Early Years Assistant

Royal Mencap Society; Norwich; On-site; GBP 10,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A children's care organization is seeking an Early Years Assistant to work 35 hours a week across their Children Centre and Preschool. This role requires a passionate individual to assist with providing a stimulating, caring environment for children aged 2-5 with developmental delays. Candidates should ideally have a QCF Level 2 qualification and experience with children aged 0-4. The contract is fixed term until March 31, 2026, and requires an enhanced Access NI and BHSCT checks.

Benefits

32 days paid holiday

Discounts at leading retailers

Health cash plans

Interest-free loans

Qualifications

• Passionate and caring individual for assisting with children's play and education.
• Minimum of 1 year of working/lived experience with children and families.

Responsibilities

• Assist with the provision of a stimulating, caring play environment.
• Work alongside the multi-disciplinary team to ensure children's potential.
• Provide care and learning opportunities through play.

Skills

Qualification at QCF Level 2 or equivalent in Child Care

Knowledge of Child development

Experience with children aged 0-4

Education

QCF Level 2 or equivalent in Child Care, Learning and Development or Play-work

Job description

Do you have a passion for making a difference to the lives of young people with a learning disability?We are looking dedicated Early Years Assistants to work across our Children centre and Preschool.

Mencap Early years provision provides a programme of play, care and education for 2-5 year olds with significant developmental delay and/or complex medical needs.

We are recruiting for an Early Years Assistant on a permanent contract working 35 hours per week in Belfast. This role is based on term time as and when working,an enhanced Access NI and BHSCT checks are mandatory for this position. This is a fixed term contract until the 31st March 2026.

What you will do as an Early Years Assistant?

• Assist with the provision of a stimulating, caring and therapeutic play within an educational environment
• Working alongside the multi-disciplinary team, other professionals and Family Support team offering care and learning through play and therapy opportunities to ensure each child can reach their full potential.
• The job requires a passionate and caring individual who will work as part of the Early years team to provide a stimulating environment to the children we support.

Do you have the skills and experience to be an Early Years Assistant?

• Ideally you will have a qualification at QCF Level 2 or equivalent in Child Care, Learning and Development or Play-work
• Relevant occupational qualification and Knowledge of Child development and age appropriate activities.
• We would prefer candidates with a minimum of 1 year working/lived experience with children aged 0-4 and their families.

*This is not an exhaustive list of the role and its requirements, please look at the full job description for further information.

This vacancy closes on Tuesday 6th January, with interviews to be held soon after.

Here at Mencap we operate a blinded recruitment process for a lot of our roles, please ensure you apply with a full application and covering statement.

JOB ID: 35227

Here at Mencap, we offer an impressive range of benefits designed to support and reward our employees to ensure that our teams feel valued and appreciated. Our benefits package offers 32 days of paid holiday (including bank holidays, pro rata), along with a range of perks such as discounts at leading high‑street retailers, access to health cash plans, interest‑free loans, and many more exciting offerings. For more details on what we have to offer, please see the attached document outlining all the fantastic benefits available to you as a member of our team!

About Mencap

Our vision is for the UK to be the best place in the world for people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives. We're here to support people with a learning disability, their families and their carers. We fight for a kinder, fairer and more inclusive society for people with a learning disability to live in. At Mencap, everyone works with people with a learning disability either providing support or advice, or alongside one another as colleagues. Belonging at Mencap is for everyone, every day, everywhere.· Everyone is expected to treat people well and make Mencap an inclusive organisation.· Every day we grow and learn. It’s okay to make mistakes but we learn from them and make changes· Everywhere people will feel respected, valued, and safe to be themselves. We have Belonging network groups that meet online and are open to all colleagues. The groups include people who identify as Black and Asian, LGBTQIA+, disabled or with a long‑term health condition, women, parents and carers, and their allies. We want to encourage everyone to apply to work at Mencap and we offer a variety of different contract types and working patterns. We're not looking for specific experience. It is your personality and values that will make you a great colleague. We will train and develop you to succeed in the role you’re applying for.