CD & SEND Advisors

An opportunity has arisen for a Best Start in Life SEND and Inclusion Practitioner within the Early Intervention and Community Team. We are looking to recruit to 2 permanent positions within our existing team along with 5 additional fixed term roles to support the grant funded Best Start in Life programme.

As part of Gloucestershire's Best Start in Life programme, our Best Start Inclusion Practitioners will help transform the experience of young children with additional needs by embedding inclusive practice, building workforce confidence and supporting early intervention across the early years sector. These roles reflect the Department for Education's vision for a more inclusive early years system where children receive the right support at the right time, families are empowered, and all children have the opportunity to achieve and thrive from the very start of their educational journey.

We need you to be passionate about improving outcomes for children with SEND and ensuring every child has the best possible start in life. With excellent knowledge of early years inclusion, child development and SEND practice, you can build positive relationships with families, providers and professionals. You are confident in offering advice, challenge and support to promote inclusive environments and high-quality provision. Organised, reflective and solution-focused, you are committed to reducing inequalities, championing children’s needs and working collaboratively to drive positive change across the early years sector.

Hybrid working arrangements are available for many of our roles, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice, with a mix of both remote and office working. Joining us could mean access to these great benefits:

• Flexible and agile working opportunities
• 25.5 days annual leave rising to 30.5 days after 5 years continuous service
• An option to purchase 10 days of additional leave per year (pro rata for part-time staff)
• Family friendly employer offering benefits to help support you and your family
• Career development and qualification opportunities
• Supportive and positive working environment with regular, robust supervision
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that provides free, confidential, counselling and advice for employees, available 24 hours a day, online and by telephone.
• An in-house Occupational Health service
• Cycle to Work scheme (Eligibility criteria and T&Cs apply)
• Green Car Salary Sacrifice Scheme (Eligibility criteria and T&Cs apply)
• Links to employee networks such as Prism (LGBT+) network and the Young Employees Network

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted via email and invited to interview week commencing 31/08/2026.

This Position is subject to a DBS check. The council is not currently able to offer sponsorship in this role. Candidates will need to have right to work that enables them to commit to at least 6 months employment. Right to work is not transferable from a sponsored role held with another employer. Applications from any Gloucestershire County Council's employees who are currently on the redeployment register or at risk of redundancy will be considered first at shortlisting stage.

Gloucestershire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people or vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We want to be an employer of choice, attracting and retaining excellent people to work for us, so that we can best serve all of Gloucestershire’s diverse communities. Our promise to you is that we will provide an inclusive and supportive working environment that enables you to bring your whole self to work and realise your full potential.

It is a legal requirement, under the Immigration Act 2016, that anyone appointed to a ‘customer facing role’ must be able to demonstrate an ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in fluent English.