Best Start Inclusion Team Lead

Newcastle City Council; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Newcastle City Council is seeking a Best Start Inclusion Team Lead within the Children & Families Directorate to guide and support Best Start Inclusion Practitioners working with babies, children aged 0-5 and their families. The post leads on developing SEND offers, strengthening pathways with partners and shaping workforce training for an inclusive multi-agency approach.

You will report to the Community Family Offer Service Lead.

Qualifications

• Experience leading teams working with children aged 0-5 with SEND.
• Strong knowledge of the SEND system and early child development.
• Excellent communication, influencing and negotiating skills.
• Ability to prioritise workload and work within a multi-agency environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead Best Start Inclusion Practitioners to support babies, children aged 0-5 and their parents/carers.

Skills

Team management

SEND knowledge

Communication

Influencing skills

Organisation

Job description

Newcastle is a great City, with a proud history. We never stand still. Our children and families reflect the changing face of our communities, our vibrance and diversity. We know that the last few years has been tough for many and that significant challenges remain. However, we are ambitious – an ambition recognised by Ofsted who judged us to be ‘Good’ in 2025. As a city we are committed to making positive change with our children, young people and families doing things bigger and better than we ever have. To deliver these ambitions we need the best people on board.

About The Role

As the Best Start Inclusion Team Lead within the Children & Families Directorate, you will play a vital role in helping us deliver change across the agenda for babies, children, young people and families. You will lead a team of Best Start Inclusion Practitioners providing guidance and direct support to children aged 0-5 and their parents/carers in the early identification and response to emerging additional needs. You will play a key role in the development of the Best Start Family Hubs SEND offer, ensuring that families can access support locally. You will lead on work with partners to strengthen multiagency pathways aimed at early identification and support for emerging additional needs, linking families in with the wider Community Family Offer in Newcastle. You will contribute to the development of a workforce training plan ensuring a shared approach to inclusive practice and SEND awareness across the Best Start Family Hub multi-agency workforce.

This role with sit within a team in our Community Family Offer division and will report to the Community Family Offer Service Lead. This role is funded through The Best Start Family Hubs grant and is fixed term to 31st March 2029

About You

We are looking for the very best people to lead our work with children and families. Getting it right means making a meaningful difference to the lives of babies, children and young people in Newcastle. You will be an excellent communicator with strong influencing and negotiating skills; with a keen interest in understanding how things work and a drive to make things better. You will be highly organised and self-motivated, with the ability to prioritise workload effectively. You will enjoy being part of a wider team and also comfortable taking ownership of tasks. You will be an experienced team manager, with a strong knowledge of the SEND system and of early child development. You will have substantial experience of working directly with parents/carers and children aged 0-5 years with SEND. On a personal level, you will work with honesty and integrity and be committed to ensuring that babies, children, young people and families have the strengths, assets and services that they need to thrive.

If you have any questions about the role, or for an informal chat, please contact Sarah Kerrigan, Head of Service Community Family Offer [e-mail]

We are committed to protecting and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expect all staff to share this commitment. This post involves working with children and/or vulnerable adults. If you are successful we will undertake additional recruitment checks which will include a check to see if you have had any criminal convictions and a check of police information