Family Hub Lead Play Practitioner

Southampton City Council; Southampton; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Southampton City Council is seeking a passionate Family Hub Lead Play Practitioner to create welcoming, safe play spaces for children and their families across Family Hubs and community settings.

You will plan, deliver and evaluate a varied programme of child-initiated play, aligning with EYFS, Early Years Outcomes and Family Hub policies, with a focus on inclusion, safeguarding and positive family outcomes.

Qualifications

• Must hold a Level 3 qualification or equivalent.
• Knowledge of child development, attachment and play.
• Experience working with families from diverse backgrounds and safeguarding.
• Ability to observe, record observations and produce clear reports.

Responsibilities

• Lead stimulating, inclusive play sessions that support learning, development and wellbeing.
• Supervise and support play workers, placements and volunteers, including rotas and quality of provision.
• Observe children’s play, record progress and use evaluation for future activities.
• Engage with parents and carers, offering practical guidance and involvement opportunities.

Skills

Child development

Play facilitation

Safeguarding

Teamwork

Communication

Records management

Education

Level 3 qualification

Tools

Microsoft Office

Databases

Job description

Family Hub Lead Play Practitioner

Help children learn, develop and thrive through play

We are looking for an enthusiastic and experienced Family Hub Lead Play Practitioner to create welcoming, safe and stimulating play opportunities for children and their parents or carers. This is a rewarding opportunity to lead high-quality play provision across Family Hubs and community settings, helping children to meet their developmental milestones and supporting families to access the right help at the right time.

About the role

You will plan, deliver and evaluate a varied programme of child-initiated play activities, including open-access sessions, targeted groups and one-to-one support. Your work will reflect the Early Years Foundation Stage, Early Years Outcomes and Family Hub policies, with a strong focus on inclusion, safeguarding and positive outcomes for children and families.

What you will do

• Lead stimulating, inclusive play sessions that support children’s learning, development and wellbeing.
• Supervise and support play workers, work placements and volunteers, including day-to-day rotas and the quality of provision.
• Observe children’s play, record progress and use evaluation to inform future activities and targeted support.
• Work in partnership with parents and carers, offering practical guidance and encouraging their involvement and feedback.
• Provide targeted one-to-one support where children are not reaching developmental milestones.
• Lead or contribute to Family Hub projects and specialist play events, including work relating to books, communication, SEND and infant feeding.
• Maintain safe environments, complete risk assessments and follow safeguarding, health and safety, confidentiality and information-governance requirements.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues and partner agencies, supporting families to access universal, targeted and specialist services.

About you

You will hold a relevant Level 3 qualification, or equivalent, and have excellent knowledge of child development, attachment and play. You will be confident leading others, recording observations and producing clear reports. You will also bring:

• Experience of working effectively with children, parents and carers from diverse backgrounds.
• A sound understanding of safeguarding practice and the ability to respond appropriately to concerns.
• Strong teamwork, communication and relationship-building skills.
• The ability to organise resources, manage your workload and maintain accurate records.
• Confidence using Microsoft Office and relevant databases.
• A commitment to equality, anti-discriminatory practice and improving access for families.
• A willingness to maintain a current first aid qualification and continue your professional development.

Additional Information

• This is a grade 5 vacancy in Children and Families First at Honeysuckle, Clovelly Hubs and Local Community
• Fixed Term Contract for 1 year, working 37 hours per week
• This role involves working with children and families and is subject to the appropriate pre-employment checks. A DBS check will therefore be required.

Why join us?

You will join a collaborative; multi-agency service committed to improving outcomes for children and families. You will have the opportunity to shape engaging provision, contribute to service improvement and develop your practice within a supportive team.

Contact details for informal discussion:

If you would like further information about this role please contact: Tara McCue (hub manager) [e-mail] [phone] or Nikky Brown (Service manager) [e-mail]

Interview Information:

Please note that interviews are provisionally scheduled for 16th November 2026.