Charity registered in Scotland SC026076
Who Cares? Scotland is the national membership body for Care Experienced people. Since 1978, we have worked to ensure that the voices of Care Experienced children, young people and adults are heard, respected and acted upon. As a membership organisation, Who Cares? Scotland protects and advances the interests and outcomes of Care Experienced people of all ages across the country. We deliver lifelong independent advocacy, create spaces of belonging and identity, and influence national policy to secure a lifetime of equality, respect and love for Care Experienced people.
Reporting directly to the Board, the Chief Executive will be expected to build on the organisation’s monumental achievements, delivering our vision of a lifetime of equality, respect, and love for Care Experienced people. Ensuring the organisation’s long‑term financial sustainability by diversifying income aligned to our mission, you will also lead the growth and effectiveness of our independent advocacy services across Scotland to uphold the rights of Care Experienced people.
Strengthening Who Cares? Scotland’s role as the first-choice voice of the care community, you will build strategic partnerships, create meaningful opportunities for members to connect, and drive our national policy influence, including shaping the Scottish Government’s work on the future of care to secure better outcomes for Care Experienced people.
As CEO, you will be a leader who can connect, influence, and build strong relationships at all levels. You will be confident in asserting the views and interests of our membership to policymakers, while remaining approachable and receptive to their perspectives. Your leadership will respect and amplify the voice of lived experience, taking a trauma-informed approach in all decision-making. You will bring proven experience in strategic thinking, financial planning, staff development, and managing budgets and relationships within a high-pressure, politically sensitive environment, while building strong partnerships with both internal and external stakeholders.
At a pivotal moment, as Scotland prepares for Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill and continues to strive to achieve The Promise, this role offers a unique opportunity to influence the future of care in Scotland, ensuring that Care Experienced people have a voice in every decision that affects them.
Advocacy & Participation Worker – West Dunbartonshire
- Part time
- £25,354 pro-rata
- Hybrid: Glasgow
- Closing 15th March 2026
Who Cares? Scotland is Scotland’s only national independent membership organisation for Care Experienced people. Our mission is to secure a lifetime of equality, respect, and love for Care Experienced people in Scotland and we currently have over 3000 Care Experienced members.
At the heart of Who Cares? Scotland’s work are the rights of Care Experienced children and young people, and the power of their voices to bring about positive change. We provide individual relationship-based independent advocacy and a broad range of imaginative participatory opportunity for Care Experienced young people across Scotland; we work alongside corporate parents and communities of all sorts to broaden understanding; we work with policy makers, leaders and elected representatives locally and nationally to shape law, policy and practice on the basis of all that can be learnt from the voices of those with experience of care – working together to build on the aspirations of The Promise and secure positive change.
The post holder will work directly with children and young people with experience of care, in an individual relationship-based advocacy role, and within participation and group activity across our west central region. This unique role requires you to listen to what children and young people with experience of care say and support them to ensure their rights are upheld and their voices are heard in the processes of making decisions about their lives. You will also help facilitate a broad range of participatory and engagement opportunities and create the conditions for collective advocacy.
The right candidate for this post will be brilliant at forming positive relationships with children and young people. You will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal, adaptable to a wide range of contexts. You will enjoy working collaboratively with partners. You will be committed to children’s rights, inclusive working, equal opportunities, and believe that all young people can make transformative change happen in their lives if given the opportunity.
The successful candidate will be joining Who Cares? Scotland and working within the west central locality team at an exciting time, when the voices of those who are in or have experienced care are growing in power, individually and collectively – bringing with them insight, challenge, hope and change. Flexibility will be required given the remit of the role. Some evening and weekend work will be necessary, as will a full driving licence and access to transport.
If this sounds like the role for you, we would love to hear from you. For an informal conversation about this opportunity please contact Jamie McAnally, our Advocacy and Participation Manager for our West Central team on jmcanally@whocaresscotland.org.
We particularly welcome applications from people with experience of care who meet the criteria for the post.