Want to make a real impact on children’s lives in Scotland? We’re looking for a passionate, detail-focused events professional to join our Learning & Events team on maternity cover. You’ll help shape our Learning Programme and lead our commissioned training offer – all with the support of an amazing, dedicated team.

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced events professional to join our small, but perfectly formed, Learning & Events team while one of our Senior Officers goes on maternity leave. You’ll be joining the team as we re-focus our efforts to deliver the most cost-effective way to support the children’s sector via our Learning Programme.

The Senior Learning & Events Officer contributes to the successful design, delivery and evaluation of Children in Scotland’s Learning Programme – jointly creating an innovative and financially sustainable programme that supports and connects the children’s sector workforce.

As Senior Learning & Events Officer (maternity cover) there will be no direct line management responsibility, but you will lead on some of the key activities delivered by the team. This includes managing our commissioned training offer and overseeing the successful delivery of contracts. You will also, on occasion, deputise for the Learning & Membership Manager in their absence.

You will be ready to hit the ground running but we will offer you an excellent induction and support through the first couple of months. You will join a brilliant group of supportive staff who are passionate about making a difference to children’s lives and work hard to achieve this.

About Children in Scotland

Giving all children in Scotland an equal chance to flourish is at the heart of everything we do.

By bringing together a network of people working with and for children, alongside children and young people themselves, we offer a broad, balanced and independent voice. We create solutions, provide support and develop positive change across all areas affecting children in Scotland. We do this by listening, gathering evidence, and applying and sharing our learning, while always working to uphold children’s rights.

Our range of knowledge and expertise means we can provide trusted support on issues as diverse as the people we work with and the varied lives of children and families in Scotland.

Diversity

Children in Scotland values the contribution of all our staff, whatever their background. Our recruitment decisions are based on fair, open processes, with appointment on merit. We welcome applications from everyone.

*Children in Scotland’s office is in Edinburgh which will be your official contracted place of work. This post will require regular attendance at the office. We have introduced hybrid working based on trust and flexibility so, as long as business needs are met, individuals have flexibility in terms of where they work (home/office).

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

Action for Children's Intensive Intervention Service is a voluntary service that aims to support children and young people aged 11-18 years who may be at risk of or coerced into, involvement with serious offending and criminal activity.

The service forms partnership with City of Edinburgh Council, Police Scotland, and Education as part of a multi-agency partnership strategy to intervene in a child or young person's life as early as possible to prevent the likelihood or impact of criminal exploitation.

The aim of the service is to provide intensive 1:1, group work and diversionary activities to help equip the child or young person with the necessary skills and tools to make positive choices and to re-engage and sustain education, training, or employment.

We’re seeking a dedicated Practitioner to provide targeted intervention to children and young people, fostering their potential and aiding them in overcoming personal barriers. The goal is to empower positive lifestyle choices by collaborating within various community settings. Working closely with families is paramount, as we strive to strengthen relationships and address vulnerabilities.

We highly encourage applications from individuals who have lived experience relevant to this role.

How you'll help to create brighter futures

Some key responsibilities of a Young Persons Practitioner role are;

• Leading interventions, ensuring positive outcomes, in line with policies and regulations.
• Supporting children and young people to re-engage in education and employment.
• Managing a caseload within the Services.
• Building strong relationships with individuals, organizations, and agencies and undertaking home visits where necessary.
• Attending meetings as required, including presenting cases at monthly meetings.
• Upholding safety policies and procedures for a positive work environment.

Let's talk about you

• SVQ /Diploma Level 3 or equivalent qualification in early years and childcare, social care or related background.
• Experience of working with young people in social work or experience in criminal justice.
• Working within a multi-agency social care, early years or health environment and applying safeguarding procedures
• Experience of managing cases, in accordance with agreed procedures and completing assessments, planning and reviews to ensure positive outcomes
• Ability to communicate effectively and engagingly and to maintain independent professional relationships, boundaries
• Provide outreach support across Edinburgh (Car mileage expenses reimbursed)

Good to know

Application Process

Please note we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.

Contact: Laura McCarthy at recruitmentservice@actionforchildren.org.uk quoting reference 10925

Diversity, equality and inclusion

At Action for Children, we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace.

We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic and disabled candidates as they are under-represented within Action for Children. We want to take deliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups in society and for Action for Children.

Male staff are under-represented within our Children Service roles. We would like to encourage more male applicants for our Children Service roles.

