Independent Scrutineer SEND

Northumberland County Council wishes to commission a suitably experienced provider to undertake the role of Independent Scrutineer of the Northumberland Strategic SEND Partnership. The provider must be able to offer independent scrutiny, rigorous constructive challenge, independent chair role and objective assurance to support the SEND Partnership to fulfil its responsibilities for improving outcomes, experiences and inclusion for children and young people with SEND and their families.

The role includes:

• Providing assurance regarding the effectiveness of local multiagency SEND arrangements, with a particular focus on practice, co production, lived experience, and impact.
• Supporting the inclusion of the voice of children, young people and families in decision-making and quality assurance.
• Providing an independent view of the effectiveness, pace and impact of SEND improvement activity, including progress against inspection findings and the Local Area SEND Reform Plan.

The SEND Partnership Board, workstreams and subgroups meet on a quarterly schedule. The Independent Scrutineer will be required to provide scrutiny and challenge across the Partnership, hold partners to account, and provide an independent view of the effectiveness of SEND arrangements across education, health and care. The role will be required to chair the partnership quarterly board meetings.

This is an evolving role, aligned to the national SEND reform programme (2026-2035), the Local SEND Reform Plan, and the Local Partnership Maturity Assessment.