Your New Organisation
Southend on Sea City Council is a Unitary local authority, providing vital services to meet the needs of the local community. We employ around 1,800 staff who are working alongside our partners and local communities to deliver the city vision and make lives better for the people of Southend.
Working for Southend on Sea City Council offers a challenging and rewarding career in local government within a collaborative and innovate environment, with the benefit of flexible working practices to support a positive work life balance. As a Unitary Authority we are responsible for all local government functions ranging from social services, transport, public health and parks through to planning, trading standards, community safety and education, so we offer a wide range of career opportunities. The diversity of our economy and communities and investment in a number of exciting regeneration projects makes our Council a great place to work, learn and make a difference.
Your new role
Southend on sea city council is seeking a Childminding Improvement Officer to join the Family Early Years and Childcare Services on a part time (18.5 hours) and fixed term contract basis (24 months).
As a Childminding Improvement Officer, you will be responsible for the development and support of registered childminders and other home-based childcare providers to ensure they meet the requirements as set out in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. You will provide, support, advice, challenge and training to registered childminders, childminder assistants and other home-based childcare providers working within the borough of Southend-on-Sea. You will evaluate provision with childminders to determine whether they are delivering high-quality provision that enables all children, including those with SEND to make good progress. You will support childminders with Pre-Ofsted preparation and post-Ofsted support relating to implementing and monitoring of action plans where needed in light of inspection outcomes.
As a Childminding Improvement Officer, you will work collaboratively with other colleagues in the Early Years Improvement Team to develop best practice through providing guidance and modelling to ensure children reach expected levels of attainment when starting school. You will also work closely with colleagues within the Early Years, Family and Childcare Service including the EYs SEND team, Family Centre team and Funding and Sufficiency team.
Although this contract is offered on a mobile basis, the successful candidate will be predominantly out and about visiting educational settings and working from office.
To meet the needs of the service, you will be expected to adopt flexible working patterns to cover occasional evenings and Saturdays.
What you’ll need to succeed
To be successful in this role, it is essential that you have an in-depth understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage , including Safeguarding and Welfare requirements, Learning and Development requirements and recent developments in early years provision. Experience of assessing, monitoring and evaluating Early Years practice is essential for this role. It is vital that you have sound knowledge of Ofsted process and be able to write report to a high standard. Knowledge of key national education and early years policy, Legislation, guidance, new initiatives will be highly desirable but not essential. This role will suit an individual who has previously worked in an Early year’s setting.
To be considered for this role, you must possess minimum of a DFE recognised full and valid level 3 in early years and childcare.
The post will require the need to be mobile and move around the city, so a full clean driving license with access to own vehicle is essential and your application will not be considered with it.
What you’ll get in return
When joining the council, you can enjoy a range of benefits including: 25 days annual leave, flexible working and excellent training and development opportunities. They are committed to ensuring that you are supported in this varied and challenging role with the appropriate level of training. A full list of benefits provided by Southend Council can be viewed on the “Why Work For Us?” tab.
Please be aware that the advertised salary will be pro rata to the number of hours
What you need to do now
If you are interested in this role, please click ‘apply online’ to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV.
If you would like a copy the Job Description, please click here
Please note: Applications for this vacancy may close prior to the date advertised above so you are advised to apply as soon as you are able to.
Southend-on-Sea City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. All applicants for this role will require an enhanced DBS check.
