This is an exciting opportunity to join our team of dedicated staff supporting children and families to maintain or rebuild relationships with missing family members after parental separation or relationship breakdown. The role provides an interesting variety of family support interventions including working in our child contact centres as the Family Connection Lead worker (we refer to child contact as our Family Connections service); one-to-one work with children in our All About Me Voice of the Child service; and developing focussed project and group work.

Our Family Connections service supports families through a child’s rights lens to support families move towards independent co-parenting solutions with the child’s needs at the heart of decision making. You will work as part of a staff team, on shift, with families referred via the family court system, or via self-referrals, to ensure safe supervised and supported child contact can be facilitated. You will have excellent relational skills and experience of working with both children and parents/carers. As Lead Worker you will have responsibility for families matched to you through our referrals and allocations process and ensure each family member is fully prepared for support, nurtured throughout their Family Connections journey, ensure reviews are timely, and that all work supports steps towards positive outcomes for children.

Currently the project part of this role is funded to develop our commitment to care experienced children and young people through The Promise. We seek someone with experience in participation and engagement practice and skills to organise small connection events. You should have experience of developing projects, collecting accurate data, and contributing to the impact assessment and reporting of the project. You should also have experience of working with external stakeholders, ideally social workers, solicitors and other third sector partners. Please note the funding through The Promise ends in Jan 2025 hence the temporary nature of this role. It is anticipated further project funding will be available after this time.

The role will also involve nurturing one-to-one support through our All About Me Voice of the Child service which adopts a therapeutic approach to support the child understand more about their family story, safely explore their feelings and opinions, and explore options for next steps. Sometimes our children voice they are not ready to see family members due to previous trauma, it is our duty to ensure this voice is heard by decision makers, including parents and family court Sheriffs.

The Organisation:

Family Journeys are a forward-thinking organisation who work with and alongside children and families as they navigate changes to their family because of separation and relationship breakdown. Often our families have experienced high levels of conflict and children and parent relationships have become negatively impacted by adversity and change. We start our engagement with every family believing in success and achieving positive outcomes for children. Family Journeys provide professional Family Mediation services, Family Connections services, All About Me Voice of the Child services, individual parent support, and group or project work provision to support families find solutions. We proudly adapt our services to meet the needs of our children and families in response to lived experience feedback.

Family Journeys are a small organisation doing big things across Edinburgh and The Lothians. We belief the biggest difference comes from attention to the smallest details. We always think ‘child first’. So, if you are kind and compassionate, skilled in building relationships and see the person not the problem, if you share our commitment to involving children as active decision makers in their own care arrangements that will forever impact on their family relationships – then we want to hear from you.

The Opportunity:

We are looking to employ at 6-18 hours per week however we would be willing to discuss hours at interview. The role is fully funded until January 2025 with continued funding anticipated.

This role will be over 1-3 days per week and will be on shift in our Family Connections service which operate Thursday – Sunday. One weekend day will be required. We work with staff to ensure best fit with your circumstances and the needs of the organisation to set an agreed working pattern to a fixed rota across the staff team. Project and Development hours will be worked flexibly to meet the needs of our children and families. This may include outreach family support and group work. You will have flexibility to manage these hours across the rest of your week with compressed hours an option.

Family Journeys offer you a competitive salary with annual incremental growth, generous annual leave entitlement (35 days pro rata inclusive of 9 public holidays and 1 annual wellbeing day) and a contributory pension scheme.

Scottish Adoption and Fostering provides sector leading services to children and young people. We are looking for a passionate, committed, and experienced Children’s Worker and Participation Officer to join our Support Services.

The postholder will work alongside our children and young people to devise and implement planned programmes of work which support their understanding of their life experiences; enhance their identity and self-esteem and promote healthy emotional development.

The postholder will work with the Practice Manager for Adoption and Fostering Support to ensure the voice of lived experience shapes service design and delivery and to embed children’s rights at the heart of all we do.

This is an exciting time to be joining the Agency as we develop our mainstream fostering service building on our existing knowledge and expertise in the area of adoption

At Children 1st our 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.

An opportunity has arisen for a Finance Business Partner to join our Finance Team within our Corporate Services Directorate.

This role is integral to the running of the organisation, working with the Head of Finance across the organisation supporting managers in their business planning, budget setting and providing management information to allow our managers to make the best possible decisions. The role will also be responsible for producing management accounts.

