The Citizens Advice network in Scotland is the largest independent advice service in the country. Citizens Advice Scotland is a charity within this network – we act as a national organisation supporting and representing the service as a whole and the interests of citizens. At the heart of the network there are 59 individual bureaux across Scotland, all operating as independent charities in their own right, which focus on providing support and advice directly to clients. Each of these organisations is a member of Citizens Advice Scotland. We believe that every citizen should have access to free, impartial and confidential advice that helps them make informed decisions, whenever they need it and however, they choose to access it.

Our vision is for a Fairer Scotland where everyone has the advice and information they need to realise their rights, and that the barriers to accessing those rights are effectively challenged.

In order to be a member of Citizens Advice Scotland every Citizens Advice Bureau must comply with a set of membership conditions and standards. These conditions and standards aim to ensure a bureau adheres to the principles of the Scottish Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux and provide clients with holistic, quality assured information, advice and support.

This role offers you the opportunity to work right at the heart of supporting Scotland's largest independent advice network and to make an invaluable contribution to citizen’s lives. If you are someone from either an advice, quality or learning background with an eye for improvement then this could be the role for you.

As a Learning and Standards Officer, you will be member of the Learning and Standards Team which is responsible for learning support and assessment of each Citizens Advice Bureau’s compliance with these membership conditions. This is an interesting, varied, challenging, and rewarding role.

Using a defined set of criteria and indicators you will assess the quality of advice provision across a range of topic areas and produce reports which summarise your findings. You’d work with colleagues to produce and maintain a variety of learning materials and learning opportunities for bureaux. The role also involves working with bureaux to help ensure consistency of approach to quality of advice and case checking across all Citizens Advice Bureaux in Scotland.

For more information about the role, please refer to the Job Pack.

Employee benefits

Citizens Advice Scotland offers excellent terms and conditions. We want our people to have a great work life balance and we have designed our working practices and benefits to support this. Here are some of things our employees benefit from: a 35-hour full time working week, 40 days annual leave, genuine flexibility in working hours with a flexi-time system, and hybrid working opportunities for every role. For more details of some of the other benefits on offer to our employees, please see the section on employee benefits in the job pack.

Citizens Advice Scotland is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion. We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies and flexible working arrangements to support all our staff. We are also committed to equality of opportunity for all and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

CAS provides options for hybrid working to allow employees to balance their time attending the office with time working from home. The number of days you will be able to work from home each week will be dependent on your job role and can be discussed as part of the recruitment process.

The Citizens Advice network in Scotland is the largest independent advice service in the country. Citizens Advice Scotland is a charity within this network – we act as a national organisation supporting and representing the service as a whole and the interests of citizens. At the heart of the network there are 59 individual citizens advice bureau across Scotland, all operating as independent charities in their own right, which focus on providing support and advice directly to clients. Each of these organisations is a member of Citizens Advice Scotland. We believe that every citizen should have access to free, impartial, and confidential advice that helps them make informed decisions, whenever they need it and however, they choose to access it.

Citizens Advice Scotland provides a business development function and a series of national specialist advice services known as projects which require centralised project co-ordination and support. As the organisation continues to expand in our response to the cost of living and energy crisis, and to meet unprecedented demand for our advice services, we are seeking new team members to join us. You will work alongside the rest of the allocated team, ensuring successful development, delivery, and continuous improvement.

The roles will support a number of projects and therefore a dynamic and flexible individual who can multitask is required. The national projects are delivered by the Citizens Advice bureau network, with the Project Officer providing vital support to enable the advice and support people need.

You will also support a number of internal functions and services and you must have the ability to communicate clearly and to proactively gather information from a wide stakeholder and participation base ensuring deadlines are met.

The roles offer the opportunity to be part of an influential organisation that campaigns for a fairer Scotland in order to make a real difference to consumers' lives. This is a great opportunity to play a critical role in helping to make society fairer, and in supporting our network of Citizens Advice Bureaux across Scotland.

For more information about the role, please refer to the Job Pack.

Employee benefits

Citizens Advice Scotland offers excellent terms and conditions. We want our people to have a great work life balance and we have designed our working practices and benefits to support this. Here are some of things our employees benefit from: a 35-hour full time working week, 40 days annual leave, genuine flexibility in working hours with a flexi-time system, and blended/hybrid working opportunities for every role.

Citizens Advice Scotland is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion. We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies and flexible working arrangements to support all our staff. We are also committed to equality of opportunity for all and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

CAS provides options for blended working to allow employees to balance their time attending the office with time working from home. The number of days you will be able to work from home each week will be dependent on your job role and can be discussed as part of the recruitment process.

Clackmannanshire Citizens Advice Bureau, based in Alloa, is an independent and innovative advice organisation providing holistic advice to the residents of Clackmannanshire across 7 locations in the county. We currently have 27 paid staff and 17 volunteers who provide a wide range of services, across our projects.

