School Autism Friendly Review SAFR Lead - Surrey County Council : Job Details

The salary for this position is £52,047 - £57,125 per annum based on a 36 hour working week.

This is a 2-year fixed term contract / secondment opportunity.

Are you passionate about improving the outcomes for neurodivergent children and young people?

In this role you will be leading the School Autism Friendly Review project within the All-Age Autism Team and we are looking for a proactive and confident leader who has an excellent understanding of autism. You will have extensive knowledge of a range of interventions, approaches and reasonable adjustments which can implemented in education settings to support inclusion. You will be working alongside autistic people as part of Surrey's All-Age Autism Strategy.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days plus 1 team volunteering day per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the role

In this role, you will be leading a small team who will be completing School Autism Friendly Reviews in education settings throughout Surrey. This is a coproduced project.

You will be working in partnership with autistic young people and parent carers with lived experience. The aims of the project are to:

• Build an understanding and acceptance of autism and neurodivergence across Surrey education settings.
• Reduce stigma and discrimination so that autistic and neurodivergent children and young people feel welcomed, supported and have a sense of belonging.
• Build confidence within mainstream education to enable autistic neurodivergent children and young people to thrive and feel happy attending local provision.
• Encourage and influence education settings to develop a whole school approach to inclusion.

You will be part of the All-Age Autism Team and will report into the All-Age Autism Service Manager.

In this role you will:

• Identify and target education settings who will benefit from a School Autism Friendly Review.
• Coordinate School Autism Friendly Reviews across Surrey County Council ensuring that the four area quadrants have equitable access according to demand and need.
• Lead and supervise a small team to maximise outcomes and efficacy of resources.
• Work collaboratively with partners ensuring the voice of the child and young people and parent carers are integral to the process.
• Collate a range of information and work with the School Autism Friendly Review team to coproduce accessible reports.
• Provide project summaries.
• Promote, support and raise awareness of the All-Age Autism Strategy and activity taking place.
• Promote the benefits of inclusive education, community environments and workplaces.

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for shortlisting, your application should clearly evidence:

• Comprehensive understanding of autism and the barriers which neurodivergent children and young people experience in education.
• Experience of working in an education setting where you have supported inclusion for children and young people with additional needs and disability.
• Experience of completing observations of practice and environments in education settings and providing feedback to senior leaders, governors and SENCOs.
• Experience of compiling high level reports including data for governance purposes to measure impact and outcomes.
• Experience of working in partnership with autistic people and with parent carers and families of children and young people with additional needs and disabilities.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to speak with authority and influence change.
• Experience of leading coproduced projects.
• Ability to navigate difficult conversations leading to positive outcomes.
• Ability to prioritise, plan and work to deadlines.

We particularly welcome applications from people who have lived experience which relates to this role, but this is not an essential requirement.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 29/09/2024 with interviews to follow.

Interview questions will be provided in advance.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applicants where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.