Impactful Early Years Inclusion Practitioner (Best Start)

Oldham; Oldham; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

LGPS pension scheme

Discounted gym membership

Staff discount scheme

Salary sacrifice for home/electronics

Wellbeing support

Staff recognition events

Peer support groups

Job summary

Oldham Council’s Integrated Children and Families Service is hiring a Best Start in Life Inclusion Practitioner (7 posts) to deliver targeted early support for babies and young children with potential low to moderate needs. Fixed-term until 31 March 2029, 36.66 hours per week, based in Family Hubs across Oldham.

The role focuses on early identification and intervention, delivering short-term, evidence-based support to improve communication, language, social-emotional development, and school

Qualifications

• Relevant Level 3 qualification in childcare, early years, health & social care, SEND or family support.
• Experience of working directly with babies, young children (0-5) and their families in health, education, early years or community settings.
• Experience of supporting children with additional needs, including emerging SEND and developmental delay.
• Experience of working within a multi‑agency environment, contributing to Family Help and inclusion planning.
• Ability to observe, identify and assess the developmental, emotional and social needs of babies and young children, taking account of family context.

Responsibilities

• Deliver direct, time‑limited interventions to support babies and young children with emerging and/or low to moderate additional needs, both within Best Start Family Hubs and in the community including Enhanced Making it REAL, Talking Tools and other applicable interventions.
• Deliver practical advice, model inclusive practice and support families to engage in universal and targeted activities.
• Working with your Family Hub Manager to develop and deliver inclusive universal activities to meet family’s needs such as sensory stay and play
• To support all families to engage with the Best Start Digital offer including Essential parent, Togetherness, Anya and Chat Health
• Identify early developmental concerns through observation, discussion and use of evidence‑based tools, working alongside families, early years practitioners and other professionals to positively impact on individual children’s learning and development.
• To work alongside other professionals to help distinguish between children who would benefit from enhanced early support and those who may require longer‑term, social emotional support or specialist input.
• Use screening and observation tools, including, but not exclusive to, the Early Language Identification Measure (ELIM), ASQ, Wellcomm, EYFS progress check at age 2 and information from the 2–2½ year healthy child programme mandated contact and the developmental journal to support planning.
• Support and empower families to access appropriate services, working alongside the Child and Family Practitioners and signposting to relevant health, SEND, early years and voluntary, community and faith sector provision where needed.
• Work with families in a way which ensures parent and child voice informs the delivery and support provided to ensure the right support is provided at the right time.
• Promote inclusive practice across the Best Start Family Hubs network, supporting other practitioners and services to respond effectively through ‘Expert at Hand’ to children who have or may have SEND

Skills

Experience with babies and young 0-5

Experience with additional needs

Multi-agency collaboration

Observation and assessment

Education

Level 3 childcare/early years/health & social care/SEND/family support

Job description

Oldham Council’s Integrated Children and Families Service is hiring a Best Start in Life Inclusion Practitioner (7 posts) to deliver targeted early support for babies and young children with potential low to moderate needs. Fixed-term until 31 March 2029, 36.66 hours per week, based in Family Hubs across Oldham.

The role focuses on early identification and intervention, delivering short-term, evidence-based support to improve communication, language, social-emotional development, and school