All roles at OPFS contribute to our mission of working with and for single parent families, providing support that enables them to achieve their potential and help create lasting solutions to poverty and the barriers facing single parents and their children.

The Family Support Assistant role will contribute to the organisation’s vision of a Scotland in which single parents and their children are valued and treated equally and fairly by supporting and delivering the various components which contribute to the Dundee Service.

The role will include the development and delivery of groups and events for single parents and their families. They will provide direct interventions to single parents and their families and support the work of Family Support and Employability Workers. The Family Support Assistant will be promoting our work at networking opportunities and outreach activities.

Today, 12 children and young people will be diagnosed with cancer. We’ll stop at nothing to make sure they get the right care and support at the right time.

At Young Lives vs Cancer, we help children and young people (0-25) and their families find the strength to face whatever cancer throws at them. We know what a better future could look like for children and young people with cancer. And we know what we need to do to make that future a reality. We know we need to push harder, reach further and work smarter. And we know we need the right people on our team to help us get there. People like you.

Join us and your skills will make a real difference to the lives of young cancer patients.

About the role

We want to creative positive change in the health system to achieve the change children and young people with cancer across the UK, and their families, need. This means amplifying the voices of young cancer patients and delivering evidence-based campaigns that make change happen.

This Policy and Public Affairs Officer role is responsible for supporting the Policy, Influencing and Voice Team with policy and public affairs expertise to deliver the key components of our influencing work in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. You will help us influence the system for children and young people with cancer and their families, so we can change experiences of having cancer and ensure children and young people’s voices are heard.

This includes:

• monitoring the policy and influencing landscape in each of the devolved nations
• developing policy briefings, position statements, consultation responses and reviewing evidence
• building and maintaining excellent working relationships with elected representatives, officials, external partners and your colleagues too
• delivering our public affairs work in the devolved nations
• supporting our exciting campaigning activities, tailoring to each nation

Young Lives vs Cancer is open to and in support of flexible working. Your flexibility requirements and that of the role will be discussed at interview stage with you.

This role is home-based and can be based anywhere in the UK, but the successful candidate will ideally be based in either Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland, and will require occasional visits to Young Lives vs Cancer workplaces.

This role is subject to an Basic level Criminal Record Check. In the event of a successful application a Disclosure and Barring Services report will be sought.

We would love to hear from you if you:

• Have experience working in a policy or public affairs environment, ideally in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland
• Have experience or knowledge of the policy, public affairs and/or political processes and how to use them in your work
• Have effective influencing and relationship building skills
• Are comfortable and confident working in a diverse and changing external environment across three nations
• Are solutions-focused, have attention to detail, and able to analyse complex information

Diversity declaration

At Young Lives vs Cancer, we recognise that opportunities for too many people remain a condition of their race, class, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation – or a combination. This has never been acceptable to us as an organisation.

We are committed to taking anti-oppressive action and removing barriers in our recruitment practices. We particularly welcome applications from members of minoritised communities and creating equitable opportunities for all. We are passionately committed to taking actions and making changes to be a truly diverse, inclusive and equitable organisation, as well as reflective of the diverse children and young people we support. Click here to find out more about our Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging strategy.

Accessibility

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we’ll always endeavour to be as accommodating as possible. Please get in touch with us if you would like to discuss any specific requirements.

What we offer

In return for your commitment, we offer a great reward package, which includes generous annual and family/ caring leave entitlements, enhanced pension and employee savings scheme. To find out more about our benefits package, have a look on our website:

younglivesvscancer.org.uk/careers/our-benefits

If you join us, you will be part of a community that is committed make a difference to the lives of children and young people with cancer. Young Lives vs Cancer is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment.

To arrange an informal chat, please contact Lauren Marks on lauren.marks@younglivesvscancer.org.uk.

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 coordinator/service manager in Aberdeenshire. You will co-ordinate children’s journey through the 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 Aberdeenshire Bairnshoose Development Group 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.

This 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 Aberdeenshire 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 Aberdeenshire to achieve our shared strategic vision for Bairns Hoose.

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 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 can be arranged for interested candidates.

Further information

This a full-time role of 35 hours per week. You will work across the Aberdeenshire area. As you will be leading and developing a new service. 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. We also have a cash healthcare plan, cycle to work scheme and access to a credit union.

Required in Ayrshire, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire

Be part of the change you want to see for child victims and witnesses in Scotland

Working In partnership across various authority areas in Scotland, Children 1st are developing Bairns Hoose based on the European Barnahus model. Barnahus is a child-friendly, multidisciplinary, and interagency model of justice, care and recovery for children who are victims and witnesses of all forms of violence. A place where all Police, Social Work, Health and Court services are based under one roof. Children receive a coordinated trauma responsive plan to support their journey through the care, protection, and justice system. The aim of the model is to; prevent re-traumatisation caused by delayed and disjointed investigation and court proceedings, to keep children safe, allow them access to fair justice and to help them recover from the trauma of their ordeal.

This is an exciting opportunity to join our Bairns Hoose team. We are now working in partnership to develop the Bairns Hoose model in Ayrshire, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

Ayrshire – 3 x 35 Hour Posts

Aberdeen – 1 x 35 Hours Post

Aberdeenshire – 1 x 35 Hour Post

The development of Bairns Hoose across Scotland will aim to place the best interests of the child at the centre of all the systems that are there to protect them and to offer the child and their family or caregivers all the support they need.

What kind of person will make a great Bairns Hoose Rights, Advocacy and Trauma Recovery Worker for Children 1st?

• is fiercely passionate about children’s rights
• thinks it’s a privilege to work with and on behalf of children and families
• is kind and will bring their whole selves to the job: heart and mind
• is committed to being part of transformational change alongside children and their families

What kind of Rights, Advocacy and Trauma Recovery Worker will you be?

Knowing our ambition for children, you will be someone who:

• is resilient, skilled and knowledgeable, who wants to transform children’s lives
• can connect well with young people and their families, help them to feel safe and build a relationship based on trust
• understands trauma and knows that with the right support children and young people can recover from complex trauma – there is always a way
• is able to build strong relationships and manage tricky conversations
• is able to work collaboratively with partners
• has a cool head and clear minded at times of pressure
• is able to make decisions
• can inspire colleagues and teams to be even better
• is an amazing ambassador for children and Children 1st

Above all else, the most important thing to us is that you are someone who will do the right thing for children and their families at every turn.

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. We also have a cash healthcare plan, cycle to work scheme and access to a credit union.

Further information

These posts are permanent, full time roles of 35 hours per week with a commitment to flexible working patterns.