Best Start in Life Inclusion Practitioner

Warwickshire County Council; Nuneaton; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Volunteering & Wellbeing Day

Generous annual leave and Christmasday

Refer a Friend package

Job summary

Warwickshire County Council is seeking a Best Start in Life Inclusion Practitioner to support babies and children aged 0‑5 with additional needs. You will deliver targeted interventions, model inclusive practice and work with families to identify needs early and access the right services.

Join a countywide multi‑agency team, travel across Warwickshire as required, and contribute to the development of Warwickshire's Best Start in Life Inclusion Offer within education, health, social care and the

Qualifications

• Level 3 qualification or above in SEND, Early Years, Education, Health, Social Care, or related field.
• Experience supporting babies/young children 0–5 with identified or additional needs.
• Knowledge of child development, language development, attachment, inclusive practice.
• Understanding of SEND legislation and local SEND pathways.
• Experience working with families and professionals across education, health, social care.

Responsibilities

• Provide targeted support to children and families and deliver interventions.
• Coach, mentor, train colleagues to develop inclusive practice.
• Collaborate with Family Hubs, schools, and partner agencies.
• Identify developmental needs early and navigate services and pathways.

Skills

Child development

Speech & language development

Neurodiversity awareness

Inclusion practice

Restorative approach

Excellent communication

Team collaboration

Education

Level 3 qualification

Tools

MS Office

Case management software

Job description

About Us

At Warwickshire County Council, our vision is for children and young people to be safe, happy, healthy, and supported to achieve their full potential. We are committed to working restoratively with families, building on strengths and relationships to achieve sustainable change and better outcomes.

Our Best Start in Life Strategy and Family Hub Programme play a vital role in supporting children, families and communities through early intervention, inclusion, partnership working and the delivery of integrated services. We believe that children thrive when they are supported within their families and communities, and we work collaboratively with parents, carers and professionals to ensure children receive the right support at the right time.

As an organisation, we are committed to continuous improvement, innovation and developing services that respond effectively to the changing needs of children and families. We value diversity, inclusion and the unique contribution that every colleague brings, creating a culture where people are supported, empowered, and encouraged to make a difference.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a newly established service designed to transform support for young children and families, helping to shape the future of early identification, inclusion and SEND support across Warwickshire.

We are looking for passionate, skilled and child-centred practitioners to join our newly established Best Start in Life Inclusion Practitioner Team. We are recruiting to five Best Start in Life Inclusion Practitioner posts. As part of a countywide team, practitioners will work flexibly across Warwickshire, with caseloads allocated according to service need, demand and geography. Working closely with Family Hubs, network sites and partner agencies, you will contribute to a consistent and high‑quality offer for children and families across the county.

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of an innovative service within Warwickshire's Best Start in Life and Family Hub network, supporting babies and young children aged 0‑5 years with emerging or identified additional needs. Working alongside families, early years providers and partner agencies, you will help identify needs early and ensure children receive the right support at the right time.

As a Best Start in Life Inclusion Practitioner, you will provide targeted support to children and families, deliver evidence‑informed interventions, model inclusive practice and strengthen family confidence. Using a restorative and relationship‑based approach, you will work alongside families to build on strengths, empower parents and carers, and help them navigate services and support pathways. A key aspect of the role will be supporting the early identification of developmental needs, including speech, language and communication needs, neurodiversity and emerging SEND. Working as part of an integrated multi‑agency team, you will help ensure children and families receive coordinated support at the earliest opportunity, helping to improve outcomes and reduce barriers to participation.

The role will also have a strong focus on building the confidence, skills and knowledge of colleagues and partners across the Best Start in Life network. Through coaching, modelling, advice, and training, you will help strengthen inclusive practice, promote understanding of child development and neurodiversity, and support a culture where inclusion is everyone's responsibility.

This is a unique opportunity to help shape and develop a new countywide service, helping to create better experiences and outcomes for children and families across Warwickshire. You will play an important role in developing and delivering Warwickshire's evolving Best Start in Life Inclusion Offer, working alongside colleagues across education, health, social care and the voluntary and community sector.

