The Designated Clinical Officer (DCO) for SEND provides strategic leadership to ensure that health services comply with both the statutory requirements and underlying principles of the SEND Code of Practice, with the aim of improving outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. The role focuses on maximising outcomes by driving improvements in early identification of need, emotional wellbeing and mental health support, and access to appropriate therapeutic and physical health services.
The DCO works collaboratively across systems to improve access to education, community participation, and effective transition planning, supporting children and young people to achieve better quality of life. This includes reducing school absence, addressing mental and physical health challenges, and promoting personal autonomy, independence, and inclusion. A key emphasis is placed on supporting progression into further education, employment, independent living, and active community involvement.
In addition, the DCO supports the Cluster Integrated Care Board (ICB) to meet its statutory duties for children and young people with SEND aged 0–25, ensuring a coordinated, compliant, and outcomes-focused approach across health, education, and care services.
Ensure health compliance with the statutory requirements and principles of the SEND Code of Practice, improving outcomes for children and young people aged 0–25 with SEND.
Provide strategic leadership and specialist expertise on SEND across the health system, influencing system-wide culture change and supporting local area SEND improvement priorities with a focus on current SEND reforms.
Support the Cluster Integrated Care Board (ICB) to meet its statutory duties for children and young people with SEND through effective planning, assurance, and partnership working.
Work collaboratively with education, social care, health providers, families, commissioners, and regulators to promote coordinated, high‑quality SEND services.
Lead and contribute to strategic planning activities, including the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), Integrated Care System (ICS) priorities, and Health and Wellbeing Board advice.
Represent health in multi‑agency forums and committees, providing expert advice on health aspects of SEND to partners including schools, colleges, and local authorities.
Provide oversight and quality assurance of Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) processes, ensuring consistent, high‑quality health input, mediation support, and promotion of Personal Health Budgets.
Advise commissioners on SEND-related service commissioning, using intelligence on need, demand, and service gaps to inform service development and the Local Offer.
The Shropshire Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) is responsible for planning functions; managing the NHS budget and arranging the provision of health services in the geographical area.
Location: Home based/hybrid working.
New starters are expected to collect IT equipment, from offices in Stoke-on-Trent, and if working from home are required to have appropriate desk/chair/ relevant equipment in compliance with DSE regulations.
Posts at Band 8c and above, will take part in the On-call rota, flexible over 7 days, supporting the System Control Centre, with full training provided.
Unconscious Bias/Invisible Disability Training and Equality Induction are mandatory.
Interviews may take place via MS Teams or in person.
Job Summary
The Designated Clinical Officer for SEND will ensure health’s compliance with the legislation and spirit of the SEND Code of Practice leading to improved outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disability.
They will hold a strategic role in ensuring that the outcomes for disabled children and young people and those with Special Educational Needs are maximised by working to improve; early identification, emotional wellbeing and mental health support, therapeutic and physical health support, access to education, community access, transition and quality of life.
They will ensure that the outcomes for disabled children and young people and those with Special Educational Needs are maximised by working to improve; quality of life, school absences, mental and physical health problems, personal autonomy and involvement in further education and employment, independent living and community inclusion.
The DCOs will support Cluster ICB to ensure they meet their statutory duties for children and young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND) aged 0-25.
Key Working Relationships
The post holder will need to build and maintain constructive working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including but not limited to:
Internal ICB staff including managers, colleagues, and senior management as appropriate
National and regional colleagues at NHS England
ICS partners, including portfolio leads, Local Authorities and Provider and Place Collaboratives
Non-NHS organisations
Members of the public and service users as appropriate
Matrix work across all other teams to address interdependencies and ensure alignment of mutual objectives.
External consultancy, as required.
Children & Young people, their families and/or carers
Early years settings, schools and colleges
Key Duties & Responsibilities
The Designated Clinical Officer for SEND will ensure health’s compliance with the legislation and spirit of the SEND Code of Practice leading to improved outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disability.
They will hold a strategic role in ensuring that the outcomes for disabled children and young people and those with Special Educational Needs are maximised by working to improve; early identification, emotional wellbeing and mental health support, therapeutic and physical health support, access to education, community access, transition and quality of life.
The DCO will support the cluster ICB to ensure they meet their statutory duties for children and young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND) aged 0-25.
The DCO will work closely with social care, education and health care providers and other stakeholders to promote and address the needs of children and young people with SEND.
