Childcare Assistant

x2 posts available:

We’re looking for enthusiastic, friendly colleagues for our nursery setting in Shaftesbury.  You’ll find a warm welcome from our dedicated colleagues and wonderful children where you’ll play a crucial role to support children's play and learning through engaging activities, fostering positive relationships, and ensuring their well-being.             

In our oversubscribed nurseries, you’ll be a key worker for a cohort of children within one of our rooms - babies, toddlers or pre-school rooms creating bonds with our children and their families.  We also provide an opportunity to work with school aged children in our after school provision.  No two days are the same, as a childcare worker: 

• you will have a passion for supporting children to reach their full potential
• you'll work closely with parents, carers, colleagues, and external agencies to provide the best possible care for our youngest children.
• you will use your knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage in your interactions with children and families
• you will be involved in preparing the environment, assessing risk, and making changes to meet the needs of the children present
• you are confident in using a computer as we use technology to communicate with each other and our families.  Support will be available on specific programmes we use.

For more information about all of our settings: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/children-families/childcare/dorset-council-owned-childcare

What's in it for you?

• a vibrant learning community of 13 practitioners working across 3 rooms
• development opportunities such as working closely with our setting Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENDCO) to support children with additional needs
• access to Dorset Council's employee benefits, including generous annual leave and a pension scheme
• a supportive environment where technology enhances communication with team members and families
• we pride ourselves on respect, responsibility, and recognition. We operate as One Team, fostering a collaborative and supportive atmosphere

Responsibilities:

• Support the delivery of engaging activities for children aged 3 months to 5 years, helping them learn through play.
• Observe and assess children's progress, identifying areas for improvement.
• Collaborate with colleagues to maintain a safe and hygienic environment.
• Communicate effectively with parents (both verbally and written), providing regular updates on their child's development, recording observations, sharing information with parents and carers to support learning at home.
• Adhere to safeguarding policies and procedures.

If your skills lie in imaginative play, arts and crafts, dramatic story telling and supporting our fantastic children to reach their milestones and build strong foundations for their future we’d love to hear from you.  If you’d like an informal chat, please drop us an email:  helen.shorrocks:dorsetcouncil.gov.uk

Dorset Council: A great place to work

We’re passionate about making Dorset a great place to live, work and visit. Working for us should be no exception.

At Dorset Council we:

• provide more than 450 services to over 300,000 residents
• have ambitious aspirations
• are excited about our future
• care about Dorset and all the people who live here
• know that all roles make a difference and that our employees are key to our success

You will:

• have access to a range of employee benefits 
• be part of an organisation that supports each other to grow and succeed
• have access to range of training opportunities which will help with your personal development and career progression

We are challenging ourselves to become a more diverse and inclusive organisation.

We recognise that recruitment and inclusion of individuals with diverse skills, perspectives and backgrounds will bring real strength to the council and our communities. We have a commitment to equality and welcome applications from everyone.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. We offer an interview to everyone who declares a disability and meets the essential criteria for the role.

We are keen to make our interviews accessible. Let us know on your job application if you have a disability and need any reasonable adjustments.

We also look for applicants who share our commitment to our behaviours. We will ask you to evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the selection process.

If appointed, the personal information we collect from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected, you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, and your data protection rights, can be found at https://www.cifas.org.uk/fpn.

This role is UK based and we will need to establish your Right to Work as part of the appointment process.

We use generic job descriptions and person specifications. This means the job title on any attachments may differ from the job title in the advert. We may provide specific information in a context statement if relevant.

Find out more about how to apply.