Childcare and Play Officer

*PLEASE NOTE* Cyngor Gwynedd is committed to being an inclusive employer, and to enhancing the diversity of the workforce. Your application form will be assessed anonymously. Your title, name and email address will not be shared with the appointing panel for the purpose of shortlisting. You should carefully consider this when completing the further information section of the application form.

Gwynedd Council offers an attractive employment package, for more information please click on this Information Pack

Gwynedd Council operates internally through the medium of Welsh, and offers all its services bilingually. The applicant will be required to reach the linguistic level noted as one of the essential skills in the Person Specification.

We encourage everyone who applies for a job with Gwynedd Council to submit job applications in Welsh or bilingually.

( Applications submitted in English only or Welsh only will always be treated equally, but we ask applicants to consider carefully what the linguistic requirements of the job in question is and if it would be more appropriate to submit an application in Welsh.)

For further information about this post please contact Rachel Jones on 01286 678824

Interview date - 08/07/2025

Application forms and further details available from Support Service, Gwynedd Council, Council Offices, Caernarfon, LL55 1SH

Tel: 01286 679076

E-Mail: Swyddi@gwynedd.llyw.cymru

CLOSING DATE: 01/07/2025

The Council will request a Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service for the successful candidate.

If you are successful to be short listed for an interview you will be contacted by E-MAIL using the address provided on your application form. You need to ensure that you check your email regularly.

Pecyn Recriwtio Plant (S) (2).pdf

Person Specification

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES
ESSENTIAL
Ability to work and mix easily with people. Ability to deal with people confidently, calmly and courteously.
Able to build good working relationships with colleagues within the field.
Ability to work under pressure and as part of a team.
A neat and organized person who can prioritize work as required and show initiative
Ability to present accurate and tidy work on a regular basis

QUALIFICATIONS AND RELEVANT TRAINING
ESSENTIAL
NVQ3 or higher in a Childcare and Play qualification
3 GCSEs (grade A-C including English and Welsh)

DESIRABLE

Data Protection
ECDL or equivalent in computer use and interpretation.
NVQ5 in a relevant or equivalent qualification

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
ESSENTIAL
Experience of working with children in the early years in a childcare, play or education setting
Experience of communicating with individuals and groups at a broad level;
Experience of planning and completing formal and informal research.
Experience of collecting, analysing and presenting data and information.
Experience of maintaining administrative systems in an office.
Experience of liaising effectively with a range of individuals and other partners

DESIRABLE

Experience of presenting information to meetings

SKILLS AND SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE
ESSENTIAL
Extensive knowledge of the Childcare, Play and Early Years Education sector
Good and robust communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with people and respect the need for confidentiality.
Excellent customer care skills
Organizational and prioritization skills
Presentation skills
Good computer skills - use of Windows program (Word, Excel,Outlook, TEAMS)
Use of a car and a full current driving license.

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Listening and Speaking - Higher Level
Able to follow a conversation or discussion through the medium of Welsh and English on a professional level and discuss general day to day topics in the field in order to present information and express opinions. Able to give a pre-prepared presentation and respond to any comments and questions on it in Welsh or English.

Reading and Understanding - Higher Level
Able to understand standard written Welsh and English; both formal and informal. Able to gather information from various sources such as letters, reports, articles through the medium of Welsh and English in order to fulfil the post

Writing - Higher Level
Present written information confidently by letter, more detailed and technical report formats, and respond to written requests conveying information, ideas and opinion in Welsh and English (help is available to check the work).

Job Description

Purpose of Post

• Ensure that the people of Gwynedd are at the centre of everything we do.
• Attain the statutory requirements of the Childcare Act 2006 in relation to Section 22 (secure sufficient childcare) and Section 26 (assess childcare provision).
• Support the work of assessing sufficient play opportunities within the Authority, in accordance with the Play Opportunities section of the Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010.
• Support Childcare, Play and Nursery Education settings to provide high quality childcare, play and early education services.

Responsibility for Resources e.g. staff, budgets, equipment

Laptop

Play equipment

Mobile phone

Main Duties .

Click here to enter text.

