Assistant Manager Callback Specialist
- Part time
- £28,629 – £34,991 pro-rata
- Hybrid working; some working from home and from Glasgow base. Occasional travel required to other OPFS offices and events.
- Closing 26th July 2023
- Advertised from 11th July 2023
- 28 hrs per week. Flexible working requests considered.
Role
The postholder will be expected to operate in line with our values which are:
Justice, Equity, Trust, Collaboration and Compassion.
OPFS Advice and Information Service
The Scotland-wide advice and information service for single parents provides:
- OPFS Advice Service for single parents and practitioners seeking advice via our Helpline, Webchat, advice@, 'Ask a Question' and social media platforms.
- OPFS Advice Information which hosts on-line content about issues that matter to single parents.
- OPFS Advice Training service which delivers online and in-person training courses for practitioners working with single parents.
Management Duties
Assist the Advice and Information Service manager and take responsibility for some operational duties of the service including rotas and leave, quality control and auditing, workload management, equipment and IT checks.
Act as a support source for Advice and Information colleagues. Also have some responsibility for providing support and supervision.
Network, develop and maintain relationships with both internal and external colleagues and partners.
Attend events, meetings, conferences relevant to the work of the service.
Monitor the progress towards key targets or outcomes set by OPFS, funders and other stakeholders.
Participate in and support ongoing improvements of the service.
Callback Specialist Duties
Hold and manage a case load referred primarily from the Advice and Information Service advisors where additional need has been identified.
Handle out of remit cases from local OPFS services.
Use professional curiosity to identify and assess need.
Work holistically, in line with OPFS values and priorities, to provide support to single parent households to improve their circumstances and encourage the family’s potential.
Advocate and liaise with other organisations on behalf of the single parent household.
Work within professional boundaries.
Use a number of communication channels to contact single parents.
Report on trends and policy areas reporting these to OPFS policy team through established channels.
Personal Specifications
Qualifications and Disclosures
- Relevant experience and skills are more important than qualifications, and this is a role open to both graduates and non-graduates. However, a qualification relevant to the type of work mentioned above would be helpful.
- Satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure Check
Experience
- Experience of leading a team or working in a supervisory capacity.
- Recent, substantial experience, paid or voluntary, providing advice in an advice setting such as a public advice helpline, Citizens Advice Bureau or similar.
- Experience of operating in a modern digital workplace with experience of using online case management systems.
- Experience of handling with discretion information which may be confidential or sensitive.
Skills & Attributes
- Great inter-personal skills and an approachable, friendly and supportive manner.
- Be able to work independently and be responsible for managing your own workload.
- Strong team-working skills and an ability to be flexible and adapt to change.
- Excellent organisational skills.
- Confident and comfortable in a number of professional settings.
- Excellent communication skills.
- Ability to provide advice and information in a professional, relevant and non-judgmental way.
- Proven ability to absorb new information and learn quickly to diagnose and respond to advice issues in a pressured advice environment.
- Able to work confidently in a digital environment, including standard Microsoft office software packages, CRM systems and digital communication tools.
- Ability to assess need and identify areas of work.
Knowledge
- Excellent working knowledge of the UK system of welfare benefits, Scottish social security benefits, awareness of child maintenance and Scottish family law.
- Knowledge of current government policies relevant to one parent families.
- Knowledge of barriers and challenges surrounding one parent families in Scotland.
Values and Attitudes
- Ability to take a flexible approach to work and duties within your range of responsibility and carrying out other duties as directed by line manager.
- To champion and promote equal opportunities and exhibit values which are non-discriminatory and that encourages single parents to access services.
- Clear understanding of the importance of excellence of customer service.
- Ability to support cross-team working, and a solution focused approach.
- Work in line with OPFS values and priorities.
Terms & Conditions
- Period of appointment: The appointment is permanent. Confirmation of appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a 3-month probationary period, Disclosure Checks and receipt of satisfactory references.
- Salary: OPFS scale 19-23 (£28,629 - £34,991) pro rata for 28 hours a week.
- Hours of work: 28 hours per week, days to be agreed with line manager. As a flexible employer with life and family-friendly culture, flexible hours will be considered as will hybrid working – spreading the working week between the home and office.
- Holidays: Annual leave entitlement is 25 days and 12 Public holidays, pro rata.
- Pension: You will be auto enrolled from your start date. OPFS pays 7% of your salary and you pay a minimum of 3%.
- Training and support and supervision: You will receive induction training and frequent support in the first three months. Thereafter you will receive monthly individual support and supervision and annual appraisals. Regular team meetings will be held, and staff have access to internal and external training.
Equal Opportunities and Family Friendly Employment: OPFS aims to be an equal opportunity and family friendly employer. OPFS has Investors In People status.
The job description is a broad picture of the post at the time of preparation. It is not an exhaustive list of all possible duties, as jobs change and evolve over time.
Application notes
For further information, please click here.
Recruitment Timetable: The closing date for applications is 12 noon on Wednesday 26th July 2023. Please send completed applications to jobs@opfs.org.uk.
Permanent and Freelance Therapists
- Part time
- £45,047 pro-rata
- On site: Within 60 mile radius of our office 111 Oxgangs Road N, Edinburgh, EH14 1ED
- Closing 5th January 2026
We are looking for a permanent therapist and a freelancer to join our Therapy Centre Team. We are open to considering a range of accredited therapists - art, music, drama, filial, play. If you are an experienced therapist with skills in working with children individually and in groups, we’d like to hear from you.
