Assistant Practitioner (Steps & Stages)

Hours:

up to 20 hours per week

Term-Time Only

Hours to be agreed/negotiated

Tuesday to Friday

Pay:

Level 12 (£11.65 per hour)

Dates:

• Closing Date: Sunday 14th July
• Interviews: Week commencing 17th July
• Start Date: September 2024

Overview:

The Assistant Practitioner (Families Services) is a role supporting families of children with disabilities and complex health needs. Nansa’s Family Services offer varied models of support across three separate areas of provision:

Steps & Stages: Formerly known as a School for Parents, the Steps & Stages programme is funded by Norfolk County Council and the NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board. Steps & Stages offers specialist early interventions that promote the development of pre-school children, who have a range of special educational needs and disabilities. Sessions are holistically tailored to meet the specific needs of every child, and are provided, FREE, to families of children:

• with delayed development or motor learning difficulties,
• with confirmed or suspected Autism Spectrum Conditions,
• who require support with social interactions,
• who face developmental challenges relating to complex sensory needs and/or communication/engagement.

The Steps & Stages programme runs no less than 4 sessions weekly (during term-time). Children benefit from a fun play session alongside other children who have similar challenges and experiences; they get personalised support in a ‘play group’ that develops skills to improve their independence. Parents and carers benefit from learning strategies that can be used at home to meet the development needs of their individual child; they also form important friendships that provide long-term peer support.

The highly skilled and trained Steps & Stages team are dedicated to helping parents and carers learn essential techniques that support their child’s physical, social, and cognitive development; informed and inspired by a range of specialist early intervention approaches, including, but not limited to:

Conductive Education

The Conductive Education (CE) philosophy developed by Peto in Hungary is based on the belief that every young child has the capability to improve their neural connections through a properly guided programme. This is an approach that works most effectively with young children while their neural pathways are still developing rapidly.

Attention Autism

Attention Autism is an early intervention model designed by Gina Davies, Specialist Speech and Language Therapist. It aims to develop natural and spontaneous communication through the use of visually based and highly motivating activities. This model helps to build the foundations of communication through, teaching turn-taking, capturing attention, sustaining engagement, and developing interactions.

Role and Responsibilities

The Assistant Practitioner will ensure they deliver the outcomes/aims agreed with various funders for the individual aspects of the overall service. In order to evidence this, they will need to ensure they track and record individual progress journeys (using software such as TAPESTRY), while also ensuring that progression is family/child led wherever practically possible. Every family should expect a tailored and person-centred response to their specific needs. The Assistant Practitioner must be flexible and able to adapt their support and approach in order to suit the needs of every family.

The Assistant Practitioner/s (AP) will report to the Programme Manager, attending group meetings and 1:1 supervision discussions as is required; sharing their ideas and concerns with the PC in order to help shape the new service development journey. The aim of the service development journey is to ensure we always continue to do what we do well, that we expand and provide new models of support where/when the need arises, and most paramount of all; that we (as a service) adapt and improve our approach wherever practically possible (and within the parameters of our funding).

The Family Services Development Journey will be formalised into a strategy which all members of the team should help shape and navigate.

Nansa’s Family Services are FREE to those who  access them; it is the responsibility of all members of the team to ensure that they effectively engage and build rapport with all families; providing a safe, welcoming, and non-judgemental space for children with varying needs and from all backgrounds.

The AP will have at least 3 years’ experience working or volunteering within a service for families and children. They will use their own experience (both successes and challenges) to help them navigate and respond to individual challenges (always working collaboratively with the families and children who attend).

Key Accountabilities

• Families are enabled to participate effectively in a comprehensive programme of activities that meet their individual objectives and aspirations
• Best practice standards are consistently upheld
• Quality Assurance and Improvement are continually reviewed
• Families are empowered to be active partners in the service they receive
• A range of high-quality services are developed and delivered to meet the needs of children with disabilities and their families
• To feed in to, and adhere to, the Family Services Development Journey (and wider Nansa Strategy)

To Apply:

If you then wish to apply for a role you should download and complete the ‘Application Form’ and ‘Equal Opportunities Form’ – and return to us via email to HR@nansa.org.uk