Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our multidisciplinary team supporting children with additional needs and their families. These countywide roles involve working closely with families, nurseries, and professionals to assess and support childrens developmental needs. Youll be part of a compassionate and collaborative team committed to delivering outstanding care.
The successful candidates will be based at each of the child development centres South Worcester, Wyre Forest and Scott Atkinson Centre but will need to work flexibly across the county to meet demand.
The role is 30 hours per week and the minimum number of hours we would consider is 22.5 hours per week (3 days).
These roles are aimed to work in partnership with the community paediatricians to manage their waiting lists for pre-school children.
The successful candidate will need to have a detailed and evidenced based understanding of child development and this will be assessed at interview. They will also need to be able to demonstrate recent and significant experience of working with pre school children with additional needs.
The successful candidate will need to be able to describe how developmental delay in all areas of development presents and how you can support children to make progress. They will need to have experience of working collaboratively with families. Experience of having had difficult conversations with parents and carers is desirable.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will assess and support the developmental needs of
pre-school children with additional needs.
The role involves close collaboration with healthcare professionals to fully understand each child and includes signposting families to services across health, education, social care, and voluntary sectors.
The post holders will be expected to be able to present clear and concise summaries of their assessments and observations to support the community paediatricians assessments. Strong empathetic communication skills are essential, along with the ability to maintain accurate records and produce clear, formal reports.
The post holder must demonstrate cultural sensitivity and work respectfully with families from diverse backgrounds. A sound understanding of safeguarding procedures for pre-school children is required. Regular supervision supports ongoing professional development.
Travel is required to deliver care in Child Development Centres, nurseries and family homes, ensuring support is accessible and responsive.
Please note the Trust will not routinely provide sponsorship to work for this role.
About us
At Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, we are working together to deliver outstanding care. We run community hospitals and community health services across Worcestershire and provide mental health and learning disability services across both Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
Our people (all 4500 of them) provide services for people of all ages, experiencing both physical and/or mental health conditions from over 100 sites.
We will support you to thrive; offer flexible working options for a great work-life balance, help you fulfil your ambitions, and empower you to make positive changes within your team or service. We value diversity and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities.
What we offer;
* 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service
* Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when you work unsocial hours
* Flexible and agile working opportunities
* Great maternity, paternity, and adoption support
* Wide range of supportive staff networks
* Health and wellbeing opportunities
If you would like to know more, please visit our website.
We encourage you to read the attached applicant guidance notes.
Sharing your data - As a data controller we may sometimes need to process your data to pursue our legitimate business interests, for example to request a survey from you (optional), to support the Trusts understanding of where you gained interest in working for the Trust.
Details
Date posted
18 February 2026
Pay scheme
Agenda for change
Band
Band 4
Salary
£27,485 to £30,162 a year Pro Rata for part time
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Part-time, Flexible working
Reference number
C
Job locations
Wyre Forest Child Development Centre
Radford Avenue
Kidderminster
Worcestershire
DY10 2ES
South Worcester CDC
Shap Drive
Worcester
Worcestershire
WR4 9NX
Scott Atkinson Centre
Woodrow Drive
Redditch
Worcestershire
B98 7UH
Job description
Job responsibilities
We will be looking for evidence of consistent and recent experience of observation, assessment and differentiated support or intervention with children with additional needs in your application. You will need to be able to work independently to complete assessments and observations. We will offer supervision and support but you must be able to evidence how you have used supervision in the past to improve your practice in the field of child development.
An understanding of safeguarding procedures is also desirable.
Full training and support will be provided, but the successful candidate will be expected to bring extensive prior experience of working with pre-school children with additional needs. You will be line managed by the Child Development Centre Co-ordinator and work in partnership with a range of healthcare professionals. Your observations will contribute to future diagnoses, so a high level of accuracy and a thorough understanding of child development are essential.
For full details of the duties and criteria for the role please refer to the job description and person specification attached.
Job description
Job responsibilities
We will be looking for evidence of consistent and recent experience of observation, assessment and differentiated support or intervention with children with additional needs in your application. You will need to be able to work independently to complete assessments and observations. We will offer supervision and support but you must be able to evidence how you have used supervision in the past to improve your practice in the field of child development.
An understanding of safeguarding procedures is also desirable.
Full training and support will be provided, but the successful candidate will be expected to bring extensive prior experience of working with pre-school children with additional needs. You will be line managed by the Child Development Centre Co-ordinator and work in partnership with a range of healthcare professionals. Your observations will contribute to future diagnoses, so a high level of accuracy and a thorough understanding of child development are essential.
For full details of the duties and criteria for the role please refer to the job description and person specification attached.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
* Working with infants and children with special needs and their families
* Planning, assessing and evaluation the development of children with special needs
* Use of play as a therapeutic intervention
* Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team
Desirable
* Planning, assessing and evaluating the development of children with special needs
Qualifications
Essential
* NNEB or equivalent qualification (e.g., NVQ level 3 in Childrens Care, Learning and Development)
* Post basic training courses e.g., special needs, counselling, neonatal care, Intensive Interaction, Parent Child Interaction, and Playfulness
* The post holder will be expected to meet the Care Certificate standards within 12 weeks of commencing employment with the Trust
* I understand that I will be asked to provide original certificates to verify my qualifications at point of offer.
Knowledge
Essential
* Working knowledge of Health Services and relevant documents
* Relevant professional standards
Additional Criteria
Essential
* Able to meet the travel requirements of the post
Desirable
* You understand that we will not routinely provide sponsorship to work for this role
Skills & Abilities
Essential
* Ability to challenge poor behaviour.
* A positive attitude and able to act on feedback
* Ability to praise and be supportive to others
* Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in English in both verbal and written formats
* Ability to deal courteously with all members of staff and members of public
* Ability to work alone or function as part of a multi-disciplinary team
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
* Working with infants and children with special needs and their families
* Planning, assessing and evaluation the development of children with special needs
* Use of play as a therapeutic intervention
* Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team
Desirable
* Planning, assessing and evaluating the development of children with special needs
Qualifications
Essential
* NNEB or equivalent qualification (e.g., NVQ level 3 in Childrens Care, Learning and Development)
* Post basic training courses e.g., special needs, counselling, neonatal care, Intensive Interaction, Parent Child Interaction, and Playfulness
* The post holder will be expected to meet the Care Certificate standards within 12 weeks of commencing employment with the Trust
* I understand that I will be asked to provide original certificates to verify my qualifications at point of offer.
Knowledge
Essential
* Working knowledge of Health Services and relevant documents
* Relevant professional standards
Additional Criteria
Essential
* Able to meet the travel requirements of the post
Desirable
* You understand that we will not routinely provide sponsorship to work for this role
Skills & Abilities
Essential
* Ability to challenge poor behaviour.
* A positive attitude and able to act on feedback
* Ability to praise and be supportive to others
* Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in English in both verbal and written formats
* Ability to deal courteously with all members of staff and members of public
* Ability to work alone or function as part of a multi-disciplinary team
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer details
Employer name
Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust
Address
Wyre Forest Child Development Centre
Radford Avenue
Kidderminster
Worcestershire
DY10 2ES
Employer's website
(Opens in a new tab)
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Employer details
Employer name
Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust
Address
Wyre Forest Child Development Centre
Radford Avenue
Kidderminster
Worcestershire
DY10 2ES
Employer's website
(Opens in a new tab)
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