• Support the Childcare Strategic Officer to research and compose statutory sufficiency reviews and assessments within the field of Childcare. Implement an annual work programme in this field under the guidance of the Council, key partners and the Government.
• Take a strategic role to secure sufficient childcare placements for all Early Years funding plans, working with relevant staff and agencies to acquire quality childcare, early years education and play services.
• Assist the settings, the management committees and the lead bodies to comply with CIW requirements such as childcare procedures and policies for running all of the settings to meet the requirements of Early Years funding plans.
• Coordinate the procedure for allocating childcare places to the families that are eligible for the Flying Start entitlement, GP2 and Nursery education. Establish and implement effective arrangements to ensure that the majority of children receive the entitlement in full. Be a contact point for the procedure for families and target hard to reach families to promote the offer.
• Support the Childcare Strategic Officer to provide presentations and initial support for prospective providers, and any leaders/managers who are new to the field of childcare and play.
• Support prospective childcare and play providers with their Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) registration ensuring their awareness of the statutory Regulations and requirements.
• Jointly with the Childcare Strategic Officer, provide support for new and existing childcare and play providers that includes - business development advice, governance matters, financial matters, training for the workforce, safeguarding, the Council's ALN and language policies and refer them to relevant agencies as needed.
• Support childcare and play provisions to be sustainable by mentoring and supporting provisions on methods of financial monitoring, analysing business projections and offering support to manage cash-flow as appropriate.
• Work with the Childcare Strategic Officer to formulate the contents of the Early Years Training Programme.
• Operate as the Operational Manager of the play trailer across the County ensuring compliance with CIW regulations alongside the Nursery Manager and Responsible Individual.
• Mentor new staff and apprentices on the principles of childcare and play in play schemes.
• Named person - First Aid in play schemes.
• In collaboration with the Business and Administration Team, ensure that information about nursery, childcare and play providers is up-to-date on Hwb Teulu Gwynedd / Dewis.
• Maintain up-to-date information about external grants and the criteria for applying and support settings to apply for grants.
• Ensure that relevant information is passed on to relevant partners reporting regularly to the Childcare Forum, the Play Forum and the Early Years Quality Group on early years, childcare and play
• Work with training providers, Colleges and Secondary Schools to provide childcare and play as a positive career path.
• Support childcare and play providers with issues relating to recruiting to the sector
• Contribute to promoting childcare as a profession and recruit trainees including coordinating and attending events which are aimed at prospective recruits.
• Establish and maintain links with other organisations and programmes in Gwynedd which support local businesses and economic activity, including employment programmes
• Maintain up-to-date information on new developments and initiatives, locally and nationally, involving the childcare and play sector.
• Research into good practice within the field of early years, childcare and play workforce development.
• Support the childcare and play providers to develop inclusive settings for children with additional learning needs
• Collaborate and network with other officers and partners in order to fulfil the requirements of the post.
• Undertake Train the Trainer courses when there are opportunities to up-skill the sector by leading and running courses as needed
• Responsible for managing information in accordance with the Council's information management standards and guidelines. Ensure that personal information is treated in accordance with Data Protection legislation.
• Commitment to reducing the Council's carbon emissions in accordance with the Carbon Management Plan, and to encourage others to act positively towards reducing the Council's Carbon Footprint.
• Responsible for reporting any concern or suspicion that a child or vulnerable adult is being abused.

• In collaboration with the Business and Administration Team, ensure that accurate and up-to-date information on childcare and play grant provision reaches prospective and existing providers across Gwynedd.

• Arrange and attend outreach sessions to raise the profile and promote the field of early years, childcare and play.
• Attend local, regional and national groups, forums and network meetings, which consider issues associated with the field of childcare and play.

• Responsible for self-development.
• Ensure compliance with workplace Health and Safety rules in accordance with the responsibilities noted in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Council's Health and Safety Policy. ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠
• Operate within the Council's policies in relation to equal opportunities and equality. ⁠⁠

• Undertake any other reasonable duty which corresponds to the salary and responsibility level of the post. ⁠ ⁠

Special Circumstances e.g. the need to work unsociable hours, special working arrangements etc.

Working Hours: 37 hours a week.

There will occasionally be a need to work unsociable hours such as weekends or on an 8 till 6 rota.

The Department has a continuous programme of training and personal skills development. An Appraisal Scheme will be implemented that will contribute towards this provision. The post-holder will be expected to participate in the programme.

The ability to communicate through the medium of Welsh and English is essential.