Best Start Inclusion and SEND Development Manager

We are looking for an experienced and committed Best Start Inclusion and SEND Development Manager to lead the development and delivery of a borough-wide inclusion and SEND offer for babies and children aged 0 to 5.

You will provide strategic and operational leadership to a multidisciplinary inclusion team, developing a coordinated, preventative and evidence-based approach to early identification, intervention and support. Your work will help improve school readiness, promote equity and inclusion, and improve outcomes for children with emerging or identified special educational needs and disabilities.

You will lead the design, implementation and continuous improvement of a clear and consistent inclusion model across the borough, including the Best Start Family Hubs. Using data, family feedback and evidence of outcomes, you will identify gaps, inform service planning and ensure that interventions are effective and responsive to local need.

A key part of the role will be developing strong partnerships across health, early years, education, the voluntary and community sector, and wider children’s services. You will coordinate multi-agency activity, support effective SEND pathways and promote a "no wrong door" approach so that families can access timely and appropriate help.

You will line-manage and develop a team of Inclusion Practitioners, building a skill-balanced service with the confidence, knowledge and accountability to deliver high-quality inclusive practice. You will also lead training, coaching and development for Family Hub staff, early years practitioners, partner organisations and other professionals working with children aged 0 to 5.

The role will oversee performance, quality and governance arrangements, including monitoring outcomes, evaluating impact, improving referral quality and reporting service performance to senior leaders. You will ensure that delivery complies with safeguarding, equality, information governance, data protection, and health and safety requirements.

This is an opportunity to influence services across the wider children’s system and contribute to national and local reform priorities, including Start for Life, SEND reform, Families First, Good Level of Development and neighbourhood-based models of delivery.

Special requirements for this post

This post requires an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check because it involves responsibility for services supporting young children, parents and families, including children with special educational needs and disabilities.

The postholder must:

• Be able to travel across Barking and Dagenham to deliver services, attend meetings and give presentations.
• Be able to undertake a predominantly face-to-face role with minimal homeworking.
• Work flexibly across Best Start Family Hubs and with partners in health, education, early years, commissioned services, and the voluntary and community sector.
• Maintain confidentiality and handle personal, sensitive and special-category information appropriately.
• Comply with safeguarding responsibilities and promptly respond to concerns in accordance with relevant procedures.
• Work within GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Council’s information governance requirements.
• Comply with health and safety legislation, equality requirements, Council policies, governance arrangements and professional standards.
• Maintain accurate records and support proportionate, lawful information sharing between services and partners.
• Demonstrate a commitment to inclusive and accessible services, cultural competence and equitable outcomes for families.
• Participate in continuous professional development and keep relevant professional knowledge and skills up to date.
• Respond flexibly to changes arising from local and national children’s reform programmes.
• Undertake other duties appropriate to the grade and nature of the role, where required.

The role involves working with children and families who may be experiencing additional needs, disadvantage, poverty or isolation. The postholder will therefore need to exercise professional judgement, maintain appropriate boundaries and communicate sensitively in complex situations.

About you

You are an experienced, collaborative and outcome-focused leader with a strong understanding of early childhood development, inclusion and SEND. You are passionate about ensuring that babies and young children with additional needs receive timely, coordinated, inclusive and high-quality support.

You will bring experience of early intervention, prevention or community-based programmes involving children and families, including those who may be vulnerable, require additional support and have English as an additional language. You understand the Early Years Foundation Stage and have in-depth knowledge of child development, the needs of children under five, SEND pathways and evidence-based approaches to intervention.

You can provide both strategic direction and effective operational leadership. You are confident in designing and improving services, managing programmes, developing staff, overseeing delivery and using data to assess impact. You can identify gaps, solve problems and turn evidence and policy requirements into practical improvements for children and families.

You are an effective people manager who can provide supervision, manage performance and support professional development. You will be able to bring together practitioners with different skills and experience, creating a positive culture of learning, accountability and continuous improvement.

Partnership working will be central to your approach.

You can build trusted relationships with parents and carers, Family Hub teams, early years professionals, health services, education colleagues, commissioned providers and voluntary and community organisations. You are able to influence others, coordinate activity and maintain a shared focus on outcomes.

You communicate clearly and sensitively with a wide range of audiences and understand how poverty, cultural differences and isolation may affect families’ experiences of services. You are committed to cultural competence, equality and removing barriers to participation.

You will be confident using digital systems and Microsoft Office applications and will understand your responsibilities relating to safeguarding, confidentiality, GDPR and information sharing. You will be able to travel across the borough and work primarily face to face.

Above all, you will share the Council’s commitment to delivering consistent services, responding professionally, inspiring improvement, valuing people's contributions and engaging constructively with families and partners.

About us

Barking & Dagenham is changing. It Starts Here.

Think you know Barking and Dagenham? Think again. While this small corner of east London might have a reputation for needing development, scratch beneath the surface and you'll find active communities and a place that consistently punches above its weight. The borough is changing – and changing for the better. And It Starts Here.

Yes, the borough has its challenges. But it's on the cusp of something exciting. With one of the youngest populations in the country, ambitions are high and rightly so. 98% of our schools are rated Good or Outstanding and every year more of our talented teenagers get into Russell Group Universities and hotly sought after apprenticeship schemes.

We have award winning parks, centuries old manor houses full of relics and artifacts you can go and see, and the ruins of one of Anglo-Saxon England’s most powerful and wealthiest religious sites. We're even bringing beavers and white storks to the borough to help rewild the local landscape and boost biodiversity.

Over the past few years, we've been working hard to improve how we deliver services and support our community. From tackling inequality to making sure our services are the best they can be, we're focused on what matters most to local people.

We're creating the conditions for people to thrive - so everyone can enjoy a good quality of life, feel proud to call this place home, and be part of something bigger.

#ItStartsHere - with our streets, our schools, our neighbourhoods. And with your application to join our determined team who are passionate about doing what’s best for the future of Barking and Dagenham.

As an Investors in People Gold Award employer, we're serious about supporting our staff. From flexible working, professional training and career development to wellbeing initiatives, we want our people to feel valued and supported in everything they do.

Additional Information

We're committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you require any adjustments or support at any stage, please contact the Hiring Manager to discuss your needs.

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