Who Cares? Scotland is Scotland’s only national independent membership organisation for Care Experienced people. Our mission is to secure a lifetime of equality, respect, and love for Care Experienced people in Scotland and we currently have over 3000 Care Experienced members.

At the heart of Who Cares? Scotland’s work are the rights of Care Experienced children and young people, and the power of their voices to bring about positive change. We provide individual relationship-based independent advocacy and a broad range of imaginative participatory opportunity for Care Experienced young people across Scotland; we work alongside corporate parents and communities of all sorts to broaden understanding; we work with policy makers, leaders and elected representatives locally and nationally to shape law, policy and practice on the basis of all that can be learnt from the voices of those with experience of care - working together to build on the aspirations of The Promise and secure positive change.

The post holder will work directly with children and young people with experience of care, in an individual relationship-based advocacy role, and within participation and group activity across our West Central region. This unique role requires you to listen to what children and young people with experience of care say and support them to ensure their rights are upheld and their voices are heard in the processes of making decisions about their lives. You will also help facilitate a broad range of participatory and engagement opportunities and create the conditions for collective advocacy.

The right candidate for this post will be brilliant at forming positive relationships with children and young people. You will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal, adaptable to a wide range of contexts. You will enjoy working collaboratively with partners. You will be committed to children’s rights, inclusive working, equal opportunities, and believe that all young people can make transformative change happen in their lives if given the opportunity.

The successful candidate will be joining Who Cares? Scotland and working within the West Central locality team at an exciting time, when the voices of those who are in or have experienced care are growing in power, individually and collectively - bringing with them insight, challenge, hope and change. Flexibility will be required given the remit of the role. Some evening and weekend work will be necessary, as will a full driving licence and access to transport.

If this sounds like the role for you, we would love to hear from you. For an informal conversation about this opportunity please contact Jamie McAnally, our Advocacy and Participation Manager for our West Central team on jmcanally@whocaresscotland.org.

We particularly welcome applications from people with experience of care who meet the criteria for the post.

About Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC)

Aberlour Child Care Trust is leading a Partnership of Highland Council, Barnardo’s Highland Services and Right There to provide practical support care and integration to Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC).

The location for this role is 5 Huntly Place, Inverness, IV3 8HA.

This partnership focuses on three areas: Feeling safe and settling in, support and integration, throughcare aftercare with the aim of improving the lives of children by using a rights-based trauma informed approach.

The service will work in partnership to ensure that the young people have access to education and learning opportunities.

What we are looking for....

We are seeking to recruit a Project Worker to work 28.5 hours per week for a fixed term period to 31st March 2026. You will support the Service Manager in planning support and integrating Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking children into the community. You will engage with the young people helping them to find their way around the community. You will have problem solving abilities to enable them to participate fully in having their needs met and participate in opportunities to develop. You will support the young people to travel independently around the local area and learn to use public transport. You will also support them to pursue their hobbies and interests linking in with community groups and access community facilities. As English will often not be their first language you will work with them to identify their communication needs, adapting your communication style accordingly. You will also liaise with local agencies, developing collaborative professional working relationships working together for the benefit of the children. You will also attend a range of group meetings to discuss the progress of the children and young people.

You must be comfortable working in a culture based on respect, integrity, innovation and the ability to challenge - both yourself and other people. We support our staff to be as effective as they can be through dedicated training and supervision. In return our staff act as exceptional role models supporting the children and young people as well as sharing knowledge and learning with colleagues.

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.

Who Cares? Scotland is Scotland’s only national independent membership organisation for Care Experienced people. Our mission is to secure a lifetime of equality, respect, and love for Care Experienced people in Scotland and we currently have over 3000 Care Experienced members.

At the heart of Who Cares? Scotland’s work are the rights of Care Experienced children and young people, and the power of their voices to bring about positive change. We provide individual relationship-based independent advocacy and a broad range of imaginative participatory opportunity for Care Experienced young people across Scotland; we work alongside corporate parents and communities of all sorts to broaden understanding; we work with policy makers, leaders and elected representatives locally and nationally to shape law, policy and practice on the basis of all that can be learnt from the voices of those with experience of care - working together to build on the aspirations of The Promise and secure positive change.

Advocacy and Participation Workers work directly with children and young people with experience of care primarily in an individual advocacy role. This means we listen to what they say and support them to ensure their voices are truly heard regarding the decisions which are being made about their lives.

We also facilitate a very broad range of participatory and engagement opportunities and create the conditions for collective advocacy. This often brings young people together, allowing them to develop confidence, a sense of belonging and the opportunity to identify common issues. We ensure their voices are heard by care corporate parents and communities, creating positive change.

You will be skilled at developing positive relationships with children and young people. The post holder will place young people at the heart of everything they do, helping them live a positive life now and to reach their full potential in the future.

The successful candidate will be joining Who Cares? Scotland and working within the North East team at an exciting time, when the voices of those who are in or have experienced care are growing in power, individually and collectively - bringing with them insight, challenge, hope and change.

Who Cares? Scotland is Scotland’s only national independent membership organisation for Care Experienced people. Our mission is to secure a lifetime of equality, respect, and love for Care Experienced people in Scotland and we currently have over 3000 Care Experienced members.

At the heart of Who Cares? Scotland’s work are the rights of Care Experienced children and young people, and the power of their voices to bring about positive change. We provide individual relationship-based independent advocacy and a broad range of imaginative participatory opportunity for Care Experienced young people across Scotland; we work alongside corporate parents and communities of all sorts to broaden understanding; we work with policy makers, leaders and elected representatives locally and nationally to shape law, policy and practice on the basis of all that can be learnt from the voices of those with experience of care - working together to build on the aspirations of The Promise and secure positive change.

This role is a part time 17.5 hour per week post with a primary focus on advocacy within the Children’s Hearing System in Aberdeen City.

You will be skilled at developing positive relationships with children and young people. You will place young people at the heart of everything you do, helping them live a positive life now and to reach their full potential in the future.

You will be joining Who Cares? Scotland and working within the North-East team at an exciting time, when the voices of those who are in or have experienced care are growing in power, individually and collectively – bringing with them insight, challenge, hope and change. The post-holder will be part of a supportive and dynamic team.