We have been delivering a valuable, high-level service to the community of Clackmannanshire for over 50 years. We have accreditation in Type III advice by Scottish National Standards for advice providers (SNSIAP) in the areas of Housing, Debt and Benefits

Benefits of working with Clackmannanshire Citizens Advice Bureau are, annual performance related salary increases, 5% employer’s pension contribution plan, free membership of an employer health plan, free use of company Ebikes and a retail perks scheme. Holiday entitlement for full year is 39 days leave including public holidays with the ability to buy and sell annual leave. Flexible working scheme including some home working and flexible starts finish times

The Citizens Advice network in Scotland has been delivering a comprehensive, enhanced support service called Help to Claim, introduced in April 2019, providing the advice and support people need to submit their claim for Universal Credit and support them through to their first payment.

Clackmannanshire Citizens Advice Bureau is looking for a client-focused individual with experience of providing specialist level advice, to join as a Help to Claim Adviser (UC) and to help ensure clients get the support they need. This includes supporting with online forms, the evidence required, telephone and web chat.

The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate relevant recent experience and knowledge of the welfare benefit system including Universal Credit, however do not require to be a trained adviser (but will be required to complete this training) but a knowledge of generalist advice would be an advantage. Applicants should also demonstrate strong oral and written communication skills, be well organised and be proficient in using a range of IT tools to carry out their work, including case recording systems, Microsoft Office, benefit check programmes and be able to make and manage benefit claims.

Consideration maybe given to individuals who do not meet the full requirements of the post but who could be trained in a reasonable period of time this will be offered at below the entry level salary initially.

Committed, results-driven and supportive to the needs of others, the successful applicant will be able to work both on their own initiative as well as part of a team and must be willing to follow and develop agreed procedures.

This is a unique opportunity to give citizens access to free, impartial and confidential advice helping them to make informed decisions, whenever they need it and however they choose to access it.

The Vacancy: As a skilled Social Care Manager, you will be joining a team of five other Support Advisor’s who are dedicated to supporting the people we work for to live their good lives. Across the Lanarkshire area, we support around 30 people who receive varying support from committed and dedicated teams, supporting people to live in their own home and be a valued part of their community. You will work alongside your Area Lead to manage and develop highly bespoke services designed with the people we work for at the centre.

The Brief: Support people we work for to live their good life…To achieve this, you will be part of a friendly and supportive team of experienced Support Advisors who walk alongside people we work to manage their support. You will ensure each person we work for receives high quality, personalised and aspirational support which keeps them at centre of everything. You will ensure that people we work for are empowered to enjoy everyday living and are part of the community they live in. You will be outcome focused and have a keen eye for detail to ensure people we work for have the high-quality support they deserve.

About You:You will have a proven track record in Social Care Leadership, including management of team members and supporting people to achieve their outcomes. You will be authentic, flexible, patient and be able to plan ahead. You will be assertive, confident, resilient and be able to think outside the box to solve problems that may arise. You need to be a team player and a self-starter all at once who thrives on doing good work. You will be able to adopt a supporting and coaching management style with the team members you line manage to get the best out of support teams working with people we work for as well as experience of performance management.

Your Skills: Experience of working with adults with additional support needs is essential as is a knowledge of Self Direct Support. If you have knowledge of Individual Service Funds, this is also desirable. It is essential that you can demonstrate excellent communication skills, be IT savvy, and be able to plan & prioritise your workload independently. You will have an in-depth knowledge of Person Centred Planning and developing detailed Care Plans. You should also have experience of working alongside a wealth of multi-disciplinary colleagues and be able to build positive relationships with families and loved ones of the people we work for. At heart, you will be a people person who can connect people we work for to their communities and have a ‘can do’ approach.

A relevant qualification in line with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) (an SVQ 3 in Health & Social Care) or a willingness to undertake study to achieve this is a requirement of this role.

The Reward: Be part of a dynamic, forward-thinking organisation working actively to promote and implement a human rights-based approach and active citizenship, supporting people to live their best lives and being a key player in teamwork.

This role is to cover the Motherwell Locality in North Lanarkshire but may include work in other localities when required. This role is hybrid, working from our base in Bellshill, the communities where people we work for live, and some home working. Occasional travel to other areas to attend training/meetings can be a requirement of the role.

Perks of the Post:

• Paid PVG and SSSC fees
• 30 days annual leave - rising to 35 days after 5 years’ service.
• Life Assurance
• Access to Discount Scheme
• Cycle to Work and Tech Scheme
• Credit Union Affiliation
• Health Plan
• Flexible working options

Next Steps:

For an informal chat or further information, contact Ryan (Area Lead) on 07885803772 or if you feel ready to apply now, click the link.