Permanent, Full Time 37 hours per week. This is a hybrid role with two fixed days in the office (currently Thursday and Friday).
Do you have knowledge and experience of working with children and young people with additional needs, special educational needs and disabilities and their families? Are you able to challenge barriers to the inclusion of children and young people with additional needs and disabilities? Do you have a degree or level 3 qualification in social care, education, health or related area?
If the answer is Yes – we have an exciting opportunity for a Social Care Practitioner to join our Children’s Direct Payment Service in the Short Break Team located within Disabled Children and Specialist Services.
The Short Break Team is a dynamic service that offers guidance, advice and support to children and young people with additional needs, special educational needs and disabilities and their families. The team has extensive skills and experience and a “can do” ethos.
Working in our Direct Payment team you will set up, oversee and support disabled children and their families who receive our specialist Direct Payment service. You will have a caseload and will be responsible for your families by setting up new Direct Payment accounts, undertaking financial audits, annual reviews, and contributing to the child’s Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
We aim to offer support at the earliest opportunity to build resilience within family networks to prevent escalation and crisis. We support children and young people with additional needs to be access short break activities in their local community. It is our aim that Short Breaks will contribute to keeping children and young people safe and healthy, enabling them to enjoy new activities, make friends and have new learning opportunities – as well as preparing teenagers for adulthood. By providing children and young people such opportunities, we support parents and carers in their role as primary carers and give them breaks to assist them to look after themselves and their wider family.
We offer practical help and support to disabled children, young people and their families experiencing short or long-term difficulties. We provide support to empower families to address various challenges, reducing problems and risks. We can help parents, carers and disabled children and young people with a range of social and personal issues.
The Short Break Team offer includes:
- Direct Payment Service – supporting parents and carers choice and control to source bespoke social care support.
- FLORA - our early identification and support service helping parents and professionals navigate support through our Local Offer.
- Inclusion Service - supporting the inclusion of children with additional needs in community activities.
- Disabled Children Register.
- Review and Reassessment team – supporting children receiving an overnight short break.
Please note that this role is subject to an Enhanced DBS Check.
Why Bristol City Council?
At Bristol City Council we offer a work environment which is supportive, giving you the chance to use your skills and develop new ones within a high-profile organisation.
Join us and you’ll receive a generous rewards package including flexible working, membership of the Local Government Pension scheme, and a generous annual leave allowance. In addition, you’ll be working in a supportive environment where you’ll have the chance to make Bristol a better place and contribute to its future success.
How do I apply?
If you share our values and are ready to be part of our exciting journey please select the apply button below.
To be shortlisted for interview you’ll need to demonstrate how you meet each of the essential criteria in the Person Specification within the Further Information section of your application. On occasion we will receive high numbers of applications, we may then shortlist against the desirable criteria along with the essential criteria, so if you can, please demonstrate how you meet this in your application.
We're a Disability Confident employer which means we value recruiting and retaining disabled people. Any job applicants who consider themselves to be disabled and meet the essential criteria in the Person Specification are guaranteed an interview. We'll make reasonable adjustments throughout the interview process and provide continued workplace support throughout your career.
Shortlisting: Monday 7th September 2026.
Interviews: Monday 14th September and Tuesday 15th September 2026.
Please note that Interviews will be in person and you must be available to attend on these dates.
If you would like to know more information about these exciting and rewarding roles, please contact, Hannah Dancey, via email: [email protected]
Bristol City Council strives to have a workforce that reflects the communities it serves, we are therefore committed to ensuring diversity in our hiring process. We welcome, develop and promote people from all sections of the community. We particularly welcome applications from Young people, Black and racially minoritised, Disabled and Male candidates who are currently under-represented within this Service of Bristol City Council. Appointments will be made on merit.
The personal information section (including your name) you’ll complete as part of the application form will not be visible to hiring managers, but is used confidentially to make sure that everyone is treated fairly.
