Supporting SEND Students: How EHC Team Managers Facilitate Essential Support
02 Oct, 20241-2 minutes
In this blog, you will learn:
- About the role and responsibilities of an EHC Team Manager.
- How EHC Team Managers ensure children with SEND get access to the provision they need.
- How to find and apply for the latest local authority SEND jobs.
An EHC (Education, Health and Care) Team Manager supervises a team that provides support to children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). For our latest interview, we spoke to an EHC Team Manager who has worked in the SEND sector for a local authority and in several teaching positions.
Since becoming an EHC Team Manager in 2022, this individual has used her experience and initiative to make important decisions to ensure children get access to the provision they need. She is passionate about working in an industry that supports children with SEND and responds to their individual needs.
According to the Department for Education, 1,238,851 children are on SEN support, without an EHC Plan, an increase of 4.7% since 2023. There are a large number of areas of improvement needed in the SEND system but there is also a need for more EHC Team Managers and SEND professionals.
If you are looking to begin a role in the local authority SEND sector, or learn more about what the role of an EHC Team Manager entails, you can find everything you need to know in this interview.
Can you describe your journey to becoming a EHC Team Manager?
I’ve had a very varied career with the only constant being that my roles have always had a focus on supporting people who are different so they can be the best they can be.
My previous roles have included: Supported Employment Officer; Training Centre Manager for disabled young people and adults; Local Authority Graduate Trainee; Equality & Diversity Officer; Community Childminder; Teacher (nursery through to Key Stage 2) and SEN Case Manager.
I didn’t actually know the role of SEN Case Manager existed until I was in my thirties. When I started, it felt like a perfect culmination of all my previous roles. It enabled me to work across a spectrum of ages, focussing on enabling young people to achieve their aspirations and helping to create an inclusive society.
What does your role as an EHC Team Manager consist of?
It’s a cliche but no two days are the same when you’re an EHC Team Manager. We are a large team so I spend a lot of time supporting, mentoring and making case management decisions with staff members. I also spend a lot of time preparing for and attending multi-agency panels and meetings.
As an EHC Team Manager I look at best practice in our processes, manage quality assurance and support local authority decision making. I also talk to parents and young people when they are struggling with the system and enable the team to find solutions for families from within the constraints of what we can offer.
I also manage the SEND Tribunal Officer and work on appeal cases. My favourite activities are when I am able to get out into schools and educational settings to build relationships with those providing SEN support on the front-line.
What is the best aspect about working as an EHC Team Manager?
The most rewarding part of the job is when I am part of a decision making process which enables a child or young person to get access to the provision they need to flourish.
For example, when supporting a family who wanted to request a specialist placement whilst their allocated officer was on sick leave, I was able to step-in to attend the review meeting. I used my experience to discuss the family's concerns and liaise between them, the school and the educational psychology service.
I could then re-allocate the case, advise an officer and enable the case to progress. In this example, the young man wanted to stay in his own school and we were able to achieve this by all of us working together. I am motivated by my ambition to enable all children and young people to access the best possible education.
What’s the most valuable lesson that you’ve learned in your career?
The most valuable lesson that I have learned is to expect the unexpected and stay calm when the unexpected happens! Having daily interactions with families, practitioners and colleagues who are in a high state of stress or under a lot of pressure means remembering to stay calm.
The outcome can feel a long way away but with tenacity and steadfastness we always get there in the end.
What obstacles have you faced in your SEND career?
The biggest obstacle I have faced in my career has been the constant sense of change, not just at a national level but within all the SEND roles I have had. There is a constant sense of striving towards providing a gold standard service to children, young people and families from within the funding constraints and using the settings and resources available. This inevitably leads to changes within teams and systems to attempt to improve services.
Reform in the SEND sector continues to be a huge topic of discussion. How have things changed or progressed in the SEND sector since the start of your career?
When I started as a SEN Case Manager, there were very few requests for a package which provides Education Other Than At School (EOTAS). The sense that the education system as a whole was failing children with SEND was not part of everyday interactions.
EHC Teams were dealing with very few permanent exclusions, these have increased exponentially as schools are increasingly struggling to meet the needs of children and young people from within decreased resources and with no slack in the system for those wanting specialist provision.
How do you stay up-to-date with the latest research and changes in the SEND industry?
The SEND industry is perpetually in need of change and reform. The nature of working in an industry which has to respond to the needs of individuals means change is an essential part of what we do.
I have subscriptions to lots of different newsletters to help me stay up-to-date. However my favourite way of keeping up with changes and updates is networking with colleagues from across the sector.
What changes would you like to see to better support the needs of children and young people with SEND?
I would like to see more flexibility within the education system so that everybody feels valued and not that they are an exception to the rule. This can be done through changes in the processes through which schools are monitored.
Another change I would like to see is an altered national curriculum that would maintain a focus on high attainment for all, as well as a greater diversity in outcomes which children and young people are working towards becoming embedded.
Instead of only putting importance on GCSEs, A Levels and Degrees, we need an education system which feels welcoming and inclusive to all children and young people.
It’s important that Teachers are solution focussed, passionate about everybody reaching their potential and see the abilities and not just the difficulties. I think it would be beneficial for there to be a system in place that teaches children with SEND the skills needed to be included in society to prepare them as they grow up.
What advice would you give to anyone considering a career as an EHC Team Manager within a local authority?
If you want a day-to-day role where you feel like you know what’s coming next, then this job is not for you. If you have a high level of resilience, good problem solving skills and the ability to stay calm in a crisis, then this can be the most amazing job in the world.
Also, if you are passionate about children and young people reaching their potential and want to play a small part in helping them to achieve that - then the world of an EHC Team Manager could be for you.
What are your plans for the future?
In the future I would like to widen further my knowledge and experience, as there are so many aspects of SEN I still know very little about. My ideal future role would be one that enables me to be part of bigger changes in the education system as a whole.
I am also increasing my focus on alternative education methods and celebration of all types of achievements. I’d love to travel and see how other countries structure their education systems and what we could learn from them.
SEND jobs
If you’re searching for your next local authority SEND job, why not take a look at the latest vacancies, or simply upload your CV to be notified when a relevant position becomes available.
Local authority recruitment services
As specialist local authority SEND recruiters, we support local authorities nationwide with their temporary, interim and permanent staffing needs.
We can supply SEND staff for service redesign, tackling annual review backlogs and SEND/EHC Case workers to amend plans or hold annual review meetings.
If you’re struggling to fill a vacancy, why not get in touch with one of our team to see how we can help?
- South of the UK - Richard Shorrock
- Midlands & North of the UK - Adam Zyda
Share your experience
Every individual brings a unique set of experiences, thoughts, and insights to the table. We believe in giving a voice to a community of professionals to inspire positive change and champion reform in the healthcare sector.
If you work in the healthcare sector and would like to share your own personal and professional experiences, we’d love to hear from you. Perhaps you have a different perspective, could offer a fresh angle, or want to challenge assumptions.
Simply reach out to our Head of Content, Nicole Sherwood, to discuss a collaboration which makes your voice count.
Who is Spencer Clarke Group?
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We continually reimagine the recruitment process to challenge convention and defy expectations; from creating a better recruitment experience to remodelling employee engagement, we thrive off doing things differently and turning heads along the way.
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