- Advertised from 22nd June 2023
- Fixed term contract for 3 years
- + excellent benefits including 30 days holiday and flexible working
Role
Do you have some experience of advice work, an understanding of money and debt support and a real desire to develop your knowledge within this field? Then join Shelter Scotland as a Housing Rights Worker and you could soon be playing an important role in helping to build the financial resilience of people in Scotland with poor financial health.
About Shelter Scotland
A home is a fundamental human need, as essential as education or healthcare. Yet over a million people in Scotland struggle on a daily basis with homelessness, bad housing conditions, soaring rents, discrimination and the threat of eviction. So, we are striving for change, with individuals, in communities, across society, and leading the way to a safe home. We need ambitious, best-in-class individuals who are passionate about our cause to join us at this exciting time. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.
At Shelter Scotland we are united by our purpose to defend the right to a safe home. Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. We believe that to win that fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement for change. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, fair, equitable and transparent.
We have committed to combat racism both within and outside Shelter Scotland and welcome you on our journey to becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.
About the Team
We recently launched a new 3-year partnership with a leading UK bank, with a strategy centred on building the UK’s financial resilience. Together we aim to break the vicious cycles that leave people with poor financial health which may negatively impact their housing situation; through Shelter’s emergency services, piloting new programmes to challenge unfair systems, and empowering communities with their rights. In short, the project aims to improve and challenge financial resilience by delivering specialist advice and intervention and gaining evidence and insight into the issue.
About the role
As a Housing Rights Worker, you’ll be responsible for providing money and debt advice, advocacy and casework to clients, including tailored interventions, homelessness prevention and financial resilience. We’ll also rely on you to deliver housing and financial health/resilience workshops to clients and their families, provide support, training and rights awareness sessions to local professionals and volunteers and co-produce and co-deliver responses to the community experience of the housing emergency. Establishing and developing relationships with communities - including people with lived experience of homelessness - recording stories data and evidence and using insights to actively contribute to interventions, change themes and Shelter’s strategic aims – all are aspects of this interesting and varied role.
About you
To succeed, you’ll need to be used to working with, and influencing, a range of internal and external stakeholders and enjoy collaborating with people from other teams and organisations. You’ll also need great time management skills, an enthusiasm for delivering workshops and presentations and a willingness to challenge practice and hold people to account. Adept at engaging with, listening to and empowering individuals and communities, you enjoy nothing more than gathering evidence and identifying insights, issues and trends. What’s more, you present information and arguments in a clear and compelling way and have excellent problem solving skills. Proficiency using IT like Word, Excel, email, internet and in-house CRM systems is also required.
Benefits
We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.
Shelter Scotland helps over half a million people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help.
To find out more about the role and the benefits of working for Shelter Scotland please visit our website. Apply to be part of our team and be the change you want to see in society.
Safeguarding is everyone’s business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.
Application notes
To find out more and apply please visit our website
Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.
Closing date: 5th July 2023 at 11.30pm
Project Worker – Upstream (School based prevention service)
- Full time
- £24,799 – £27,928
- Hybrid: Perth & Kinross
- Closing 4th November 2024
Join our mission to end youth homelessness in Scotland!
For over 30 years, we have been dedicated to preventing youth homelessness and supporting young people in building better futures.
This exciting and new role within the Rock Trust involves contributing to the new National Upstream project (homelessness prevention model).
Upstream is an innovative schools-based preventive model that utilises a universal screening tool to identify and support students at risk of homelessness.
The role requires skills inclusive of excellent communication skills, the ability to establish and nurture key partnerships and relationships with stakeholders, work directly with young people to provide emotional and practical support on a 1:1 basis in schools, at home and/or within the community.
Additionally, you will be digitally proficient in the use of Apps and IT with the ability to analyse and interpret data to identify young people who may require support, in collaboration with stakeholders.
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Top job! Managing Principal Solicitor
- Full time
- £55,000
- Hybrid: Edinburgh/Glasgow
- Closing 30th October 2024
Shelter Scotland is seeking a new Managing Principal Solicitor to lead the Shelter Scotland Housing Law Service. This is an exciting opportunity to head up a dynamic team of talented specialist housing solicitors.
The role will require strong leadership supervising and managing strategic litigation pursuing complex or novel points of law. The team have been at the forefront of some of the most influential pieces of strategic housing legal work in Scotland over the years. A keen interest in developing and testing the law in this area will be a key attribute for the role.
About the role
As Managing Principal Solicitor, you will:
- Lead the Shelter Scotland Housing Law Service to achieve, and evidence progress towards the strategic goals of the organisation.
- Manage the day-to-day running and operations of the Shelter Scotland Housing Law Service, including people, practice and financial management, and compliance with Law Society rules.
- Be instrumental in ensuring the service provided is of a consistently high quality, providing support, oversight, development and motivation to the team to enable them to reach their full potential and realise their career goals.
About you
See the JD on our website for further details on the role specific responsibilities. They will include having:
- Qualified to degree level in Scottish Law
- Comprehensive knowledge of Scottish Housing Law
- 5 years of experience: unrestricted practicing certificate and civil litigation
- People management experience
- The ability to make evidence-led decisions
Apply to be part of our team and be the change you want to see in society.
Benefits
We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.
Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We’re here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.
We are happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.
About Shelter Scotland Law Service
Currently, Shelter Scotland Housing Law Service operates as a sole practitioner firm, with a wider legal team who are both lawyers and lay people. All individuals are employed by Shelter Scotland, with the Principal Solicitor or their nominee entitled to take part in the recruitment of firm staff. Whilst the Firm undertakes to operate within the policies and parameters of Shelter Scotland, it is the Firm’s responsibility to comply with LSS compliance and obligations to maintain its registration with the LSS.
