Designated Clinical Officer Special Educational Need

Transformationunitgm; England; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 63,000; Part time

Job summary

A prominent NHS community service provider is looking for a Designated Clinical Officer to lead SEND services in West Sussex. This part-time position (22.5 hours/week) requires a registered clinical professional with a background in children’s health. You will engage with local authorities and healthcare partners to ensure compliance with SEND reforms. Candidates should possess strong leadership and communication skills, with a Master's degree or equivalent experience. This is a fixed-term contract for one year with an annual salary between £55,690 and £62,682 pro rata.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Training and development opportunities

Supportive work environment

Qualifications

• Extensive experience with children and young people with disabilities.
• Evidence of leadership in health settings.
• Ability to manage clinical governance effectively.

Responsibilities

• Lead clinical and operational delivery for SEND services.
• Engage with stakeholders in the SEN and Disability system.
• Oversee EHC Plan processes and ensure compliance.

Skills

Leadership skills

Excellent communication skills

Collaboration with health and education sectors

Education

Registered Nurse or Registered AHP

Master's degree or equivalent experience

Job description

Main area Designated Clinical Officer Grade Band 8a Contract 1 year (This post is a one year fixed term contract.) Hours Part time - 22.5 hours per week Job ref 150-CP2345-PC

Employer Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Based in West Sussex Town West Sussex Salary £55,690 - £62,682 per annum pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 25/01/2026 23:59

Designated Clinical Officer- Special Educational Need

Band 8a

Job overview

We are looking for an experienced children’s health professional for the role of Designated Clinical Officer Special Educational Needs (DCO) – West Sussex. As DCO you will be a key point of contact for the local authority, education setting, health providers and families, ensuring that health provision in EHCPs is timely, high quality and child centred. You will a registered clinical professional in Nursing or as an Allied Health Professional. You will have extensive experience of working in partnership with colleagues in education, specifically related to SEND. You will have a strong understanding of the SEND Code of Practice and relevant legislation. You will have excellent communication skills with the ability to work across organisational boundaries. You will have leadership skills with the confidence to challenge, advocate and innovate.

This is a part time fixed term post for one year. The banding 8a is indicative and will be confirmed following completion of the job matching process.

The role will be based at a location within West Sussex, with options discussed with the successful candidate.

Please note we reserve the right to close this vacancy prior to the closing date once the required number of suitable applications have been received.

Main duties of the job

• The post holder will bring a high level of expertise from either a therapy, (OT, PT or SLT) or children's nursing background to provide advice, education and support to the local SEND system.


• The role of the DCO will be crucial in helping to facilitate the collaborative approach required in the SEND reforms and define the role of the Integrated Care Board (ICB) in the delivery of the services to children and young people with SEN and Disabilities and help develop a clear implementation plan.


• The post holder will work with the Clinical Heads of Service , local health service leads and West Sussex Local Authority to ensure health's compliance with the delivery of the special educational needs and disability (SEND) reforms and so support the service to meet statutory responsibilities for children and young people with SEND aged 0-25 in West Sussex.


• Identify and engage with key stakeholders in the SEN and Disability system.


• Support workforce development and awareness of the SEN and Disability reforms, including the development of training for health teams.


• Oversee local Education Health and Care (EHC) Plan process and lead on quality control of this process and act as point of contact for enquires relating to this, attending EHC panels.

Working for our organisation

We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.

Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.

Why work for us?

• Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeing


• Varied environments: community hospitals, patients’ homes, and bases across Sussex


• Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retirement


• Excellent training, development, and research opportunities


• Accredited Living Wage Employer, we ensure fair pay for all our staff


• Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton


• Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networks


• Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust

Our values—Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence—guide everything we do.

We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.

This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will lead on the clinical and operational delivery and management of Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) for SCFT ensuring that children and young people of West Sussex experience the best possible quality of services, clinical outcomes, and patient experience when they interface with health and care providers.

The post holder will lead on SEND and contribute towards the SEND self‑assessment and inspection framework with Local Authority partners across West Sussex, including meeting and evidencing statutory and regulatory standards within the services being commissioned.

Lead the development and implementation of local and Pan‑Sussex SEND operational policies/procedures.

Communicate complex and sensitive information effectively and collaboratively with partner agencies and professionals in health, social services, education, and the voluntary sector to ensure the protection of vulnerable adults/ children.

Work collaboratively with team leader colleagues to ensure SEND objectives and action plans are met.

Ensure the appropriate data is inputted to the appropriate standard by the team. Oversee and collect, collate, analyse, and take appropriate action to enable efficient service development and delivery e.g., audits.

Act as an exemplar for the SEND vision within Sussex.

Enable and empower staff to develop ideas for increased efficiencies, managing partnerships to be ambitious but realistic in achieving the best performance levels.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse or Registered AHP with extensive experience working with children.


• Master's degree or equivalent experience in specialist field

Experience

• Experience of working with children and/or young people with a disability, developmental need or learning need.


• Evidence of leadership skills

Skills

• Ability to manage clinical governance inc risks, incidents, complaints and standards

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Application numbers

This post may close earlier than the published closing date if sufficient applications are received.