Benefits:

• 29 days annual leave PLUS bank holidays, with up to 5 additional days for continuous service and option to buy or sell leave
• Gain professional qualifications and excellent training/development opportunities
• Flexible maternity, adoption, and paternity packages
• Pension with up to 7% employer contribution with included life assurance cover
• Staff discount portal and Blue Light Card eligibility with 15,000 national retailers discounts.
• Vulnerable children in the UK need your help

Wherever you work in the Action for Children family, you'll be helping to change the lives of the most vulnerable children in the UK.

Last year, we helped more than 670,000 children and families across the UK. From direct work in communities to national campaigning, we are focused on making sure every child has a safe and happy childhood, and the foundations they need to thrive.

Why Action for Children?

Working here is more than a job. Everyone in the Action for Children family is passionate about protecting and supporting children. It's the sense of purpose that drives us every single day. Because we know that, when we work together, we can make a huge difference to bring lasting improvements to vulnerable children's lives.

A bit about the role

Our Residential Support Worker is a great opportunity for those experienced working in a care setting and looking to implement those skills with an aim to progress to the next stage of their career with our help. You'll manage risk in a way which empowers young people and builds resilience, whilst at the same time ensuring their safety. You'll demonstrate a high standard of person-centred practice, have good social care values and be a strong role model to our children and young people.

In return we'll offer you amazing opportunities to progress within our organisation.​​

We offer an in-depth induction process and training.

Alongside this, we'll enrol you in the qualifications which you need to work in the industry.​

Regular supervision with your line manager, team meetings etc. will ensure you feel part of our team. ​​

Once you've gained the relevant experience and qualifications you'll be ready to progress to the next step in your career with us.

About the service

Our Gilmerton Road Project provides short breaks and outreach support for children and young people (aged 5-21) with learning disabilities and we're excited to offer a unique opportunity for experienced Residential Support Worker's to join our dedicated team.

As a Residential Support Worker, you'll play a pivotal role in empowering children and young people to explore their world, build connections, and create lasting memories by;

Facilitating Short Breaks: As part of a highly skilled team of practitioners, you'll welcome the young people we support to make the most of their short breaks, developing new skills, socialising, and gaining independence while they are in our care.

Community Engagement: You'll also spend time out and about, supporting our children to access local communities. Whether it's a trip to the beach, an afternoon at the zoo, or playtime in the park, you'll be there to facilitate enriching experiences.

We also work in partnership with CAMHS ID and our own Behaviour Consultant to develop and deliver person centred support plans that offer consistency and clear outcomes for all our young people.

How you'll help to create brighter futures

Some key responsibilities of the Residential Support Worker roles are;

• Provide lead case/care planning management, including assessing, reviewing and managing risk.
• Co-ordinating responsibilities within the service, with multi agency and producing family information, including analysis and written reports.
• Attendance at professional meetings including reviews, court work etc.
• Help young people in all aspects of their daily lives.
• Have good communication skills and the ability to engage well with both young people, colleagues and other professionals.
• Be a creative thinker and having a solution focused approach.

Let's talk about you

Are you resilient and have a positive approach to change and challenge? We're looking for someone with a ‘can do' attitude to join our team. Ideally you'll have:

• Demonstrable experience of working in a care setting and developing positive relationships through trust.
• Application of a range of techniques to co-ordinate and communicate with service users and their families.
• Demonstrate a solution focused approach to address problems, individually and in a team setting.
• Demonstrate emotional resilience to respond to the challenging nature of the role.
• Possess a Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare (or recognised equivalent) or if you do not possess this you must be prepared to complete this within 2 years of commencing employment with us, full support will be provided.

In February 2021, Fife Council produced an initial phase service brief relating to Community Mental Health and Wellbeing supports and services for Fife. The funding for this service brief was initially for a 6-month period with a view that the data/reports collected from the initial phase would inform this longer-term service supporting Community Mental Health and Wellbeing in Fife. Barnardo's was successful in this second phase for the following areas: North East Fife, Levenmouth, Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath and have since acquired Dunfermline and South-West Fife allowing us to support children, young people and families across the whole of Fife. Barnardo's Mental Health and Wellbeing Service is currently funded by Our Minds Matter, Fife Council until March 2026.

Our Mental Health and Wellbeing service aims to provide Fife-wide support to children and young people aged 5-24 (up to 26 depending on life circumstances). We deliver a variety of interventions which aim to support the emotional and mental health needs of children, young people, and families and do so through a range of supports. This can be in the form of one-to-one therapeutic support, group work, workshops and we also offer capacity building sessions to parents and professionals.

The service seeks to provide early intervention at an additional level through support by upskilling, supporting, and educating. Our hope is to enable young people to have positive mental health and wellbeing, thrive in their community and to be able to bounce back from life's challenges. We also aim to support parents to feel confident in responding to their children's mental health needs and increase their capacity to support them.

