Melanie Allen

To play a lead role in improving outcomes for and raising the achievement of children and young people with SEND, deputising for the Head of SEND as appropriate at strategic meetings.

To lead on key pieces of multi-agency project work, aligned to the SEND Strategy across the local area.

To support schools/settings, education, health and social care staff to maintain high aspirations for children and young people with SEND.

To act as a key management conduit across Education, Health and Social Care, leading the interface between managers and Heads of Service in order to ensure effective multi-agency working across the local area.

Work on a multi-agency basis to ensure that the needs of children and young people with SEND are met and that good attainment, positive behaviour and good attendance are promoted, and exclusions reduced.

To lead and manage the education and multi-agency EHCP Quality Assurance process and provide reports to strategic meetings such as the SEND Steering Group and Schools SEN Panel.

To take the lead on post 16 SEN, including ensuring sufficiency of local provision and leading on a multi-agency approach to ensuring that young people with SEND make a successful transition to adulthood.

To oversee the work of, supervise and line manage the SENDAS administration team. This will include ensuring that all work is GDPR compliant, and that systems and processes are effective and efficient.

To work with colleagues and schools to promote inclusive practice in schools and to prevent the exclusion of children with SEND. To ensure complex issues are reported to the Head of SEND but take responsibility for finding appropriate solutions, liaising with relevant parties and following issues through to conclusion to ensure that the needs of children with SEND are met.

To attend a range of multi-agency meetings as the SEND representative e.g. the Virtual School Executive, Bolton Safeguarding Children’s Board, PfA Forum etc.

To lead and manage the effective running of the primary SENCO clusters and act as the LA representative for the secondary SENCO Hub.

To undertake any other duties as required by the Head of Service that are commensurate with the grade of the post.

1. To manage the statutory assessment and review process for children and young people with SEN to ensure that the Local
Authority’s statutory duties are fully met.
2. To take responsibility for the making of decisions on behalf of the Local Authority in relation to requests for statutory
assessments from both professionals and parents within statutory timescales.
3. To ensure the quality, accuracy, consistency and deliverability of all Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
4. To allocate casework within the EHC Assessment and Review Team and assume responsibility for more complex cases
including attendance at meetings for these children and young people and undertake any casework that arises from these
cases.
5. To line manage members of the team, carrying out appropriate supervision and the annual PDR.
6. To work closely with parents/carers of children and young people with SEN and to monitor, review and develop new and
effective ways of involving parents in the statutory processes ensuring person centred approaches are used consistently.
7. To take responsibility as the Safeguarding Lead on the Team and to ensure that the Council’s statutory responsibilities in
respect of the care and protection of children and vulnerable adults are discharged and delivered to the agreed standards,
eligibility criteria and procedures/guidance.
8. To support and challenge educational settings in ensuring that positive outcomes for this cohort of children and young
people are delivered.
9. In conjunction with special schools headteachers, plan for the placement of children in these schools.
10. To maintain an oversight of the placement of children and young people in educational settings who have moved into the
area and ensure that provision is made for them in a timely fashion.
11. To take responsibility for the management and monitoring of designated SEN budgets that relate to the work of the
team.
12. To lead on the preparation and presentation of SENDIST and mediation cases.
13. To ensure that complaints from parents, settings, elected members, other professionals and the Ombudsman in relation
to the work of the EHC Assessment and Review team are completed within timescales. If required to investigate complaints
across the SEN & CWD Service.
14. To plan, monitor and evaluate the work of the EHC Assessment and Review Team via performance clinic, annual plans
and the PDR process.
15. To play an active role in the Senior Management Team of the SEN and Children with Disabilities Service including leading
on agreed areas for the Service.
16. To provide training to SENCOs and others in relation to the work of the Team. To represent the Service at meetings,
panels and on working groups.
17. To work with parents/carers, SMT, Health and Social Care and the voluntary sector in the development of new processes
and paperwork.

I managed the EHC team officers x 6 and admin support x 2 ensuring that draft and final plans were issued on time. I was
also responsible for the quality assurance of all plans being issued both internally via managers checks and externally via
multi agency QA sessions.
I chaired panels and was a decision maker in regards to placements and funding issues.
I represented the LA at mediation and SENDIST hearings.

I was part of the EY's Quality and Inclusion Team providing advice, training and support to education providers around
meeting the needs a children with SEN needs.
I was also an Early Years Key worker and Portage home visitor.
I was internally promoted to the SEN lead position and I managed the SEN part of the Q&I Team including the Portage service
with line manager responsibilities for 2 officers and 6 TA's

Within this post i worked in both in a special school and mainstream schools providing medical support and interventions..
I then move into a post delivering Portage home visits to early children and their families as well as running multi disciplinary
developmental sessions at clinic and family centres.

Support children and young people with complex needs for either respite or long term care with a group home environment.
Providing health and medical care for C &YP who were: oxygen dependent, had a tracheotomy or a gastrostomy.

Private Nanny for 3 children