Early Years Practitioner

Coventry City Council; Coventry; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

Coventry City Council’s Early Years Team is looking for a dedicated practitioner to help give Coventry’s children the best possible start in life. You will work with families in the community, delivering activities for 0–5 years and supporting families to thrive through our Family Hub approach.

You will plan targeted help, build trusting relationships, share information, and work with partners to strengthen local early years services while keeping records in line with Children’s Services

Qualifications

• Substantial, recent experience in early years with children and families.
• Family-focused approach and ability to work in community settings.
• Commitment to whole-family support and outcome-driven practice.

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver engaging early years activities for children aged 0–5 and their families.
• Plan, coordinate and evaluate targeted support to boost school readiness.
• Build strong relationships with families to help them realise their potential.
• Provide timely information, advice and guidance.
• Collaborate with partner agencies to deliver group work and practical support.
• Maintain accurate records in line with Children’s Services guidance.

Skills

Early years experience

Community work experience

Child development knowledge

Job description

In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equity and respect remains at the heart of everything we do.

Our Values are:

• Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
• Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
• Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
• Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
• Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
• Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.

At Coventry City Council, our Early Years Team is committed to giving every child the best possible start in life. We recognise that the earliest years are crucial in shaping a child's future health, wellbeing, learning, and development. Through high-quality support, guidance, and targeted interventions, we work alongside families, childcare providers, schools, and partner agencies to help children thrive and reach their full potential.

Working as part of the city's wider Family Hub and Early Help offer, our team plays a vital role in identifying needs early, building family resilience, and ensuring children and families receive the right support at the right time. We are passionate about empowering parents and carers with the knowledge, confidence, and resources they need to support their children's development and learning from birth onwards.

The Early Years Team collaborates closely with Family Hub teams, Health Visiting Services, Education, Social Care, and a broad range of community partners to deliver evidence-based programmes and support that improve outcomes for children and families across Coventry. Our work is focused on reducing inequalities, promoting school readiness, and ensuring children have the foundations they need for lifelong success.

We value diversity, inclusion, and the unique perspectives that individuals bring to our workforce. We are committed to creating a welcoming and supportive workplace where everyone feels respected, valued, and able to contribute their best. If you share our passion for improving outcomes for young children and families, we would love you to join us in making a lasting difference in Coventry.

What is the job role?

Help give Coventry’s children the best start in life.

We’re looking for someone passionate about supporting children aged 0–5 and their families through our integrated Family Hub early help model. You’ll work directly in the community, delivering activities, building relationships, and helping families thrive.

What you’ll do

Lead and deliver engaging early years activities for children 0–5 and their families

Plan, coordinate and evaluate targeted support that boosts school readiness

Build strong, trusting relationships with families to help them realise their potential

Provide timely information, advice and guidance

Work alongside partners to deliver group work and practical support

Work within the local early years system and strengthen wider community networks

Maintain accurate records in line with Children’s Services guidance

All candidates must have the Right to Work in the UK. We are currently not offering sponsorship for this role.

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

Who are we looking for?

Someone with substantial, recent experience working in early years with children and families. You will be family‑focused and confident working in community settings — with a passion for early years development and a commitment to whole‑family support.

If you want to make a real difference in the lives of young children and their families, we’d love to hear from you.

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

We recognise that you might use AI tools to help with your application. While these tools can be useful, please make sure that all information you provide about your experience, skills, and qualifications is accurate. What matters most to us is hearing about your experience and the achievements that truly reflect you!

Interview date: 6th November

About Coventry

Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.

We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse.
At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.

To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.

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