Early years. Practitioner

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.

As an Early Years Practitioner, you will work with children and their families working in local hubs and community venues across Sandwell. You will be in 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

When applying, please clearly explain how your skills, knowledge and experience meet the Person Specification, Job Description and Additional Information, and demonstrate your understanding of the context and aims of the Sandwell Family Hubs service.