Assistant Practitioner

About the job

Key information

• 37 hours per week, based in Taunton
• 28 days annual leave
• Progression/development opportunities
• Fixed Term Contract until 30/11/2026

What will I be doing?

We’re working to improve the lives of children and families in Somerset – and you’ll be a key part of that. You will be joining our Public Health Nursing service which is comprised of teams of Health Visitors, School Nurses (Specialist Community Public Health Nurses), community staff nurses, and assistant practitioners.

Your day-to-day work will involve:

• Working directly with children and families in a range of settings to deliver core and targeted health support and advice on an individual basis or through delivering group sessions.
• Supporting the Health Visiting and School nurse teams in completing holistic assessments of the health and wellbeing of families as well as assessing the ongoing physical, social and emotional development of children.
• Fulfilling the requirements of the Healthy Child Programme across the whole 0-19 year age range.
• Working closely with our Health and Social Care colleagues, contributing towards multi-disciplinary work and assessments.

What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?

We offer ongoing support, training and guidance to help you be the best you can be. But it will really help if you:

• Have a Childcare qualification.
• Have an experience of working with children and families.
• Are able to demonstrate excellent communication skills.
• Are able to work on your own initiative and as part of a team.
• Are able to demonstrate your dedication to improving the health and wellbeing of children and families.
• Are caring, empathetic and friendly.
• Previous experience working in the community and home visiting is desirable.

We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

What is in it for me?

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more

DBS check

This post requires a criminal background check via the Disclosure procedure.

Supporting documents and information

The salary for this post is £27,711 to £31,067 per annum.

This is a fixed term position until 31/11/2026.

If you want to get to know our team, come and visit us or learn more about the role, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact: Nickie Paxton via email at nickie.paxton@somerset.gov.uk

Applicants must have a full valid driving licence and have access to a car for work. If necessary, adjustments can be considered in line with the Equality Act 2010.

If you have everything you need, just hit the apply button. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Apply on the Somerset Council website

Apply now