Brighter Futures for ChildrenEarly Help Service
Part time, 25 hours per weekFixed term post until March 2024
About us
Brighter Futures for Children is a not-for-profit company, owned by, but independent of, Reading Borough Council. Although we are independent, we are very much part of the Reading Family. Our people enjoy all of benefits as other Council employees including membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme and continuous service.
We work closely with partners in the local community and key organisations including Reading Borough Council, policy, public health and voluntary groups. We are responsible for the delivery of children’s social care, early help & prevention, education services (including SEND). This also includes fostering and adoption, the Youth Offending Service and traded services with schools.
Our main aim is to protect and enhance the lives of the children of Reading. We help families find long-term solutions to ensure children lead happy, healthy and successful lives.
About the role
Research provides evidence that Covid-19 lockdowns have negatively impacted the development and learning of 0-2s. Brighter futures for children have secured funding to make a difference to the lives of children born during the Covid-19 lockdowns. This fixed term 2-year post will focus on key priority areas to help children catch up and avoid long term needs requiring later interventions.
You will be responsible for delivering a graduated offer of support to parents and provide babies with age-appropriate learning opportunities they would normally have experienced in readiness for starting school. This will be delivered through fun and interactive sessions for children and families from a range of venues across Reading. Demand for these services is already high so this role will be fast paced and busy.
You will work alongside the co-ordinator and our outreach worker to support families identified as eligible for support and use an approved assessment tool to understand children’s levels of attainment and adopt support and signposting as appropriate.
You will be required to work in partnership with variety of partners such as Health visiting, speech and language teams, children’s centres, early years settings, SEND organisations and other community organisations to effectively identify, reach, overcome barriers and provide appropriate targeted support to families.
You will be required to work flexibly, and some weekend and evening work will be expected.
About you
Applicants should have a qualification of level 3 or above in Childcare, Education, Health, Social Work, or equivalent professional qualification related to work with children and families as well as training and knowledge in safeguarding legislation, procedures, and policies. Applicants will also have experience with supporting vulnerable families and delivering inclusive service for parents and children.
Our Offer
A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:
Closing date: 17 April 2023
Interview date: to be confrirmed
For any query or informal discussion about the role, please feel free to contact:
Belinda South on 07841271916 or Belinda.south@brighterfuturesforchildren.org
We look forward to hearing from you!