Don't meet every single requirement?

If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with the job description, we'd love you to apply anyway. You might just be the perfect person for this role, or another role within the Action for Children family.

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 people, and the power of their voices to bring about positive change. We provide individual lifelong relationship-based independent advocacy and a broad range of imaginative participatory and engagement opportunities for Care Experienced people across Scotland. We work alongside Corporate Parents and communities to broaden understanding and create change. We work with policy makers, leaders, and elected representatives locally and nationally to shape law, policy, and practice, working together to build on the aspirations of The Promise and secure positive change.

This unique role offers the chance to create and facilitate opportunities and activities for Care Experienced people, leading on participation to ensure Care Experienced people can share their views and experiences, and helping to bring about positive change.

The post holder will utilise and create opportunities for participation and belonging activities with Care Experienced people, whilst supporting a range of events and other local or national activities. Core belonging and participation activities will involve fun connection activities; issue-based and focus groups; and forums, and events, both one-off and longer term in duration. The role will involve working closely with organizational partners and other services to create new opportunities or develop existing ones.

Responsible for maximizing the networks through which Care Experienced young people can connect, develop, and grow as individuals, you will use a range of communications channels to promote belonging and participation activities to Care Experienced children and young people. By developing accessible and applicable youth work tools and activities, you will build upon your experience working with children and young people to create attractive offers locally that encourage Care Experienced people to join our membership.

In your capacity as a Development Officer, you will work closely with Who Cares? Scotland Volunteer Manager to ensure we are providing the best support available to volunteers serving our young people. Through collaboration with our Participation & Membership Manager, as well as our fundraising team, you will identify and attract local funding and fundraising opportunities to enhance our local offering to Care Experienced people. In doing so, you will develop and maintain good working relationships with relevant regional organisations (e.g. Local Authority, Third Sector, Public Sector Corporate Parents) and gain experience in awareness-raising and promotion. Providing reports in relation to participation, belonging, and the impact of your work, you will bolster the evidence base to support fundraising and awareness- raising opportunities, as well as to influence local policy initiatives, such as The Promise. As an ambassador for Who Cares? Scotland, you will be joining Who Cares? Scotland at an exciting time, when the voice of those who are in or have experienced care is growing rapidly across Scotland – bringing with it insight, challenge, hope and change.

The right candidate for this post will be able to form positive, empathetic, understanding and compassionate relationships with children and young people and have good interpersonal skills, as well as experience in designing tailored group work programmes. You feel confident communicating, with a solution focussed attitude. As well as evidencing your work, you can prioritise and meet deadlines. You hold knowledge of the current structure, developments, policy, and practice in relation to children and young people experiencing care in Scotland. You are flexible, given the remit of the role, as some evening and weekend work will be necessary, along with a full driving licence and access to transport.

While we would welcome the knowledge gathered through relevant qualifications, we are just as interested in relevant work experience. We welcome and encourage applications from those with experience of care.

If this role sounds like the opportunity for you, we would love to hear from you.

About Options Fife Lochwood Park

Aberlour Options Fife - Lochwood Park service, based in Kingseat, is a forever home for one young man who has complex needs. Our service is a safe space for not only our young man but for his family to spend meaningful time. Although there can be behaviours that challenge, it is the small steps of progress that this young person makes daily that makes our work meaningful. We are looking for someone to join our small team, who is a patient and understanding person. These are key skills for this role.

What we are looking for....

As someone who has built up experience working in residential childcare, you will have the confidence to guide and direct the provision of care for our young person.

When on shift, you will play a lead role, mentoring and supporting staff and being a role model, delivering excellence in the services we provide. You will assist in assessing, planning and delivering services, taking responsibility for ensuring that assessment and interventions are prepared, monitored and evaluated.

Engaging positively with our Young Person and their family you will plan and implement appropriate support. Sensitive and accurate reporting is a key responsibility and so you will have good written communication skills and the ability to learn how to use effectively, Aberlour’s recording system: Dynamics.

This role offers the opportunity to consolidate and build on your experience combined with the ability to enhance your skills and knowledge through training, for example, in Dyadic Developmental Practice.

As part of the management team you will play an active role in ensuring that shift duties are delegated and completed in accordance with service guidance. You will work 2 x 7.5 hour shifts per week as part of a Residential Rota.

Overnight sleep ins are part of the role, alongside an awake member of night staff.

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.