Welcoming, Connecting and Supporting Families and Visitors is at the core of what we do here at the Croft!

Providing practical and emotional support, information and advice to the families impacted by a loved one’s imprisonment at HMP Barlinnie to help make their visiting experience the best it can be under the circumstances

Do you want to help make a difference to the lives of families affected by another’s imprisonment – this is a group of people, including many children, often marginalised and severely impacted, practically, emotionally and financially by the actions of another. Want to learn new skills in the process? - you can by becoming a volunteer Board Member for the Croft HMP Barlinnie’s Visitors Centre.

What we are looking for

We are looking to recruit a number of Board members.

We welcome applicants from any background and experience, including people who have been personally impacted. We welcome all skills but do have particular skills gaps we would love to bring on board–

• Case Management Systems – to have oversight of and help us develop an appropriate system.
• Treasurer - Accounting/Finance experience to help us with oversight of our funding and statutory reporting.
• Human Resources.
• Business development/growth – particularly Social Enterprises / Community Interest Companies.

What you get from being a Board Member

1. The chance to give something back into the community and make a real difference to the lives of families impacted by imprisonment - Becoming a Trustee is a fantastic way to give something back to a cause you care about. You’ll be playing an integral part in the way the charity is run, ensuring it remains sustainable and financially viable. The help you provide will be invaluable.
2. Meet new people - joining a new organisation or charity is a fantastic way to meet new people from a range of different personal and professional backgrounds. There will be meetings to attend, projects to get involved.
3. Learn new things - getting involved as a charity Trustee is a great way to put your professional skills to use, but can also be a fantastic opportunity to learn new things. You’ll get great insight into what’s involved in the management of charities and gain skills on working well within a leadership role.
4. Improve your CV and enhance your professional development - from learning how organisations are run to planning finances and attending meetings, this experience can be the perfect way to boost a CV and set you apart from the crowd.

Background

For more information about the Croft and its work see:

Visit our new website: thecroftfamilysupport.org

Visit our Facebook page: facebook.com/CroftVisitorsService

Click on this article to read about just some of the work we do: cjg-annualreport23.co.uk/2023/08/21/supporting-families-cost-of-living-crisis-a-year-of-reflection

About ENSA

Edinburgh Napier Students’ Association (ENSA) exists to enable our 20,000 student members across Edinburgh and around the globe to make the most of their university experience. We do this by representing, supporting and developing Edinburgh Napier University students to be successful in their studies; to try out new things; to engage in, and contribute to, university life; to be healthy and happy; to bring about positive change; and to have fun.

About the role

As our Chair has now come to the end of her term in office, we are looking to recruit a new Chair with the skills and experience to lead the Board of Directors, promoting good governance and providing effective and empowering line management to support our CEO. This is an exciting opportunity for an individual who has the strategic focus, governance understanding, leadership experience and time to support and develop a committed Board and ensure ENSA delivers the best experience for students.

Please see the Job Description and Person Spec for full details.

About ENSA’s Board of Directors

The Board is collectively in charge of ENSA, for upholding its values and aligning it to the Association’s charitable aims. It has overall responsibility for ENSA’s governance: budget-setting and financial reporting, health and safety, human resources and legal compliance.

The Board is made up of 12 Directors: six External Lay Directors (including the Chair) appointed through a competitive process for their professional expertise; three Student Lay Directors who are registered students of Edinburgh Napier University and appointed through a competitive process; and three Sabbatical Officers who are elected by the student body.

In line with charity law, all ENSA’s Directors (elected and appointed) have equal status. Directors have a variety of experience and skills which offer different perspectives, and are all, jointly and severally, liable for the governance of the charity. Directors are expected to take their responsibilities seriously, attend meetings, and manage any conflicts of interests appropriately.

Why apply for this role?

Children’s Hearings Scotland (CHS) is undergoing an exciting period of reform, designed to make a step change in improving the outcomes for infants, children and young people who need us most. Children’s Hearings Tribunal Members play a vital role in Scotland’s society. They listen and make legal decisions for infants, children and young people. They ensure that the young person is at the heart of every decision taken – because every decision, no matter how big or small, has an impact.

