Early Years Inclusion Practitioner in Stafford

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Early Years Team as we have recently reviewed our service because of changing national and local priorities. This means we now have greater capacity to be more resilient, connected and able to achieve our ambition to provide a high-quality service which responds to the unique needs of Early Years children and their families, ensuring the best start in life for all.

We are a highly experienced and committed team who constantly strive to improve outcomes for children, working with our partners to ensure that all children in Staffordshire can access their funded entitlements in high quality, inclusive settings.

There are two positions available:

• 1x Permanent for 30 hours per week
• 1x Fixed Term for 9 months until March 2027, to cover maternity leave and for 30 hours per week.

Main Responsibilities

As an Early Years Inclusion Practitioner, you will work closely with the Early Years Inclusion Specialist, supporting and enhancing quality and inclusivity of early education and childcare settings, improving outcomes for children by:

• Acting as a key contact for early years settings regarding the delivery of inclusive services
• Collaborating with settings, families and Early Years Inclusion specialists to provide support to children with identified needs
• Supporting the development and delivery of networks, training and resources for the sector
• Maintaining accurate records of interventions and observations relating to the progress of children

The Ideal Candidate

You'll have:

• Significant experience of working with young children in an Early Years setting
• Significant understanding of the barriers that vulnerable children and young people experience in the early years
• Excellent communication skills, capable of working with a range of key partners
• Ability to build and establish effective relationships with children and adults
• Proven experience supporting others and promoting inclusive practices and positive outcomes across Early Years
• The ability to manage own workload, working flexibly to meet the changing needs of the service
• Ability to travel across the county

For an informal chat, please contact the Early Years Inclusion and Improvement Leads; sarah.mcdowell1@staffordshire.gov.uk or jade.halliwell@staffordshire.gov.uk

Interviews scheduled for 3rd and 4th June 2026.

Our Recruitment Process: We anonymise applications during shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered. Please complete your application fully, especially the supporting statement, to highlight what you'll bring to the role.

Please note: The minimum essential criteria in the ideal section detailed above will be used if you are applying under one of our Interview Guarantee Schemes.

About Staffordshire County Council

We are no ordinary county council:

Our Values: The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively. Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy: We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future. We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too.

Our benefits: We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance. In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to Our rewards and benefits - Careers at Staffordshire.

Our recruitment process: As an Authority we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities.

As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

As you'll know safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and young people/vulnerable adults is important to us and that's why this position is subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service. If applicable you should disclose details of unspent and unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions and convictions in your application form.