Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

Specialist Nursery Nurse

The closing date is 11 March 2026

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our multidisciplinary Child Development Service as a Specialist Play Nursery Nurse, supporting babies and young children aged 05 with additional needs. This role focuses on promoting developmental progress through play, working closely with families, nurseries and professionals to understand each childs unique strengths and needs.

This role involves delivering a graduated offer of universal, targeted and specialist playbased interventions. While homebased assessment and intervention remain a key part of the role, the post is evolving to include groupbased sessions and wider communityfocused work to ensure children receive the right level of support at the right time.

You will assess preschool children with additional needs, including delays in gross and fine motor skills, play, learning and social communication. You will develop an understanding of each childs play profile through direct observation, using play as a vehicle to support development across all areas.

You will work as part of a small team of Specialist Nursery Nurses with expertise in early childhood development, collaborating closely with parents, carers, the wider multidisciplinary team and early years settings. A key part of the role is empowering families to feel confident supporting their childs development through play, and offering practical advice on toys, strategies and approaches that can be used at home and in nursery settings.

Main duties of the job

The role involves close collaboration with parents, carers, nursery staff and healthcare professionals to build a full understanding of each childs strengths and needs. The post holder will empower families to support their childs development through play and will signpost to appropriate services across health, education, social care and the voluntary sector.

Assessment and intervention may be delivered facetoface, via telephone or through virtual platforms. You will create individualised care plans in line with service pathways and contribute detailed observations that support future diagnostic decisionmaking. A high level of accuracy, independence and professional judgement is essential.

The post holder will be expected to present clear and concise summaries of observations and assessments to support community paediatricians and the wider multidisciplinary team. Strong, empathetic communication skills are essential, alongside the ability to maintain accurate records and produce clear, professional reports.

The post holder must demonstrate cultural sensitivity and work respectfully with families from diverse backgrounds. A sound understanding of safeguarding procedures for preschool children is required. Regular supervision will support ongoing professional development.

Travel is required to deliver care in family homes, nurseries and Child Development Centres, ensuring support is accessible and responsive across the county

About us

At Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, we are working together to deliver outstanding care. We run community hospitals and community health services across Worcestershire and provide mental health and learning disability services across both Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

Our people (all 4500+ of them) provide services for people of all ages, experiencing both physical and/or mental health conditions from over 100 sites.

We will support you to thrive; offer flexible working options for a great work-life balance, help you fulfil your ambitions, and empower you to make positive changes within your team or service. We value diversity and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities.

What we offer;

27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service
Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when you work unsocial hours
Flexible and agile working opportunities
Great maternity, paternity, and adoption support
Wide range of supportive staff networks
Health and wellbeing opportunities

If you would like to know more, please visit our website.

We encourage you to read the attached applicant guidance notes.

Sharing your data - As a data controller we may sometimes need to process your data to pursue our legitimate business interests, for example to request a survey from you (optional), to support the Trusts understanding of where you gained interest in working for the Trust.

Date posted

18 February 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£27,485 to £30,162 a year Pro Rata for part time

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

C9798-2044

Job locations

The Beacon Centre

Carnforth Drive

Radford Avenue

Worcester

Worcestershire

WR4 9HG

Princess Of Wales Community Hospital

Stourbridge Road

Bromsgrove

Worcestershire

B61 0BB

Kidderminster Health Centre

Bromsgrove Street

Kidderminster

DY10 1PG

Job description

Job responsibilities

We are looking for an enthusiastic and experienced practitioner with a strong understanding of child development and significant experience working with babies and young children with additional needs. You will need excellent communication skills, the ability to adapt your approach to meet the needs of diverse families, and confidence in working collaboratively with parents and carers. Experience of having sensitive or difficult conversations is desirable.

You must be able to evidence consistent, recent experience of observation, assessment and differentiated support or intervention with preschool children. We will provide supervision and support, but you should be able to demonstrate how you have used supervision previously to develop your practice. An understanding of safeguarding procedures is desirable.

The post holder will assess and support the developmental needs of preschool children with additional needs through playbased approaches. This includes delivering universal, targeted and specialist interventions in homes, early years settings and community locations.

This is a permanent post for 22.5 hours per week. The role includes travel across the county for home visits, nursery visits, team meetings and training.

For full details of the duties and criteria for the role please refer to the job description and person specification attached.

Job description

Job responsibilities

This is a permanent post for 22.5 hours per week. The role includes travel across the county for home visits, nursery visits, team meetings and training.

For full details of the duties and criteria for the role please refer to the job description and person specification attached.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

Working with infants and children with special needs and their families
Planning, assessing and evaluation the development of children with special needs
Use of play as a therapeutic intervention
Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team

Desirable

Planning, assessing and evaluating the development of children with special needs

Qualifications

Essential

NNEB or equivalent qualification (e.g., NVQ level 3 in Childrens Care, Learning and Development)
Post basic training courses e.g., special needs, counselling, neonatal care, Intensive Interaction, Parent Child Interaction, and Playfulness
The post holder will be expected to meet the Care Certificate standards within 12 weeks of commencing employment with the Trust
I understand that I will be asked to provide original certificates to verify my qualifications at point of offer.

Knowledge

Essential

Working knowledge of Health Services and relevant documents
Relevant professional standards

Additional Criteria

Essential

Able to meet the travel requirements of the post

Desirable

You understand that we will not routinely provide sponsorship to work for this role

Skills & Abilities

Essential

Ability to challenge poor behaviour.
A positive attitude and able to act on feedback
Ability to praise and be supportive to others
Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in English in both verbal and written formats
Ability to deal courteously with all members of staff and members of public
Ability to work alone or function as part of a multi-disciplinary team

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

Working with infants and children with special needs and their families
Planning, assessing and evaluation the development of children with special needs
Use of play as a therapeutic intervention
Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team

Desirable

Planning, assessing and evaluating the development of children with special needs

Qualifications

Essential

NNEB or equivalent qualification (e.g., NVQ level 3 in Childrens Care, Learning and Development)
Post basic training courses e.g., special needs, counselling, neonatal care, Intensive Interaction, Parent Child Interaction, and Playfulness
The post holder will be expected to meet the Care Certificate standards within 12 weeks of commencing employment with the Trust
I understand that I will be asked to provide original certificates to verify my qualifications at point of offer.

Knowledge

Essential

Working knowledge of Health Services and relevant documents
Relevant professional standards

Additional Criteria

Essential

Able to meet the travel requirements of the post

Desirable

You understand that we will not routinely provide sponsorship to work for this role

Skills & Abilities

Essential

Ability to challenge poor behaviour.
A positive attitude and able to act on feedback
Ability to praise and be supportive to others
Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in English in both verbal and written formats
Ability to deal courteously with all members of staff and members of public
Ability to work alone or function as part of a multi-disciplinary team

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

Address

The Beacon Centre

Carnforth Drive

Radford Avenue

Worcester

Worcestershire

WR4 9HG

Employer's website

https://www.hacw.nhs.uk/careers (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

Address

The Beacon Centre

Carnforth Drive

Radford Avenue

Worcester

Worcestershire

WR4 9HG

Employer's website

https://www.hacw.nhs.uk/careers (Opens in a new tab)