Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Job Title : Early Years Practitioner

Band: 4

Department: Universal Children’s Services

Location and mobility:

Your normal place of work will be in one of the Enfield Community bases. However, you may be required to work at any other location of the Trusts interests, including travelling to appropriate meetings, outside of the borough, as required.

Accountable to : Service Manager Universal Children’s Services.

Responsible to : Infant Feeding Lead 

Key Working Relationships

Internal:  Health Visitors, School Nurses, Health Visitor Assistants and operational support staff

External:  Children Centre workers, Social Services and GP’S

 Main Responsibilities 

• To demonstrate a commitment to best practice in breastfeeding/infant feeding in line with community infant feeding and UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative alongside relevant professional Codes of Conduct.

•Offering specialist support and guidance for mothers to initiate and maintain breastfeeding – in group settings, at home, face-to-face or on the phone .This can include good hand-eye co-ordination physical skills when demonstrating using dolls and a prosthetic breast .

• Support mothers with more complex breastfeeding needs e.g. multiple births

• Uses judgement to identify, assess, and refer babies for tongue tie division, following discussion and full verbal consent of mother/parents. 2

• Good levels of clinical skills, with the ability to identify, respond to and evaluate health needs.

•Play an active role in the locality teams acting as a resource and champion.

•Uses physical skills to support and/or facilitate breastfeeding support groups and antenatal breastfeeding/postnatal workshops in a variety of settings.

•Support the Programme Lead with the implementation of UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative

•Supporting with staff and mothers breastfeeding’ audits, or other baby friendly activities as required.

•Supervises new staff/students.

•Promote breastfeeding service effectively – identifying opportunities and proactively suggesting ways to connect with local community.

•Contribute recommendations for own work area to enhance policies and improve service delivery.

 To participate in audit, quality improvement, research projects and/or innovations following agreed policy and protocol.

•Support parents who mix or formula feed with the information they need to feed their babies safely and responsively.

•Have good communication skills when discussing the introduction of solid foods with parents, ensuring that all parents understand recommendations on when to introduce solids, to facilitate online/face to face starting solids workshops to families.

•Promotes effective communication. Aware of barriers to communication. Communicates with the first/preferred language of client. Requires good IT, written and oral skills.

•Support all parents, regardless of how they choose to feed their baby, with sensitivity, respect and a non-judgemental attitude.

•Proven organisation skills to help prepare for, as well as participate and support with local and national promotional events (as appropriate) e.g., National Breastfeeding Week or World Breastfeeding Week.

•Provide advice to encourage parents to engage with local health promotion activities, signposting parents to the most up to date information about local activities within their communities.

•Assist in the planning and implementation of induction programmes for new members of staff.

•Responsible for own workload on the day-to-day basis, under the supervision of the Infant Feeding Lead.

•Periods of concentration required when designing presentations and workshops.

•Uses duty of care when using equipment

•Deals with emotive issues such as difficult conversations such as unable to breast feed, safeguarding issues, and anxiety with children.

•Maintain accurate and appropriate documentation.

•Demonstrate awareness of the needs of children and their families from diverse ethnic groups and demonstrate awareness of the Trust Equal Opportunities.

•Ensure Health and Safety policies and all relevant Trust and National policies and guidelines are adhered to, including issues relating to the Children Act, Children’s rights and needs.

•The post holder can be exposed to baby’s vomit and breast milk (body fluids) whilst supporting mother with feeding.

•Have knowledge and understanding of trust guidelines and policies appropriate to the role and demonstrate evidence-based practiced based on these and Baby Friendly standards.

•Identify and pursue own educational and professional development including mandatory training.

•This job description outlines the current main responsibilities of the post. However, the duties of the post may change and develop over time and this job description may, therefore be amended in consultation with the post holder.

•To attend regular safeguarding supervision groups.