Next Chapter Scotland exists to help anyone in Scotland who has been involved with the criminal justice system to navigate the stigma and discrimination that they can face throughout their lives.

We established in 2022 and became a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) in 2023.

We are run by a Board of Trustees made up of at least 50% people with a criminal record or a close family member of someone with a criminal record. We made this commitment because we believe that people who have lived through the experience should be at the heart of any changes that will improve their lives and the lives of their peers.

Our Vision

Our vision is of a society that no longer judges people based on their worst choices but, instead, sees them as they are today.

How will we get there?

Our priorities are to:

• Share clear and accessible information to help people who have been involved with the criminal justice system navigate any discrimination they may face.
• Bring people together to foster hope and amplify the voices of people who have been involved with the criminal justice system.
• Support people who have been involved with the criminal justice system to challenge the discrimination they face.
• Help to breathe life into the ideas that people who have been involved with the criminal justice system have on how best to improve ‘the system’.

Why are we needed?

It’s estimated that 1 in 3 men and 1 in 10 women in Scotland have a criminal record. In their words:

“The punishment only started with prison. 23 years on from release and it hasn’t ended yet”

“You’re not classed as a valuable member of society. You’re tainted”

“I was better off in prison because I at least had people to talk to and didn’t worry about having to sleep on the street”

“I’ll be forever known as someone who’s been to prison. No matter how much time passes or what good I do, I’ll always be judged for my past crime”

“(It's so hard) Having to disclose to a faceless call centre operator every time I need insurance”

The Role

We are recruiting an Outreach and Amplifying Voices Project Officer to work 21 hours per week for 12 months.

With the support of the Trustees and Chief Executive, the Outreach and Amplifying Voices Project Officer will deliver a series of engagement sessions across Scotland to capture the experiences of people who have been involved with the criminal justice system, identifying core themes relating to stigma and discrimination in order to amplify their voices to decision-makers in positions of power.

The Outreach and Amplifying Voices Project Officer will be required to:

• Facilitate the project steering group.
• Plan safe and inclusive engagement sessions.
• Co-ordinate and deliver engagement sessions across Scotland.
• Analyse the data gathered to identify key themes.
• Develop effective mechanisms for meaningful storytelling.
• Develop a report that will both share the key findings with decision-makers in positions of power and further the aims of the charity.
• Feed the findings for the engagement sessions into the development of our Defend Your Rights training course.
• Create and publish content for the charity’s communication channels including social media
• Contribute to the overall workings of the charity as required.

The Outreach and Amplifying Voices Project Officer will need:

• To buy in completely to the charity’s Vision.
• An understanding of the impact of involvement with the criminal justice system on people’s lives.
• A non-judgmental attitude with the ability to comfortably interact with people from all walks of life in a variety of settings.
• Experience of facilitating group sessions.
• Experience of project management / delivery.
• The ability to make sessions accessible, adapting the approach to meet participant needs.
• Attention to detail in both logistics and record keeping.
• Self-motivation and the ability to work to deadlines.
• Experience of Microsoft programmes such as Word, Excel etc.
• A desire to work as part of a team towards the overarching charity priorities.
• Access to transport with the ability to travel.

Applications from people who have been involved with the criminal justice system are particularly welcome.

This role does not require membership of the PVG scheme.

There is a fixed budget available for travel expenses. Travel time will be included in working hours.

Next Chapter Scotland exists to help anyone in Scotland who has been involved with the criminal justice system to navigate the stigma and discrimination that they can face throughout their lives.

We established in 2022 and became a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) in 2023.

We are run by a Board of Trustees made up of at least 50% people with a criminal record or a close family member of someone with a criminal record. We made this commitment because we believe that people who have lived through the experience should be at the heart of any changes that will improve their lives and the lives of their peers.

Our Vision

Our vision is of a society that no longer judges people based on their worst choices but, instead, sees them as they are today.

How will we get there?

Our priorities are to:

• Share clear and accessible information to help people who have been involved with the criminal justice system navigate any discrimination they may face.
• Bring people together to foster hope and amplify the voices of people who have been involved with the criminal justice system.
• Support people who have been involved with the criminal justice system to challenge the discrimination they face.
• Help to breathe life into the ideas that people who have been involved with the criminal justice system have on how best to improve ‘the system’.

Why are we needed?

It’s estimated that 1 in 3 men and 1 in 10 women in Scotland have a criminal record. In their words:

“The punishment only started with prison. 23 years on from release and it hasn’t ended yet”

“You’re not classed as a valuable member of society. You’re tainted”

“I was better off in prison because I at least had people to talk to and didn’t worry about having to sleep on the street”

“I’ll be forever known as someone who’s been to prison. No matter how much time passes or what good I do, I’ll always be judged for my past crime”

“(It's so hard) Having to disclose to a faceless call centre operator every time I need insurance”

The Role

We are recruiting a freelance trainer to develop a single-day training course that will support people who have been involved with the criminal justice system to defend their rights.

The course will support people to identify when their own rights have been, or might be, violated and develop skills to support them to defend themselves and their families.

The course will need to be supported by a comprehensive trainer guide, providing background information on all topics covered in the session.

It is important that the course is designed with enough flexibility to enable it to meet the needs of the particular trainees in any given session.

The training course developed will be the property of Next Chapter Scotland.

Support will be provided by the wider Next Chapter Scotland team and a project Steering Group.

The freelance trainer will need:

• Extensive experience of developing and delivering training courses to a wide range of community groups.
• An understanding of the impact of involvement with the criminal justice system on people’s lives.
• A non-judgmental attitude with the ability to comfortably interact with people from all walks of life in a variety of settings.
• An in-depth understanding of Human Rights legislation and wider legislation covering topics such as housing, employment and access to health services.
• An in-depth understanding of the skills involved in defending one’s own rights, including assertiveness and self-advocacy.
• Experience of co-production alongside community members.
• Experiencing of making training accessible.
• An understanding of training course evaluation methods.

Estimated Project Timeline

• September: Initial meetings to agree the scope of the contract and the charity’s vision for the training course.
• October – December: Our Outreach and Amplifying Voices Project Officer will be busy gathering the experiences of community members, the findings of which will lead directly into the training development.
• January – April: Initial training development.
• May – June: Co-production phase (delivery of 3 co-production sessions).
• July – August: Pilot delivery phase (delivery of 2 full sessions) and any final tweaks required.

Future Involvement

It is our hope that the freelance trainer will be able to continue their involvement with the organisation as a freelance trainer in the delivery of the training following the end of this contract. However, this will be funding dependent.

Applications from people who have been involved with the criminal justice system are particularly welcome.

This role does not require membership of the PVG scheme.

There is a fixed budget available to pay travel expenses.

We would be happy to consider an individual or an organisation for this role.