Deputy Designated Clinical Officer SEND

Deputy Designated Clinical Officer for SEND

NHS Coventry & Warwickshire ICB and NHS Herefordshire & Worcestershire ICB operate as a cluster with a shared management team.

We are recruiting four enthusiastic and self-motivated DDCOs to support both ICBs in meeting their responsibilities for children and young people aged 0-25 with SEND, improving outcomes across our local areas.

We are recruiting to four posts:

• Coventry - 1 WTE
• Herefordshire Post - 0.8 WTE (30 hours)
• Warwickshire - 1 WTE

Each post holder will lead on a specific locality within the ICBs  cluster (Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire), while working collaboratively across the wider team to share learning and drive improvement.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a dynamic team focused on strategic commissioning and service transformation for children and young people.

Applicants must be a Registered Nurse or Allied Health Professional with strong SEND knowledge.

The role involves providing expert advice and support on children s health to families and professionals, in line with the Children and Families Act 2014 and SEND Code of Practice (0-25 years, 2015).

Candidates must work independently, use initiative, and build strong relationships. The role requires collaboration across agencies to support a whole-system approach.

The ICBs recognise the valuable contribution of serving personnel, reservists, veterans, and military families, and warmly encourage applications from the armed forces community.

This role will require office based working in line with the hybrid working policies as set out for each ICB, with office bases available in Coventry, Warwick, Worcester and Hereford for all staff to utilise. There will also be an expectation of close partner working, with health providers and local authorities, and so may require presence within place partner offices.

Working across the Local Area Partnership with the LA, health providers, education settings and wider partners, these roles act as a central contact for SEND health advice and support.

You will advise on cases to ensure the health needs of children and young people with SEND are met. They will act as decision-maker at High Need Panels, be the contact for appeals, support children new to the city requiring EHCP provision, liaise with specialist colleges for post-16 provision, and support ICB preparation for Ofsted/CQC SEND inspections and actions.

Developing and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders is essential. The ICB is committed to co-production with children, young people and parent carers to ensure services meet local needs.

You will remain up-to-date and respond flexibly to changing government SEND requirements and SEND frameworks, with a commitment to tackling health inequalities, improve quality of life, reduce school absences, improve mental and physical health, increase personal autonomy, increase involvement in further education and employment, independent living, and community inclusion.

The NHS is a world-renowned institution and an exciting place to work, full of challenges and opportunities. We are a dynamic, forward-looking organisation, passionate about working together with our health and social care partners to ensure services are integrated, seamless and offer a high-quality patient experience. We thrive on building strong relationships with patients, communities, partners and providers, and we are committed to improving outcomes for children, young people, and their families by promoting collaboration, ensuring quality and safety, and reducing inequalities in access and experience.

We provide a supportive and collaborative environment where we work with our staff to provide opportunities for you to reach your full potential and to develop a rewarding career within an exciting and evolving environment. We aim to enable our employees to achieve a positive work-life balance through a blend of collaborative workplace attendance combined with regular home working. Joining our inclusive and innovative team comes with a range of attractive benefits including:

• Employee Assistance programmes and access to…