Deputy Designated Clinical Officer

Job overview

This role supports the Designated Clinical Officer and ICB SEND Team to ensure NHS Kent & Medway ICB meets its statutory responsibilities for children and young people aged 0–25 with special educational needs and disabilities.

The post holder provides clinical expertise, leadership and coordination across health, education and local authority partners, with a focus on high-quality health input to Education, Health and Care Plans, multi-agency assessments and SEND service improvement. Key duties include overseeing workstreams and projects, advising on complex cases, supporting quality assurance, audits and tribunals, developing policy and training, managing risks and records, and contributing to effective commissioning and use of resources.

The role requires strong analytical, organisational and communication skills, sound clinical judgement and the ability to influence change across a complex partnership system.

Main duties of the job

• Support delivery of statutory SEND responsibilities for children and young people aged 0–25.
• Provide clinical expertise and guidance on complex SEND cases and EHCP requirements.
• Lead and coordinate SEND workstreams, projects and multi-agency assessments.
• Ensure health advice within Education, Health and Care Plans is accurate, timely and high quality.
• Work collaboratively with health services, local authorities, education settings, families and voluntary organisations.
• Support quality assurance, audits, service evaluation and continuous improvement.
• Develop policies, procedures and training to improve SEND practice across organisations.
• Represent the ICB at SEND tribunals and other complex multi-agency meetings.
• Manage risks, performance information, case records and statutory documentation.
• Contribute to service planning, commissioning decisions and effective use of resources.
• Provide oversight and support the team members and deputise for the Designated Clinical Officer when required.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The job description and person specification gives you all the information you need about this role. Please look carefully at the criteria in the person specification and tell us what you have done that shows you meet this.

Still have questions? The recruiting manager would love to hear from you, their contact details can be found in the job advert.

We can get a lot of applications for some roles so to be in with the best chance of being shortlisted please make sure you apply as soon as possible. A vacancy may close early if there is a lot of interest in the job.

If you need an application form in an alternative format please let our recruitment team know so they can help you with this.

All information you supply on your application should, to the best of your knowledge, be true and accurate.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.