We are seeking a dynamic, highly motivated individual who will play a key role in developing and delivering a program of support services and activities for Care Experienced children and young people across West Dunbartonshire.

This exciting post offers a unique opportunity to develop, deliver and evaluate services, learning opportunities and mentoring activities, that supports care experienced children & young people to reach their full potential.

The main aim of the role is to ensure Y sort it plays an integral role in supporting Care Experienced children & young people with their school, family and community life. We aim to build on the aspirations care experienced young people via The Promise, along with our local partners within West Dunbartonshire Promise Keepers, an established group of stakeholders.

You will be directly managed by Y sort it Head of Services & Development. The postholder will be responsible for the management of the Y sort it Care Experienced Staff & Volunteer Team.

Purpose and Objectives

The postholder will provide critical support to Y sort it, schools, and communities to drive West Dunbartonshire’s Integrated Childrens Services Plan for care experience children and young people. You will lead and co-ordinate the team and activities required to do so. With support from West Dunbartonshire Education, Promise Scotland / Corra Foundation and Inspiring Scotland / Intandem - West Dunbartonshire is one of eleven local authorities in Scotland to adopt the approach of Intandem Mentoring model and a carryout a Test of Change initiative with the aim to develop a Supportive School Structure (Right to Education) for Care Experienced children and young people across West Dunbartonshire.

The post holder will have a primary focus on developing & evaluating the impact of learning opportunities, to raise the attainment of care experienced young people and support our established Intandem Volunteer Mentoring program, by focusing on children and young people aged 8 to 14 who are subject to a compulsory supervision order (or at-risk of becoming so), living at home or in kinship arrangements (ages 8-16 years).

You will be responsible for leading, supporting and managing a team of staff and volunteers, and must demonstrable recent knowledge and experience of the Promise, GIRFEC (Getting it Right for Every Child), UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child). Experience of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, writing funding bids, and the ability to work independently as well as part of a Leadership & Management Team.

The post holder should be flexible as the actual times of work will involve working, evenings, school holidays and weekends . The post holder should be flexible as the actual times of work may change to respond to the demands of the work.

Requirements

You will have a degree or equivalent in Social Work, Community Education, or in the field of Health or Health Promotion, or relevant / equivalent experience.

Responsibilities:

You will have experience of Community Development approach, relevant experience in a community based/voluntary role with children, young people and/ or families. You will have an awareness/experience of primary prevention approaches and experience of developing and implementing action plans. You will have excellent leadership, oral and written communication skills with the ability to communicate with a variety of stakeholders, good interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders to bring people together. You will have good assessment and reporting skills with the ability to work with members of the public, to work without constant supervision, and meet deadlines, to identify and apply for appropriate funding and the ability to work flexible hours.

Please note, a driving license is essential for this role.

This post is considered Regulated Work with Children and/or Protected Adults, under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007. The preferred candidates will be required to join the PVG Scheme, or undergo a PVG Scheme update check, prior to a formal offer of employment being made by Y sort it.

About us

“Y sort it is a young person led service, providing opportunities that responds to the support needs of local young people and inspires them to reach their full potential- we will #Connect # Support #Inspire WD Young people”.

Y sort it Youth project is aimed at young people aged between 8-18 years old that reside within West Dunbartonshire. We are unique in the fact that Y sort is governed by a Youth Management Board, with all members registered as company directors. This ensures that Y sort it continues to be FOR young people BY young people of West Dunbartonshire. Young people of West Dunbartonshire will reach their full potential through learning and have the capacity to make informed choices and play a key role in decisions that affect their lives.

Special conditions:

• The contract will run until 30th of September 2026 (fixed term contract). Extension of the contract will be dependent on continuation funding.
• The post can involve regular evening working.
• Post holders must be able to travel across Midlothian.
• MYPAS will contribute 6% to the company pension scheme
• Access to a 24-hour employee assistance programme with online high street discounts
• The job will be initially on a 3 month probation period. This may be extended.

