London, EC2 (with some nationwide travel)

£33,811 – £39,896 per annum

Are you passionate about using the law to ensure deaf children and young people receive the education support they need and challenge discrimination?

We are looking for a highly skilled advice caseworker to join our Appeals and Disputes team, to help families challenge education decisions to the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Tribunal, including representation.

Key duties include:

– Delivering advice to families and young people on SEN rights and options

– Providing advice to professionals including on our internal advice line

– Conducting casework and Tribunal representation in SEN and discrimination

– Sharing expertise and evidence to support policy and campaign work

– Supervising a team of pro bono legal volunteers with their SEN casework

You will have recent experience of advice and casework or a strong legal background in social welfare law, ideally in the area of education SEN.

Good casework, submission drafting and advocacy skills are essential, as well as the ability to explain complex legislation in plain language and empathise with families and young people. Highly organised, you will have experience of using a range of IT and digital tools to conduct your casework and be quick to pick up new areas of law and changing policy. You will be required to attend hearings and meet with families. The team also deliver some workshops to families around the UK, so some travel will be required.

We are open to considering a trainee position to develop someone into the role providing they have the right skills and aptitude. To be considered at trainee level, we would be looking for someone with experience of either providing advice or casework in social welfare law and a legal qualification or CPD in an area of law. Excellent communication and organisation skills will need to be demonstrated.

The salary paid at trainee level would be between £28,130 - £32,865, and we would be prepared to support and pay for the relevant courses such as IPSEA training or advisor training in order to support and develop the right individual. Following successful completion of training and probation the salary will increase to the level specified in the advert of £33,811. Please specify if you would like to be considered for the trainee position under the skills and experience section of the application form.

To apply for this role, you will have to complete an online application and show how you meet the person specification criteria as outlined in the job description. To do this, we suggest you download both documents to help you.

Currently, the application process works best on desktop/laptop devices.

The closing date for applications is on Monday 14th October 2019 at 23:59.

We expect interviews to be held in London on Tuesday 22nd October 2019.

A disclosure check will be sought in relation to the successful applicant for this post. This will be shared with Human Resources and may also be shared with the Safeguarding Manager and the relevant management team. All applicants must also complete a self-disclosure form.

We strive to provide an accessible recruitment process. If a disability or long term condition makes it difficult for you to complete our application form, please contact us to discuss alternative formats. If you require reasonable adjustments for taking part in the interview, please indicate this in response to the corresponding question in the application form. Additional information about the support we offer is on our jobs page.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and committed to offering interviews to candidates who request to be considered under the disability confident scheme and meet the minimum requirements of the person specification.

The National Deaf Children’s Society is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and young adults and expects staff and volunteers to share that commitment.

We are also committed to promoting work-life balance amongst our staff.

To apply for the role of Appeals and Disputes Adviser, please apply via the button shown.

This job is being posted by Webrecruit on behalf of National Deaf Children's Society. The services advertised by Webrecruit are those of an Employment Agency.

Other organisations may call this role Trainee Appeals and Disputes Adviser, Social Welfare Legal Advisor, Legal Advisor, Appeals Advisor, SEN Legal Advisor, or Qualified Legal Advisor.

We are also interested in hearing from you if you have worked in, or have lived experience of, Social Welfare, Education, Legal, Rights, Disability, Advice, Advocacy, or Equality.