The Policy and Participation Officer plays a crucial role in advancing Together’s mission to ensure that all babies, children, and young people in Scotland have their human rights respected, protected, and fulfilled. This role supports the Legal and Policy Manager by enhancing policy development and ensuring robust participation of babies, children, and young people in all aspects of Together's work. The Officer will assist in policy advocacy, engage in public affairs, and strengthen the engagement of babies, children and young people in Together’s activities, including the Rights Detectives.

Key areas of responsibility include:

• Supporting policy development and analysis by assisting with Together's annual State of Children's Rights report and the #RightsOnTrack programme, monitoring developments and recommendations from UN treaty bodies, drafting responses to relevant Scottish/UK Government and Parliament consultations, and developing policy briefings.
• Supporting the development of participation projects and leading desk-based research that ensures babies, children, and young people’s views are at the heart of Together’s policy and advocacy.
• Facilitating collaboration with members and supporting partnership activities with organisations across the UK, Europe and internationally.
• Supporting the Legal and Policy Manager with public affairs tasks and working with the Membership and Social Media Officer to coordinate strategies to enhance Together's social media presence.
• Supporting the Legal and Policy Manager in policy meetings and events, actively engaging in team meetings, and assisting in the development of funding proposals.

Throughout the role, the post-holder will be expected to involve Together’s membership – including children and young people – whenever possible and appropriate.

Reporting to: Legal & Policy Manager

Planning Aid Scotland is a Company Limited by Guarantee and a Charity, registered in Scotland. It is defined by its Memorandum and Articles of Association.

We are a charity and social enterprise that helps people to navigate the planning system. We support a planning system that is inclusive, positive and innovative, where individuals and communities have the opportunity to shape the future of their place in an impartial, open and inclusive way. Through our facilitation-based approach, we help people participate in the planning system to help ensure that all voices are heard.

We currently have eleven board members and are looking to recruit a new board member to assume the role of Treasurer.

Board members are expected to take part in quarterly board meetings, these take place for a duration of around two hours, usually in the early evening. Board meetings are hybrid, with the meeting taking place in the office for those who can attend in-person, with the ability to join online for those unable to attend in-person.

The Board focuses on strategic direction and vision rather than organisational management and service delivery. In achieving this, the Board’s key consideration is how to implement the organisation’s charitable aims and objectives and Strategy.

Working for a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP)

Mark Ruskell MSP is looking for a Casework Coordinator to join his team based in Mid Scotland and Fife.

MSPs are employers in their own right. Under their employment, you will become part of a team supporting them in carrying out their duties. You'll work in a dynamic and fast paced environment to provide an outstanding service for constituents.

Responsibilities

• Supporting with keeping casework up to date and responding to public enquiries.
  • Keeping cases up to date by tracking, logging, and recognising when to escalate issues within team.
  • Meeting constituents on a wide range of issues, including those of a sensitive nature and escalating accordingly.
  • Supporting the Head of Office to investigate patterns of enquiries and produce casework reports.

• Assisting the broader regional team by attending visits, monitoring local issues and media coverage on my behalf.
  • Corresponding with constituents and local campaign groups.
  • Preparing and delivering regular briefings and updates on regional issues to Mark and the broader team.
  • Supporting Mark on visits across the Mid Scotland & Fife Region.
  • Monitoring local and regional media trends.

• Supporting with general regional office administration and acting as front of office for enquiries.
  • Responding to all regional correspondence while professionally managing each enquiry within agreed timescale
  • Building and maintaining relationships with regional organisations, stakeholders, and groups as required.
  • Drafting written correspondence such as letters, requests for information and parliamentary questions and motions.

• Reviewing constituent records and documentation in line with casework GDPR requirements.
  • Ensuring casework filing systems, both electronic and manual, are kept up-to-date in line with GDPR requirements.
  • Ensuring broader administrative and secretarial support is provided.

About You

Requirements

• Have experience of providing professional advice and/or advocacy support in a work or voluntary setting.
• Have the ability to foster good working relationships with a wider variety of stakeholders.
• Be a proactive problem solver with the motivation and resilience to adapt and deal with challenges and find solutions.
• Have excellent written, verbal and IT skills with accurate attention to detail.
• Have a flexible and adaptable approach, being able to use good judgement and work on own initiative.
• Be well organised with the ability to prioritise competing workloads.
• Be patient and sensitive while remaining objective and open minded.
• Be comfortable being in a front facing role explaining regulations such as GDPR to the general public.
• Be acutely aware of the responsibility of representing those unable to do so themselves in certain situations.
• Have a natural interest in helping people with a curiosity to probe for further information where required.
• Have an interest in politics and the Mid Scotland and Fife region.

To lead the provision of relationship-based support delivered to young people and families in the community and to promote positive outcomes in line with the values and principles of includem.

Purpose & Context of Role

The postholder will manage their own caseload ensuring support plans are developed with the young person to respond to their individual needs and supporting them to improve outcomes in line with GIRFEC principles and includem’s model of support.

A project worker will demonstrate leadership and ownership over effective service delivery to young people by managing outcomes for young people through use of line managers, colleagues and organisational tools, processes, policies, and procedures.

The key responsibilities of the Project Worker include, but are not limited to:

Service Delivery

• To build relationships and deliver outcome-based support to young people and families, involving all key stakeholders.
• To be available for young people and families at critical times
• To explore values and attitudes with young people in a supportive manner, to affirm and validate their feelings and ideas, and nurture and confirm their learning.
• To ensure a focus on regular and appropriate case progression to help young people and families recognise progress.
• To assess and respond appropriately to situations where young people and/or families may be at risk of harm.
• To support with crisis management and generate solutions for young people and families using the Helpline, with risk enablement being at the heart of professional judgement and decision making.

People

• To understand the different coping mechanisms that young people and their families use to deal with stress and high emotions, and to respond appropriately.
• To demonstrate professional resilience when providing support with sensitive or challenging issues
• To use a strengths-based approach to empower individuals facing adversity to find solutions and make positive changes, ensuring resources are in place to sustain these changes.
• To establish mutually trusting, open and non-judgemental relationship with young people and their families
• To encourage and lead collaborative team work to provide a ‘scaffolding of support’ around each young person and their family.
• To respect and value the contribution of wider stakeholders and the delivery of includem services.
• Where opportunity allows experience of directing, supporting, and mentoring Assistant Project Workers/Sessional staff.
• Any other duties as designated by your line manager.

Resources

• To deploy time effectively to meet the needs of young people and families to ensure the service is available 24/7, 365 days per year.
• To maintain and produce accurate and timely records and reports.
• To ensure support is delivered in line with includem’s Policies Procedures, SSSC Codes of Practice & National Guidelines

Influence

• To gain commitment from other stakeholders with varying demands and priorities
• To ensure young people and families are empowered to make informed choices.
• To support young people and families to effectively communicate with others.
• To work with young people to identify goals aligned to wellbeing indicators and to positively influence progression towards these goals.
• To reflect on practice, share learning and promote continuous practice improvement within a team setting.
• To articulate and endorse the includem framework of intervention and the key aspects of the service delivery model to a wide audience.
• To role model appropriate practice standards and professional boundaries to others
• To ensure a high-quality service is delivered to young people and families.
• Demonstrate understanding of your impact on people and how they might see you.

Quality Assurance

• To be accountable for the quality of your work and be able to evidence this work effectively.
• To actively participate in formal supervision and continuous professional development.
• To generate creative and new solutions to issues faced by young people and families.

If you want to apply you must have full UK driving licence.

Full job description can be found here.