The postholder will be expected to operate in line with our values which are:

justice, equity, trust, collaboration and compassion.

Overview

All roles at OPFS contribute to our mission of working with and for single parent families, providing support that enables them to achieve their potential and help create lasting solutions to the poverty and barriers facing many single parents and their children. Our core values of justice, equity, trust, collaboration and compassion are at the heart of everything we do and underpin all aspects of our work.

About this role

The Childcare Connector will support single parents to overcome childcare barriers that prevent them from accessing and sustaining employment, education, training, volunteering and other progression opportunities. Working within the OPFS My Life and Me framework, the postholder will provide specialist childcare information, advice, guidance and practical support to help parents understand childcare options, access funding and secure sustainable childcare arrangements that support their family and future goals.

Working in partnership with childcare providers, employability services and other local organisations, the postholder will help parents access coordinated support and reduce childcare as a barrier to work, learning and progression.

The postholder will be expected to operate in line with our values which are:

justice, equity, trust, collaboration and compassion.

Overview

All roles at OPFS contribute to our mission of working with and for single parent families, providing support that enables them to achieve their potential and help create lasting solutions to the poverty and barriers facing many single parents and their children. Our core values of justice, equity, trust, collaboration and compassion are at the heart of everything we do and underpin all aspects of our work.

About this role

The Project Lead will play a key role in supporting the Regional Coordinator / Service Manager with the day-to-day management, coordination and delivery of the OPFS local service.

The postholder will provide operational leadership and support to the service team, helping to ensure high-quality, person-centred and effective support is provided to single parents, children and families.

The Project Lead will support the delivery of the Whole Family Support Third Sector Delivery Fund, working alongside families to address the issues that matter most to them and contributing to improved outcomes for parents, children and families.

Working within the My Life and Me framework, they will support a strengths-based, trauma-informed and whole-family approach. They will help ensure families receive coordinated support based on their individual circumstances, strengths, priorities and aspirations.

The Project Lead will support staff practice, workforce development, quality assurance, performance monitoring and service improvement. They will work closely with colleagues and partners to develop effective pathways and ensure families can access the appropriate support from OPFS and other services.

The postholder will provide day-to-day supervision, guidance and support to staff and relevant colleagues as delegated and will deputise for the Regional Coordinator / Service Manager when required.

The role will contribute to the development of local whole-family support approaches and to the wider OPFS ambition that families experience a “no wrong door” approach, where they can access coordinated support without having to repeatedly tell their story.

Working within the My Life and Me framework, the postholder will provide operational leadership, support and supervision to staff, ensure high-quality service delivery and undertake quality assurance activities.

The postholder will be expected to operate in line with our values which are:

justice, equity, trust, collaboration and compassion.

Overview

All roles at OPFS contribute to our mission of working with and for single parent families, providing support that enables them to achieve their potential and help create lasting solutions to the poverty and barriers facing many single parents and their children. Our core values of justice, equity, trust, collaboration and compassion are at the heart of everything we do and underpin all aspects of our work.

About this role

The Family Support Worker will play a key role in delivering the OPFS Support for Families Service, providing high-quality, person-centred, strengths-based and trauma-informed support to single parents and their children.

Working within the OPFS My Life and Me framework, the postholder will provide one-to-one and group support, undertake family assessments and case management, develop support plans and work alongside families to achieve positive and sustainable outcomes.

The role will involve working with families with a range of needs and barriers, including poverty, social isolation, wellbeing, parenting, housing, financial difficulties, employment and access to services. The Family Support Worker will work collaboratively with families and partner agencies to identify strengths, address barriers and improve outcomes for parents and children.

The postholder will work closely with the Service Manager and wider team to support effective service delivery, provide guidance to Family Support Assistants and contribute

to the ongoing development and improvement of the service.

Our Support for Families Service delivers holistic support for single parents and their children, guided by the six OPFS My Life and Me priority areas: Money, Health & Wellbeing, Home, Work, Education & Training, Children, and Relationships.

The Financial Wellbeing Worker will play a key role in delivering OPFS’s Whole Family Support offer, providing high-quality, person-centred and strengths-based income maximisation and financial wellbeing support to single parents and their families across Scotland.

Working within the OPFS My Life and Me framework, the postholder will support parents to understand their financial circumstances, maximise household income, manage essential expenditure and build financial resilience.

