SEND Tribunal and Relationships Manager

We are seeking an experienced and collaborative SEND Tribunal and Relationships Manager to lead and manage SEND tribunal activity while building positive, productive relationships with families, schools, and partner agencies. You will provide expert guidance on SEND legislation, Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), and dispute resolution, ensuring statutory requirements are met and the best possible outcomes are achieved for children and young people with SEND.

Working closely with stakeholders, you will oversee complex casework, support conflict resolution, drive service improvements, and promote a person‑centred approach that puts children, young people and their families at the heart of decision‑making.

At Cheshire East Council we are resident, and partner focused with a vision to enable prosperity and wellbeing for all. People really are at the heart of everything we do and that starts with our incredible workforce. We promote a culture of high performance where people can aspire, thrive and flourish, where we strive to deliver best value in everything we do.

For us, success isn’t just about what we achieve, but how we achieve it together. We promote curiosity, excellence, innovation and continuous improvement.

We are values led and committed to wellbeing and inclusion for all, where our employees co‑created our values of drive, integrity, respect and collaboration which inform all that we do.

We are proud to work for Cheshire East Council and believe you would be too!

We’re on a meaningful journey in Children’s Social Care and we’d love for you to be part of it. Joining us means becoming part of a supportive, forward‑thinking team that’s passionate about making a real difference in the lives of children and young people. Everything we do is about putting them first, helping them grow, thrive and reach their full potential so they can build brighter futures.

If this sounds like the kind of impact you want to make, we’d be delighted to hear from you. Come and join us in shaping positive change for our young people.

AsSEND Tribunal and Relationships Manager, you will lead the delivery of high‑quality SEND assessment and casework services for children and young people aged 0–25. Working with schools, health services, social care and families, you will ensure statutory duties are met while driving service improvement and positive outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading the SEND Statutory Assessment Service and overseeing EHCP processes.
• Managing team performance, quality assurance and service improvement.
• Building strong partnerships with schools, families and partner agencies.
• Supporting complex casework, conflict resolution and SEND Tribunals.
• Using data and insight to inform planning and future SEND provision.
• Managing resources and funding to ensure effective support for children and young people.

This is just a snapshot of some of the exciting things you’ll be doing in the role, to find out more about the other key responsibilities of the role please view the attached job description.

We're looking for an experienced and motivated leader with a strong understanding of SEND legislation, statutory assessment processes and person‑centred practice. You will be passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people and confident in leading teams within a complex environment.

You will have:

• A relevant degree‑level qualification in education, social work, health or a related field.
• Experience leading teams and managing performance.
• Knowledge of SEND legislation, EHCPs and statutory assessment processes.
• Experience working collaboratively with schools, families and partner agencies.
• Strong communication, influencing and decision‑making skills.
• The ability to use data and insight to improve services and outcomes.
• A commitment to inclusion, co‑production and delivering excellent services for children and families.

• A competitive salary - Between £54,994 per annum - £62,777 per annum (CEC NJC – Grade
  12
  ) with guaranteed…