Best Start Family Hub Senior Practitioner: Perinatal Mental Health and Parent-Infant Relationships

Grade H SCP 27 £38,220- SCP 31 £41,771 plus Essential Car User Allowance up to £963pa
Contract: Permanent
Essential Requirement: Full Driving Licence, DBS
Essential Qualification: Relevant level 4 qualification in Early Years, Teaching, NPQICL, Health, or Social Care.
Interview date: 30 April 2026 or 1 May 2026
For further information about this role, contact Emily Bagnall Emily.bagnall@bolton.gov.uk

Please note this role requires hours will be worked between 8am and 6pm; occasional evening and Saturday working

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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Applications that rely too heavily on AI may be rejected during shortlisting, however we understand that AI may be used as a reasonable adjustment, if using AI to support your application, please give a brief explanation why to help ensure fair selection process.
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The Role
Join us at Bolton Best Start Family Hubs and become part of an ambitious, creative team leading innovation for children and families across our eight Family Hubs. Guided by the Best Start in Life Strategy, we’re transforming how services connect and collaborate to make a real difference to local families. With a model that blends vibrant hub activity and strong community based work, this is a fantastic opportunity to help shape new approaches, strengthen partnerships and contribute to a bold vision that puts families at the centre of everything we do.

We are seeking an enthusiastic and dynamic Senior Family Hub Practitioner to support the ongoing development of the Best Start Family Hub’s offer for families. This role combines effective management, good understanding of requirements and innovative thinking to ensure Bolton’s Best Start Family Hubs offer a wide range of activities that are accessible to all to families, both within the hubs and within local communities. You will contribute to the organisation of stay, play and learn activities and build on the effective partnerships with the voluntary sector, as well as building partnerships with other community groups. You will work effectively with colleagues and partners, including Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH), to understand the offer for Perinatal Mental Health and Parent-Infant Relationships, focusing on how this can be implemented effectively across the service to best support families.

You will play a key role in coordinating the work of a team of Family Hub Practitioners to ensure an engaging and varied stay, play and learn offer for families, as well as contributing to networks, workshops, consultation activity and community events.

This post is office based across the eight Best Start Family Hubs and an essential car user allowance is payable as boroughwide travel is required between different Hubs and to other community-based locations.

You can also meet us at the Bolton Council Recruitment Event on 31 March, between10am and 1pm at Great Lever Best Start Family Hub (Leonard Street, Bolton, BL3 3AP) where you can explore wider Council vacancies and speak directly with colleagues from the Start Well and Family Hub Service about this role.

About You
You will be an enthusiastic manager with a passion for engaging all families and working in a team environment. You will have thorough knowledge and experience of the Early Years Foundation stage and child development as well as experience of working with children 0-5, with a relevant Level 4 qualification. You will be knowledgeable on Family Help principles and can ensure these are considered when working with families and children. You will be able to demonstrate your understanding of social inclusion in working with children and families from diverse backgrounds. You will have the confidence to share your expertise when contributing to developing the Best Start Family Hub network and programme.

You will confidently work with partners and use insights to guide decision-making, enhance support and drive continuous service improvement. Your strong analytical, organisational and communication skills will underpin your ability to contribute to the leadership of the perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationships offer across the Best Start Family Hub footprint.

You will thrive in a dynamic, varied role that directly strengthens outcomes for children and families across Bolton’s Best Start Family Hubs.

You will inspire and motivate a team of Family Hub Practitioners through positive, collaborative leadership at all levels, coordinating delivery and using evidence to champion effective and innovative practice. This role is key in helping the community feel welcome, helping them to understand the services they can access and the support that is available through Best Start Family Hubs. You will be personable, approachable and happy to learn new skills, lead and take part in training.

You will be asked to deliver a 10 minute presentation on an aspect of work you have innovated or led on as part of your role, outlining your specific contribution across the planning, design and implementation stages, the impact of your leadership and how you engaged stakeholders throughout.

Please submit your presentation in advance, by no later midnight on Monday 27th April to emily.bagnall@bolton.gov.uk.

About Us
This is your opportunity to join us at an exciting time as we have strong ambitions for the borough.

Bolton is a great place to work. We are a welcoming organisation that wants to contribute to a place where people feel active, connected and prosperous. We are passionate about improving the outcomes and experience of Bolton people. We want Bolton to be a vibrant place built on strong cohesive communities, successful businesses and healthy, engaged residents.

As an employer we want to thank our employees for their hard work and commitment, by giving them the opportunity to access a range of exclusive rewards and benefits, including discounts and exclusive gym membership prices and salary sacrifice schemes. In addition, we offer a generous annual leave allowance, flexible work opportunities, access to a Pension Scheme, as well as a range of employee wellbeing and support services.

Our Values are really important to us, read all about them below, along with all our great staff benefits, the job description/person specification for the role and the important legal bits, and our Top Tips too.
Ready to apply? Then please click Apply and upload your anonymised CV and supporting statement discussing your relevant skills and experience and explain how you believe they make you a strong fit for this role.

Within Greater Manchester, local authorities have made a commitment to improve the employment opportunities for people with disabilities, care leavers, carers, and ex-military personnel. Please see greater.jobs for further information before you apply.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) clearance - this post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (amended in 2013). Employment offers are conditional subject to satisfactory clearances. For roles where a criminal records check from the DBS is required, this includes satisfactory clearance of this check. The possession of a criminal record will not necessarily bar an individual from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of an individual’s offence/s. Information provided by you or the DBS will be dealt with in a confidential manner and in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice which can be viewed here. Bolton Council’s policy on the Employment of Ex-Offenders is available here.

This post is a designated customer facing role under the fluency duty and requires a specified level of spoken English as per the person specification.

This organisation has signed up to the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment. That means we will recognise your continuous or ‘unbroken’ service in any Greater Manchester local authority or NHS organisation that has signed the commitment, Transport for Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service or Greater Manchester Combined Authority, giving you access to our service-related benefits. Please see the home page of greater.jobs for more information.

For more information about working for Bolton Council, please see greater.jobs; for advice and support with your application, contact recruitment@bolton.gov.uk