About this role
Job summary
Commissioned by Gloucestershire County Council, the Gloucestershire Healthy Lifestyle Service provides evidence-based support to help residents stop smoking, achieve a healthy weight, become more active, reduce alcohol consumption, and improve wellbeing. Alongside these core services, the Healthy Beginnings programme provides specialist support for families during pregnancy and early parenthood.
Healthy Beginnings is a specialist public health programme supporting families from pregnancy until a child's second birthday. The programme recognises that pregnancy and the first two years of life provide a unique opportunity to improve lifelong health outcomes for both parents and children. Through evidence-based health coaching and behaviour change support, Healthy Beginnings empowers families to make informed, sustainable lifestyle choices.
Main duties of the job
As a Healthy Beginnings Practitioner, you will deliver predominantly remote health coaching through telephone and video appointments, alongside face-to-face sessions, supporting people and families throughout their Healthy Beginnings journey. You will manage a caseload, provide personalised support across smoking cessation, healthy weight, nutrition, physical activity and postnatal healthy lifestyles, and use motivational interviewing and behaviour change techniques to support sustainable outcomes. You will build positive, person-centred relationships, maintain regular contact and respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns. You will work closely with maternity services, Family Hubs, health visitors, primary care and community partners to promote the service and strengthen referrals. You will maintain accurate records, contribute to audits, reporting and continuous improvement, and represent ABL Health professionally. The role requires independent working, flexibility to travel across Gloucestershire, occasional evening/weekend work, and a full driving licence with access to your own vehicle.
About us
ABL Health Ltd is a dynamic, fast-growing community health organisation with an ambitious vision to create healthier lives and stronger communities. As an experienced, CQC-registered provider of community health and wellbeing services, we are proud to deliver evidence-based, innovative and person-centred care that makes a real and lasting difference.
We work in partnership with individuals, communities and system partners to design and deliver services that are locally rooted, strengths-based and responsive to need. Everything we do is driven by a commitment to reducing health inequalities, improving outcomes and ensuring people have access to the right support at the right time.
Job description Job responsibilities
Healthy Beginnings is a specialist public health programme supporting people and families from pregnancy until a child's second birthday. The programme recognises that pregnancy and the first two years of life provide a unique opportunity to improve lifelong health outcomes for both parents and children. Through evidence-based health coaching and behaviour change support, Healthy Beginnings empowers people and families to make informed, sustainable lifestyle choices. Healthy Beginnings delivers three core areas of support: Smoking cessation support for pregnant people, their partners and families, and households with children under two years of age. Healthy weight maintenance support during pregnancy through personalised nutrition advice, healthy eating education and physical activity sessions. A holistic package of postnatal support to help people and families make healthy lifestyle choices, including infant feeding, introducing solid foods, oral health, healthy eating, physical activity and reducing social isolation through connection. Running throughout every aspect of the programme is a commitment to reducing health inequalities and giving every child the healthiest beginning possible. Working alongside maternity services, Family Hubs, health visitors, primary care and community organisations, the programme ensures support is accessible, inclusive and tailored to the needs of local people and families.
Role purpose:
As a Healthy Beginnings Specialist Coach you will deliver specialist health coaching across the three core Healthy Beginnings pathways: smoking cessation, healthy weight in pregnancy and healthy postnatal living. A significant proportion of the role will involve proactively contacting and supporting clients by telephone and video call, providing accessible, flexible and personalised coaching to people and families throughout pregnancy and early parenthood. You will also deliver face-to-face appointments and group sessions where appropriate to meet client and service needs.
Using evidence-based behaviour change techniques, you will empower people and families to make sustainable lifestyle changes that improve maternal, infant and family health outcomes while helping to reduce health inequalities.
Key Responsibilities:
Service Delivery
Deliver the Healthy Beginnings programme through a predominantly remote model of support, including telephone and video appointments, alongside face-to-face group sessions and other digital platforms.
Proactively contact clients by telephone and video call to provide personalised health coaching, establish relationships, assess needs, agree goals and support ongoing behaviour change.
Manage a caseload of people and families and maintain regular contact with clients throughout their Healthy Beginnings journey, using telephone and video appointments to provide accessible support and minimise barriers to engagement.
Provide flexible support through a combination of telephone, video and face-to-face contact, adapting the method of delivery to the individual needs, preferences and circumstances of each person and family.
Provide specialist coaching across the Healthy Beginnings pathways, including smoking cessation support for pregnant people, their partners and families, and households with children under two.
Deliver healthy weight maintenance support during pregnancy through nutrition education, healthy eating advice and physical activity sessions.
Provide postnatal healthy lifestyle support, including infant feeding, introducing solid foods, oral health, healthy eating, physical activity and reducing social isolation.
Use motivational interviewing, health coaching, positive psychology and SMART goal setting to support sustainable behaviour change.
Develop personalised support plans and review progress using agreed outcome measures.
Maintain regular and proactive contact with clients, following up missed appointments and making appropriate attempts to re-engage people and families who may benefit from continued support.
Client Care
Build trusting, compassionate relationships with people and families, including developing effective therapeutic relationships through telephone and video-based coaching.
Provide person-centred, strengths-based support that recognises the individual circumstances, needs and barriers faced by each person and family.
Recognise safeguarding concerns and act in accordance with local procedures.
Partnership Working
Work collaboratively with maternity services, Family Hubs, health visitors, primary care and community partners.
Promote Healthy Beginnings and maximise appropriate referrals.
Represent ABL Health at stakeholder meetings and community events.
Quality & Service Improvement
Maintain accurate records and confidential information.
Contribute to audit, evaluation, contract reporting and continuous improvement.
Support co-production with people and families and stakeholders to shape future service development.
Professional Responsibilities
Maintain professional standards and mandatory training.
Manage workload effectively and work flexibly across Gloucestershire.
Act as a positive ambassador for ABL Health.
Operational Requirements
Able to travel independently across the county as required (drivers licence and access to own vehicle essential)
Confident and competent in delivering health coaching and behaviour change support by telephone and video call.
Comfortable working independently with a predominantly remote caseload, managing appointments, follow-up contacts and client engagement proactively.
Flexibility for evening and occasional weekend work
Please note that we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Educated to Level 3 or above (or equivalent), or able to demonstrate equivalent knowledge and skills gained through training and experience.
Desirable
Degree or professional qualification in a relevant health, public health, early years or social care subject.
Experience Essential
Experience supporting behaviour change with individuals or groups in health, wellbeing, education, community, social care or early years settings.
Desirable
Experience delivering smoking cessation, healthy weight, pregnancy or postnatal support.
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 ABL Health Ltd
Address Suite 3D Third Floor Eastgate House 121-131 Eastgate Street
Gloucester
Gloucestershire
GL1 1PX
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.ablhealth.co.uk/work-for-us/join-our-team/ (Opens in a new tab)