Early Years SEND Portage Practitioner – Education – Secondment or Fixed Term

at  Croydon Council

EARLY YEARS SEND PORTAGE PRACTITIONER – EDUCATION – CROYDON COUNCIL

Salary: Grade 9 £39,264 - £40,833
Fixed Term or Secondment – 36 hours per week until 31st March 2025

DISCLAIMER

Croydon Council is an inclusive employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. We will be pleased to consider applications from candidates seeking flexible working arrangements. As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the advertised role.
Croydon council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. The Successful candidate will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check which allows them to work with children

Croydon is one of the 75 Local Authorities funded by the Department of Education and Department of Health and Social Care to implement the Family Hubs Transformation programme and deliver Start for Life funded services. The new delivery model provides a ‘front door’ into universal services for all families with very young children and a gateway to services for older children, young people 0-19 years (up to 25 years with SEND) and their families. We are looking for an experienced early years practitioner with extensive working knowledge and understanding of supporting children with special educational needs in a home setting and education/children’s center setting. The role will support the development of Croydon Family Hubs , with a particular focus on delivering the Start for Life and Best Start offer, engaging with parents and carers with children aged 0-5 years. providing practical, relevant and holistic support for families. Working within the Education Directorate and alongside colleagues from the wider Start for Life services you will be working to develop the current SEND model for support for children who are not yet accessing an education provision. This is an exciting opportunity to play an active and central role in supporting children’s development through face to face, virtual and Home learning sessions. This role will sit with the Early Years SEND team and will report to the Early Years Team Manager. We are keen to ensure that our service is able to respond to the changing needs of our community and work within our localities offering interventions to children, families and care networks. Portage training is desirable but candidates with extensive experience of working with children with more complex needs will be considered. You will be expected to travel across a wide geographical area in a timely and flexible manner at various times of the day with a range of heavy and/or bulky equipment, so use of a car is essential.