You will be joining CHS at a pivotal point, as we continue to implement our new regional tribunal support model that was launched in 2023. Alongside the Regional Tribunal Delivery Manager, Regional Partnership Co-ordinator and our current Area Support Teams you will play a significant role in supporting our Panel Community through change by shaping and implementing wellbeing approaches within the new model, ensuring our volunteer communities are effectively supported.

Working under the guidance of the National Wellbeing Manager, and reporting to the Regional Tribunal Delivery Manager, the successful candidate will join the other Wellbeing Coordinators to deliver consistent approaches to wellbeing support and volunteer management in all the areas in their region.

This new role will be part of the operational delivery team for each of 9 new CHS Area Support Team regions across Scotland and will work alongside and support our volunteer community through the change and transition now and in the future. It will help us to provide an enhanced and consistent support structure to better enable our volunteer Tribunal Members to support children and young people throughout Scotland. It will provide a strong foundation to support and enable our panel community to deliver our duties from the Care & Justice Act and the recommendations agreed in the ‘Hearings for Children’ report.

Your role

Reporting to the Regional Tribunal Delivery Manager, the Regional Wellbeing Co-ordinator is responsible for the promotion of wellbeing support needs of Tribunal Members within one of 9 regions across Scotland. You will support the Regional Tribunal Delivery Manager and the Regional Partnership Co-ordinator to deliver the National Convener’s statutory duties for the provision of Children’s Hearings across a dedicated region in Scotland to a consistent high-quality standard.

The core purpose of this role will be the identification of wellbeing support needs on a regional level and signposting Tribunal Members to relevant support. This may involve contact pre/post hearings which are identified to have distressing subject matter and putting the relevant support mechanisms in place to promote the wellbeing of Tribunal Members. The role holder will be key to managing the relationship(s) between Tribunal Members who are volunteers and the organisation more broadly.

The role holder will be expected to be an exemplar for the values of CHS including listening to and valuing the voice of children and young people, the contribution of volunteers, and ensuring a respected, quality based, and sustainable tribunal system is delivered on behalf of the National Convenor.

About you

You will have excellent people skills and can build positive relationships with people who come from a variety of backgrounds and beliefs.

You will share collective responsibility for delivering organisational objectives, through active engagement and collaboration with colleagues at all levels in the organisation.

You will be energetic and enthusiastic, a brilliant collaborator with demonstrable experience of effective wellbeing support within an organisational setting; able to evidence insight (professional, direct or personal) into the implications of Trauma on behaviour.

You will have direct experience of supporting people (volunteers or employees) through complex or challenging situations. You will have experience of guiding and supporting others through continuous improvement projects; having the willingness and ability to enable changes to take place in the most productive way.

You will be an excellent communicator, building links and networks across teams (internally and externally), effectively initiating dialogue across the organisation recognising that we have a shared responsibility to provide the best experience for our volunteer colleagues and wider stakeholders.

Life at CHS

At Children’s Hearings Scotland, our highly trained Tribunal Members make decisions for Scotland’s unique Children’s Hearings System that upholds and promotes the rights of infants, children and young people. Our 2,500 volunteer Tribunal Members take part in children’s hearings in their local areas, making decisions with and for infants, children and young people. Our organisation also supports a network of Area Support Teams throughout Scotland who support Tribunal Members in their local communities.

As an organisation that works within the Children’s Hearings System, we are passionate about making a positive contribution to improving outcomes for Scotland’s infants, children and young people.

You can read more about our core values on our website as well as view an introductory video to our organisation. We also offer a generous benefits package from hybrid working to flexi hours and a fantastic pension scheme – check out our full benefits summary.

Diversity and Inclusion

CHS is an equal opportunities employer. We encourage diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We actively encourage applicants from all protected characteristics and are committed to providing any reasonable adjustments required during the application and assessment process, and upon joining us.