Scottish Adoption and Fostering is an established voluntary sector provider of specialist adoption services. We have built our reputation on the delivery of high quality and innovative services based on best practice. This is an exciting time to join the Agency as we expand our work to include a mainstream fostering service.
The permanent role is for 18 hours a week and will involve some travel to work with children and families within a 60-mile radius of our Edinburgh Office. We want to take a flexible approach so if there are therapists who can commit to a set number of hours a week that are fewer than 18 hours we would love to hear from you.
The freelance role is primarily to work with families in Glasgow and the West of Scotland, again we are flexible and could vary the number of hours for the right candidate.
The Yard is an award-winning charity that runs adventure play services for children with disabilities and/or additional support needs and their families across Scotland.
We are seeking an experienced HR Manager who is passionate about driving positive change at The Yard. You will bring the expertise and gravitas to influence and support senior leadership on HR and cultural initiatives.
About the role:
Some of your key responsibilities will include:
• Ensuring The Yard maintains the roles, skills and experience to deliver on its strategic priorities
• Measure employee engagement and agree action plans to develop and improve organisational culture
• Ensuring our recruitment policies and processes embody our values and enable us to recruit people with the skills and qualities to meet our goals
• Developing and managing our renumeration policy
About you:
This job is for you if you have:
• Proven experience of HR management
• Can lead by example, fostering a culture of trust and respect
• Excellent communication and relationship building skills
• Ability to develop HR strategies aligning with our strategic plan
If our ethos inspires you and you are eager to bring your knowledge and experience to a team that is deeply committed to our purpose, we would love to have you on board.
If you would like to discuss the role with our Director of Resources, please let us know and we can arrange a call.
Services Manager - Enquire (Maternity Cover)
- Part time
- £41,913 pro-rata
- Hybrid: Edinburgh
- Closing 12th January 2026
Children in Scotland are proud to have been delivering our Scottish Government funded Enquire service for over 25 years now. This national service continues to be a highly trusted and respected source of quality and accessible information and advice on additional support for learning.
The opportunity has arisen to take on the role of Service Manager for a period of 12 months on a maternity cover basis. Sitting within Children in Scotland’s Services, Policy and Participation department, this role will involve effective management of all areas of Enquire service delivery.
We are looking for a brilliant and experienced manager with excellent skills in communication, organisation, people management and budget management. The right candidate will also have a solid understanding of the additional support for learning landscape in Scotland to ensure that we maintain our high standards of delivery across all work streams.
If you feel like this role is for you, and that you have the ability to manage an outstandingly knowledgeable and committed team to provide a high quality service for our nation’s children, families and professionals relating to additional support for learning, then please read on.
About Children in Scotland
Giving all children in Scotland an equal chance to flourish is at the heart of everything we do.
By bringing together a network of people working with and for children, alongside children and young people themselves, we offer a broad, balanced and independent voice. We create solutions, provide support and develop positive change across all areas affecting children in Scotland. We do this by listening, gathering evidence, and applying and sharing our learning, while always working to uphold children’s rights.
Our range of knowledge and expertise means we can provide trusted support on issues as diverse as the people we work with and the varied lives of children and families in Scotland.
Diversity
Children in Scotland values the contribution of all our staff, whatever their background. Our recruitment decisions are based on fair, open processes, with appointment on merit. We welcome applications from everyone.
Further Information
For an informal chat about the job, please contact Billy Anderson, Head of Services, Participation and Policy by email on banderson@childreninscotland.org.uk
FGDM Coordinator
- Part time
- £30,002 – £35,076 pro-rata
- On site: Selkirk, Scottish Borders
- Closing 5th January 2026
A fantastic opportunity to come and join the Children First team
Children First’s ambition is for every child in Scotland to be safe, loved and well with their family. As a charity we offer emotional, practical, and financial support to help families to put children first and campaign to uphold the rights of every child.
Family Group Decision Making is working with family groups in a strengths-based way to support them to create Family Plans, keeping children safe and at home within their family networks.
This is an exciting opportunity to join our team as a Family Group Decision Making coordinator. We have funding for a 12-month fixed term post to work alongside the Whole Family Wellbeing Team within Scottish Borders Council supporting families at an earlier stage of intervention.
We’d love to hear from anyone interested in Family Group Decision Making, or strengths-based approaches to working with families, and would like to extend their skill set.
What kind of people are we looking for?
- have experience of keeping children safe in their own families
- are fiercely passionate about children’s rights
- thinks it’s a privilege to work with and on behalf of children and families and,
- are kind and will bring their whole selves to the job: heart and mind
What kind of team member will you be?
Knowing our ambition for children, you will be someone who is:
- resilient, skilled and knowledgeable who wants to transform children’s lives
- determined to support children to stay safely with their own family
- big hearted and courageous
- able to build strong relationships and to manage the tricky conversations
- is compassionate and understanding of trauma
- a cool head and clear minded at times of pressure
- inspiring colleagues and teams to be even better
- an amazing ambassador for children and Children First
- Above all else, the most important thing to us is that you are someone who will do the right thing for children and their families at every turn.
At Children First, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that reflects communities across Scotland. Guided by our values, With Love, With Purpose, With Strength, we strive to create a culture where everyone feels valued, respected, and supported to thrive. We actively work to remove barriers to inclusion and promote equity in all aspects of our work. We warmly welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, especially those from marginalised communities, and are dedicated to ensuring a fair and supportive recruitment process.
Base
You will be based in Selkirk with travel across the Scottish Borders.
Salary, Conditions, Pension
We will offer you a competitive salary, generous annual leave entitlement (40 days inclusive of 9 public holidays). Additional benefits include cash back health plan, cycle to work scheme, and option to join a Credit Union.
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