Children's Practitioner & Children's Information Advice Officer

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Job Title: Children's Practitioner & Children's Information Advice Officer
Starting Salary: £31,537 progressing to £34,434 per annum (pro rata for part time)
Hours: 37
Location: Stevenage
Contract Type: Permanent
Directorate: Childrens Services

About the team

Hertfordshire has strengthened its frontline support through the Gateway, which combines MASH functions with a triage service for families. The team includes social workers and skilled alternatively qualified workers, working to provide timely, appropriate support. Early Help is a telephone-based information, signposting and advice service. Early Help will contact families to explore their support needs and provide information and advice which can include onward referrals, safety planning, liaising with the multi-agency network, advocating for clients and bridging the gap between families and available resources. Early Help do not undertake safeguarding enquiries or complete any community-based work. Parents must give permissions to referrals and enquiries being undertaken.
The Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) is a team of professionals including Police, Probation, Safeguarding Nurses, and Children's Services—who work together to protect vulnerable children in Hertfordshire. They handle concerns and referrals from the public and professionals, deciding whether children need safeguarding or early help services.

By using Motivational Interviewing, the team helps more children stay safely with their families, following recommendations from the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care.

About the role

These are fast paced but rewarding roles, where you will be working with families and professionals to gather information primarily over the telephone, using computerised systems to record and maintain accurate information, attending regular team meetings, and collaborating with professionals to achieve the best outcomes for vulnerable children and young people.

Childrens information and Advice Officer

The Child Information and Advice Officer role is exploring the Early Help support available in the community with parental consent.

Early Help is a telephone-based information, signposting and advice service. Early Help will contact families to explore their support needs and provide information and advice which can include onward referrals, safety planning, liaising with the multi-agency network, advocating for clients and bridging the gap between families and available resources. Early Help do not undertake safeguarding enquiries or complete any community-based work. Parents must give permissions to referrals and enquiries being undertaken.

Childrens Practitioner

The Children’s Practitioner role is exploring potential Safeguarding concerns to identify if Early Help support or Statutory safeguarding intervention is required.

The Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) is a team of professionals including Police, Probation, Safeguarding Nurses, and Children's Services—who work together to protect vulnerable children in Hertfordshire. They handle concerns and referrals from the public and professionals, deciding whether children need safeguarding or early help services.

About you

Essential Requirements:

• Although there are no specific qualifications required for this role, previous experience in working with children and families is required.
• Excellent communication skills - both verbal and written, in addition to having good computer skills.
• Ability to work autonomously whilst being a team player.
• Excellent organisational skills to ensure that work is prioritised and completed within the set timescales.
• Sound analytical skills to make robust recommendations and plans.
• Effective rapport building skills and ability to demonstrate professional curiosity.
• Ability to maintain a good standard of work in a fast-paced environment.

Desirable:

• Experience of SEND
• Additional specialisms in areas such as child exploitation or contextualised safeguarding would be welcomed as such knowledge and expertise would enhance the function and performance of our newly developed Gateway.

If you thrive in a fast-paced environment, this role offers the chance to work within an “Outstanding” rated local authority and contribute to improving good outcomes for vulnerable children and families. In return, we can offer you support and professional development, along with a range of competitive benefits including local government pension scheme.

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

This job role is within the Health and Social Care Services, level HSC8 job profile. Please locate this via:

Job profiles - Health and social care

To hear more about this opportunity please contact natalie.searle@hertfordshire.gov.uk or claire.larkins@hertfordshire.gov.uk for an informal discussion about the role.

Interview Date: 13 or 20 March 2026

Benefits of working for us

How to apply

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.

Additional information

Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

Safeguarding
This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.