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
If this sounds like the role for you, we would love to hear from you
For an informal discussion about the role please contact our Practice Manager Leasa Bleteau leasa@scottishadoption.org
Closing date 10/12/2023
Children’s Worker and Participation Officer
Postcode: EH6 7AD
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We are seeking to recruit enthusiastic and committed As & When Residential Project Workers for our Caern Short Breaks and Pentland Way services.
We have a variety of posts available across both Projects for Days and Waking Nights. Hours and days can be tailored to suit your flexible needs as an As & When worker.
ABOUT THE SERVICES
Barnardo's Caern Disability Services consists of three unique Projects who deliver a variety of quality services for young people with learning disabilities and/or autism. We have done this for over forty years.
Our Caern Short Breaks service supports up to 6 children and young people at any one time aged 5-18 by offering short break packages to them and their families. All staff play an active role in supporting the children, young people and their families/carers to achieve positive outcomes, as identified in the Young People's Individual Support Plans.
Our Pentland Way service is a residential setting providing support to up to three young people. Using a person-centred approach, we aspire to create an environment in which the young people are happy, nurtured and safe. We aim to enhance their lives by supporting them to develop independence in both the domestic environment and the community.
ABOUT YOU
You will work As & When shifts to assist with gaps in the Service rota due to staff vacancies, holidays and sickness absence. You will be supported and managed on shift by our Residential Project Workers. Typical day shifts are worked over 8 hours between the hours of 7am and 10pm and Waking Night shifts are worked over 10 hours - typically between 10pm and 8am. As an A&W worker, you have the flexibility to work the shifts that suit your own needs.
Ideally you will have experience in working directly with children and young people in a residential setting. Experience in supporting children and young people with a learning disability and/or Autism would be an advantage. Communication with the young people is paramount - the key is time tabling; structure; reliability and consistency. You will be faced with behaviours that challenge, including physical.
The staff team across Caern Services must be fully accepting of our children and be prepared to offer them a professional relationship based on acceptance and informed by our understanding of their individual needs, wishes and experiences. We are passionate about the children and young people that we care for, showing understanding, empathy and consistency in our approach.
You will hold (or be willing to work towards) a relevant professional qualification at SCQF level 7 or above (for example SVQ3 children and young people) plus an HNC in social services. These qualifications are required to register with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) as part of your employment. There may be external grants available to partly fund this.
Benefits
Workplace Offer: What it means for you
Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these.
*T&C's apply based on contract
About Barnardo's
We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti-racist organisation with Anti-Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.
Are you committed to delivering best practice to support children and young people with complex needs?
Are you ready to use your experience and skill to shape practice in delivering quality services to children and young people?
Do you feel excited about the opportunity to take your first step towards a management position?
If so, this is a great opportunity for you.
About Aberlour Options Fife – Glenrothes Continuing Care
At Aberlour we listen to understand what our young people want and need within our local area. As such, our Options Fife Continuing Care services in Glenrothes support young people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live and thrive within the local community.
What we are looking for....
As someone who has built up experience working in residential childcare, you will have the confidence to guide and direct the provision of care to the children and young people in the service. You will play a pivotal role, working in partnership with parents and families to meet the emotional and physical needs of children and young people with complex disabilities.
When on shift, you will play a lead role, mentoring and supporting staff and being a role model, delivering excellence in the services we provide. You will assist in assessing, planning and delivering services, taking responsibility for ensuring that assessment and interventions are prepared, monitored and evaluated.
Engaging positively with children, young people and families you will plan and implement appropriate support for the children and young people. Sensitive and accurate reporting is a key responsibility and so you will have good written communication skills and the ability to learn how to use effectively, Aberlour’s recording system: Dynamics.
This role offers the opportunity to consolidate and build on your experience combined with the ability to enhance your skills and knowledge through training, for example, in Dyadic Developmental Practice.
As part of the management team you will play an active role in ensuring that shift duties are delegated and completed in accordance with service guidance.
