Senior Qualified Habilitation Specialist

Permanent, Full Time

£41,114 to £48,369 per annum

Location: Countywide

Working Style: Operational field-based worker

The Opportunity

Essex County Council has embarked upon a programme of change for provision and services with the ambition to profoundly improve the outcomes and life experience of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Our vision is for a SEND system which identifies and assesses need at an earlier stage and which provides appropriate and impactful support without such high dependence on Essex County Council’s statutory services. We have a responsibility to deliver effective services and support in the most cost effective and impactful way.

The Qualified Habilitation Specialists of children with vision impairment will assess the mobility and daily living needs of pupils with a vision impairment and provide specialist training/teaching to young people as well as advice, support and coaching to schools, settings and families.

The senior Qualified Habilitation Specialist will additionally oversee the Habilitation Service, managing referrals and caseloads, ensuring the continuous improvement of the service through appropriate development planning and supporting members of the Habilitation team through individual check-ins, team meetings and clinical supervision.

To read more about our business area, please visit: Education

Accountabilities

Co-ordinate and oversee the referral process and service-wide caseload for habilitation support, prioritising needs of the children and young people with vision impairment (CYPVI).
Hold an individual caseload of CYPVI; working in partnership with children, parents/carers, schools, QTVIs and other settings/ stakeholders.
Provide age-appropriate, ongoing training which teaches CYPVI to move safely and efficiently in their home, school, work and community settings, and as independently as possible
Teach the relevant areas of the curriculum framework for vision impairment as appropriate in partnership with other involved agencies including the development and delivery of a daily living skills programme.
Use an understanding of typical child development to inform the observation, identification and recording of the Habilitation skill needs of the CYPVI, taking account of any additional sensory, physical or learning needs.
Undertake appropriate access audits and risk assessments; identifying and deploying risk management strategies in a systematic way, taking account of the different settings in which the Habilitation skills programme is to be delivered
Provide support and advice at times of transition within and between settings.
Work in partnership with the Qualified Teachers for Vision Impairment, with whom caseload is shared, working collaboratively to achieve the best outcomes for children and young people.
Provide information to the Local Authority Education Service and SEND Operations to ensure effective provision for named pupils.
Devise and deliver a Habilitation Service Development Plan, that reflects the Habilitation goals of the Curriculum Framework for Vision Impairment, striving to continuously improve provision for children and young people.
Develop the skills of parents and professionals involved with CYPVI through coaching and training to enable them to be effective partners in the delivery of the Habilitation skills programme
Deliver specialist training to settings, parents and organisations within Essex County Council.
Hold regular 1:1 check-in meetings with the members of the habilitation team to support their work and promote professional development.
Hold regular caseload and development meetings with the habilitation team.
Oversee the continuous professional development of the habilitation team; linking to national conferences and development opportunities where relevant.
Be part of the Senior Management team of the Vision Impairment Service working with the Lead Specialist Teacher for Vision Impairment and senior teachers for vision impairment and multi-sensory impairment.

The Experience You Will Bring

A Graduate Diploma in Habilitation and the Disability of Sight (In Children and Young People) or equivalent
Experience working in habilitation with people with a vision impairment.
Evidence of professional development in and knowledge of working with children and young people with vision impairment.
Experience working with children and young people with vision impairment.
Experience of working collaboratively with stakeholders, partners and other agencies.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a way of delivering information in a clear, concise and easily understood manner.
Evidence of delivering change within a complex organisation.

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

Interviews

Interviews are scheduled to take place on Friday 22nd May 2026

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In March 2026, the Government announced that councils in Greater Essex will be reorganised into five new unitary authorities from April 2028. In addition to this, Greater Essex has been accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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