Do you enjoy working with children and their families?
Are you passionate about giving young children the best possible start in life?
Do you enjoy supporting parents and carers to feel confident and empowered?
Would you like to develop your skills within a friendly, community‑based early help service?
If so, we'd love to hear from you.
Barnardo's is proud to lead the delivery of Sandwell Family Hubs, supporting families from pregnancy through to adulthood. Family Hubs provide accessible, welcoming spaces where children, young people and families can get the right help at the right time.
Early Years Practitioner – you will work with children and their families in local hubs and community venues across Sandwell. You will be helping children build strong foundations for learning, development and wellbeing, with a particular focus on early communication, language development and school readiness. Using inclusive, trauma‑informed and relationship‑based practice, you will work alongside parents, carers and partner services to improve outcomes for children.
In this role, you will:
* Deliver high‑quality early years sessions, including Stay & Play style sessions, workshops and one‑to‑one support for children under five.
* Complete WellComm speech and language screenings and provide follow‑on targeted support to children and parents.
* Support early identification of SEND, delivering inclusive sessions and sharing concerns appropriately to ensure children receive timely support.
* Build positive, trusting relationships with parents and carers, supporting confidence and strengthening the home learning environment.
* Promote school readiness and early communication through practical, engaging activities.
* Work collaboratively with colleagues across Family Hubs and with partner agencies to ensure families receive joined‑up support.
* Accurately record engagement, outcomes and impact to support service learning and improvement.
* Contribute to a flexible, responsive service, working across different locations and taking part in evening and weekend delivery when required.
What We're Looking For
We're looking for people who:
* Are passionate about early help, inclusion and equality.
* Enjoy working with families from diverse backgrounds.
* Have experience supporting children's development and working with parents or carers.
* Are confident delivering group sessions and engaging families in a warm, approachable way.
* Understand the importance of early identification and support for SEND.
* Value reflection, learning and continuous improvement.
* Enjoy being part of a supportive, team‑focused service.
Benefits
Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these. Please read through the advert carefully to understand the remits of hybrid working that will be specific to the role.
Barnardo's require colleagues to be UK residents, based in the UK and to complete their roles from within the UK (with the exception of colleagues providing Barnardo's services in Jersey and colleagues who live in the Republic of Ireland providing services in Northern Ireland).
* Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work–life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.
* Annual Leave entitlement for full‑time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum, after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum, after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum, after 7 years Barnardo's service; those working less than full time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata.
* The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our Buy Your Leave scheme.
* A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity, Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options.
* Service‑related sick pay from day 1.
* Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's. Ability to pay via salary sacrifice to garner both tax and NI savings on your own contribution.
* Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension.
* Cycle2work scheme.
* Interest free season ticket loans.
* Discounts and cashback from high‑street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal.
* 20% discount at Barnardo's stores.
* Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy, etc.
* Free access to round‑the‑clock employee assistance programme for advice and support.
* Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer.
*T&C's apply based on contract.
Equal Opportunity Statement
We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti‑racist organisation with Anti‑Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently under‑represented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.
Contact Information
Rachel Jesson – Children's Services Manager (rachel.jesson@barnardos.org.uk)
Our Basis and Values
Our basis and values.
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