Are you passionate about making a difference to the lives of young people? Do you want a flexible, varied and meaningful job in a supportive team? Do you value great employee benefits such as 360 Wellbeing membership and an annual training budget? Apply to join us!

Bridges Project is a leading youth work charity that helps young people aged 12-25 in East Lothian and Midlothian overcome challenges and adapt to adulthood. For nearly 40 years, we have helped young people develop their life skills, improve their educational attainment and move into employment or further education.

We have a vacancy for an Educational Support Worker to deliver an effective casework and group work service to young people experiencing a range of challenges such as non-attendance at school, low attainment, poor mental health and family poverty.

The successful candidate will:

• Support young people to gain employability skills, life skills and accreditation; helping them in to work, apprenticeships, further education or vocational training
• Provide vocational/industry specific accreditation and training to groups of young people alongside individual support to address particular barriers
• Take the lead on the service and to provide an effective interface between young people, partners and stakeholders involved in the service.

This is an exciting position in which the successful candidate will take pride in developing a programme of delivery which will provide young people with clear pathways to positive destinations.

It is essential that candidates have a full, clean driving licence and constant use of a car. Membership of the PVG scheme will be an essential requirement of the post. A contributory company pension scheme is offered with a 10% employer contribution.

Midlothian Young Peoples Advice Service (MYPAS) promotes the health and wellbeing of young people across East Lothian and Midlothian and currently focuses on working in the areas of mental health and substance use. MYPAS is a community-based organisation with charitable status and based in Dalkeith.

The postholder will be responsible for providing counselling with children and young people aged 10-18 who reside in Midlothian. The postholder will assist in establishing, developing, delivering, evaluating and reporting on, the School Counselling service.

Qualified to Diploma level in a Counselling therapeutic discipline, a member of a recognised professional body (either BACP or COSCA) and have experience of working with children and young people, you will also be committed to delivering a service according to best practice and within community settings.

The postholder will work within a multi-disciplinary environment and work effectively with other agencies, especially schools, in partnership settings.

MYPAS will deliver a School Counselling service across Midlothian. MYPAS is providing this service on a contract basis for Midlothian Council.

This post may require evening and occasional weekend work.

You must be able to travel across Midlothian.

Responsible to: Service Manager

Community Volunteers Enabling You (COVEY) has operated across Lanarkshire for 31 years supporting 4,500 children, young people and parents/carers to become more resilient, safe and better equipped to reach their full potential. COVEY provides 1-1 and group-based befriending, mentoring and intensive family support.

COVEY has an exciting opportunity available for a Coordinator to manage delivery of 1-1 and group-based befriending/ mentoring support to children and young people.

COVEY’s consistent relationship-based support, which is centred on the participant’s needs, interests and hopes, improves health and wellbeing, social connections, confidence and increases their engagement with education, training, volunteering or employment.

As a Coordinator, you will have the ability to work collaboratively with children, young people, their families and others who support them. This will involve engaging with various, community, statutory and voluntary agencies and working in close partnership to support vulnerable families.

You would ideally have experience of supporting volunteers, managing a caseload, evaluation and monitoring. We are looking for someone who has a real passion around supporting those who are most vulnerable in our community.

What we offer

We offer a rewarding role with the opportunity to develop your skills and future career in an enriching environment with the following benefits:

• 6% employer pension contribution
• flexible working (including flexi-time)
• access to learning and development opportunities
• one special leave day to celebrate your birthday
• annual staff and volunteer recognition awards
• quarterly staff wellbeing activities
• annual all staff outing/activity
• HSF Health plan for employees (and their spouse/partner and children) including dental and optical claim back, physio claim back, personal accident coverage, GP, mental health counselling, legal support, discounts for gym, cinema and shopping
• access to ScotWest Credit Union offering loans, mortgages and savings accounts

Essential requirements:

• Available for at least two evenings per week where required
• Enhanced PVG required for this post
• Full Driving License with access to a car for business use/purposes

The Emotional Wellbeing Officer will work closely with the Youth Work Lead, senior Youth Workers, and Youth Work Staff to ensure that an emotional wellbeing offering is run effectively and efficiently and in accordance with service guidelines, policies and procedures. The role’s main purpose is prevention and early intervention to aid and improve the mental health of children and young people aged 8 – 25 years by providing emotional and practical support in one-to-one and group settings. Support and supervision of this role will lie with the Youth Work Lead. It is expected that the postholder will hold their own case load with referrals coming from Cheviot Youth, schools, our partners in social work, police and the NHS and the charity’s Insight Youth division. They will be expected to lead on any service development and policy work, assisted where appropriate by the Senior Youth Workers and the Youth Work Lead.

Responsible to: Cheviot Youth, Youth Work Lead

Pre-Employment Checks: PVG and Satisfactory References

Further Information about Stepping Stones:

This post is part of a partnership approach to youth work where young people can have support, advice and make a difference to themselves and in their communities. Stepping Stones is developed and run by the award-winning Scottish Borders Youth Work Partnership. The Youth Work Partnership is made up of seven lead locality based universal youth groups: Beyond Earlston, Cheviot Youth, TD1 Youth Hub, Escape Youth Services, Connect Berwickshire Youth Project, Tweeddale Youth Action and Rowlands Selkirk.

For further information about Stepping Stones and the Scottish Borders Youth Work Partnership please visit YouthBorders website: Stepping Stones - YouthBorders