Senior Young People’s Workers will work a Residential Rota 2.5 x 12.5 hours shift direct care of their role on shift and 0.5 x 12.5 hours of their time working alongside the Service Manager on operational tasks and standardising practice. Overnight sleep ins are part of the role, alongside an awake member of night staff.
At Aberlour we want to make sure every child and young person has the love, support and opportunity they need to reach their potential. If you share the same vision, we want you to join our team. Aberlour’s values are critical and drive everything we do. We will be looking for someone who can demonstrate how Aberlour’s values of Respect, Innovation, Integrity and Challenge will be visible in their practice. You must be comfortable working in an environment where Aberlour’s values are lived in practice.
What we offer...
As well as a supportive team and excellent training opportunities, we want all our employees to feel valued and rewarded for the vital work they do. When you work with us, we'll recognise your efforts with generous annual leave, an excellent employer pension scheme and a range of deals and discounts across various retailers.
About Sycamore Red Squirrel
Aberlour is Being Brave for children where there is a need for them to live away from their family. Embracing The Promise, we aim to provide a safe, loving home for the children who live with us, enabling them, over time, to reach their full potential. We offer an environment and a practice approach that promotes and encourages healing and growth and gives our team a really rewarding job experience.
What we are looking for....
We are looking for an individual who will contribute to the leadership, management and development of services for children, young people and families in line with planned objectives and assist with service review and evaluation. You will plan an important role in the overall management function of the service.
There is an expectation that you will work part of your hours during the evening or weekend on a regular basis to allow opportunity to mentor and role model that aligns with our therapeutic practice model. Additionally, you will be part of the Sycamore Fife and Tayside On Call Management rota, providing our homes with 24/7 support.
You will have relevant experience of working with children and young people within a residential or community setting and understand the impact of trauma on social inclusion. You are required to meet the qualification requirement for this post which is at SCQF Level 8 (e.g. HNC, SVQ Level 4). This post requires you to register with the Scottish Social Services Council as a Residential Child Care Worker with Supervisory Responsibilities.
We are looking for someone who believes that children living in a children’s house are deserving of love and someone who will support the team to ensure that our children are able to live fulfilling lives without having restriction imposed on them in their everyday lives.
If you share our vision of Being Brave for every child and young person and Keeping the Promise and you have the skills and passion required to meet the challenges of this role, we look forward to hearing from you.
What we offer...
As well as a supportive team and excellent training opportunities, we want all our employees to feel valued and rewarded for the vital work they do. When you work with us, we'll recognise your efforts with generous annual leave, an excellent employer pension scheme and a range of deals and discounts across various retailers.
We are looking to appoint a project worker to join our team supporting children, young people and families in South East Scotland. We have key themes of provision across the locality such as Intensive Family Support, Early Intervention (Whole Family Support), Education Support, Family Support for those Affected by Imprisonment, CSE Awareness Raising and Support, Neurodiversity Support. The post holder could be asked to undertake work in any of the delivery areas detailed above depending on need across the locality but the role will focus on work within our service at HMP Edinburgh Visitor Centre
At HMP Edinburgh Visitor Centre we offer practical and emotional support to all family members and visitors and to those who do not go into prison to visit their loved one. We aim to promote a positive visiting experience for anyone visiting a resident in HMP Edinburgh, to provide or signpost to independent and impartical advice, information and support which meets their needs and to voice the needs of families affected by imprisonment.
We aim to provide a safe, relaxing and non-judgemental environment where anyone who has a friend or relatrive in prison can prepare for visiting, get information about prison processes, access a range of individual supports and get help to access other specialist agencies who can support their unique personal circumstances.
The post holder will play a key role in all of these tasks and is likely to have a good understanding of the impact of imprisonment on friends and family, experience of multi agency partnership working and experience using trauma informed approaches to support service users.
The post is for 15 hours per week and the post holder will be part of a rota that includes evenings and weekends
Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.
Pay & Reward Framework
We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values. We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people.
For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay.
Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours. More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application.
Benefits
Workplace Offer: What it means for you
Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these. Please read through the advert carefully to understand the remits of hybrid working that will be specific to the role.
*T&C's apply based on contract
About Barnardo's
We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti-racist organisation with Anti-Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.