Job Introduction
Early Help Coordinator
Salary: SO1-SO2, £34,434 - £39,152, 37 hours per week, Permanent
About Us
Bradford has created a new Children and Families Trust, which has been commissioned by Bradford Council to deliver a wide range of services for children, families and young people on their behalf. The Trust is accountable for determining how outcomes of these services are achieved and for the day-to-day running of commissioned children’s services.
This is an important opportunity to renew our approach to delivering the support that Bradford’s children, young people and families in need, by renewing services and creating a new organisation. We are bringing the mindset, dynamism and energy of a start-up together with the national expertise and determination of the Trust’s Board, senior leadership and our colleagues’ practical experiences of providing children’s services in Bradford.
As a new organisation, Bradford Children and Families Trust has established our own purpose, vision, and outcomes for what we aim to achieve.
Our vision: For all children and young people in Bradford to be safe and able to realise their full potential.
Our purpose: To provide high-quality services with partners that help safeguard, support and promote the welfare of children, young people and families across the Bradford District.
We will achieve this through continuous improvements in our services and positive collaboration with our staff, our partner organisations.
About The Role
Bradford Children and Families Trust are looking for experience, innovative and highly motivated Early Help Coordinators to encourage and support partner agencies to take up the Lead Practitioner role and widen the offer of Early Help support for our Children and Young People in Bradford.
You will embrace a restorative culture of continuous learning and reflective practice that enables you to give the best in your role and help embed good practice and understanding of Early Help with our partners across the district
You will also:
- Support the implementation and embedding of Bradford’s Children and Family Trust Early Help and Prevention Strategy, through improving partners’ understanding of and confidence in Working Together 2018’ and Bradford’s Continuum of Need and Risk Identification Tool.
- Provide regular advice and consultation to schools and other partners in relation to their Lead Practitioner role and management of Team Around the Child, responding to their concerns about the welfare of children with reference to the Continuum of Need and Risk Identification tool.
- Contribute to reducing demand for specialist children’s services through improving the quality and effectiveness of early help work undertaken by partners.
- Provide point of reference for both Early Help Gateway and Locality Hubs in their work with partners.
Key Responsibilities
- Proactively engage with schools and other agencies in the Family Hub in order to plan a package of support for their staff undertaking Lead Practitioner role with children and families.
- Provide regular consultation, information advice and guidance for the Designated Safeguarding Lead and other senior school based staff in relation to pupils of concern.
- Provide coaching, role modelling and co-working as required up to and including chairing Team Around the Child/Family (TAF) meetings at key points to ensure that assessments and plans are accurate, SMART and meets the needs of the whole family.
- Support schools and other agencies to design, deliver and access workforce development for their staff, building confidence and skills to undertake Lead Practitioner role.
- Embed early help assessments and other agreed methodologies across all agencies in Bradford.
- Contribute to the development of support, guidance and practical tools to support practitioners to develop effective practice by adopting the assertive, persistent, time bound and challenging style of casework required when delivering Early Help.
- Contribute to the development of local partnership working though networking with local and district wide agencies that support vulnerable families.
- Contribute to strategic planning by providing, analysing and responding to management information about take up of consultation and outcomes for children.
- Quality assure multi-agency Early Help activity and challenge other professionals and agencies where necessary.
About You
- Proven experience of undertaking Lead Practitioner/Professional role for vulnerable children and their families using a whole family approach and leading a Team around the Family
- Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of Prevention and Early help theory and practice and thorough knowledge and understanding of relevant legislation and policy, and guidance in relation to delivery of early help through family support interventions.
- A sound understanding of the Continuum of Need and Response its associated identification or risk tool
- Experience of providing high quality advice and guidance to practitioners and managers to enable them to deliver safe and effective Early Help and manage risk appropriately
- Experience of quality assurance and audit processes.
- Experience of action planning and leading improvements to improve outcomes for children.
Next Steps
For further information regarding these posts please contact Lisa Bray - Lisa.bray@bradfordcft.org.uk
Closing Date: 5th October 2025
Interviews: 15th - 17th October 2025
Bradford Children and Families Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees to share this commitment.
If shortlisted, you will be required to disclose relevant information regarding criminal history prior to interview.
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check including a check against the Children’s barred list, will be carried out on preferred candidates.
