Head of Special Needs Assessment Service

Are you an experienced leader? Are you someone who is resilient and won’t ever give up on a child? Then we want to encourage you to consider becoming our new Head of Special Needs Assessment Service.

Wandsworth is a dynamic council to work for. We are expanding our Special Needs Assessment Service and at the same time our current Head of Service is retiring, having established a robust legacy and so we are looking for someone to join  the service at a time of considerable change.

Wandsworth provides highly effective provision and a wide variety of services to meet the needs of our children and young people. Wandsworth Special Needs Assessment Service currently works with 2000 children and young people with Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans.

This is an opportunity to join a hard-working service and to contribute to key areas of work. We can offer you a stimulating and worthwhile role, a great team to work with and a supportive working environment.  

You will need to be able to provide strategic leadership to the SNAS and have experience of representing a local authority at meetings.

In return, we can offer you working arrangements that will enhance your work-life balance.  These include home working (dependent on service need), and a generous holiday allowance of 31 days plus bank holidays.

In addition, we can also offer a range of staff benefits such as membership of the Local Government contributory pension scheme, interest-free loans on annual travel cards, discounts at many leisure activities, restaurants, shops, and other establishments. A range of developmental opportunities are also offered.

You can apply on a secondment basis, or for a permanent post.

Indicative Recruitment Timeline

Closing Date:  Sunday 17th November

Shortlisting Date:  to be decided

Interview Date:  to be decided

Useful Information:

Please note that these dates are only indicative at this stage and could be subject to change.

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.

Important Information:

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding