Best Start Inclusion Practitioners

North East Lincolnshire Council; Greater Lincolnshire; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

North East Lincolnshire Council is seeking a Best Start Inclusion Practitioner to help ensure every child has the best start in life. You will work across the Family Hub network and support early identification of emerging needs, guiding families to the right support.

You will collaborate with Health Visitors, Speech and Language Therapists, Educational Psychologists and SEND colleagues, delivering targeted interventions and promoting inclusive practice to enable smoother transitions into early

Qualifications

• A minimum Level 3 qualification in Early Years Education, SEND, Child Development or an equivalent relevant qualification.
• Experience working directly with children and families, especially in early years or SEND settings.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of professionals and agencies.

Responsibilities

• Observing children's development and identifying emerging needs.
• Providing practical advice and guidance to families and practitioners.
• Delivering short, targeted interventions and inclusive activities.
• Promoting inclusive practice across Family Hub services.
• Supporting smooth transitions into early education and school.
• Building workforce confidence through modelling inclusive approaches.
• Collaborating with partners to ensure coordinated support for children and families.

Skills

Communication

Relationship-building

Collaboration

Observation

Education

Level 3 qualification in Early Years/ SEND/ Child Development

Job description

Job profile for Best Start Inclusion Practitioners

Best Start Inclusion Practitioners

North East Lincolnshire Council

31/08/2026

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

Job details

Salary: NJC15 -30,024

Contractual hours: 37 Basis Full time

Hours: Full Time, Fixed Term - December 2028

Job category/type: Children's Services

Date posted: 17/08/2026

Job reference: NELC400000759

Attachments:

• Best Start Inclusion Practitioner Role Profile.docx
• NELC Jobs Benefits Brochure.pdf

Job description

Could you help give every child the best start in life?

Are you passionate about supporting children with emerging additional needs and their families?

Do you want to play a key role in building inclusive practice across North East Lincolnshire?

What will your day look like?

As a Best Start Inclusion Practitioner, you will be at the heart of North East Lincolnshire's ambition to ensure every child has the opportunity to thrive.

Working across our Family Hub network, you will support the early identification of children with emerging or additional needs, helping families access the right support at the right time. You will work directly with children, families, early years practitioners and a wide range of professionals including Health Visitors, Speech and Language Therapists, Educational Psychologists and SEND colleagues.

No two days will be the same. You may be:

• Observing children's development and supporting early identification of needs.
• Providing practical advice and guidance to families and practitioners.
• Delivering short, targeted interventions and inclusive activities.
• Promoting inclusive practice across Family Hub services.
• Supporting smooth transitions into early education and school.
• Building workforce confidence through modelling effective inclusive approaches.
• Working collaboratively with partners to ensure children and families receive coordinated support.

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the Government's ambition for every child to receive the best start in life and for 75% of children to achieve a Good Level of Development by 2028.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for an enthusiastic, compassionate and motivated practitioner who has a strong understanding of child development and a passion for inclusion.

You will have:

• A minimum Level 3 qualification in Early Years Education, SEND, Child Development or an equivalent relevant qualification.
• Experience of working directly with children and families, particularly within early years or SEND environments.
• Experience supporting inclusive practice and identifying emerging additional needs.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• The ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of professionals and agencies.
• A strengths-based, family-centred approach to supporting children and families.
• Confidence in using observation, screening tools and professional judgement to inform support.

If you are committed to improving outcomes for children, championing inclusion and empowering families, we would love to hear from you.

Why join us?

This is an exciting time to join North East Lincolnshire Council as we continue to develop our Early Years offer and invest in services that improve outcomes for children and families.

You'll be joining a supportive and forward-thinking team that values innovation, partnership working and continuous improvement. Most importantly, you'll have the opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of children and families across North East Lincolnshire.

For more information, please refer to the attached guidance and role profile. If you would like an informal discussion, please contact Andrea Clark, Early Years Manager/ Email: [e-mail]

Key Dates

Advert closing date: Sunday 31 st August 2026

We aim to interview candidates: W/C 14 th September 2026

We want you to have the best interview experience with us, we will provide candidates selected for interview their questions in advance of meeting us by 4pm the evening before.

We reserve the right to close our adverts early if we have received a significant volume of suitable applications.

We love AI and think it plays a great role in the world of work. However, for your application, we want to hear from YOU! As such, we will be testing applications to determine the use of AI, and applications that have heavily utilised the function will be scrutinised for suitability.

Do you need support?

Looking for career support? Wendy Trask from the Career Café can provide advice and guidance on job searching, completing application forms, building confidence, and accessing digital support. To speak with Wendy, call or text 07702 338542.