Barnardo's Threads service has been supporting young people in the Renfrewshire area for over 20 years.

Barnardo's in partnership with Renfrewshire Council is recruiting a project worker (PW2) for our GAP Homes service.

GAP Homes will provide a coordinated and intensive package of support for identified young care leavers. These young people can present with multiple and/ or complex support needs. The successful candidate will have knowledge and experience of supporting young people through issues including trauma, loss, substance use or exploitation. You will liaise with multi agency partners to deliver outcome focussed support. The support is delivered over seven days therefore a flexible working approach is required.

You must be SSSC registration or ability to be registered, please see the attached role profile below detailing further information.

At Barnardo's we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and we expect all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment. Our safer recruitment processes mean that the safety and welfare of the child is paramount at every stage of the process and therefore, we adopt rigorous scrutiny in our pre-employment checking. This post is subject to a range of pre-employment checks including a Criminal Records Enhanced Disclosure for the successful candidate.

At Barnardo's we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and we expect all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment. Our safer recruitment processes mean that the safety and welfare of the child is paramount at every stage of the process and therefore, we adopt rigorous scrutiny in our pre-employment checking. This post is subject to a range of pre-employment checks including a PVG check for the successful candidate.

About Barnardo's

At Barnardo's we believe in children – no matter who they are, what they have done or what they have been through. Please read about our basis and values following the link below. You will be asked questions relating to them as part of the recruitment process for this role.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is reflected in our values and our practice, and we have invested in this area of our work to ensure that we can deliver on our commitments to be an inclusive employer. EDI is a key enabler of our purpose as a charity and we want to ensure that the diversity of our teams is reflective of the communities we serve and that we continue to learn and develop our work with a focus on inclusion. We particularly encourage applications from candidates from Black, Asian and Minoritised Ethnic Communities, candidates who are LGBT+ and Disabled candidates.

Our basis and values

Smart Play Network is a dynamic, forward thinking play organisation and charity supporting and delivering a range of play services in Scotland.

PlayTalkRead is a Scottish Government Early Years campaign aimed at promoting positive parenting in order to give children the best start in life and a strong platform for healthy growth, development and attainment.

Are you a fun and enthusiastic individual who enjoys working as part of a high energy team? Do you like to travel? Are you passionate about making a positive impact on families and understand the importance of parent and child relationships? Then this may be the job for you.

Our PlayTalkRead Roadshow travels across all of Scotland’s 32 local authorities to inspire and support parents and carers to interact with their babies and little ones through fun, simple and inexpensive activities.

As a key member of our play worker team you will also be responsible for driving our converted vehicles to and from locations across Scotland (full training will be given). Working away from home is an integral part of the role and offers a great opportunity to see Scotland while making a difference!

Having the right mind-set, attitude and approach is as important for us as having the right experience and skills.

We appreciate that the best person might not have all the criteria we have listed, so if you feel your experience and skills will help you to make a great contribution in this role and you have the right mind-set, we would welcome an application from you.

Candidates must be over 25 years old, have held a Category B UK driving licence for a minimum of 2 years and have their own car.

If you would like an informal chat about the Play Worker role please call us on 0131 652 2655 or email us at recruitment@smartplaynetwork.org

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.

Circle is a children and families charity working at the heart of communities across central Scotland. Our purpose is to improve the lives of children by strengthening families.

Circle’s approach builds on strengths, is solution focussed and uses a whole family approach to create a family environment that promotes healthy development in children.

Supporting fathers of children affected by parental substance use to minimise the impact on the children

The Fathers’ Worker (as part of our Harbour Project) will provide support to fathers affected by substance use who have care of or contact with their children, or are looking to establish contact, by:

• enabling fathers and male carers to develop their parenting capacity and relationships with their children
• supporting fathers and male carers to address their substance use and attendant risks
• working with fathers and male carers to promote a safer lifestyle for the family

Funded by Corra Foundation and the Edinburgh Alcohol and Drug Partnership to 30 September 2024 (with possible extension).

We offer excellent staff benefits including a competitive salary, generous pension contribution, flexible working, an employee assistance programme and generous annual leave. We are committed to finding the right people for the jobs that we advertise.

Applicants should possess a qualification in social work, social care, education or health, and have relevant experience.