Based in Edinburgh, with some home working and visits to sites across Scotland, the successful candidate will bring significant experience business partnering. The role will involve collaborating with colleagues across the organisation, taking the time to build relationships and understand the needs of the organisation.

You join us at an exciting time as we continue to play our part in helping Scotland's children and families as we enter the post-covid world and navigate a cost of living crisis. We are a dynamic charity focussed on leading transformational change for children so that they stay safe, happy and well in their own families and communities.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a busy finance team which is going through a period of change and development.

The main duties and responsibilities include:

• To act as a key interface between Finance and Children 1st’s business units based across Scotland.
• Develop and maintain accurate knowledge and understanding of cost centre environment.
• Sign off and supply correct information for internal and external publication, for which accuracy and auditability are key.
• Operate a Finance onboarding process for new delivery partners to ensure that adequate data provision is in place and operational records are kept.

To be considered for this opportunity you must be/have:

• Fully Qualified Accountant (ICAS, ACA, ACCA, CIMA etc.)
• Month-end and management accounts experience
• Have a strong aptitude for analysing financial data
• Budgeting and performance management experience
• Strong excel skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Package Includes:

• Full Time, 35-hour week
• Hybrid working
• Other flexible working arrangements
• 40 days leave entitlement
• Company pension

If you have previous experience of working in a senior accountancy role, are enthusiastic and motivated we’d love to hear from you.

We are looking for foster carers who live within 60 miles of Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Elgin. They will be matched with one of our Foster Care Social Workers in our Edinburgh and Aberdeen offices.

Job purpose

To provide a family home and care to children and young people who cannot be cared for by their birth parents.

Main duties

• The key tasks for a foster carer are wide ranging — they cover the health, educational, cultural and religious needs of the child or young person you care for.
• Also, children and young people usually have a need to maintain contact with members of their family or other significant people and your support for this is very important.
• Often they will have difficult and challenging behaviour and you will be helped to find ways of both managing these challenges and of helping them learn new ways of coping and interacting with adults and their peers.
• You will be asked to prepare reports and attend meetings; and you will need to record a range of information about each child in placement and you will need to know how to keep this information safely and protect the confidentiality of the children and their families.
• You are a vital member of a team and we will offer you support and training to help you fulfil your role and to develop new skills.

Additional considerations

• The information contained in the Placement Agreement form, and other information in relation to the child and his or her family is shared in confidence. Families may have shared private, and at times painful, details of their lives and it is necessary that they feel trust in you. Information must only be shared with relevant parties. You should ensure written information is locked in a secure place.
• Decisions will be made with your foster care social worker and the child’s social worker about what to tell your family, friends and neighbours. Details about the child’s health and family relationships must be handled discreetly.
• Information about parents cannot be shared with the child without the parent’s consent.
• A child or a child’s parents may entrust you with information. You may have to explain that some information is important and must be shared with the child’s social worker. In other words, you must make it clear that you cannot hold all information in confidence.

Teamwork

You will be a key participant in the development of the plan for a child in your care. You are part of the Team that will work together to ensure the best possible outcomes for the child.

The Team can include:

• You – the carer
• The child
• The child’s parents
• Other family members/friends who are important to the child
• The child’s social worker
• Your foster care social worker and other staff of St. Andrew’s Children’s Society
• Other professionals involved in the care and education of the child e.g. Health Visitor, Teacher, GP, School Doctor and Psychologist.

Supervision and support

• Professional consultation and supervision to promote professional growth in your role as a foster carer will be provided by your Foster Care Social Worker and their Manager. You will also be given access to the support of other foster carers who understand the challenges of the fostering task.
• You will also receive free membership to The Fostering Network.

Terms and conditions

You will receive a Foster Carer Handbook that details all your conditions of service and the expectations of you in the foster carer role. You are considered as self-employed for HMRC purposes.

Fostering allowances and fees

Details of the rates paid are issued in April each year to all carers. Payments are made four weekly in advance directly into bank accounts, and carers receive a statement giving details of the payment made.

Carers must ensure that St. Andrew’s Children’s Society is supplied with their full name, address and relevant bank account details to ensure payments are made efficiently.

St. Andrew’s Children’s Society reserves the right to vary or amend the duties and responsibilities of the post holder at any time according to the needs of the Company’s business.