Job description
Location: The Council HouseHours: 37 hours a week Closing Date: 17/05/2026 Contract Type: Permanent We are looking for an enthusiastic worker who will be able to work alone and as part of a highly motivated Early Help Team. You will work with some of the most vulnerable families in Derby to promote their children’s welfare. You will undertake in-depth time limited parenting assessments, to form a detailed holistic report of parents care. This will include working with children and young people pre-birth to 18 years and having the ability to role model positive care and responses to parents. You will require a sound knowledge of children’s development and safeguarding thresholds, and be based within the Early Help Team and work closely with Social Care colleagues. You will be expected to work flexibly, including weekends and evenings and will be required to travel outside of Derby City when needed. You should have experience of working with vulnerable families/children and have a genuine commitment to completing quality assessments that will inform permanency for children and young people within safeguarding thresholds and the court arena. Being able to prepare robust and analytical reports within a prescribed timescale. Please contact Michelle Astle on (01332 642225) or Sarah Cadle on (01332 642567) for further information. Who We Are Here at Derby City Council, we’re dedicated to delivering nearly 250 first-class services to citizens and businesses in the heart of the Midlands. People are at the centre of all that we do, and we have an outstanding track record of recruiting and developing talented individuals by providing them with varied and fulfilling career opportunities. What We Offer You too could be part of something brilliant by becoming a colleague at Derby City Council; in addition to making a difference to the lives of people across the city, you’ll also receive: •Flexible work/life balance scheme •Modern office environment •Continued professional development opportunities & career conversations •27 days annual leave (rising to 32 days after 5 years' service), plus bank holidays •Local Government Pension Scheme •Team Derby Rewards – retail and leisure discounts •Tusker Car Benefit Scheme •Cycle2Work Scheme & free cycle training •Employee Assistance Programme, Wellbeing Calendar and Support •Access to our Equality Employee Networks – LGBTQ+, Disabled Employee Network & Carers and our Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic Employee Support Network and Neurodiversity Network •Support for colleagues who are carers The Opportunity In the role of Parenting Assessment Practitioner, here’s an example of what you’ll be doing to make an impact: You will be responsible for planning and delivering robust parenting assessments using the East Midlands Assessment Framework (EMAF). This will include liasing with social care colleauges, foster carers as well as children and their parents to ensure individual needs are understood and supported appropriately. Assessment will include observation of care, role modelling and direct work with children young people aged 0-18 years. You will be expected to write comprehensive and analytical reports which support safe decision making for Derby City children in regards to the current and future care needs. You will work collaboratively with the team, managers, other professionals and agencies involved in the child's, young persons or family’s life, such as social workers, educators, and healthcare providers, to ensure a holistic approach to support. You will be vigilant in identifying and responding to any safeguarding concerns, ensuring that appropriate protocols and procedures are followed to protect children and young people. About You To be successful in this role, you’ll ideally have… 1. Experience •Direct work with children and families. •Modelling good child-care practice with parents and carers. •Working in partnership with parents and carers. 2. Qualifications • Qualified to NVQ 3 in Child Care NNEB: B Tec or equivalent 3. Skills and knowledge •Knowledge of child development within the Framework of meeting children’s needs. •Develop and sustain arrangements for joint working between workers and agencies. •Assess individual’s needs and circumstances. •Contribute to assessments of risk of abuse, failure to protect and harm to self and others. •Skills required to work in partnership with parents and carers. •Excellent verbal and written communication skills. •The skill to communicate with children and young people and their families in a meaningful way. •Establish, sustain and disengage from relationships with clients. •Contribute to service plans that enable individuals, their family and friends to explore and manage change. •Contribute to the planning, implementation and evaluation of service plans for children and families. •Develop ones own knowledge and practice also contributing to the practice of others •Work as a team member. 4. Job Circumstances •Ensure safe transport arrangements for children and families where appropriate. •Ability to work flexibly with regard to evenings and weekends. 5. Equalities •Promote people’s equality, diversity and rights. Next Steps If you would like to apply for this vacancy via an