Best Start Family Hub Network Development Officer

South Gloucestershire Council; Yate; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave (pro rata)

Wellbeing support

Staff discounts

Training and development

Diversity in the workplace

Job summary

South Gloucestershire Council is seeking a Best Start Network Development Officer to support the development of Best Start Family Hub Networks across South Gloucestershire, coordinating partners to improve outcomes for children, young people and their families.

You will work closely with the Best Start Strategic Lead and Group to strengthen networks, starting with Patchway and expanding to Yate and Staple Hill, ensuring families access the right support at the right time.

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent qualification in children’s services, public health, education or social science.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with ability to build relationships and influence stakeholders.
• Experience planning and managing projects and delivering outcomes to deadlines.
• Experience of partnership working with health and social care providers, community and voluntary organisations.

Responsibilities

• Support delivery of services for children and families within the Best Start Family Hub Network.
• Promote the Best Start Family Hubs and Networks to raise awareness and engagement.
• Identify and map strengths, resources and opportunities within each network and inform future development.
• Monitor and evaluate network effectiveness and shape recommendations for the future.
• Prepare presentations, reports, briefings and consultations to support decision-making.

Skills

Communication

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Partnership working

Education

Degree in children’s services / public health / education / social science

Job description

How you'll make a difference

As a Best Start Network Development Officer, you will support the development of Best Start Family Hub Networks across South Gloucestershire, helping to bring together partners and services to improve outcomes for children, young people and their families.

Working closely with the Best Start Strategic Lead and the Best Start Strategic Group, you will help to strengthen and develop Family Hub Networks across the area, initially focusing on Patchway before supporting activity inn Yate and Staple Hill. You will help ensure families can access the right support at the right time and contribute to delivering South Gloucestershire's commitment to giving every child the best start in life.

What you will be doing

• Working directly with partners across the Best Start Family Hub Network areas, you will support the delivery of services for children and families, helping to ensure network membership reflects the needs of local communities.
• Promoting the Best Start Family Hubs and Networks, you will work with colleagues and partners to raise awareness of the offer and strengthen engagement across communities.
• You will identify and map the strengths, resources and opportunities within each network, while gathering insight to understand local needs and inform future development.
• Monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the networks, you will help partners and practitioners understand the impact of their work, identify successes and challenges, and shape recommendations for the future.
• Through the preparation of presentations, reports, briefings and consultations, you will provide evidence-based recommendations to support decision-making and contribute to partnership plans and priorities.
• Working alongside colleagues in Public Health, you will support the development of the Best Start Healthy Babies offer linked to the Best Start Family Hubs and Networks.

What we need from you

• It is essential that you hold a relevant degree in children’s services, public health, education or social science, or have an equivalent qualification or level of relevant experience.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills are key to this role, with the ability to build positive relationships, influence a wide range of stakeholders and work effectively with individuals and groups.
• We are looking for someone with experience of planning and managing projects, along with the ability to organise and prioritise work, make sound decisions and deliver outcomes within agreed timescales, whether working independently or as part of a team.
• You will have experience of partnership working, including collaborating with health and social care providers, community and voluntary organisations, other statutory agencies and children and families.

What you need to know

• Your salary is pro-rata to hours worked.
• This is a limited term contract, ending 31st March 2029.
• This role is hybrid, with a mixture of working at our office in Badminton Road office, Yate and from home.
• Please note that due to the nature of this role, it is a requirement of employment that an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is obtained.

Interviews will be held on 1st October 2026.

How a career at South Gloucestershire Council is different

• As part of our benefits package, you will receive generous annual leave (pro rata), employee wellbeing support and you will have access to a range of staff discounts, including eye tests, travel, shopping and leisure activities.
• We recognise that our diverse team of skilled and dedicated people make us a great place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and developed on the basis of their merits and abilities.
• We invest in the careers of our people, and we are recognised for the quality, breadth and depth of our training and development offer, which helps our people make the greatest long-term difference in their work.
• What’s special here is the strength of the team ethos, the support and the training.
• We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the safety and welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Ensuring all our staff are given right skills, knowledge and support to recognise and respond effectively to potential abuse or neglect.

Our teams at South Gloucestershire Council are making a real difference to the lives of people who live, work and learn here.

• We're building and shaping communities which people are proud of.
• We're working with the most vulnerable in our community to help them achieve what they want in life.
• We're investing in our schools to ensure every child and young person in South Gloucestershire achieves their full potential.

We've achieved a great deal, but we need talented and dedicated people to ensure we continue to make a difference.

We’re making a difference, be part of it!

To view the full job description, please click this link: Best Start Family Hub Network Development Officer - Job Description