Role

Responsible for the development of health and wellbeing initiatives within the MYPAS LGBT+ service. This will include delivering:

• Accessible health and wellbeing focused group programmes with LGBT+ young people living or accommodated in Midlothian. The programmes will be young person led and aim to reduce social isolation, improve mental health, increase confidence, resilience and self-esteem
• A platform for LGBT+ young people in Midlothian, through a social action participation group, to be involved in and create local events and initiatives to promote inclusion within the wider LGBT+ community and the wider communities of Midlothian. Initiatives will include engagement with decision makers.

We are looking for someone who has experience of supporting and working with young people in a non-judgmental and empathetic way. A good knowledge and understanding of the issues affecting LGBT+ young people is essential.

There is no specific qualification required; however, the post holder will be expected to be educated to degree level. This should be in a relevant field such as Health, Community Education, Social Work or Education, but significant equivalent experience will also be considered. The post holder will work within a multi-disciplinary service and work effectively with other agencies in partnership settings. This post may require regular evening working.

Special conditions:

• The post is funded until July 2025 (continuation dependent on MYPAS securing further funding)
• The post may involve some evening and occasional weekend working.
• You must be able to travel across Midlothian and East Lothian – if required.

Midlothian Young Peoples Advice Service (MYPAS) promotes the health and wellbeing of young people across East Lothian and Midlothian and currently focuses on working in the areas of mental health and substance use. MYPAS is a community-based organisation with charitable status and based in Dalkeith.

The postholder will be responsible for providing a range of business support functions including fundraising and business development to the Chief Executive, Management Team, the staff team and to the Board, to allow the service delivery teams to provide services that meet the needs of young people. This will include elements of business development, fundraising, communications, marketing, policy development, research and administrative support.

Educated to degree level/equivalent professional qualification or can demonstrate equivalent experience, you will be comfortable working with a wide range of organisations and individuals, have excellent communications skills and able to manage the pressures of working in a swift moving landscape in a service dedicated to improving outcomes for vulnerable young people.

This post may require evening and occasional weekend work.

At Venture Trust, we are looking for another Outdoor Therapist based in Fife (though may be asked to work in other localities) to join one of our locality teams on a fixed-term basis for 18 months.

​Our Outdoor Therapists work with people experiencing complex life circumstances. They provide Outdoor Therapy in the hope to support clients to move forwards in ways that are meaningful for them. They work with clients to explore and reflect through individual (and sometimes) group therapy.

​Our Outdoor Therapy Service is offered mostly outdoors in urban greenspaces, and on occasion, online. It is aimed at adults aged 16+, as well as younger people aged 10-16.

​Successful candidates will:

• be therapists registered with an appropriate professional body who can work thoughtfully and ethically with a client group that can have complex clinical presentations
• be able to work individually to meet the specific needs of their clients whilst maintaining high professional standards
• have personal or professional experience of outdoor environments and will have the capacity to articulate the reasoning behind working therapeutically in natural environment
• be able to work reflectively and effectively within a team and be committed to working towards the aims of the service and the organisation

Ideal candidates will have:

• experience working with younger people aged 10-16
• experience of facilitating therapeutic groups and reflective spaces
• experience of training other professionals, particularly mental health professionals
• specific experience of the client groups that Venture Trust engages with, for example, with hard-to-reach young people, homelessness, forensic clients
• had training and have experience of working with complex trauma presentations
• qualifications to support working in outdoor environments

The full job description, can be downloaded here.

In return, we offer a range of generous benefits including a generous annual leave entitlement, flexible and hybrid working, an employee benefits package and a joint contributory pension scheme. We also offer a great working culture that embraces our core values of courage, care, curiosity and collaboration in all we do.

​If you have the skills and experience we are looking for, and want to play an important role in enabling people to achieve lasting change in their lives, we want to hear from you.