About Options Moray

Aberlour Options Moray is a community-based service for children/young people with learning disabilities offering residential, respite short breaks, family-based care and community support matched with the individual needs of every young person. We have a strong reputation in supporting young people with high levels of complex needs, supporting them to grow, learn and maximise their potential. We feel every child has the right to flourish. Our Young People’s Workers play a fundamental role in ensuring that the young people they work with have the best possible experience in working towards their objectives in line with their care plan, supporting children to progress within their individual outcomes. Whilst not without its challenges and demands, this is a highly rewarding role, where the work we do has a demonstrable impact on each young person's progress. Using a person centred approach you will provide enabling support ensuring the highest level of physical, personal, and emotional care to support children in their daily living and within the local community.

What we are looking for....

Our relief workers play a crucial role in supporting our team. This work is offered on a casual, hourly paid basis to provide cover during staff absence and/or particularly busy periods. Shifts are worked on a residential rota and can be 2pm - 10pm, 7.30am - 2.30pm, 10pm - 7.30am. Within those hours there can be a variety of shifts required, eg 7.30am – 11am or 4.30pm – 8.30pm.

Ideally, you will have experience of direct work with children and families and/or experience of working with children or adults with a learning disability and/or an autism spectrum condition.

At Aberlour we want to make sure every child and young person has the love, support and opportunity they need to reach their potential. If you share the same vision, we want you to join our team. To have a look at our values to understand more about what we are looking for from our employees click here.

What we offer...

As well as a supportive team and excellent training opportunities, we want all our employees to feel valued and rewarded for the vital work they do. Find out more about our Employee Benefits and our commitment to Equality and Diversity here.

We also follow Data Protection Guidelines - Here is our privacy policy.

Aberlour is committed to the safeguarding and welfare of all our service users and uses a thorough and rigorous recruitment and selection process including PVG Scheme checks to ensure this commitment is not compromised.

Applications are welcome from diverse ethnic minority and cultural communities, and under-represented faith and religious groups.

About the Scottish Child Law Centre

The Scottish Child Law Centre is a specialist hub protecting children’s rights in Scotland. We provide free legal advice about child law and children’s rights to promote equitable access to justice and specialist training which strengthens advocacy and sustainable support for the rights of the child. We also use evidence from our direct engagement and work with partners to influence long term change for children.

Importantly, we are the only specialist hub for all ages of children and across all areas of child-related Scots’ law. We are here for children, and those who care for and support them, with all advice provided by our qualified solicitors.

Many more children and families are struggling with complex issues in the backdrop of increasing poverty, and demand for our free legal advice has significantly increased. We also know from feedback that our specialist training is deeply valued in the current fast-moving children’s policy environment and as children’s rights are implemented.

The Centre has been through a rapid transformation over the past few years with the introduction of new, innovative services - such as our free, in-person community clinic in Govanhill - being set up to ensure that children and young people have knowledge of their rights and how to realise them. We now wish to conduct research to identify how we can best protect children’s legal rights in Scotland through our current services, future developments and advocacy.

sclc.org.uk

About the Role

This research work will be led by those who need us most – children, young people and communities who face multiple disadvantages which make it more challenging to realise their rights.

The overarching question is how can we best realise children’s rights? Is the current online advice service the best way of doing this? If not, what is?

The work will cover the following areas:

• Comprehensive review of the advice service to analyse enquiry data, and identify key trends, issues, geographical coverage and impact.

• Wider trend analysis using data from the Law Society of Scotland, Government and other relevant organisations to understand patterns in demand, issue types, and outcomes across the sector.

• Review previous youth engagement and assist further engagement with young people and others who have used the service.

• Engagement with children and young people and families and communities who face barriers to realising children’s rights to find out how the SCLC can best realise their rights. What services and support would they like to see from us?

• Engagement with staff

• Engagement with third sector legal and advice organisations that cover issues related to child law.

• Engagement with private law firms on how we can build partnerships, referral services, and corporate responsibility.

• Engagement with legal volunteers, examining current engagement, barriers and ways to increase participation.

• Engagement with the Director and Board to determine how the service aligns with organisational strategy, risk appetite, impact, and decision points for service model changes.

• Full analysis of the current legal representation available in Scotland, identifying where provision is most needed and the areas of child law where gaps exist.

• Geographical analysis of unmet need and potential delivery models (in-house, partnerships, referral networks).

• Review delivery models of other advice lines within Scotland and elsewhere, with targeted scoping of operational insights and impacts.

• Wider engagement with SCLC community to identify how useful current services are and what the alternatives may be.

• Review current funding and consider what can be delivered within limits, as well as what would be needed to deliver different services to meet identified needs.

• Identify opportunities for partnership working.

Deliverables:

• Final report with data analysis, key issues, options, and recommendations, including delivery model, funding requirements, and comparative analysis of alternative models.

• Summary for staff and board.

• Work plan for recommended options and potential pilot.

• Report delivered by the end of June 2026

Costs:

For full review, expanded engagement, and reporting the fee will be £25,000.