About The Role
Job Title: Early Years Support Worker
Hours: 22.5
Salary: HC7 £32,061 to £36,363 pro rata (£19,496 to £22,112 pro rata per annum)
Contract: Fixed Term Maternity Cover for 6 months
Closing date: 9 September 2025
Interview date: 18 September 2025
Come and join us on our Restorative Journey of Improvement to gain the best for children and families in Herefordshire
The Role
Are you an experienced Early Years professional who is driven to make a difference to the lives of children, young people and families? Are you looking to take the next step in your career? If so our Early Years Support Worker role, within Children’s Centre Services, could be just what you are looking for!
We are seeking a dynamic and committed professional who is ambitious about children getting the best possible start in life. We are keen to hear from practitioners who have good knowledge and understanding of Early Years and Child Development and who have experience of working with young children and families
As an Early Years Support Worker you will be responsible for helping to improve outcomes for children and young people through direct work in family homes or from children’s centres/community venues. Knowledge and experience of delivering targeted evidence based services to families is desirable alongside the ability to encourage engagement and enhance children’s development and early experiences. Within the role you will be responsible for assessing children’s needs, working with their families and support network to achieve positive outcomes and sustained change.
Ideally you will have experience of working in a multiagency team environment as collaboration with colleagues and partner agencies is essential to the role. You will work within a team that covers the whole of Herefordshire, so the ability to drive and access to a car is key. Whilst you will have opportunities to work with other team members there will be times when lone working is required.
If you are excited by the prospect of working for a service that put the needs of children and families at the heart of everything we do, then we would really like to hear from you.
A supporting statement is required at application alongside a current CV
We Offer
- A competitive salary, generous holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme, which includes:
- Basic Salary of £32,061 - £36,363 pro rata (£19,496 to £22,112 per annum)
- Pension Scheme Enrolment in the Local Government (LGPS)
- Career progression: clear pathways to progress
- Generous Annual Leave: 31 days’ annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum
- Flexible working: flexi-time, job-share, part-time hours and, in some instances, home working
- Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 access to support and counselling
- Payment of professional membership fees
- Pick your perks – our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits. This includes savings, cash back and discounts.
About Us
Herefordshire is a beautiful, historic county located in the heart of the Marches on the border with Wales. We are one of the most rural and sparsely populated counties in England with a wealth of unspoilt countryside, distinctive heritage, and lively and attractive market towns.
Our priority in Herefordshire is to keep children safe and give them a great start in life. It’s the priority for the council, our partners and for all of us who work with Children & Young People.
How do we do this? By having dynamic, dedicated, passionate and professional staff who work in a culture that focuses on what we can achieve with children, what they can achieve themselves, and the relationship we build with families and partners to enable this. We have invested heavily in training and developing staff in our relational practice approach with our improvement partner Leeds City Council, so it's an exciting time to join Herefordshire – we believe in investing in you so you can be the best you can be!
Herefordshire has a really strong team ethos. Our teams are passionate about the work they do and the positive difference they and the teams they are in make to people’s lives. This is all underpinned by the focus and support from their managers and the council as a whole.
We will deliver better support to our most vulnerable children and their families, develop stronger relationships with partners across the region, and beyond.
Come to Herefordshire and join the journey.
Herefordshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children & young people and vulnerable adults. If you are offered this position, it will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service enhanced check and further pre-employment checks.
The following candidates will be interviewed if they meet the essential criteria for the post they are applying for:
- Those who indicate that they have a disability. This is part of our commitment to the “Disability Confident” scheme.
- Those who indicate in their supporting statement that they serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, or their families. This is part of our pledge to support the Armed Forces Covenant; and
- Those who indicate in their supporting statement that they are a Herefordshire care leaver. This is part of our commitment to supporting young people leaving our care.
We will deliver better support to our most vulnerable children and their families, develop stronger relationships with partners across the region, and beyond. Therefore, we take our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults seriously and expect all of our staff, visitors and volunteers to share in this commitment.
Please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification for more details of this role.
To apply, please submit your CV and complete the supporting statement within the application form, referring to the job description & person specification, detailing how you meet the specific requirements of the role.
About Us
The Council plan sets out how we will make our contribution to achieving a better and more successful Herefordshire, please see the link below to find out more:
Herefordshire Council Plan 2024-28
