Early Help Practitioner

Old Moat; Manchester; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in North Manchester seeks an Early Help Practitioner to provide crucial support to families facing challenges. The role involves aiding in assessments, offering guidance, and collaborating with various agencies. Candidates should possess strong communication skills and a comprehensive understanding of support services. Join a committed team dedicated to improving outcomes for children and families.

Benefits

Essential Car Allowance

Inclusive workplace policies

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

Qualifications

• Strong blend of professional expertise in Early Help services.
• Ability to conduct holistic assessments and deliver tailored support.
• Solid understanding of multi-agency working practices.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact for agencies seeking advice.
• Assist others in completing the Early Help Assessment.
• Challenge partner agencies in completing Early Help Assessments.

Skills

Exceptional Communication Skills

Assessment and Support Experience

Multi-Agency Collaboration & Safeguarding Knowledge

Broad Knowledge of Support Services

Understanding of Emotional and Developmental Needs

Relationship Building & Strength-Based Practice

Teamwork and Organisational Skills

Digital Proficiency

Job description

About The Role

Working Hours: 35hours per week

Contract Type: Full time/Permanent (12-months) (North Manchester)

Additional Payments: Essential Car Allowance

Closing Date: 07 October 2025

This role is subject to:

• 2 References - where possible we require 3 years' history.
• Essential Car Documentation- This post is a designated Essential Car User. Therefore, you must always hold a full valid driving licence and provide your own car for use at work. You will receive the Essential Car User Allowance.
• DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) clearance - this post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (amended in 2013). Appointable candidates will be required to apply for an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Information provided by you or the DBS will be dealt with in a confidential manner and in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice which can be viewed here. We have a policy on the Employment of Ex-Offenders, and it is available upon request.

We are seeking an enthusiastic and dedicated Early Help Practitioner to join our advice and guidance Early Help team In North Manchester. As an Early Help Practitioner, you will play a vital role in ensuring that children and their families receive the right level of support at the earliest possible stage to address emerging challenges and prevent further escalation.

A key part of the Early Practitioner role is building a strength-based positive relationship with families while working alongside the Advice and Guidance Social Work Team (AGS) and the GMP District Safeguarding Team (DST). As the first port of call, we work directly with children and families to understand daily lived experience and support parents to improve outcomes for children. The work may include support around housing, debt, budgeting, accessing food banks or direct work around parenting (including young carers), behaviour management strategies and work around attachment and emotional dysregulation.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the primary point of contact for agencies seeking advice and guidance regarding the needs of families in North Manchester and tailoring support to meet their needs using a child-centred approach.
• Assist offer support over the phone to others in completing the Early Help Assessment (EHA) utilizing a strengths-based approach.
• Challenge partner agencies in completing Early Help Assessments, ensuring that their work with children and families has a significant and sustained impact.

The focus of Early Help is to improve family functioning and build the family’s own capability to deal effectively with challenges, within a structured evidence-based framework to deliver high quality support and intervention to children and their families to improve outcomes. This involves providing a multi-agency approach with support for partner agencies.

Our aim is to ensure children, young people and their families receive the right level of support, as early as possible, to tackle emerging problems and prevent issues from escalating.

About the Candidate

Key Skills and Attributes We’re Looking For

We are seeking a candidate who demonstrates a strong blend of professional expertise, interpersonal skills, and practical knowledge in Early Help services. The ideal candidate will possess:

• Exceptional Communication Skills - Able to confidently advise and guide partner agencies on Early Help matters, both in person and via telephone, with clarity, empathy, and professionalism.
• Assessment and Support Experience - Proven ability to conduct holistic assessments and deliver tailored support to children and families, ensuring their needs are met in a timely and effective manner.
• Multi-Agency Collaboration & Safeguarding Knowledge - A solid understanding of multi-agency working practices and safeguarding frameworks, with the ability to navigate complex systems and advocate for families.
• Broad Knowledge of Support Services - Familiarity with key areas of support including housing, debt management, parenting techniques, and behaviour management strategies, enabling comprehensive guidance and referrals.
• Understanding of Emotional and Developmental Needs - Insight into attachment theory, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and emotional dysregulation, with the ability to apply this understanding in practical support planning.
• Relationship Building & Strength-Based Practice - Skilled in building trusting, supportive relationships with families, using a strength-based approach to empower and encourage positive change.
• Teamwork and Organisational Skills - A collaborative team player with excellent time management, able to prioritise tasks, manage competing demands, and adapt flexibly throughout the workday.
• Digital Proficiency - Strong IT skills, with proficiency in Microsoft 365 applications including Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams, supporting efficient documentation and communication.

About Us

We’re the local government authority for Manchester, and have teams across the city helping to make this a great place to live for everyone. We’re proud to do local government differently, in a city with an international reputation for diversity, creativity, culture and passion.

When you join us, you’re joining a team of over 7,000 council staff helping to make our ambition for Manchester a reality. Whatever your role, you’ll be supporting our residents and communities to be the best they can be, and helping to build a Manchester that's fairer for everyone who lives, works, volunteers, studies or plays here.

To make our ambition a reality, every person we recruit needs to play their part. It takes a certain type of behaviour, attitude and way of working to get Manchester where it wants to be. Our people and partners have agreed five ‘behaviours’ – the grounding for how we must work together and treat one another:

• We take time to listen and understand
• We work together and trust each other
• We show that we value our differences and treat each other fairly
• We ‘own it’ and we’re not afraid to try new things
• We’re proud and passionate about Manchester

A career with us means you can be yourself, thrive, and build the career your talent and ambition deserve.

Creating an inclusive team at Manchester City Council

At Manchester City Council, we strive to create a fair and inclusive workplace that is as diverse as the communities we serve. If you want to find out more about the role, our culture, flexible arrangements or any adjustments, please let us know by emailing jobs at manchester.gov.uk. If you are invited to interview we will ask you if you require any adjustments in order for you to best demonstrate your suitability for the role in the interview process.

If you would like to access the job details in another format, such as large print, audio or printed on a coloured paper, please email jobs at manchester.gov.uk or call 0161 227 3373.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

Accessibility

As a Disability Confident Employer, we provide support for employees with physical or mental-health conditions, a disability or neurodiversity. Our workplaces are accessible by design, and we make workplace adjustments including providing aids, adaptations and equipment. These, combined with our flexible working policies such as disability-related leave, enable our employees to perform their role, thrive and be their authentic selves in work.

We’ve also included some useful tips on how to submit the best application.

When you join us

We want everyone to be able to be themselves at work and give their best. If you need additional support to undertake the duties of the role, we’ll make every effort to source any necessary aids, adaptations or equipment. If, however, any task proves to be unachievable, we will look at redesigning parts of the role.

Other relevant information

Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment

Who we are - Manchester City Council

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