Early Years Practitioner

Early Years Practitioner (x2)

Salary: £13.45 per hour.

Contract/Hours: Permanent, Part Time (working 30 hours per week - TERM TIME ONLY).

Location: Waterside, Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

Benefits

• 29 days annual leave plus bank holidays pro rata term time only.
• Professional qualifications and excellent training/development opportunities.
• Flexible maternity, adoption, and paternity packages.
• Pension with up to 7% employer contribution and life assurance cover.
• Staff discounts and Blue Light Card eligibility with 15,000 national retailers discounts.

About the role

The Waterside SureStart service plays an essential role in giving children and families the early support they need. As a universal service we work in partnership with other agencies such as health visitors, midwives and local schools. To help 0-4 year olds get ready for school our services include child and family health services, parenting programmes and antenatal support, early year's education services such as "stay and play" sessions, speech and language support and family learning. Core working hours are usually Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

Key responsibilities

• Work as part of a team within the creche and developmental programme for 2-3 year olds to support children's personal, social, emotional, cognitive and SLC skills.
• Use a range of tools to monitor and assess children's progress and development.
• Provide support within group play sessions and undertake home visits to support play skill development.
• Develop successful relationships with children and their families.
• Observe and track children's development and share this with parents/carers and other professionals.
• Plan, develop and deliver individual and group based services that support families in giving children the best start in life.

Qualifications and experience

• Minimum Diploma Level 2 in Childcare or equivalent relevant qualification.
• Experience working with children aged under 4 years.
• Genuine interest in childcare and passion for children.
• Understanding of child protection and safeguarding.
• Excellent communication skills to engage with people of all ages and backgrounds.
• Understanding of physical, intellectual, linguistic, social and emotional growth as part of child development.
• Access to a car and ability to travel as required, with reasonable adjustments according to the Equality Act.

Application notes

No visa sponsorship will be offered for this role.

Closing date: Monday 29th June 2026. Interviews are scheduled for Thursday 9th July 2026 at Waterside.

Contact: (reference 13267).

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Action for Children is committed to a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace. We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates, disabled candidates and male staff for our Children Service roles.