Shelter Scotland are actively looking at different business models for the future of the Law Service, in which the Managing Principal Solicitor would play a key role.
About Shelter
Home is a human right. It’s our foundation and where we thrive. Yet everyday millions of people are being devastated by the housing emergency.
We exist to defend the right to a safe home. Because home is everything.
We need ambitious, passionate people to join us. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.
Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. To win this fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, equitable and transparent. We are committed to combating racism both within and outside Shelter. We welcome you on our journey to becoming truly anti-racist.
Safeguarding statement
Safeguarding is everyone's business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.
Project Worker - Fife
- Full time
- £24,799 – £27,929
- Hybrid: Across Fife with occasional home working, office base in Dunfermline.
- Closing 29th October 2024
Working as part of our innovative Housing First for Youth Team, The Project Worker will work directly with young people to coordinate and provide emotional and practical support. Providing an assertive outreach approach the Project Worker will Work with young people to secure and manage their own permanent home, providing support in their home and in their local community to ensure that a young person’s experience of homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring.
The Project Worker will support young people to improve their practical independent living skills, access other services and to reach their full potential. Project Workers are responsible for completing support plans and risk assessments and are the main contact for any key people involved in the care and support of young people.
ABOUT EAST LOTHIAN COMMUNITY RAIL PARTNERSHIP
Community Rail Partnerships (CRP) were first established in England in the 1990s as a formal mechanism to reinvigorate local and rural railways. CRP status provides a framework for community involvement in strategic planning, development and operation of a specific railway line.
Since 2014, the East Lothian Community Rail Partnership has been pulling together a wide range of local organisations with an interest in communities and sustainable transport, to fix the link between railway stations, town centres and the surrounding areas, and realise an integrated transport network accessible to all. We work with four train operators (ScotRail, LNER, TransPennine Express, and Cross Country), Transport Scotland, East Lothian Council, the Regional Transport Partnership (SEStran), local businesses and community groups towards the following aims:
- Supporting the local economy by promoting rail use and rail facilities
- Actively promoting the use of rail and other public and low carbon-emitting transport
- Supporting safety, security and access initiatives relating to railway use
- Working with ‘station adopters’ (individuals and groups) to provide a more pleasant environment within the station areas.
ABOUT THE VACANCY
Harry Barker has been chairing East Lothian CRP since its inception in 2014 and is now preparing to pass on the reins of a well-established and respected organisation. In addition the time is right to expand the Board and also appoint a vice chair. Examples of projects completed to date include:
- restored the murals at Prestonpans Station (best community project 2023)
- improved signage to stations
- provided information boards for display in stations promoting local attractions and historical information
- supported many local events in the North Berwick and Dunbar areas
- producing a line guide and leaflets to encourage tourism
- working with bus operators to improve integration between bus and rail
Projects have always been dependent on external funding which to date has not proved problematical, and, as such, the incoming Chair will have the flexibility to pursue their own agenda. The CRP is financially sound and new ways of operating are being explored by The Community Rail Network and the new Chair will be well placed to provide input to these.
East Lothian CRP has no paid staff, and projects are led by volunteers under direction from the Board, and therefore the amount of work involved can vary but can be expected to be around 10 hours per month for the Chair.
DUTIES OF THE CHAIR
Responsibilities include:
- Ensuring that the CRP is run in accordance with the constitution
- Guiding and encouraging projects that will be undertaken from time to time
- Ensuring that the Action Plan is kept up to date
- Chairing four meetings per year, including the AGM (normally held in November)
- Producing an annual report for the AGM
- Ensuring that the activities of the CRP are within the guidelines produced by the Train Operating Companies in all respects particularly including safely
BENEFITS
You will receive a ‘staff’ rail pass from ScotRail permitting free rail travel throughout Scotland when travelling on ScotRail trains.
Reasonable expenses will be paid if required to travel on other rail services and/or stay overnight.
REQUIREMENTS
The successful applicant will be expected to support public transport in general, with a keen interest in integration between modes such as buses, active travel and rail.
A willingness of Board members to attend committees and conferences is essential (expenses will be covered) and these will give valuable access to professional railway staff and management on the front line, where your views can be heard. These include:
- the local ‘Rail Forum’ involving MSPs, Councillors and Train Operating Companies - twice a year, usually virtually
- in-person or virtual annual conferences of the four local Train Operating Companies (ScotRail, Cross Country Trains, TransPennine Express, and LNER) which may be held anywhere in the UK
- An annual event in Scotland sponsored by Modern Railways magazine which is attended by many high profile railway managers and senior representation from Transport Scotland
- Virtual attendance (via Zoom) at the national Community Rail Network meetings
- In-person Community Rail Networks Awards ceremony, if the CRP is short listed for an Award – this year’s was in Swansea over three days
- Six Community Area Partnership ‘On the Move’ groups consider local transport in East Lothian – CRP representation on one or more of these groups is important for a full appreciation of issues surrounding each station. Each On the Move Group meets every two months
A knowledge of railways and their workings is desirable but not essential.
Living in East Lothian and using the county’s rail services from time to time would be advantageous.
You will be expected to liaise with the station adoption groups from time to time. They have a separate relationship with ScotRail.
You will be expected to be pro-active in instructing the website to be kept up to date via the CRP’s appointed webmaster, and in responding to public enquiries which come via the website. You will not be required to answer complaints from the travelling public but direct these to ScotRail for attention.
From time to time it may be necessary to communicate with the local Press (East Lothian Courier and occasionally Edinburgh Evening News).
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