Start for Life Portage Practitioner

Hours per week: 37

At Cheshire East we're offering an opportunity for someone to help transform lives and to play a defining role in the next chapter for children and families in Cheshire East as we build something special, to last.

An exciting opportunity has become available for a Start for Life Portage Practitioner, to work within Best Start in Life Portage service within the Family Hubs. The position is for full time (37 hours) per week working Monday to Friday and the occasional weekend. This is a fixed term contract starting January 2027 to December 2027.

About the Role

To improve the outcomes for Early Years children including children with SEND ensuring they have the best start for life. To support the early years team principles of inclusion being the golden thread throughout everything we do and making every contact count. To work in partnership with a wide range of practitioners and stakeholders to support the delivery of a range of early years programmes which ensure families receive effective early intervention/preventative services in line with the aims of the Family hubs program and the parenting journey. To deliver a portage home visiting service for children with SEND who need enhanced transition support to access education.

In this role you will

• Share Early Years best practice across local network groups within your locality influencing the provision of quality inclusive early years practice across the sector.
• To support the early identification of children not reaching age related expectations/complex and specialist needs and the provision of appropriate interventions and strategies.
• To deliver a variety of sessions in line with the Cheshire east parenting journey for early years children and their families, including play together groups, targeted support groups, creche provision and training.
• Ensure holistic assessments of children and families are undertaken using the relevant assessment tools, pulling in other services to support where required. Ensuring children and families are effectively supported and safeguarded following the Cheshire East threshold document and safeguarding procedures.
• To observe and monitor individual pupils and respond appropriately with next steps. To write and support the moderation of the assessments to provide accurate judgments of the child's progress. Sending reports to the early years forum when required.
• To liaise with parents/carers and other professional staff and outside agencies to ensure effective communication to support children's learning and development and their emotional wellbeing.
• To support families to access the parenting journey and local offer.
• To deliver portage home visiting sessions for children with SEND needs.
• To deliver and contribute to the ongoing development of the Cheshire East Parenting Journey in an inclusive way that's accessible for all children & families including those with SEND.
• Understand and comply with statutory requirements, departmental policies, equal opportunities and other regulations and procedures.

The successful candidate will bring

• Full & relevant Early Years Level 3 qualification.
• Evidence of continuous professional development.
• Experience of assisting services through an inspection.
• Experience of home visiting.
• Experience of delivering early years play together groups.
• Experience of working with and supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities inc delivery of the graduated response.
• Experience in assessing and monitoring children's progress against the EYFS.
• Significant experience of implementing the EYFS.
• Experience of inclusive practice, and able to demonstrate the impact on early years children.
• Experience of multi agency working and co-production.

To find out more about the essential and desirable criteria for the role please view the attached job description specification document.

In return we are able to offer

• Enhanced annual leave - Start with an impressive 34 days of annual leave (including bank holidays) from day one, and watch it grow to 39 days after just five years of service
• Purchase of annual leave - Want more time off? You can purchase up to 10 extra days of annual leave each year, giving you the flexibility to balance work and life just the way you want (Pro-rata for part-time staff)
• Flexible working pattern - Enjoy a 37-hour standard full-time work week with the added perks of flexi-time and hybrid/remote working arrangements where possible. Your work-life balance just got a whole lot better
• Salary sacrifice green car scheme - Drive green and save green! Lease a brand-new electric or hybrid car through our salary sacrifice scheme. There's no credit checks, no deposits, just significant savings and exclusive offers on a three-year lease
• White goods salary sacrifice scheme - Upgrade your home with ease. Purchase home and electronic items through our salary sacrifice scheme, spreading the cost of big-ticket purchases like appliances, computers, and tech gadgets directly from your salary
• Enhanced public pension - Secure your future with our career average pension, where contributions are built at a rate of 1/49th of your yearly pensionable pay
• Cycle to work scheme - Save up to 25-39% on the retail price of bikes and safety equipment through Income Tax and National Insurance savings. Get fit and save money!
• Employee assistance programme - Access a completely free and confidential assistance service to help manage, reduce, and overcome life's challenges, both at work and in your personal life
• Discounted gym membership - Stay active and healthy with corporate membership prices for Everybody Leisure, including:
• Gym, Swim and Group Fitness at all 16 facilities
• Off-Peak Racket Sports
• Athletics Tracks
• Sauna/Steam/Spa

Join us and experience a workplace that truly values and supports you!

How to apply

We're delighted that you're considering applying for this role!

As an equal opportunities' employer, we warmly welcome applicants from all backgrounds. We believe that a diverse workforce helps us better reflect and serve our local communities, and together, we can build something truly special.

To join our team, simply click 'Apply for this job' at the bottom of the page. If you'd prefer an informal chat first or have any questions about the role, feel free to reach out to Amelia Shemilt at amelia.schemilt@cheshireeast.gov.uk, they will be happy to hear from you! Please remember to include the job reference so we know which role you are interested in.

Once you've applied for the position, please keep an eye on your email inbox (including your junk and spam folders), as we'll send any correspondence there to stay in touch with updates about your application.

If you haven't heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, it likely means we weren't able to move forward with your application at this time but please don't let this discourage you as your interest means a lot to us, and we'd truly love to hear from you again in the future!

We wish you all the best in your application and if you run into any technical issues, our friendly team are here to help at: sourcingteam@ecwip.co.uk.

Cheshire East Council is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults across the Borough. As such, any cautions, convictions, reprimands or final warnings that are 'not protected' as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) order 1975 (as amended in 2013) relating to the non-disclosure of spent convictions do not apply to this job. You must therefore, disclose whether you have any previous convictions where prompted to do so within the application process.