ID: 1781 SENDIASS Officer
Solihull SENDIAS

Salary: £25,221 - £27,780 FTE per annum (£15,132 - £16,668 per annum for part-time hours)

Location: Solihull SENDIAS, 11-13 Land Ln, Marston Green, Birmingham B37 7DE

We typically work 2 days a week in the office with flexibility to work from home on other days.

Hours: 22.2 hours per week (Part-time): We offer flexible working arrangements - please see below for more details.

Contract: Permanent

Family Action & the Role’s Impact:
At Family Action we support people through change, challenge or crisis. It’s what we’ve done for over 150 years. We protect children, support young people and adults and offer direct, practical help to families and communities.

We see first-hand the power of family to shape lives, for better or worse, so we speak up for the
importance of family in national and local policymaking, amplify family voices and represent the changing needs of families in the UK today.

In your role as a SENDIAS officer, you will provide impartial and confidential information, advice and support in relation to SEND law. You will ensure users of Solihull SENDIAS (Special Educational Needs & Disabilities Information, Advice & Support) Service are aware of their legal entitlements Service users will be empowered to make an informed contribution to any decisions made, and resolve disagreements about their/their child’s education, health and social care.

Main Responsibilities:

1. To provide a high-quality point of contact for parents/carers/children/young people, and statutory and voluntary organisations.
2. To provide families with accurate information and advice on a range of matters relating to SEND procedures, with particular regard to the SEND Code of Practice 2014.
3. To hold a caseload and provide tailored support to parents/carers of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and directly to children and young people with SEND, including for children aged over 16 on their own, if requested.
4. To keep accurate records of all enquiries, actions and follow up activities, and keep Solihull SENDIAS database up to date.
5. To actively network with a wide range of SEND support groups, professionals and services to ensure understanding of SEND and the roles and responsibilities of local services, and to ensure they are up to date with current support mechanisms, the law and any other SEND issues that may arise.
6. To maintain up-to-date knowledge of SEND legislation and local practice, and undertake developmental activities and training as required.

Main Requirements (for details check the job description and person specification):
• Level 3 qualification in one or more areas of multi-agency provision i.e. Education, Health or Social care, or Graduate level qualification in relevant area
• A willingness to complete all online IPSEA legal training levels within 12 months of joining the service. 
• Knowledge and understanding of current special educational needs principles and procedures. With an awareness of the legislation relating to special educational needs, the SEND Code of Practice and Disability Discrimination.
• Proven experience of working directly within SEND.
• Resilience and sensitivity in dealing with challenging issues, and an ability to empathise with the parents and carers, and children and young people with special educational needs
• Ability to build and maintain positive and effective working relationships with service users, colleagues and external professionals with an ability to maintain confidentiality, impartiality and professionalism.
• High level of IT skills including Microsoft Word, Outlook, Power Point and Excel.
• Appointments are subject to Family Action receiving a satisfactory disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service – Enhanced level

Benefits:
- an annual paid leave entitlement that commences at 25 working days, rising each April by one day, subject to a maximum of 30 working days plus bank holidays.
- up to 6% matched-pension contributions
- enhanced paid sick leave and paid family leave provisions
- eye care and winter flu jabs vouchers
- cycle to work scheme
- investing in your professional development with ongoing quality training and career development opportunities

We are forward looking, ambitious and committed to continuous improvement. We are a people focused, can-do organisation, which strives for excellence in all we do and operates with mutual respect.

To Apply:
• Click the ‘Apply’ link below and fill out our digital application form
• Closing Date: 10th of May 2026 - 23:50

Interviews are scheduled to take place from 06/2026 in person/ virtually, with slots throughout the working day and early/late slots available.
For any queries, or if you would like to discuss any aspect of the selection process or the potential for flexible working, please email: joanna.chance@family-action.org.uk

All appointments with Family Action are subject to satisfactory Safer Recruitment checks.
Our commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion:
We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process and you will be asked whether you require any adjustments if shortlisted for interview. We also make reasonable adjustments on the job, where required.

We are committed to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in all that we do and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Intersectionality is important to us and we welcome applications from ethnically diverse communities, LGBTQIA+ candidates and disabled candidates. We are committed to increasing the representation of these groups at Family Action because we know that greater diversity will lead to even greater results for families and children and we strive for our workforce to be truly representative of the diverse communities we support.

All candidates with a disability are welcome to apply under the Disability Confident Scheme and request priority consideration for an interview, provided they meet the essential criteria for the role.

To help remove financial barriers to working with us, we will reimburse reasonable travel costs if you are invited to attend an interview in person.

*Ordinarily Family Action appoints new starters at the starting point of the salary scale (with subsequent annual pay progression), unless you have experience that would justify appointment further up the salary scale or there are any other exceptional reasons.