Practitioner - Family Centres Apprentice

Milton-Keynes-Council; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 22,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Great holiday benefits

Excellent pension - Local Government P

Family friendly policies

Health cash plan

Bike purchase scheme

Blue Light Card discounts

Job summary

Milton Keynes City Council is recruiting a Practitioner - Family Centres Apprentice to join our Children and Families team at Hedgerows Family Centre, Milton Keynes. This is a site-based role, 37 hours per week, on a 24-month fixed term apprenticeship with required learning sessions.

You will support the delivery of activities for children under five, work with parents and carers, and help families access services while training towards a Practitioner qualification.

Qualifications

• Five GCSEs including English and Maths are essential.
• Willingness to work towards a childcare qualification as part of the apprenticeship.
• Organised approach with ability to manage workloads and priorities.
• Commitment to developing knowledge of child development, early learning and safeguarding.
• Confidence using Microsoft Office and other IT systems.

Responsibilities

• Promote and deliver activities that support the Early Years Foundation Stage.
• Support Stay and Play sessions for children and families.
• Work with parents to increase understanding of child development.
• Assist outreach activities to help families access services.
• Encourage community involvement and develop partnerships with volunteers and groups.
• Support Early Help services, assessments and support plans where appropriate.

Skills

GCSEs English & Maths

Organised & prioritises

Child development knowledge

Microsoft Office

Willingness to undertake childcare

Education

Five GCSEs including English and Maths

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - Hedgerows Family Centre, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

Practitioner - Family Centres Apprentice

Job Reference mkc/TP/237/2171

Number of Positions:

1

Contract Type:

Fixed Term - 24 months

Working Hours:

37

Location:

Hedgerows Family Centre, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

Closing Date:

27/09/2026

Job Category:

Children's Centres

Service Area:

Children's Services- Children's Centres Services

Package Description

In addition to your salary, we offer a range of benefits including:

• Great holiday benefits - most roles include 28days annual leave every year on top of public (bank) holidays, increasing to 32days after five years.In addition, there is a holiday purchase scheme allowing staff to purchase up to 5 additional days of leave each year.
• Excellent pension - everyone who works for us can join the national Local Government Pension Scheme, widely regarded as one of the best available.
• A full range of family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity support.
• Access to an award-winning employee benefits programme that includes a health cash plan, a low-cost bike purchase scheme as well as high street discounts and money off entertainment and travel.
• Salary sacrifice car scheme - eligible employees can lease an electric or low-emission vehicle at a reduced cost through salary sacrifice, subject to National Minimum Wage and other eligibility requirements.
• Blue Light Card - employees working within social care can qualify for an additional range of discounts from national retailers and local businesses.

Roles are either ‘site based’ or ‘home based’.

Site based roles are mainly based at the workplace, with the option to work from home for up to two days a week, depending on service needs.

Home based roles are mainly based at home, with the expectation of attending the workplace up to one day a week.

The working arrangement for each role is set by the manager, based on service requirements.

Job Introduction

We’re recruiting a Practitioner - Family Centres Apprentice to join our Children and Families team.

Our Family Centres support children and families across Milton Keynes, helping children get the best possible start in life. Through early learning opportunities, parenting support and community-based services, we work closely with families to build confidence, improve outcomes and prepare children for school.

This is a rewarding opportunity for someone looking to begin a career working with children and families. You’ll gain valuable experience while working towards and successfully completing a Practitioner apprenticeship within 24 months, including attendance at required learning and tuition sessions with the training provider.

You’ll support the delivery of activities for children under five, work with parents and carers, and help families access services that make a real difference to their lives.

At Milton Keynes City Council, we are dedicated, respectful and collaborative. We’re committed to creating a city where everyone can thrive, and this role plays an important part in supporting our local communities.

Site-Based role

This is a Site-Based role, and you’ll be expected to work from the designated workplace.

Interviews for this role will be held on 5th October 2026

At Milton Keynes City Council, we aim to make a difference every day. We’re dedicated, respectful and collaborative. We act as one council, and we work hard to create cleaner, safer and healthier communities while tackling inequalities and supporting people to thrive.

• Promote and deliver activities that support the Early Years Foundation Stage and help children develop the skills they need for school readiness.
• Support the planning and delivery of Stay and Play sessions for children and families.
• Work with parents and carers to increase understanding of child development and build confidence in their parenting role.
• Support outreach activities that help families who may find it difficult to access services.
• Encourage community involvement and help develop relationships with volunteers, local groups and partner organisations.
• Work with colleagues and partner agencies to support children and families through Early Help services, assessments and support plans where appropriate.

Ideal Candidate

• Five GCSEs, including English and Maths at grade four or above, which is an essential requirement for this apprenticeship.
• A willingness to work towards a childcare qualification as part of the apprenticeship programme.
• An organised approach with the ability to manage workloads and priorities effectively.
• A commitment to developing knowledge of child development, early learning and safeguarding.
• Confidence using Microsoft Office and other information technology systems.

Full UK Driving Licence and access to a vehicle

To be successful in this role, you’ll need a full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle. If we offer you the role, we’ll ask you to provide evidence of your driving licence and vehicle insurance, including cover for business use. We’re unable to confirm an appointment until these documents are received.

Safer Recruitment

Safer Recruitment applies to this role. This means that, before any appointment is confirmed, we’ll carry out a range of pre-employment checks to help ensure the safety and wellbeing of children, young people and vulnerable adults. These checks may include identity verification, where candidates will be required to provide original identification documents, including a full birth certificate, employment history and reference checks, qualification checks and an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, (unless you are currently registered with the DBS Update Service). check where required.

About The Organisation

Milton Keynes City Council is a large, modern and financially stable employer with around 2,500 people working across our eight areas. Together we provide local residents and businesses with a wide range of important round-the-clock services and aim to make our city a better place to live.

We work hard because of the demands placed on us, like protecting children from harm or preventing homelessness. However, working for the city is always rewarding and everyone has the opportunity to make a real difference.

We’re very proud of our diversity and are committed to having a workforce that reflects the community we serve. Whatever your background, you will be welcome here if you share your values of being dedicated, respectful and collaborative.

We offer great training and support and because of the size and scale of the organisation there are always new opportunities to explore when it’s time for a new role.

If you’d like to know more about how we do things and what matters to us, take a look at our short booklet What makes us Milton Keynes City Council, see attached.