This role will engage with, support and facilitate the development of networks for a range of people who are involved in the delivery of the SEND agenda. For example, families, commissioners, service providers. Engagement with regulators and commissioners to continue to develop high quality support and services in the Cluster ICB area is also required.
Through engaging with these stakeholders, the post holder will need to provide and receive highly complex and sensitive information where agreement or co-operation is required and where there may be resistance to change.
The role will also deliver on priority actions as stated in the Cluster Local Area SEND Written Statement of Actio
Strategic Leadership and System Working
Provide leadership and specialist expertise on SEND across the health system, supporting strategic planning and commissioning priorities.
Lead and influence system and culture change across multiple organisations in relation to SEND reforms and statutory requirements.
Work collaboratively with partners in Education, Social Care and Health to support implementation of the local area SEND improvement plan.
Contribute to the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), ensuring the needs of children and young people with SEND are appropriately recognised and reflected in commissioning plans.
Advise the Integrated Care System (ICS) and Health and Wellbeing Board on SEND priorities and strategic commissioning intentions.
Provide an expert advisory resource for professionals and families regarding children and young people’s health needs within the SEND framework.
Inter-agency Working and Partnerships
Represent health services on relevant health and interagency committees.
Provide advice to Education Services, schools, colleges and partner agencies, including social care, on health matters relating to SEND.
Develop effective relationships with health providers, commissioners, and multi-agency partners to ensure coordinated service delivery.
Liaise with primary care and specialist health providers to ensure effective identification, assessment and support for children and young people with SEND.
Promote joint commissioning and shared system-wide solutions to meet the needs of the SEND population.
Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)
Provide guidance and oversight to ensure the framework and preparation of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) is of a consistent and high quality.
Ensure appropriate health input to identification, assessment and planning processes for children and young people undergoing Education, Health and Care needs assessments and annual reviews.
Work with partner organisations to ensure robust quality assurance processes for EHCPs.
Act as a point of contact for families requesting health-specific mediation relating to an EHCP.
Support the development and implementation of Personal Health Budgets for eligible children and young people aged 0–25 with an EHCP.
Commissioning and Service Development
Advise the Local Authority and health commissioners on effective strategic commissioning of services to meet the education, health and social care needs of children and young people with SEND.
Provide intelligence on activity, demand and service gaps to inform commissioning decisions and service development.
Ensure mechanisms are in place to assure health partners and the Local Authority regarding provider responsibilities for identification, assessment, advice and intervention for children requiring an EHCP.
Support the development and review of the Local Offer by providing specialist health advice and information.
Develop, review and maintain SEND-related policies and procedures to ensure compliance with current statutory guidance.
Service Coordination and Transition
Coordinate with health providers including paediatricians, GPs, specialist nurses, therapists and CAMHS to support effective delivery of SEND statutory responsibilities.
Ensure effective processes are in place to support smooth transitions between children’s and adult health services, including preparation for adulthood.
Support arrangements for Annual Health Checks and health assessments for young people aged 18–25 where appropriate.
Provide a clear point of contact for local authorities, schools and colleges seeking health advice on children and young people who may have SEND.
Workforce Engagement and Development
Promote awareness and understanding of SEND across health organisations and partner agencies.
Engage with stakeholders to support SEND improvement programmes and evaluate the effectiveness of the Designated Clinical Officer (DCO) role.
Develop communication systems to ensure health partners are aware of relevant SEND guidance, policy updates and developments.
Advise on workforce training needs across health, education and social care to ensure staff have the knowledge and skills required to support children and young people with SEND
Operational Responsibility
The role supports the business in driving transformation as well as value for money.
The role is designed to build a combination of subject matter expertise and technical skills to develop a strong service delivery.
Information Management Responsibility
Responsible for the operation of one or more information systems
Manages, maintains, and develops directorate information system
Planning and Organisation Responsibility
Plan and organise broad range of complex activities; formulates, adjusts plans, or strategies/formulate long-term strategic plans, involving uncertainty, may impact across the whole organisation
Develops a range of plans/long term strategic plans for performance and service
Improvement in new areas across organisations
Policy and Service Development Responsibility
Responsible for policy implementation, development for directorate or equivalent
Research and Development Responsibility
Regularly undertake research and development activity
Undertakes complex audits/surveys related to programme
