Practitioner - Family Centres

Package Description

In addition to your salary, we offer a range of benefits including:

• Great holiday benefits - most roles include 28 days annual leave every year on top of public (bank) holidays, increasing to 32 days after five years. In addition, there is a holiday purchase scheme allowing staff to purchase up to 5 additional days of leave each year.
• Excellent pension - everyone who works for us can join the national Local Government Pension Scheme, widely regarded as one of the best available.
• A full range of family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity support.
• Access to an award-winning employee benefits programme that includes a health cash plan, a low-cost bike purchase scheme as well as high street discounts and money off entertainment and travel.
• Salary sacrifice car scheme - eligible employees can access low‑cost leasing of electric and low‑emission vehicles.
• Blue Light Card - employees working within social care can qualify for an additional range of discounts from national retailers and local businesses.

Why join us? Along with more on our Benefits, discover why Working at the City Council could be the right move for you here Working at the Council | Milton Keynes

Roles are either ‘site based’ or ‘home based’.

Site based roles are mainly based at the workplace, with the option to work from home for up to two days a week, depending on service needs.

Home based roles are mainly based at home, with the expectation of attending the workplace up to one day a week.

The working arrangement for each role is set by the manager, based on service requirements.

Job Introduction

We’re recruiting a Practitioner to join our dedicated Children and Families service at Rainbows Family Centre. Rainbows Family Centre is soon to become a Best Start Family Hub, serving the communities of Bradville, New Bradwell, Wolverton and the surrounding area. The centre is based in Bradville, an area of social deprivation where many families may need extra support.

This full-time, face-to-face role will help improve life chances for children and their families through early years support, Early Help and our wider cost of living offer. You’ll work across two sites, including Wolverton, which has been identified as an area where children need more support to achieve a Good Level of Development.

The role matters because strong early support can help children get ready for school, help parents feel more confident and strengthen family relationships. You’ll be part of a team that works directly with children, families, colleagues and partners to make a real difference in local communities.

At Milton Keynes City Council, we’re dedicated, respectful and collaborative, and these values will shape how you support families every day.

Site-Based role

This is a Site-Based role, and you’ll be expected to work from the designated workplace.

Interviews for this role will be held on 7th Septeber 2026

At Milton Keynes City Council, we aim to make a difference every day. We’re dedicated, respectful and collaborative. We act as one council, and we work hard to create cleaner, safer and healthier communities while tackling inequalities and supporting people to thrive.

Find out more about working with us here: www.mkcounciljobs.org.uk

Role Responsibilities

• Plan and deliver Stay and Play, universal and targeted sessions that support the Early Years Foundation Stage and school readiness. 
• Provide one‑to‑one and outreach support to parents of children under five, helping them understand child development and build confidence in their parenting role. 
• Contribute to outreach work that engages families who find it difficult to access services, including those in new estates and areas of disadvantage. 
• Work as part of a multi‑agency Early Help approach, completing assessments and care plans where appropriate and acting as a lead professional when required. 
• Support safeguarding practice and respond appropriately to families experiencing domestic abuse or other risks. 
• Work flexibly across centres that operate fifty‑two weeks of the year, from early to late, including youth and community provision.

Ideal Candidate

• Early education or childcare-related qualification, with a good understanding of child development.
• Five GCSE passes A-C or equivalent, including English and Maths.
• Enjoys working directly with families and communities, with the ability to build trusted relationships quickly.
• Knowledge of early years, safeguarding, and the impact of adversity on children and families.
• Able to manage a varied workload across sessions, outreach and direct family work.
• Works in line with our values by being dedicated, respectful and collaborative.
• Comfortable using digital systems to record work clearly and accurately.

As part of the pre-employment checks, should you be offered the role, we’ll carry out an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, (unless you are currently registered with the DBS Update Service).

About The Organisation

Milton Keynes City Council is a large, modern and financially stable employer with around 2,500 people working across our eight areas. Together we provide local residents and businesses with a wide range of important round-the-clock services and aim to make our city a better place to live.

We work hard because of the demands placed on us, like protecting children from harm or preventing homelessness. However, working for the city is always rewarding and everyone has the opportunity to make a real difference. 

We’re very proud of our diversity and are committed to having a workforce that reflects the community we serve. Whatever your background, you will be welcome here if you share our values of being dedicated, respectful and collaborative.

We offer great training and support and because of the size and scale of the organisation there are always new opportunities to explore when it’s time for a new role.

If you’d like to know more about how we do things and what matters to us, take a look at our short booklet What makes us Milton Keynes City Council, see attached.