About the role

ID 1748 Special Educational Needs & Disabilities Information, Advice & Support (SENDIAS) Officer
Service: Wakefield SENDIASS

Salary: starting at £25,221 rising to £27,780 FTE per annum (£15,132.60 - £16,668.00 per annum for part time 22.2 hours per week)

Location: Wakefield SENDIASS, Orion Office Express, Benton Office Park, 5 Bennett Avenue, Horbury, Wakefield, WF4 5RA

We typically work from home with occasional attendance at the office and district-wide meetings.

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.

We are pleased to offer a rare opportunity within our Wakefield SENDIASS service to become a fully trained SENDIAS officer. 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 Wakefield SENDIASS (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. The service is predominantly delivered virtually with occasional attendance at face-to-face meetings across the district.

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 provide tailored interventions where the need arises 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 Wakefield SENDIASS database up to date.
5. To maintain up-to-date knowledge of SEND legislation and local practice, and undertake developmental activities and training as required.
6. To assist in ensuring effective working relationships are established and maintained with organisations and agencies relevant to the work of SENDIASS.

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
• 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
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
- flexible working arrangements and new starters have the right to make flexible working requests from day one of employment
- 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: Thursday 9th April 2026 at 23:59
Interviews are scheduled to take place during the week commencing 20th April, virtually.

For any queries, or if you would like to discuss any aspect of the selection process or the potential

For direct queries or if you would like to discuss any aspect of the selection process or flexible working requests, please email: sue.guest@family-action.org.uk

All appointments are subject to Family Action receiving a satisfactory disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service – Enhanced level

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 particularly welcome applications from ethnically diverse communities, LGBTQIA+ candidates and disabled candidates because we are committed to increasing the representation of these groups at Family Action. We know that greater diversity will lead to even greater results for families and children and strive for our workforce to be truly representative of the diverse communities we support. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role, and will reimburse your travel cost if you attend an interview.

*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.