Job Vacancy: SEN Casework Team Leader

Salary: PO6 £51,356 – £54,495

Hours: 37

Contract: Permanent

Location: Merrion House/Hybrid

As a SEN Casework Team Leader, you’ll play a vital leadership role in achieving the best possible outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). You’ll lead a team of frontline SEN Casework Officers and use your expert knowledge to oversee Education, Health and Care (EHC) assessments, plans and reviews.

This is a role for someone who thrives on complexity, problem-solving and partnership working. You will model high‑quality practice, ensure consistency and fairness across decision making, and support your team to deliver a service that empowers families and champions the rights of children and young people.

You will work closely with settings, professionals and leaders across education, health and care to secure strong, holistic outcomes. You’ll bring clarity, compassion and confidence to complex situations and ensure our EHC plans are high quality, purposeful and reflect the lived experience of each child or young person.

You’ll be part of our Special Educational Needs Statutory Assessment and Provision (SENSAP) service, whose purpose is to enable children and young people with complex SEND to access education with the right provision and support. Together, we fulfil the local authority’s duties under the Children and Families Act 2014 and SEND Regulations 2014.

Leeds Children’s Services are rated Outstanding by Ofsted. We’re committed to the ambition of Child Friendly Leeds — a city where children are safe, happy and healthy, do well at school, fulfil their potential and grow up with voice and influence.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About you

As a SEN Casework Team Leader, you will bring:

• substantial experience of SEND casework, including managing complex or contentious cases
• strong leadership skills, with the ability to coach, support and challenge staff to deliver excellent practice
• expert knowledge of EHC needs assessment, review processes, and SEND legislation
• confidence in interpreting statutory duties and applying them fairly and consistently
• excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to influence senior leaders and partner agencies
• a reflective, restorative and solutions‑focused approach
• the ability to analyse complex information, make sound judgements and manage risk
• resilience, professional curiosity and a commitment to continuous improvement
• the ability to travel across the city for meetings with families, schools and partners.

A relevant professional qualification (e.g. teaching, social work, youth work) or equivalent experience is required.

About the role 

This role is integral to our Education, Health, and Care (EHC) casework team. We work closely with the wider SENSAP service to ensure young people with SEND can achieve their life aspirations.

In SENSAP we take a forward-thinking, innovative approach to our statutory duty, which is to delegate high needs funding, support inclusive SEND practice in education settings and manage education, health and care assessments and plans. We fully engage children, young people and families in key decision making to help them understand their options and we work together to find the educational placement that best meets an individual’s needs.

As a SEN Casework Team Leader, you will play a central role in the leadership of the SENSAP service, using your expertise to guide and support a team of casework officers in delivering high‑quality EHC needs assessments, plans and reviews. You will oversee the consistency and quality of decision‑making, ensuring that EHC plans are timely, purposeful and fully compliant with statutory requirements.

Your work will involve close collaboration with schools, system leaders and partners across education, health and care to resolve complex issues, champion inclusive practice and secure positive outcomes for children and young people.

As part of the SENSAP Senior Leadership Team, you will contribute to service development, policy implementation and ongoing performance improvement, as well as representing the service at internal, regional and national meetings. You will lead responses to complex complaints, Ombudsman enquiries and SEND Tribunal cases, providing clarity and authoritative judgement in challenging situations.

Through your leadership, you will model restorative, reflective and child‑centred practice, helping to shape a consistent and resilient service that upholds the rights of children and young people and supports families with empathy, integrity and professionalism.

The EHC team oversee provision and admissions for children and young people who have an EHC plan, at all levels from nursery to school and post-16, in both mainstream and specialist settings.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply

Please complete the online application form –  CLICK LINK – SEN Casework Team Leader

Read our guidance for further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role, please contact Rhena Khan, SENSAP Lead – rhena.khan@leeds.gov.uk.

CLOSING:  Monday 27^th April 2026

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Children’s or Adults’ barred list as applicable will be carried out on preferred candidates. Read our recruitment of ex-offenders policy.

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visa route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you’ll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Ensure you are eligible before applying.

CLIMATE SKILLS Training

Supported Training for Young Adults, ages 18 – 30

NEET (Not in Education, Employment and Training)

Fully funded (FREE)

Successful applicants will receive £1,000 per person after completing the training.

Programme Overview

We are inviting applications for an exciting 5-week training programme designed to support young adults (ages 18 – 30) to build skills, confidence, and pathways into jobs and entrepreneurship.

This structured programme combines in-person training, mentorship, webinars, and guided job seeking planning, helping participants develop practical climate-related skills and prepare for future employment or business start-ups in the green economy. This is a one-off opportunity.

Key Dates

Start date: Monday, 04 May 2026
Duration: 5 weeks

Programme Structure

• 2 weeks of intensive, in-person training in Leeds
• 1 week of structured mentorship engagement
• 2 weeks of webinars and guided reflection

This programme includes an in-person training phase, so applicants must be able to attend in Leeds

Training Content 

• Applied climate skills training
• Exposure to green and sustainability-focused career pathways
• Real-world problem solving linked to climate resilience and community-focused adaptation

Progression and Support

Participants will receive:

• Entrepreneurial and employability skills development
• Structured mentor support during the training programme
• Support to enhance job market competitiveness and readiness
• Opportunities to transition into green industry jobs or business start-up pathways
• Work placements, which will be finalised before participants complete the training programme

Financial Support

Each participant will receive:

• A £1,000 bursary, paid by the end of June 2026
• Earlier part-payments to help with travel costs during the in-person training phase

Eligibility Criteria: Applicants should:

• Be aged 18–30 British Citizens, EU Settled, Hong Kong BNO, Ukrainian Scheme.
• NOT in paid work, NOT studying in high school/sixth form, college or university.
• Have an undergraduate degree (any discipline) UK or Abroad. Undergraduate degree is desirable but not a requirement to apply. HNC (High National Certificate or equivalent) is also acceptable.
• Be able and committed to fully engage with an in-person, structured programme throughout the full duration of the training

HOW TO APPLY:

Send your CV to info@pathyorkshire.co.uk

Applicants do not need to have extensive CVs. Selection will focus on:

• Motivation
• Readiness to engage
• Potential to benefit from the programme

We welcome applications from individuals who are keen to learn, develop their skills, and explore opportunities in the CLIMATE (Environmental/ Green) economy.

This is a one-off programme.

CONTACT:

PATH Yorkshire

0113 2624600

29 Harrogate Road, Chapel Allerton, Leeds LS7 3PD

www.pathyorkshire.co.uk

Recruiting for TUTORS (Freelance)

Freelance, competitive hourly rates 

In-Person Delivery for Leeds (5)

Online Delivery across Yorkshire and Humber (12)

We are looking to appoint qualified and experienced English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) TUTORS to deliver non-accredited ESOL courses for learners aged 19+

Applicants must have a right to work in UK without restrictions, with UK ESOL Teaching Qualification (e.g. CELTA, TESOL, etc.) and ESOL teaching experience in UK.

TO APPLY: Please complete the ONLINE APPLICATION LINK.