About the organisation

Pregnancy Counselling and Care (Scotland) is a small Edinburgh-based charity that supports families and individuals during pregnancy and early parenthood, or at times of loss, by providing practical and emotional support.

Our Vision:Nobody is left alone to struggle with pregnancy, loss or early parenthood

Our Mission:To support families and individuals during pregnancy and early parenthood, or at times of loss, by providing practical and emotional support

Our Objectives:

This is done through the delivery of two services:

• Our Counselling Service - providing professional counselling to anyone who is struggling as a result of pregnancy, childbirth, baby loss, miscarriage, termination, stillbirth or infertility
• Our Baby Bank – that supplies baby equipment, clothes and toys to families experiencing poverty

Our Values:

• Respect/ Compassion
• Inclusiveness/Diversity
• Collaboration/Connected
• Dependability/Flexibility

About The Role

The Counselling Lead is a part time role (21 hours/week), based in a hybrid fashion from home and the Baby Bank in the Gyle Shopping Centre, as well as the current counselling rooms in the Gyle and Dialogue and Space in the east of the city.

The Counselling Lead will manage the counselling service, and line manage the counselling team of 10 counsellors including both qualified practitioners and trainees. The Counselling Lead will manage the waiting list, allocating them to counsellors appropriate to each client’s needs. They will also contribute to the furtherance of our strategic priorities in respect of the counselling service:

1. To increase capacity of our Baby Bank and our Counselling Service
2. To improve awareness of all our services and their impact on individuals and families
3. To improve the quality of the services we provide

There is a possibility of extension beyond May 2025, on a job share basis with the current post holder returning from maternity leave.

Job Description

• Provide leadership and line management to our counselling team made up of sessional senior counsellors, volunteer and trainee counsellors
• Manage the waitlist, contact referrals coming in and liaise with counselling team to allocate initial assessments and first appointments
• Hold day to day responsibility for child and adult protection concerns within the service with support from Operations Manager
• Support counsellors in their work with client via line management supervision and regular check ins
• Provide in-person support for placement counsellors at both counselling venues when required
• Recruit senior counsellors when required, and placement counsellors on an ongoing annual cycle
• Provide comprehensive training and induction for all new counsellors
• Review counselling policies and procedures, ensuring child and adult protection procedures are followed and service remain in line with COSCA standards
• Oversee the use of Bacpac (client management software) by all counsellors
• Collate statistics from Bacpac and other client feedback routes to report against KPIs
• Liaise with other referral organisations and other agencies to build up partnerships
• Promote the counselling service through awareness campaigns and creation of resources for referrers and key audiences
• Ensure counselling premises are suitable for the needs of the service and maintain relationships with in-person space providers
• Contribute to the operational and strategic development of the counselling service
• Work as a team with all the staff, contributing to team meetings and discussions
• Provide regular reports to Board, liaise with fundraiser and Board members as required
• Liaise with Operations Manager and Baby Bank Development Workers to respond to the needs of the charity
• Oversee PVG applications for the service

Person Specification

Required:

• Fully qualified counsellor with a minimum of 200 hours of client work
• Full membership to COSCA or BACP or other recognised governing body
• Willingness to work to COSCA Statement of Ethics and Code of Practice
• Current PVG membership or willingness to join the PVG scheme
• Experience in
  • Handling child and adult protection concerns and disclosures
  • Providing online and in person counselling
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills
• A proactive and positive approach to problem-solving
• Ability to work effectively, both independently and as part of a team
• Flexibility regarding specific hours worked, and attitude to activities undertaken
• A passion to support others experiencing difficulties in their lives

Preferred:

• Experience of line management supervision, preferably in a counselling context
• Clinical supervisor qualification
• Counselling experience and / or knowledge of pregnancy and early parenting-related issues