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Staffordshire County Council; Newcastle City Council; On-site; AUD 53,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

Staffordshire County Council is recruiting a Family Practitioner dedicated to completing social care needs assessments for children and young people with SEND as part of statutory EHC Needs Assessments. You will advocate for children and families, ensuring their voices shape outcomes and support plans.

Based in the Staffordshire area, the role involves collaboration with education, health and social care professionals, and requires a commitment to person-centred practice with timely,

Qualifications

• Experience working with children, young people and families.
• Understanding challenges faced by children and families.
• Skilled in assessment, communication and relationship-building.
• Ability to gather and analyse information to produce clear reports.
• Commitment to person-centred practice and positive outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Meet with parents, carers and children to gather information about experiences, strengths and support needs.
• Complete high-quality social care needs assessments as part of statutory EHC Needs Assessments.
• Explore how a child's SEND affects family life, independence and social inclusion.
• Work with education, health and social care professionals to inform EHC Plans (EHCPs).
• Ensure the voice of the child and family is central to assessments and recommendations.
• Provide clear, evidence-based assessments within statutory timescales.

Skills

Assessment

Communication

Relationship-building

Report writing

Person-centered practice

Working with families

Job description

Are you passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)? We are looking for a skilled and compassionate Family Practitioner to join our team in a unique role supporting the Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) process.

This is an exciting opportunity to specialise in SEND assessment work and play a vital role in ensuring children and young people receive the support they need. You will be part of a supportive team dedicated to championing the voices of children and families and helping them achieve the best possible outcomes

Please note: This role differs from a traditional Family Practitioner position within Family Help. While the post carries the same job title and job description, the primary focus is on completing social care needs assessments for children and young people with SEND as part of the statutory Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment process.

Just to highlight that the role will cover North Staffordshire (Newcastle and Staffordshire Moorlands & Stafford and South Staffordshire)

Interviews starting from the 21st September 2026

Main Responsibilities

As a Family Practitioner, you will work with children, young people and their families to understand how a child's SEND impacts their daily life at home and within their local community. Your assessments will help identify social care needs, strengths and outcomes that contribute to the wider Education, Health and Care assessment process.

You will:

• Meet with parents, carers and children to gather information about their experiences, strengths and support needs.
• Complete high-quality social care needs assessments as part of statutory EHC Needs Assessments.
• Explore how a child's SEND affects family life, independence, social inclusion and participation within the community.
• Work collaboratively with education, health and social care professionals to inform Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
• Ensure the voice of the child and family is central to all assessments and recommendations.
• Provide clear, evidence-based assessments within statutory timescales.

The Ideal Candidate

• Has experience of working with children, young people and families.
• Has a good understanding of the challenges faced by children and families.
• Is skilled in assessment, communication and relationship-building.
• Can gather and analyse information to produce clear and accurate reports.
• Is committed to person-centred practice and achieving positive outcomes for children and young people.

For information, please note that there is currently an ongoing review within Children and Families to realign individual teams and the wider team’s ways of working. As a result, this role may be affected by the review. For further information, please speak to the hiring manager.

Please note: The minimum essential criteria in the ideal candidate section detailed above will be used if you are applying under one of our Interview Guarantee

About Staffordshire County Council

We are no ordinary county council:

Our Values:

The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively.

Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy:

We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future.

We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too.

We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance.

In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to

Our rewards and benefits - Careers at Staffordshire

Our recruitment process:

As an Authority we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all background and communities

As part of our commitment as a

Disability Confident employer, a

Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting

care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as yourapplication meets the minimum criteria for the post.

As you’ll know safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and young people/vulnerable adults is important to us and that’s why this position is subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service. If applicable you should disclose details of unspent and unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions and convictions in your application form.