Transforming the experience of child victims and witnesses in Scotland

Children 1st are looking for an exceptional and experienced operational leader to become our Bairns Hoose co-ordinator/service manager in North Strathclyde. You will co-ordinate children’s journey through Scotland’s first Bairns Hoose, managing the space, liaising with agencies on behalf of children and their families and leading a team of advocacy and trauma recovery workers. Working within the North Strathclyde Partnership you will work alongside Social Work, Police, Health and Justice colleagues to deliver on the ambition to offer children a trauma sensitive, rights-based and recovery focussed response to their care, protection, justice and recovery needs.

The Bairns Hoose is based on the European Barnahus, a child-friendly, multi-disciplinary, and interagency model of justice, care and recovery for children who are victims and witnesses of all forms of violence. A carefully designed place where all services and supports are child centred, rights- based and recovery focussed with Police, Social Work, Health, Court and recovery support services based under one roof.

The North Strathclyde Bairns Hoose is the first of its kind in Scotland and is a test, learn and develop approach to pioneering a flagship local project for children and young people. It is a key priority for leaders in all agencies in the four local authorities in the partnership (East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, Renfrewshire). The Bairns Hoose is also of national significance and will contribute to the development and roll out of this model across Scotland.

This flagship service demands a leader who is driven by children’s rights, is passionately committed to trauma responsive models and who has a background in delivering child centred, family minded support and multiagency services. You will lead our team of Rights, Advocacy and Trauma Recovery Workers and ensure the effective and efficient running of the Bairns Hoose. As a member of the North Strathclyde Bairns Hoose partnership, you will build on the progress made to date and work towards achieving fully the aspiration of a Bairns Hoose for children and their families. As a key member of our Bairns Hoose Team, you will support our ambitions to have the highest quality Bairns Hoose delivering the greatest impact in the lives of children and families.

Our charity is a people and culture organisation. We put children’s rights and relationships at the heart of everything we do. We have ambitious plans for our Bairns Hoose to deliver on the Bairns’ Hoose National Standards, offering support to recover from the point at which children report abuse or harm, minimising the re-traumatisation of the justice and child protection system.

The Bairns Hoose Coordinator role is challenging due to the complexity of the systems change that Bairns Hoose seeks to achieve, requiring significant multiagency partnership working. The role also provides an exciting opportunity for you to develop new approaches to practice within child protection and justice that helps inform the way forward for Bairns Hoose in Scotland. You will shape and lead a high performing team focussed on achieving the best outcomes for children and their families. You will be an excellent communicator, creative, collaborative, inclusive and willing to work alongside our brilliant partners and leaders in North Strathclyde to achieve our shared strategic vision for North Strathclyde Bairns Hoose.

Children 1st is an incredible charity full of people who love what they do and the difference they make. This is an exciting and unique opportunity to join us and play a critical part in transforming the lives of children and families in Scotland, ensuring that children’s voices are at the heart of our Bairns Hoose development and support.

About the role

This is a key operational leadership role within one of the most respected children’s charities in Scotland. Working as part of the North Strathclyde partnership, you will be responsible for leading and shaping our Bairns Hoose development, in collaboration and spirit of positive, multiagency partnership. You will join the Children1st leadership team in the west of Scotland and provide inspirational leadership and professional, robust support and supervision to the Bairns Hoose team.

About you

You will have substantial experience of leading a team delivering trauma sensitive support to children, young people and families. You will fully understand the ways in which the current justice and child protection systems retraumatise young people. You understand that ambitious change requires a clarity of purpose and vision and that as a leader it is your responsibility to communicate this. Your leadership and decision making are founded on a strong value base of doing the right thing by children and families at all times. You understand that strong professional, working relationships are the foundation of quality outcomes for children and families and high quality practice within your own team and with external stakeholders.

Knowing our ambition for children and young people, you will:

• Want to transform children’s lives

• Understand trauma and know that with the right support children and young people can recover – there is always a way

• Be able to build strong relationships, work collaboratively with partners and manage tricky conversations

• Be resilient and calm when under pressure – modelling a clear and accountable approach to leadership

• Be an outstanding communicator

• Be enthusiastic, driven and able to motivate and develop a professional team, inspiring colleagues to be even better

• Have a fierce passion for children’s rights and belief in working with children and families; not ‘doing to’

• Believe that it is a privilege to work with and on behalf of children and families and that their voices should be at the heart of service design

• Be kind and willing to bring your whole self to the job: heart and mind, above all else, you are someone who will do the right thing for children and their families at every turn.

If this sounds like you and your values align with ours then we would love to tell you more. An informal conversation with our Assistant Director Bairns Hoose can be arranged for interested candidates.

Further information

This a permanent, full-time role of 35 hours per week. You will be based in East Renfrewshire and work across the North Strathclyde area. As you will be leading and developing a new service, while flexible working can be supported, you will be required to be in the Bairns Hoose and supporting office base (both are in East Renfrewshire) for significant periods of time. Children1st are a relationship based organised and we need you to be a physically present ‘hands on leader’ of an amazing team who are similarly ‘hands on’ and ‘in person’ in their support of children and young people and families. The role may also involve occasional travel across Scotland.

Salary, Conditions, Pension

We will offer you a competitive salary, generous annual leave entitlement (40 days inclusive of 7 public holidays), flexible working opportunities and a contributory pension scheme.

To apply, please visit children1st.org.uk/jobs

Closing date: Monday 22 January 2023. It is anticipated that interviews will take place on Thursday 01 February 2024.

The selection process will include seeking PVG Scheme/Disclosure information.

Children 1st is the working name of the Royal Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Registered Charity No: SC 016092

Equal opportunities matter to Children 1st