The role will involve working with single parents experiencing financial pressures including low income, benefit changes, debt, rising household costs, insecure employment and childcare costs.

Key responsibilities

• Provide high-quality one-to-one income maximisation and financial wellbeing support.
• Assess household income, expenditure, financial circumstances and priorities.
• Identify opportunities to maximise income through welfare benefits, grants and other financial support.
• Support parents with welfare benefit applications, renewals and changes of circumstances where appropriate.
• Undertake benefit entitlement checks and calculations.
• Provide early intervention and preventative financial wellbeing support, helping parents identify and address financial pressures before they escalate into crisis or unmanageable debt.
• Support parents to budget effectively and identify opportunities to reduce household expenditure and essential living costs.
• Provide Better Off in Work calculations to help parents understand the financial implications of employment or changes to working hours.
• Support parents to understand the financial impact of changes in circumstances.
• Identify and respond appropriately to immediate financial hardship, including food,fuel and other essential needs, supporting parents to access relevant crisis assistance, grants and emergency provision.
• Provide income maximisation and financial wellbeing support within the agreed scope and competency of the role, identifying where specialist welfare rights, debt or regulated advice is required and ensuring timely referral to the appropriate OPFS or external service

Supporting single parents and families

• Build positive, trusting and respectful relationships with single parents, recognising their individual circumstances, strengths and aspirations.
• Use a person centred, strengths based and trauma informed approach.
• Work alongside parents to identify financial goals and develop realistic action plans.
• Support parents to build confidence, knowledge and skills in managing household finances.
• The postholder will take a holistic, whole-family approach, recognising the links between financial wellbeing, employment, housing, childcare, health and wider family circumstances. They will identify wider needs, strengths and goals and connect parents to appropriate OPFS and partner support, ensuring families can access the right support at the right time.
• Empower parents to make informed financial decisions and develop greater financial resilience.
• Recognise the wider impact of financial hardship on parents, children and family wellbeing and identify needs which may require support beyond the presenting financial issue.
• Take a whole-family approach, connecting parents to appropriate OPFS services and external support including family support, employability, childcare, welfare rights and debt services.
• Identify safeguarding, wellbeing or other concerns and respond appropriately in line with OPFS procedures.

Information, advice and signposting

• Provide accurate and accessible financial and benefits information within the remit of the role.
• Keep up to date with changes to welfare benefits, Scottish social security and relevant financial support.
• Make appropriate internal and external referrals to specialist services
• Work closely with OPFS Debt Service, Advice and Information, Family Support, Employability and other services to provide coordinated support.
• Maintain knowledge of relevant national and local services and resources.

National outreach and partnership working

• Deliver income maximisation support nationally across Scotland through face-to-face, telephone and digital approaches.
• Undertake proactive outreach and develop flexible and accessible approaches to engage single parents who may experience barriers to accessing traditional advice and support services.
• Develop effective relationships with statutory, voluntary and community organisations.
• Represent OPFS at relevant partnership meetings, events and networks.
• Promote the OPFS income maximisation service and wider support available to single parents.

Administration, monitoring and evaluation

• Maintain accurate, confidential and timely case records in line with OPFS policies and data protection requirements.
• Record outcomes and progress and contribute to monitoring, evaluation, case studies and funder reporting.
• Record evidence of the financial impact of the service, including income maximised and savings achieved where appropriate.
• Contribute to reporting requirements associated with the Whole Family Support Third Sector Delivery Fund.

Capture parent feedback and identify emerging issues affecting single parents.

Service development

• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of OPFS’s national income maximisation offer.
• Share learning, good practice and emerging issues with colleagues and managers.
• Contribute to developing accessible financial wellbeing information, resources and workshops.

Health, safety and safeguarding

• Comply with OPFS policies and procedures relating to safeguarding, confidentiality, equality, diversity, inclusion, health and safety and data protection.
• Promote the wellbeing and safety of single parents and their children and ensure concerns are appropriately identified, recorded and escalated.
• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries when working with parents and families.

General responsibilities

• Attend team meetings, supervision, training and development opportunities.
• Share learning and good practice and contribute to effective team working.
• Promote equality, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of the role.
• Undertake any other duties commensurate with the post as requested by the Service Manager.