Early Help Professional (Fixed Term Contract 6 months)
Please apply online via the link provided.
Please include a personal statement with your CV specifying why you are applying for this vacancy.
We are looking for an Early Help Professional who is passionate about supporting children, young people, and families to achieve positive and lasting change. You will play a vital role in helping families access the right help at the right time. If you are motivated, compassionate and committed to early intervention, this role offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to lasting change.
This is a fixed term contract for 6 months.
(Any successful internal candidate will be offered the position as a secondment and, in line with Section 8.1 of the Secondment Policy, must consult with their manager before applying. Search ‘secondment policy’ on the intranet for more information)
At Bracknell Forest, we pride ourselves on being a council which is stable and well-managed where our employees can thrive in a supportive environment. We understand the importance of a healthy work-life balance.
About you...
As an Early Help Professional, you will build positive and trusted relationships with children, young people, and families, responding to their needs and ensuring they receive the right support at the right time. You will work confidently across partner agencies, maintain high safeguarding standards, and use your knowledge of local services to help families access community support. The role also involves accurate case recording and delivering clear, outcome-focused support plans.
You will have a strong track record of working collaboratively with professionals such as schools, health, housing, children’s social care and voluntary sector partners. You bring creativity, strong problem-solving skills, and the ability to prioritise work while keeping the voice of the family at the centre. You can challenge practice appropriately, produce clear written and verbal updates, and contribute to an inclusive, high-quality service.
You will have experience of Team Around the Family/Child approaches, working with complex and vulnerable families, and coordinating multi-agency support. You will be confident in managing safeguarding concerns, understanding risk, and adapting to changing operational demands.
About the team...
The Early Help Service consists of a multi-disciplinary team that works with children, young people, and families. We work closely with a range of partners including children’s social care, schools, housing and health providers and other community services.
You will be part of the council’s Early Help service with experience working with families, young people and children with a range of needs. As a team, you will contribute to our ‘can do’ approach by being flexible and responsive to the unique needs of each family, child and young person you are supporting. You will need to combine the ability to work both independently and collaboratively, supporting team colleagues and representing the service where this is required.
Here, in Bracknell Forest, everything we do is about changing families’ lives for the better. You will be supported to help children and families to achieve their potential, ensure their voices are heard and that they are safe and protected. As part of the Early Help service, you will be given responsibility right from the start, alongside which you will be given the support to utilise your skills and experiences to ensure families and young people receive the best possible support.
You can read what our team have to say about working at Bracknell Forest via this link: Children's social care jobs | Bracknell Forest Council
Key responsibilities...
- To manage a caseload of families who may have complex and unique needs and linking them to a range of universal and targeted services, taking into account their individual and cultural experiences.
- To undertake and oversee comprehensive family assessments and develop supportive interventions that reflect the needs identified, taking into account your duty safeguard vulnerable adults and children
- To establish and maintain effective and collaborative working relationships with statutory and voluntary agencies to ensure a consistent and high standard of service for families in the borough.
- To deliver programmes and group work where appropriate and co-ordinate a Team Around the Family approach that enables children, young people, and families to be resilient and make positive life choices
- To work closely and creatively with the local communities, voluntary organisations, childcare and education provisions (0-19 years), and partner agencies to establish and connect to appropriate services for care and support.
- To work within established procedures for handling and assessing information, notably confidentiality, safeguarding and health and safety, undertaking risk assessments where appropriate and ensuring appropriate and timely support packages.
Our benefits...
- 28 days annual leave increasing to 33 days after 3 years’ continuous service, with the opportunity to buy up to 10 and sell up to 5 days.
- Hybrid working opportunities to support your wellbeing and work-life balance.
- Paid employee volunteering scheme.
- Local government pension scheme, with life insurance cover.
- Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits. (Terms and Conditions apply)
- Career development through internal and external training opportunities.
- Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave.
- Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing
- Inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks and a sports and social club.
Find out more about all our benefits or see the candidate pack.
Our values...
At Bracknell Forest Council our values define who we are and what is important to us. Our core values are inclusive, ambitious, and always learning. These values influence the way we work with each other and the way we serve our residents and engage with our communities. We make our values real by demonstrating them in how we behave every day. If you are excited about joining a diverse team that celebrates learning and strives for excellence, we would love to hear from you.
Reasonable adjustment...
We are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process for all applicants. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview, please let us know by contacting recruitment@bracknell-forest.gov.uk. We will work with you to support you throughout the process. Find out more about reasonable adjustments.
Interview date
Interviews will be held on Monday 5th January 2026
Interviews will be conducted in person, providing candidates with the chance to personally meet the team and experience our work environment.
We will be reviewing applications regularly and reserve the right to close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified. To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible.
Please note AI is prohibited during the interview, any candidate using AI will be withdrawn from consideration.
Want to ask us a question?
For an informal discussion or to ask any questions about this role, please contact:
Sarah Batchelor, Early Help Hub Locality Manager
or
Zoe Venables, Family Hub Team Leader
Tel.: 01344 354382
Bracknell Forest Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect everyone employed with us to share this commitment. All successful candidates for this role will be subject to a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check as part of our pre-employment checks process.
We can only accept applications from candidates currently residing in the UK.
Candidates currently residing in the UK who require sponsorship to work are encouraged to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) based on the relevant criteria. Please be aware that sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.
No agencies please.
Salary range
- £38,055 - £42,469 per year