Best Start Inclusion Practitioner [Fixed term until 31.3.2029]

Darlington; Tees Valley; Hybrid; GBP 33,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Hybrid working

32 days annual leave

Local Government Pension Scheme

Cycle to Work

Job summary

Darlington Borough Council is recruiting a Best Start Inclusion Practitioner on a fixed-term basis until 31 March 2029. The role focuses on supporting families with children aged 0–5, across Best Start Family Hubs, delivering practical, inclusive early years help.

You will work closely with health visitors, early years staff and partners, guiding families, modelling play, removing access barriers and coordinating signposted support; 75% direct work with children and families.

Qualifications

• You will have a relevant Level 3 qualification or above and experience of working directly with children aged 0 to 5 and their families.
• You will understand child development and be able to turn that knowledge into practical, sensitive and helpful support.
• You will be someone who listens carefully and communicates with warmth and respect, recognises parents and carers as experts in their child.

Responsibilities

• Directly work with children and families across Family Hubs and community locations.
• Share practical ideas to support communication, play, interaction and home learning.
• Help families overcome barriers to participating in activities or accessing services.
• Coordinate support so families do not have to repeat their story; work with Health Visiting, Early Years Inclusion, SEND and partners.

Education

Level 3 qualification or above

Job description

Best Start Inclusion Practitioner [Fixed term until 31.3.2029] (Ref: TBC)

Salary £33,119 - £35,570 Salary Band £30,001 to £40,000 Post Type Fixed Term Hours Per Week Full time

Job and Application details

Categories Social Care - Children Service
Directorate N/A Published Date 06/10/2026 Closing Date 25/10/2026

The right support at the right time can make a lasting difference to a child and their family.

We are looking for a warm, curious and knowledgeable Best Start Inclusion Practitioner to join Darlington’s growing Best Start Family Hub network.

This is a new, family-facing role supporting families with children aged 0 to 5 when there are early questions or concerns about development, inclusion, participation or access to services.

You will help families recognise their child’s strengths, understand their development and feel confident about what they can do next. This might involve sharing practical ideas, modelling play and interaction, helping a family access an activity or connecting them with the right support.

You will not wait for a diagnosis before offering help. Your starting point will be to listen, build trust and work alongside families to understand what matters to them.

What will the role involve?

You will be a visible and approachable presence within a named Best Start Family Hub and its wider network. At least 75% of your time will be spent working directly with children and families across Family Hubs, network sites, community locations and, where appropriate, family homes.

No two days will be exactly the same. You could be:

• talking with a parent or carer who has questions about their child’s development.
• sharing practical ideas to support communication, play, interaction and home learning.
• helping families overcome barriers to taking part in activities or accessing services.
• contributing to inclusive groups, drop-ins, stay-and-play sessions and outreach activity.
• reaching out to families whose children are not attending, or are not known to be attending, an early year setting.
• using agreed information to help identify children who may benefit from earlier support.
• working with families and professionals to agree practical next steps; or
• helping to coordinate support so families do not have to keep repeating their story.
• You will work closely with Health Visiting, Early Years Inclusion, SEND, Family Help, early years providers, the Families Information Service and voluntary and community partners.

This is not a diagnostic, statutory SEND assessment or case holding role. It is a practical and relational role focused on children’s development, inclusion, belonging and participation.

About you

You will have a relevant Level 3 qualification or above and experience of working directly with children aged 0 to 5 and their families.

You will understand child development and be able to turn that knowledge into practical, sensitive and helpful support.

You will be someone who:

• listens carefully and communicates with warmth and respect.
• recognises parents and carers as experts in their child.
• notices children’s strengths as well as areas where support may be helpful.
• offers advice without making families feel blamed or judged.
• understands that inclusion means belonging, participating and being welcomed.
• can build trust with families from different backgrounds and communities.
• works well with colleagues from different professional backgrounds.
• understands safeguarding, consent, confidentiality and appropriate information sharing.
• can work independently and organise a community-based workload; and
• is reflective, reliable and open to learning.

The right support at the right time can make a lasting difference to a child and their family.

We are looking for a warm, curious and knowledgeable Best Start Inclusion Practitioner to join Darlington’s growing Best Start Family Hub network.

This is a new, family-facing role supporting families with children aged 0 to 5 when there are early questions or concerns about development, inclusion, participation or access to services.