We are looking for someone who is passionate and excited about joining a small but committed team to help develop practice and meet the mental health needs of the children, young people and families across Fife. To make this happen we are looking to recruit to the following post.

1 x Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioner (Full time, fixed term until March 2026) – You will carry a caseload and be responsible for providing ongoing therapeutic support to children, young people and their families as well as capacity building for parents and professionals.

Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.

Pay & Reward Framework

We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values. We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people.

For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay.

Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours. More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application.

Benefits

Workplace Offer: What it means for you

The world of work has changed. We are understanding of what works best for our colleagues both current and future as we look to embrace this new way of working. Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or any combination of these.

Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.

• 26 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing after 5 years service
• The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our HolidayPlus scheme
• A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options
• Service related sick pay from day 1
• Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's. Ability to pay via salary sacrifice to garner both tax and NI savings on your own contribution
• Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension
• Cycle2work scheme
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Discounts and cashback from at high street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal
• 20% discount at Barnardo's stores
• Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc
• Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support
• Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer

*T&C's apply based on contract

About Barnardo's

At Barnardo's we believe in children – no matter who they are, what they have done or what they have been through. Please read about our basis and values following the link below. You will be asked questions relating to them as part of the recruitment process for this role.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is reflected in our values and our practice, and we have invested in this area of our work to ensure that we can deliver on our commitments to be an inclusive employer. EDI is a key enabler of our purpose as a charity and we want to ensure that the diversity of our teams is reflective of the communities we serve and that we continue to learn and develop our work with a focus on inclusion. We particularly encourage applications from candidates from Black, Asian and Minoritised Ethnic Communities, candidates who are LGBT+ and Disabled candidates.

Our basis and values

About Sycamore Fort William

Aberlour Sycamore Services- Fort William, is a residential care home for children and young people between the ages of 12 years and 18 years old, helping them to live and grow in a community setting. We work using a Dyadic Developmental Practice model which means that we ensure that the child and their behaviour is understood and the child feels as safe as possible at home, in school and in social activities.

What we are looking for....

We are looking for an exceptional group of relief workers to provide ad hoc cover when staff are on holiday or are off sick. Relief Workers are a vital part of our team, helping to ensure that full cover is available throughout the year and ensuring that our Residential Workers get the essential breaks they need to recharge their batteries and come back to work refreshed and ready to provide the best possible support to the young people.

Work is offered on a casual basis: Relief Workers are not obliged to accept shifts offered and Aberlour is not obliged to offer shifts. In return for taking on this essential role, you will work alongside a dedicated, supportive staff team and be offered valuable training and development opportunities. Of course, if you are a good match for the role there will be the opportunity for you to apply for a substantive role when available.

Find out more information on what we are looking for in candidates here.

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. To have a look at our values to understand more about what we are looking for from our employees click here

Aberlour have strong values - Respect, Integrity, Innovation and Challenging - which influence our everyday work. If you choose to apply for this role please tell us about your values in your supporting statement.

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. Find out more about our Employee Benefits and our commitment to Equality and Diversity here.

About Options Borders

At Aberlour Options Borders we provide a range of support both outreach and residential short breaks to for young people up to the age of 18 years, who have learning disabilities. We aim to provide families with a short break from their caring role, through the provision of high quality child-centred service which provides a positive experience for the young people we work with.

We have a strong reputation in supporting young people with high levels of complex needs, supporting them to grow, learn and maximise their potential. We feel every child has the right to flourish. Our Young People’s Workers play a fundamental role in ensuring that the young people they work with have the best possible experience in working towards their objectives in line with their care plan, supporting children to progress within their individual outcomes.

Whilst not without its challenges and demands, this is a highly rewarding role, where the work we do has a demonstrable impact on each young person's progress. Using a person centred approach you will provide enabling support ensuring the highest level of physical, personal, and emotional care to support children in their daily living and within the local community.

What we are looking for....

Our relief workers play a crucial role in supporting our team. This work is offered on a casual, hourly paid basis to provide cover during staff absence and/or particularly busy periods. Ideally, you will have experience of direct work with children and families and/or experience of working with children or adults with a learning disability and/or an autism spectrum condition. Find out more information on what we are looking for in candidates here.

Shifts that may be offered include days and nights on:

• Week 1: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
• Week 2: Friday, Saturday, Sunday

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. To have a look at our values to understand more about what we are looking for from our employees click here

What we offer...

You will receive a planned and supported induction consisting of a varied training programme; including CALM Training, Child Protection Training and support to complete an SVQ3. You will be working alongside a highly motivated and skilled team to provide a personalised service for our young people. Find out more about our Employee Benefits and our commitment to Equality and Diversity here