Best Start Inclusion Practitioner

Buckinghamshire Council; Aylesbury; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

Buckinghamshire Council is recruiting a Best Start Inclusion Practitioner to join the Family Hub Service. You will work with families of children aged 0-5, delivering universal and targeted support, and coordinating with multi-agency partners to promote inclusive practice.

You will lead early help, safeguarding, and staff development while contributing to the SEND offer across the community. This fixed-term role lasts 18 months and requires flexible working, including some evenings and weekends.

Qualifications

• Experience with inclusive early years practice and child development.
• Knowledge of SEND legislation and local SEND systems.
• Experience in multi-agency settings with families.
• Ability to build trusting relationships with families and professionals.
• Experience leading meetings and risk assessments.
• Strong organisational and record-keeping skills.

Responsibilities

• Deliver targeted support and interventions for children with emerging or identified additional needs.
• Support families with practical advice, guidance and coaching to build confidence and inclusion.
• Observe children's development across Family Hub, home and community settings and identify needs early.
• Use evidence-based approaches to assess needs and access specialist services when required.
• Develop relationships with early years providers and partner agencies to strengthen inclusion.
• Lead quality assurance processes to evaluate outcomes and impact.
• Manage and support a small team of practitioners, allocating work and developing staff capability.
• Contribute to safeguarding and early help processes, including risk assessment and escalation.
• Maintain accurate records, reports and documentation in line with standards.
• Support evening and weekend sessions as required.

Skills

Inclusive early years practice

Child development

SEND legislation

Multi-agency collaboration

Risk assessments

Staff coaching

Report writing

ICT skills

Education

Relevant qualification in early years / SEND

Tools

Microsoft Office

Case management systems

Job description

Are you passionate about improving outcomes for children with additional needs?

We're looking for a Best Start Inclusion Practitioner (BSIP) to join our Family Hub Service and play a key role in supporting children aged 0-5 and their families. Working as part of an integrated, multi-agency team, you will help ensure that children with emerging or identified additional needs receive timely, high-quality support that enables them to thrive and achieve the best possible start in life.

This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference by working directly with families, strengthening inclusive practice across the Family Hub network, and helping shape a coherent SEND offer for families within the community

This is a fixed term opportunity, duration: 18 months

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.

About the role

As a Best Start Inclusion Practitioner, you will be based within a Best Start in Life Family Hub and spend the majority of your time working directly with families in hubs, homes and community settings. You will identify emerging needs early, support children with additional needs, and help families access the right support at the right time.

You will deliver both universal and targeted interventions, working one-to-one and in groups, helping children achieve good levels of development while promoting inclusive practice across services. You will also work closely with a range of partners, including early years settings, SEND professionals, health services and community organisations.

Key responsibilities include:

• Delivering targeted support and interventions for children with emerging or identified additional needs.
• Supporting families through practical advice, guidance and coaching to build confidence and reduce barriers to inclusion.
• Observing children's development across Family Hub, home and community settings and identifying needs at the earliest opportunity.
• Using evidence-based approaches to assess needs and support access to specialist services when required.
• Developing strong relationships with early years providers and partner agencies to strengthen inclusive practice.
• Leading and embedding quality assurance processes to evaluate outcomes and impact.
• Managing and supporting a small team of practitioners, including allocating work and developing staff capability.
• Contributing to safeguarding and early help processes, including assessing risk and escalating concerns appropriately.
• Maintaining accurate records, reports and documentation in line with professional standards.
• Supporting the delivery of evening and weekend sessions as required.

Mobile:
A ‘mobile’ role gives you the flexibility to schedule your own diary, so you can meet with colleagues and clients in a variety of locations. You’ll access digital folders and resources on your laptop and be able to use the network wherever you are based. Working from home will be common, as well as meeting your team in the office where necessary.

This role offers the opportunity to influence practice across the Family Hub network while making a direct and meaningful difference to children and families in your local community.

About you

We're looking for a dedicated and knowledgeable practitioner who is passionate about inclusion, early intervention and achieving positive outcomes for children and families.

You will bring:

• A strong understanding of inclusive early years practice, child development, attachment and communication development.
• Knowledge of SEND legislation, pathways and local SEND systems.
• Experience of working with children, families and carers within multi-agency environments.
• The ability to build trusting relationships and communicate effectively with both families and professionals.
• Experience delivering targeted interventions and promoting high-quality inclusive practice.
• Confidence in coordinating support across services and navigating referral pathways.
• Experience of leading meetings, managing complex situations and undertaking risk assessments.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise workloads and support others effectively.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including report writing and record keeping.
• Good ICT skills, including Microsoft Office and specialist case management systems.
• Experience of supporting, coaching or supervising staff and facilitating professional development.

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

Other information

For more information about this role or for an informal discussion, please contact:

Interview Date: Monday 2nd November 2026

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining us, you can expect:

• A fair and inclusive culture
• The chance to really make a difference to those around you
• Health and well-being initiatives including
• An Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• A unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• Ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• Opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

We know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. We also offer a salary sacrifice personal car lease scheme to those who are eligible and have passed their probation period. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.