You will help families recognise their child’s strengths, understand their development and feel confident about what they can do next. This might involve sharing practical ideas, modelling play and interaction, helping a family access an activity or connecting them with the right support.

You will not wait for a diagnosis before offering help. Your starting point will be to listen, build trust and work alongside families to understand what matters to them.

What will the role involve?

You will be a visible and approachable presence within a named Best Start Family Hub and its wider network. At least 75% of your time will be spent working directly with children and families across Family Hubs, network sites, community locations and, where appropriate, family homes.

No two days will be exactly the same. You could be:

• talking with a parent or carer who has questions about their child’s development.
• sharing practical ideas to support communication, play, interaction and home learning.
• helping families overcome barriers to taking part in activities or accessing services.
• contributing to inclusive groups, drop-ins, stay-and-play sessions and outreach activity.
• reaching out to families whose children are not attending, or is not known to be attending, an early year setting.
• using agreed information to help identify children who may benefit from earlier support.
• working with families and professionals to agree practical next steps; or
• helping to coordinate support so families do not have to keep repeating their story.
• You will work closely with Health Visiting, Early Years Inclusion, SEND, Family Help, early years providers, the Families Information Service and voluntary and community partners.

This is not a diagnostic, statutory SEND assessment or case holding role. It is a practical and relational role focused on children’s development, inclusion, belonging and participation.

About you

You will have a relevant Level 3 qualification or above and experience of working directly with children aged 0 to 5 and their families.

You will understand child development and be able to turn that knowledge into practical, sensitive and helpful support.

You will be someone who:

• listens carefully and communicates with warmth and respect.
• recognises parents and carers as experts in their child.
• notices children’s strengths as well as areas where support may be helpful.
• offers advice without making families feel blamed or judged.
• understands that inclusion means belonging, participating and being welcomed.
• can build trust with families from different backgrounds and communities.
• works well with colleagues from different professional backgrounds.
• understands safeguarding, consent, confidentiality and appropriate information sharing.
• can work independently and organise a community-based workload; and
• is reflective, reliable and open to learning.

Experience of outreach, home visiting, delivering groups or using child-development information such as ASQ, ELIM, WellComm or similar approaches would be helpful.

Why join Darlington?

This is an opportunity to help shape a new role at the heart of Darlington’s Best Start Family Hub offer.

You will join colleagues and partners who are committed to early support, strong relationships and making services easier for families to understand and access.

You will receive reflective supervision, shared learning and opportunities for professional development. You will also have the chance to influence how the role grows and develops across our Family Hub network.

Darlington Children’s Services was judged Outstanding by Ofsted. You will be joining an organisation with high ambitions for children and families and a strong commitment to relational and child-centred practice.

We want our workforce to reflect the communities we support. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and will consider reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process and employment.

What we offer

The rewards for working at Darlington Borough Council go beyond the salary you will receive; we have numerous additional benefits such as:

• A pivotal role in an Outstanding local authority.
• A supportive culture grounded in relational practice.
• Flexible and hybrid working.
• Clear commitment to learning, development and progression.
• 32 days Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays, with the option to purchase additional Annual Leave.
• Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme with the option to make Additional Voluntary Contributions.
• Flexi-time scheme.
• Generous Maternity, Paternity and Adoption Leave schemes.
• Staff equality forums.
• Green Car Leasing Scheme.
• Access to a wide range of training, learning and development.
• Physiotherapy service.
• Confidential counselling service.
• Great wellbeing offer.
• Cycle to Work Scheme.
• Dolphin Centre Fit for Life Discounts.
• Local and National retailer discounts.
• Vivup employee benefit app and Lifestyle Savings.
• Arriva Employee Travel Club For the full range of benefits we offer.

Please see our “why work for us” internet page, which also includes our Total Reward Booklet and Employee Benefit Video.

https://www.darlington.gov.uk/jobs-and-careers-1/why-work-for-us/

Find out further information about us and what it’s like to work for our great team by visiting the Jobs and Careers home page.

https://www.darlington.gov.uk/jobs-and-careers/

For detailed information on this role, please refer to the Role Profile and Employee Information Sheet.

Interested?

For detailed information on this role, please refer to the Role Profile and Employee Information Sheet.

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure with Children's Barred List check.