Job Description

The Lead Practitioner is responsible to the Flexible Childcare Services Manager, Regional Lead, Chief Executive and Board. They are to deliver a high standard of quality care throughout all the services. The Lead Practitioner is required to assist in the development, efficiency, quality and sustainability of the service.

This post is required to deputies for the Manager in their absence or when duties are delegated, including decision making, staff management and attendance at meetings. As per the Scottish Social Services Council Qualification (SSSC), you must hold a childcare practice qualification, and have or willing to work towards the following mandatory qualifications:

• BA Childhood Practice
• BA (Honors) Childhood Practice (Strathclyde University).
• Graduate Diploma Childhood Practice (The University of the West of Scotland).
• SQA Professional Development Award Childhood Practice (360 credits at SCQF Level 9).

Specific Responsibilities’ Include:

1. Planning: Plan learning experiences to accommodate the age and stage of development of the children attending.

2. Registration and Quality: Working with the FCSS Manager and staff to maintain compliance with all aspects of the regulatory framework and best practice guidelines. Promoting high standards of quality within the setting regarding the environment and resources, experiences offered to children and planning.

3. Policies: To be aware of all FCSS childcare and organizational policies.

4. Contract Compliances: Contributing to reports for all tenders, bids, grants and contracts as required.

5. On-Call: (where required) Taking part in a rota system for an on-call emergency service for all aspects of the service, including covering for short term staff absences, to ensure safety, reliability, and security of the care being provided.

6. Record Keeping: Maintaining records for quality assurance, sharing information with parents and careers, staff, FCSS board of directors, and regulatory bodies as required, including individual files for each child that are maintained to a high standard and contain all information required, including regular communication with parents and careers.

7. Staff: Supervision and appraisals of staff employed or assigned to each setting, ensuring ratios are maintained; staff rotas are compiled and communicated to them, staff have duties assigned, and have appropriate support, supervision and appraisals. Assisting in the recruitment, training, supervision, appraisals of staff employed by FCSS. Contributing to ensure all staff comply with FCSS policies and procedures and Scottish Social Services Council’s (SSSC) Codes of Practice.

8. Resource management: Ensuring resources are available and used effectively including space, play and learning resources. Carrying out Risk Assessments of all space, proposed outings and equipment, including arranging, monitoring and recording all fire drills, cleaning records and security.

9. Building: Liaising with other FCSS staff employed to ensure a high standard of cleanliness is maintained within each service, and all aspects of Health and Safety are maintained, including regular risk assessments, fire drills and security.

10. Marketing: Promoting the services available to parents, careers, potential referrers and stakeholders including local authority, health, and employability services through presentations, media and printed material.

11. Training: Delivering in-house (and at times external) inductions and training to staff. To undertake training and fully engage with Azilo.

12. Legislation and Guidance: Have an extensive knowledge of:

• Blueprint 2020: The Expansion of Early Years and Childcare in Scotland.
• Funding follows the child and The National Standard: Principles and Practice.
• Play Strategy for Scotland.
• Early years framework.
• Health and Social Care Standards.
• Space to Grow.
• Our Creative Journey.
• My World Outdoors.
• Realizing the Ambition.
• How Good is Our Early Learning and Childcare
• Infection Prevention and Control in Childcare Settings (Day Care and Childminding Settings).
• Food Matters: Nurturing happy, healthy children.
• Early Learning and Childcare – National Resource Induction.
• Bringing Generations Together.

13. Monitoring and Evaluation: Ensuring that the care and learning is monitored in relation to stated objectives and that the effectiveness is regularly assessed through evaluation involving service users to inform continuous improvement and development plans.

14. Equal Opportunities: Ensuring that the service is non-discriminatory with respect to gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, religion or disability.

15. Care Inspectorate: Update the self-assessment and e-forms and liaise with inspectors when appropriate. Complete error response forms and action plans if necessary.

16. Allocation of worker duties: Having knowledge and understanding of allocating worker duties, including worker rotas, covering for short term workers absences and assisting in the maintenance of a booking system.

17. Assistance of the Flexible Childcare Services Manager: Taking responsibility as required of any of the services in the Managers absence, including allocating duties, supervising staff, organizing any changes to bookings, and dealing with emergency situations should they arise.

18. Other: Any other relevant duties as agreed by the Management Team.

The job description is a broad picture of the post at the date of preparation. It is not an exhaustive list of all possible duties and it is recognized that jobs change and evolve.

Terms and Conditions

The job description is a broad picture at the date of preparation. It is not an exhaustive list of all possible duties and it is recognized that jobs change and evolve:

1. Period of appointment: The appointment is permanent

2. Confirmation of appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a 3-month probationary period and receipt of PVG Scheme membership/update information and suitable references.

3. Salary: £22,100 - £27,012

4. Hours of work: 35 hours per week to be worked flexibly to meet the needs of the service

5. Holidays: Annual Leave entitlement 25 working days and 12 public holidays per annum

6. Pension: You will be auto enrolled in our pension scheme with a 3% contribution and 7% from FCSS. Once the appointment has been confirmed you are eligible to join the Employers Fill pension scheme with the Pensions Trust. FCSS pays 7% of your salary and you pay a minimum of 3%. If you are already in a pension scheme, other arrangements may be possible.

7. Training and Support and Supervision: You will receive induction training and frequent support in the first three months. Thereafter you will receive monthly individual support and supervision and annual appraisals. Regular team meetings are held, and staff have access to internal and external training.

8. Equal Opportunities and Family Friendly employment: FCSS aims to be an equal opportunities and family friendly employer. The post is open to job sharing. We have Investors in People status.

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule
• Sick pay

Schedule:

• Holidays
• Monday to Friday
• Overtime
• Weekends

Work remotely:

• No

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Education and Learning: A good standard of education and hold a relevant professional qualification required for a lead practitioner role. Knowledge: Knowledge of the relevant legal documentation relevant to the role. Experience: Experience of staff supervision within a registered service. Understanding: Previous experience of implementation of Curriculum for Excellence, Pre-Birth to Three, GIRFEC and monitoring against SHANARI outcomes. Registrations: Member of PVG scheme for children, SSSC Registered as lead practitioner. Evaluation: Experience of evaluation to defined outcomes. Communication: Effective communicator, verbal and written, to a wide range of people including children, parents, staff, regulatory bodies, senior officials and members of the local community, through conversation, reports, and written information. Development: Experience of developing new services and implementation of systems for continual improvement. Liaison: Experience of liaison with other agencies at a senior level and interagency work.