Family Hub Practitioner - WMF3200e

Westmorland & Furness Council; Penrith; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pension scheme

Enhanced annual leave

Perks and discounts schemes

Job summary

Westmorland and Furness Council in Penrith is seeking an experienced Early Years Practitioner to deliver outreach projects that improve school readiness. The role supports parents, carers and early years settings, focusing on home learning, speech and language, self-care and toileting.

You will shape an outreach service across Westmorland and Furness, collaborating with schools and partners to engage families and measure impact. Driving licence or ability to travel is required.

Qualifications

• Strong people skills for facilitation, negotiation and engagement with parents, carers and families.
• Experience with early years methods and working with young children and families.
• Ability to measure and report outcomes to evidence impact.

Responsibilities

• Deliver outreach projects to improve school readiness for families with early years children.
• Engage parents, carers and settings; assess needs and deliver group or individual support.
• Collaborate across teams and partners to achieve positive outcomes for families.
• Drive outreach across Eden and South Lakeland districts; travel as needed.

Skills

People skills

Communication skills

Facilitation

Teamwork

Job description

Job reference REQ00000020506 Date posted 28/10/2026 Application closing date 11/11/2026 Location Penrith Salary £33,119 - £33,673 Package Blank Contractual hours 37 Basis Full time Attachments Blank

Job description

Location: Penrith. This is an outreach role working equally across both Eden and South Lakeland districts.

Contract Type: Fixed Term to 31st March 2029

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Early Years Practitioner to deliver outreach projects designed to improve school readiness by supporting parents, carers and early years settings as well as delivering sessions for our early years and pre-school children.

We are looking for enthusiastic, innovative and self-motivated individuals to provide a high level of early years expertise and to deliver a programme of work that will make a demonstrable difference in preparing early years children to engage with learning.

About this opportunity

You will have the opportunity to shape and deliver an outreach support service for families with children in the early years. Working as part of the wider Family Help, Family Hubs and Early Years teams you will work closely with early years settings and schools across Westmorland and Furness to initiate parent and carer engagement, to assess need and to deliver appropriate group and individual support with a particular focus on the home learning environment, speech and language, self-care and toileting.

Who we are looking for…

We are looking for individuals with strong people skills, including facilitation and negotiation, and excellent communication skills, both written, face-to-face and over Teams.

We are looking for someone with knowledge and experience of early years methods and working with young children, their parents and families, as well as experience of leading effective early years projects. You will also have experience of measuring and reporting on outcomes to evidence the impact of the project.

You will need the ability to prioritise and manage work effectively, and be comfortable working both independently and as part of a team. You will also have experience of collaborating across teams and partners to achieve positive outcomes for families.

Driving licence and/ or ability to travel independently is required.

What can we offer you!

Working at Westmorland and Furness Council you will receive a variety of benefits, including a competitive pension scheme, enhanced annual leave allowance and other various perks and discounts schemes. For more information about life at Westmorland and Furness Council and what we can offer you, please visit our Careers site. Our benefits | Careers (westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk)

Application and Interview information

Closing date: 11/11/2026

Interview date: 23/11/2026

We are currently operating both in-person and virtual interviews. Interview details such as venue/timings will be shared with successful candidates, following the shortlisting process. If you have any concerns or adjustments are needed, we are happy to discuss this with you.

Safer Recruitment & DBS

At Westmorland and Furness Council we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the safety and welfare of children, young people and adults at risk and we expect all workers, employees and volunteers to share our commitment.

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974 and requires an enhanced DBS check with a Children's Barred List check.

Please note this role involves working in regulated activity with Children. It is an offence for people who are barred from working in regulated activity to apply for roles that require them to work unsupervised with Children.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Westmorland and Furness Council is committed to improving the diversity of its workforce to better reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and work to promote an inclusive, supportive culture that values and celebrates our differences.

As a Disability Confident Leader, disabled applicants, who meet the essential criteria of this job, are guaranteed an interview.

We also offer guaranteed interviews to Armed Forces personnel and veterans and those in care or care experienced and under 24 years old (someone who has been looked after by a local authority at any point, for any length of time, e.g. foster care, residential care, or under the guardianship of a local authority) that meet the essential criteria for the role.