Designated Social Care Officer; DeSCO

Job title: Designated Social Care Officer (DSCO)

Salary: PO6 £ 51,356 - £54,495

Hours: 37

Contract: Permanent

Location: Merrion House/Hybrid

Are you passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND? Do you have the vision and leadership skills to embed social care within the SEND reforms agenda and drive positive change across services? We’re looking for a dynamic, strategic thinker with exceptional relationship‑building skills and a commitment to collaborative working. As a Designated Social Care Officer, you will lead on shaping and developing the social care elements of Leeds’ SEND strategy, ensuring compliance with statutory duties under the Children & Families Act 2014, Care Act 2014, and the SEND Code of Practice.

Strategically lead in framing and developing social care elements of the SEND strategy across the local authority, in compliance with the SEN Regulations 2014, Children & Families Act 2014, Care Act 2014 and other legislative requirements referenced within the SEND Code of Practice 2015. Act as regional and national interface, representing Leeds City Council at key regional and national events, and serve as a source of expert professional advice on SEND reforms relating to social care within the Council.

• Identify areas where social care is weak or non‑compliant within the SEND Code of Practice, generating solutions and implementing strategies and plans to address this.
• Accountable for developing strategies, action plans and processes which support and enable the SEND reforms agenda to become embedded within social care operations and practice.
• Contribute to and influence SEND organisational design and assist in the development of 0‑25 Children & Young People with Disabilities Service and its policies.
• Interpret national strategy and local initiatives into protocols and practice at city‑wide and locality levels, ensuring alignment with the local authority’s statutory role in assessing and monitoring children and young people with SEN.
• Establish and lead a network of social care SEND ‘champions’ and link workers, facilitating and overseeing the implementation of the SEND agenda within social care through this network, and gathering insight and intelligence from them and other groups such as the parent carer forum.
• Develop social care aspects of the Local Offer that provide relevant advice and information and meet all legislative requirements.
• Analyse complex and varied work strands across functions, services and agencies to identify and exploit opportunities for co‑production and integrated working between social care, health and education to progress the SEND reforms agenda.
• Work collaboratively with social care directors and service managers to ensure social care meet statutory responsibilities under the Children & Families Act (2014) and Care Act (2014), and drive forward organisational culture change aligned to the SEND reforms.
• Constructively challenge practice, systems, processes and protocols to enhance SEND reform compliance.
• Frame social care elements of the local authority’s self‑evaluation process to ensure readiness for SEND Ofsted & CQC inspections.
• Initiate and manage varied multi‑stakeholder projects and work streams covering participation, engagement, person‑centred approaches, joint working, outcomes frameworks, IT connectivity, EHC processes, quality assurance, joint commissioning and the Local Offer.
• Contribute to social care workforce development by developing programmes of blended learning/training relating to the SEND reforms across varied audience profiles and functions.
• Deputise for the SENSAP Team Manager as required and contribute to the strategic leadership of the service.
• Take ownership of specific areas within the Service Development Plan, particularly those linked to improving social care integration within the EHC process.
• Lead the preparation and representation of Leeds City Council in high‑profile and high‑risk Tribunal & Mediation cases, ensuring robust case preparation and risk mitigation.
• Lead all aspects of people management for a team of named officers, fostering a culture of high performance, shared…