Best Start Inclusion Practitioner - Fixed Term Contract

About the role

Making every child's best start inclusive, supportive and full of opportunity.

To deliver high-quality, inclusive support to babies, young children and their families across a Locality Family Hub network, with a focus on early identification and support for children with additional or emerging needs.

The Best Start Inclusion Practitioner (BSIP) will be a visible and accessible presence within a named Family Hub network, supporting families through direct work, group delivery and outreach, including home visits where appropriate.

The role will promote inclusive practice across early years and Family Hub services, contributing to improved outcomes such as school readiness, early language development and parent-child relationships, in line with Best Start Family Hub guidance.

Join Our Family. Help Shape the Future.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Family Hubs in North Northamptonshire.

We are at the heart of an ambitious transformation programme that is reshaping how we support children, young people and families across our communities. Through our Family Hubs and Best Start in Life approach, we are bringing together services, expertise and partners to create an integrated system of support that helps every child thrive and gives families access to the help they need, when they need it.

As our services continue to grow and evolve, we are looking for passionate, skilled and motivated individuals to join our Family Hub family and play a key role in delivering this vision.

We are currently recruiting for:

• Best Start Inclusion Practitioners (BSIP)
• Infant Feeding Practitioners
• Best Start in Life Practitioners
• Parenting Coordinator
• Healthy Early Years Practitioner – in Partnership with Public Health

These are exciting opportunities to be part of a supportive, innovative and forward-thinking team that is committed to improving outcomes for children and families and ensuring every child has the best possible start in life.

If you are passionate about making a difference and want to be part of a service that is shaping the future of family support in North Northamptonshire, we'd love to hear from you.

Come and be part of our family. Together, we're building brighter futures and giving children the best start in life.

What will you be doing?

• Support babies, young children and families through early intervention and inclusive practice.
• Identify children with additional or emerging needs and help ensure timely support.
• Provide advice, guidance and support through Family Hub sessions, outreach and appointments.
• Deliver direct support through one-to-one work, groups and home visits.
• Contribute to SEND reforms and provide practical support to families and professionals.
• Promote inclusive practice across Family Hubs and early years settings.
• Work with partners to improve early identification, inclusion and access to support.
• Support children's development, including communication, emotional wellbeing and family relationships.
• Help improve school readiness and reduce inequalities through targeted support.
• Use a strengths-based, whole-family approach in line with Family Hub and Family Help guidance.

About you

• Relevant qualification (e.g. early years, SEND, health, education, social care) or equivalent experience
• Experience of working with babies and young children (0–5) and their families
• Experience of supporting children with additional needs
• Understanding of child development, including early language and social/emotional development
• Experience of working in a community or family-facing role
• Understanding of safeguarding and early help approaches
• Ability to build positive relationships with families and engage those less likely to access services
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to recognise early signs of need and provide appropriate support
• Ability to work independently and manage a community-based workload
• Ability to work effectively with partners across services
• Good organisational and time management skills
• Commitment to improving outcomes for babies, children and families
• Commitment to inclusion and supporting children with additional needs
• Ability to work in a strengths-based, respectful and family-centred way
• Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion
• Willingness to work flexibly, including evenings and weekends where required

Our Benefits

Here at North Northamptonshire Council, we’re transforming for the better, using all our creativity and imagination to create the best life for our local people.

You’ll find that we have a wide range of careers that may be more surprising than you think!

Why choose us?

We offer a vibrant working environment with:

• a competitive salary
• a pension scheme, where we pay a significant contribution on top of your contribution. It provides life cover and ill-health protection.
• lots of opportunities to develop your skills, knowledge and potential in a large unitary council
• generous leave entitlement (28 days, rising to 33 days) and bank holidays, plus the option to buy up to an extra 10 days
• hybrid and flexible working arrangements, where practicable for service needs to help you with a healthy work-life balance.

We provide a range of great benefits such as an Employee Assistance Programme, an Employee Benefits Scheme, wellbeing support, travel rates at HMRC rates, as well as supporting a range of active Employee Network Groups.

About us

Our Values and Behaviours

Our values define who we are and how we operate, by forming the foundation for how we interact with our customers, colleagues and provide our services. They are also at the forefront of our decision making and delivery and are:

Customer-focused
Respectful
Efficient
Supportive
Trustworthy

Our key commitments help ensure that the priorities we make, now and in the future, maintain the necessary breadth of focus in those areas that we believe matter most.

Disability Confident Employer

We are proud to be a recognised Disability Confident Employer and is committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role.

Our Employment and Disability Service provides bespoke support to individuals facing barriers to employment, helping them work towards their goals to start, stay and succeed in employment. For further information please click here The Employment and Disability Service (EADS) | North Northamptonshire Council

Armed Forces Community

The council obtained the Gold status award for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS).

Further information can be found at Jobs and careers | North Northamptonshire Council (northnorthants.gov.uk)