsible for coordinating and implementing the national and agreed local policies relating to health services across the range of service commissioned from the Directorate budget and for leading change across the systems as a whole.

2. Key Performance Indicators and Outputs

SERVICE DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE

1. Lead and manage the Programme across commissioner and provider boundaries that meet the needs of the local population and deliver agreed objectives.
2. Develop and use a variety of approaches to bring about change, including encouraging innovation, effectiveness and value for money.
3. Work closely with all stakeholders to understand needs to support the development of the Programme, including the ICB, Local Authority, Voluntary and community organisations, NHSE.
4. Lead on the development of specified projects for children and young people with SEND.
5. Lead on the development of policy and implementation of SEND reforms in relation to health provision.

6. Lead on the planning and designing the programme with stakeholders.

7. To play a key role in developing and supporting mechanisms to ensure service users and carers and families are actively involved in Programme developments.

8. Leading and monitoring the programme workstreams in respect of progress against milestones, risks/issues, interdependencies etc.

9. Reporting the progress of the programme at regular intervals to the SRO and Programme Board.

10. Taking responsibility for the quality assurance and overall integrity of the Programme.

11. Ensuring coherent and robust benefits management approaches are in place.

12. Assist with the preparation and maintenance of business cases and strategies.

QUALITY STANDARDS

1. Develop quality standards and outcome measures alongside evaluation tools to ensure projects within the Programme perform well against targets and contribute to the delivery of the overall strategy.
2. Ensure that the projects within the Programme have due regard to Safeguarding requirements including Working Together to Safeguard Children, National Service Frameworks, Children Act 2004, Children & Families Act 2014, NICE, CQC, Ofsted and other relevant reports, legislation and guidance.
3. Responsible for interpreting national guidance and the way this should be implemented locally to lead to improvements in quality and outcomes.
4. Responsible for planning, monitoring and evaluating the delivery of services and projects as part of the Programme in line with strategic objectives and consistent with legislation and policy providing evidence of impact in specific services and for specific groups of the population and across the age spectrum.
5. Works collaboratively across a range of areas in order to assess performance and progress of projects and services.
6. Ensure that opportunities for patient and public involvement are considered and integral to the Programme and service improvement.

COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIPS

1. To coordinate relevant work streams and programmes and chair groups as appropriate.
2. To develop and maintain communication with a range of people (including clinicians, managers, users, carers and other stakeholders) on complex issues and ideas and to deliver this in complex situations. This can be on a one to one, small group and large group situation.
3. To deputise for the Head of Service when necessary.
4. To communicate effectively using oral, written, electronic and other forms of communication including providing presentations to a wide range of people and in a range of situations some of which may be challenging in terms of audience reaction or environment.
5. Provides and receives information which can be highly complex, sensitive and/or contentious.
6. Uses a range of skills to persuade, motivate, negotiate and reassure others including in small or large groups.
7. Communicates directly with service users, their carers and families.
8. Communicates decisions following commissioning and planning processes.
9. Maintains and develops good networks with leading edge organisations and knowledge of relevant research and policy, to ensure commissioning in Gloucestershire is in line with the best national and international comparators.

SYSTEMS

1. Responsible for analysing performance data.
2. Uses a range of IT applications to create reports and other documents.
3. Maintains information which supports projects and programmes of work.

ASSIGNMENT AND REVIEW OF WORK

1. Responsible for leading on designated areas of work with many tasks self generated.
2. Responsible for anticipating problems and taking steps to resolve them.
3. High level objectives will be agreed with the line manager and reviewed at regular (monthly) meetings.
4. Responsible for all aspects of line management including recruitment and selection, identifying personal development needs of self and others in context of CPD and NHS Gloucestershire appraisal and performance processes.

DECISIONS AND JUDGEMENTS

1. Responsible for making decisions on commissioning expenditure and direction at a service level.
2. To deputise for the Head of Service where necessary.
3. Manage staff as required.

MOST CHALLENGING/DIFFICULT PARTS OF JOB

1. Negotiating service change with a wide range of stakeholders with differing interests / perspectives.
2. Making and communicating decisions that impact on the services available and care received by an individual and/or on the staff delivering the services.

Resources:

• Responsibility for Commissioning budgets, as appropriate.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• At least 5 years experience working with people in at least part of the service portfolio area
• At least 3 years management experience
• Experience of managing significant health service development projects
• Excellent knowledge of best practice in relation to at least part of the specific service area and ability to command respect of other clinicians of all disciplines
• Good knowledge and understanding of local authority processes and political context
• Good knowledge of public sector Education, health and Care.
• Excellent interpersonal and negotiating skills
• Ability to analyse policy and research findings
• Ability to evaluate service provision and quality
• Ability to produce high quality written reports and papers
• Good presentation and facilitation skills to a range of audiences
• IT skills
• Ability to think strategically to plan integrated care and pathways across a range of providers
• Excellent project management skills and the ability to work to challenging deadlines.
• Ability to analyse very complex issues where material is conflicting and drawn from multiple sources.
• Demonstrated capability to act upon incomplete information, using experience to make inferences and decision making
• Numerate and able to understand complex financial issues combined with deep analytical skills
• Experience of setting up and implementing internal processes and procedures
• Knowledge of Financial Systems e.g. monitoring budget management, processing invoices and procurement
• Demonstrated capability to plan over short, medium and long-term timeframes and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly
• Experience of setting up and implementing internal processes and procedures.
• Demonstrated capabilities to manage own workload and make informed decisions in the absence of required information, working to tight and often changing timescales
• The promotion of equality of opportunity and good working relations (providing practical leadership)
• Team player. Ability to work with large numbers of different organisations and professional disciplines.
• Well developed multi agency and interpersonal, negotiation, and influencing skills
• Able to articulate a strong vision and direction, with strong networking and communication skills
• Able to work effectively with people at all levels within the NHS, partner agencies, and with the Public and able to build effective strategic relationships at the highest level
• Self-management and self-motivation
• Passionate about developing better lives and services for people in the service area
• Motivates and brings about change in circumstances where resistance might be high

Desirable

• Experience of working across the age ranges from childhood into adult services

Employer details

Employer name

NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board

Address

Sanger House

5220 Valiant Court, Gloucester Business Park

Gloucester

Gloucestershire

GL3 4FE

Employer's website

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