This is a great opportunity to join CAPS’ friendly, supportive Individual Advocacy team to provide Individual Advocacy to adults in East Lothian and Midlothian who are experiencing mental health issues. This service sits alongside our adult service of Individual Advocacy for people who are affected by drugs or alcohol, and our new area of work providing individual advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community in Midlothian and East Lothian.

The focus of the work is the provision of Independent Advocacy – making sure that people’s views and wishes are heard. You will make sure people are informed about their options and their rights and assist people who have mental health issues to redress power imbalances in their lives and in their interactions with services. Individual Advocacy is very rewarding work that makes a real difference. Full training will be provided.

This post will be subject to membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. There will be a 6 month probationary period attached to this post. A mix of home and office working is possible but face to face working with people is essential.

Partners in Advocacy has established itself as one of Scotland's leading providers of independent advocacy, delivering exceptional advocacy services since 1998.

We are thrilled to present a wonderful opportunity within our supportive and welcoming Edinburgh team. As an independent advocacy worker, you will have the privilege of providing one-on-one independent advocacy to individuals aged 16 and above with learning or physical disabilities, autism as well as older people. Through this role, you will ensure that their voices and wishes are heard, enabling them to make informed choices, protect their rights and have a meaningful impact on decisions that affect their lives.

Benefits of working for Partners in Advocacy include:

• Working for a values driven organisation that strives to support and empower staff
• Employment on a contract that has been secured until 31st July 2028 with the potential for a further two-year extension
• Working in a diverse range of community and clinical settings as well as the option of working from home and/or our Musselburgh based office
• Comprehensive training and ongoing support in your new role
• A generous annual leave and public holiday entitlement of 37 days with further annual increments
• Regular support and supervision sessions with your line manager
• Core hours daytime Monday to Friday working
• Frequent professional and reflective support sessions with your team
• Continuous professional development opportunities throughout the wider organisation
• Free access to mental health resources such as free counselling sessions
• Employer contributory pension scheme

We strongly encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds to apply. If you believe your skills, experience, and expertise align with the criteria outlined in the person specification, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please complete the application form, ensuring that you provide examples of how your knowledge and experience fulfil each aspect of the person specification.

Partners in Advocacy takes pride in being a Disability Confident Employer, fully committed to creating an inclusive and accessible work environment.

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

We are seeking a playful, adaptable, and confident individuals for play worker posts at Play Midlothian, to deliver high quality services, enabling children to thrive through play.

Community Play Worker (CPW)

• First Aid: Desirable – can be attained whilst employed by the company. PM can support sourcing and funding courses.
• Child Protection Training: Essential – PM can support sourcing and funding courses.
• PVG Membership – Essential – PM can facilitate.
• Responsibility / duties – facilitating adventurous and creative play under the supervision of the Play Team Lead. The Community Play Worker may be asked to ‘lead’ a session alongside another CPW or APW once an agreed induction period has been fulfilled.

About Play Midlothian

Play Midlothian is a registered charity (no. SC025474) working to support children to thrive through play. We focus on play because we know how much this benefits children’s health, wellbeing and development. It is important for their lives in the here and now as well as for their future life chances.

We strive to remove barriers to play where they exist, to ensure all children have access to play that meets their needs. We provide services for children and families and build the capacity of communities to support play. This includes training and development opportunities for other settings, including schools. We are also a partner in the Midlothian Play Strategy, which takes a strategic approach in planning for and promoting play in Midlothian.

We have an office base in Dalkeith but deliver services throughout Midlothian, and if commissioned, beyond.

About the role

Our Playworkers support session planning and the day-to-day practicalities of our play services, carry out play work, and support services users. It is essential that the successful applicant enjoys all types of play and can respond flexibly to the needs of participants.

We are looking for someone who enjoys working as part of a team and can build productive relationships with our participants, colleagues and other stakeholders, while demonstrating an enthusiasm for Play Midlothian’s aims and values.

The postholder will be directed day to day by a Team Leader, and work as part of a team of Community Playworkers and at times volunteers.

It is important the postholder can be flexible about their hours, which will be worked over four or five days on a rota pattern over a 7-day week. Out 2 Play shifts may finish approx. 6.00/6.30pm. We value employees having work/life balance and aim to establish a pattern that shares out any evening and weekend working, so each employee has regular weekends off.

Play Midlothian’s services take place in a variety of community settings. Some are indoors, though a high proportion of our current services are exclusively outdoors (all year round), therefore the role will particularly suit applicants with a fondness for the outdoors.

We work with children and young people aged 0-13 (and at times older), with their parents/carers at some of our services, and at times with specific needs (including disability and emerging mental health challenges). We work with a variety of service models, though with the focus firmly on self-directed play. The goal is always to ensure that children have access to play opportunities that enable them to thrive.

Information on our current services can be found on our website.

For the right candidate, this will be a highly rewarding and stimulating role, offering plenty of variety in their work – all the while enabling their passion for children’s play to shine though.