Now is an exciting time to be part of our team as Warwickshire begins to embed our Families First teams who support the young people in our County. Our approach is about locality working, multi disciplinary and multi agency teams that support the whole family. Building strong partnerships with local services, Health, Police and Education.

Our Offer to you includes:

• Supportive managers who provide recognition and a robust supervision policy focussed on wellbeing and workload.
• A Volunteering & Wellbeing Day in addition to generous annual leave and an additional day at Christmas
• We also offer a Refer a Friend package for some roles. Terms and Conditions apply

Key Skills and Experience Required

We are looking for practitioners who are passionate about improving outcomes for children with additional needs and who understand the importance of early identification, early intervention, and inclusive practice.

You will be able to demonstrate:

• A relevant Level 3 qualification or above in SEND, Early Years, Education, Health, Social Care, or a related field.
• Experience of supporting babies and young children aged 0‑5 years with identified, emerging or additional needs.
• Knowledge and understanding of child development, communication and language development, attachment theory, and inclusive early years practice.
• Knowledge of SEND legislation, the SEND Code of Practice and local SEND pathways.
• Experience of working collaboratively with families and professionals across education, health, and social care services.
• The ability to build trusting and effective relationships with children, families, and partners.
• Experience of planning and delivering targeted interventions and support programmes that improve outcomes for children and families.
• Experience of coaching, mentoring, training, or supporting colleagues to develop inclusive practice.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage sensitively and effectively with families and professionals.
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage and prioritise a varied workload.
• Competent ICT skills and experience of maintaining accurate records, reports, and case management information.
• A commitment to restorative practice, inclusion, safeguarding and improving outcomes for children and families.
• The post holder must be able to travel independently across Warwickshire to meet the requirements of the role.

For further information please see the Job Description and Person Specification below;

Best Start in Life Inclusion Practitioner

Working for Warwickshire – This is the difference you make

Warwickshire County Council is a place where everyone feelsvalued, included, safe, supported,andwelcome. Our people are at the heart of this vision, could you be one of them!

At Warwickshire County Council we are committed to ensuring Warwickshire’s economy is vibrant and supported by the right jobs, training, skills and infrastructure. Our people vision for Warwickshire County Council is a great place to work where diverse and talented people are enabled to be their best.

Your future matters to us, we provide a generous pension scheme which includes an employer contribution rate of typically around 19 percent per month, to help support your financial security during retirement. The scheme also offers a valuable package of benefits for members and their dependants. To find out more please visit: Warwickshire Pension Fund homepage – Warwickshire Pension Fund'

The benefits we offer include agile working, a valuable part of the pay and reward package for employees working in local government, generous annual leave entitlement, plus bank holidays and an additional day at Christmas, and access to Vivup benefits and discounts platform.

Additional Information

Warwickshire County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. Please be advised successful applicants will be subject to a range of pre‑engagement checks, including a relevant Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS). In accordance with the DBS code of practice and our own policy, should an individual have a declared criminal offence an individual assessment will be completed. Warwickshire County Council adheres to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

The Fluency Duty is outlined in the Code of Practice on the English language requirements for public sector workers. The Fluency Duty for this role is Required. You must be able to speak and provide advice in accurate spoken English to the public.

If you are applying for this role on a secondment basis please ensure you have permission from your line manager.

Should you require application forms in an alternative format / language or any adjustments to be made throughout the application process or upon appointment, please contact [e-mail] and we will make every effort to meet your specific requirements.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact:

Nicci Burton
Service Manager, Best Start in Life and Headteacher Coach for Early Years
[e-mail]

Closing date: Wednesday 4th November 2026
Shortlisting date: Friday 6th November 2026
Interview date(s): In person, on either Monday 16th November or Tuesday 17th November 2026.

Warwickshire County Council is committed to equality of opportunity for all employees and is keen to address areas of under representation in its workforce. See more