A fantastic opportunity to come and join the Children First team in East Ayrshire

At Children First our ambition is for every child in Scotland to be safe, loved and well with their family. As a charity we offer emotional, practical, and financial support to help families to put children first and campaign to uphold the rights of every child.

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of our new and innovative Restorative Family Group Decision Making Service in East Ayrshire. The new team and model of relational and restorative approaches, including Family Group Decision Making, will play a pivotal role in the delivery and development of the service, ensuring high quality relationships with children and families and working alongside our partners to evidence impact. We are therefore looking to recruit a dynamic, experienced team of individuals who can drive the successful development and growth of this new and innovative partnership.

You do not require previous experience in the delivery of Family Group Decision Making but you must be able to demonstrate an understanding of the principles and values of the approach. You must also show a commitment to complete accredited training, which will be provided.

If you have experience of working within child protection processes, are committed to restorative approaches, meaningfully involving children and families, and have a professional qualification in a relevant area such as Social Work, Teaching or equivalent in Childcare/Social Care or related area, accredited counselling qualification, or other relevant qualification at SCQF level 9 or higher then we want to hear from you.

Children First along with partners share a determination to act upon the recommendations from The Independent Care Review and deliver The Promise to children and young people. We are also determined that the full incorporation of the UNCRC means that children will have their rights respected in all areas of their lives and will have a real say in the way they are supported. If you share this determination, we would love to hear from you.

What kind of people are we looking for?

• have experience of keeping children safe in their own families
• are fiercely passionate about children’s rights
• thinks it’s a privilege to work with and on behalf of children and families and,
• are kind and will bring their whole selves to the job: heart and mind

What kind of team member will you be?

Knowing our ambition for children, you will be someone who is:

• resilient, skilled and knowledgeable who wants to transform children’s lives
• determined to support children to stay safely with their own family
• big hearted and courageous
• able to build strong relationships and to manage the tricky conversations
• is compassionate and understanding of trauma
• a cool head and clear minded at times of pressure
• inspiring colleagues and teams to be even better
• an amazing ambassador for children and Children First

Above all else, the most important thing to us is that you are someone who will do the right thing for children and their families at every turn.

Base

You will be based in East Ayrshire with our partners in the HSCP and will travel to connect with other parts of the organisation. You will work on an outreach basis to connect with children and families in communities across East Ayrshire.

Salary, Conditions, Pension

We will offer you a competitive salary, generous annual leave entitlement (40 days inclusive of 9 public holidays). ​We have additional benefits such as a cash back health plan, cycle to work scheme, and option to join a ​Credit Union.

Do you want to make a positive impact on the lives of children and young people with a learning disability and or Autism?

We have an exciting opportunity for a family focused, warm friendly, resourceful and empathetic individual to join our newly extended Disability Service as a Family Worker.

About Options Fife

At Options Fife we have been providing person centred services to children and young people with a learning disability and/or Autism for over 25 years. Our Family Workers enhance the existing provision offered, enabling whole family support for children and families with complex learning needs.

What we are looking for....

As a Family Worker, you will offer emotional and direct practical help to families experiencing short- or long-term challenges. You will work with families; identifying areas where support is required, working with them to co-produce a family support plan which will be individually tailored to their child’s and family’s needs. You will agree outcomes and personal goals within the child’s plan.

The role of the Family Worker will be diverse and wide ranging and will include the following:

• Promote and develop healthy routines, including sleep.
• Provide practical support with personal care.
• Support the development of play routines.
• Support parents to address difficulties and reduce risks.
• Build upon parents existing knowledge and equip them with enabling strategies and tools.
• Support families to have positive and rewarding relationships.
• Support families to implement structure, identify triggers and understand the function and purpose of their child’s behaviour and reduce challenges from escalating.
• Along with families, liaise and work with partners and colleagues from Social Work, Health and Education to assess, review and evaluate progress.
• You will have experience of supporting children and families with a learning disability and Autism. You will have up-to-date knowledge of best practice and supporting tools and interventions.

You will manage your own diary, and your hours will be 20 per week, worked flexibly between 7am and 10pm, Monday to Sunday. The days and hours worked will be agreed with families within the family support plan. There may also occasionally be a need to provide additional support out with these times and to be able to respond to crises and family stress.

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.

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.

A unique leadership chance to shape wellbeing and protection across Scottish sport

At Children First our ambition is for every child in Scotland to be safe, loved and well with their family. As a charity we offer emotional, practical, and financial support to help families to put children first and campaign to uphold the rights of every child.

This is an exciting opportunity to lead the development of a recently established, national service which supports Scottish governing bodies of sport (SGBs) to effectively manage wellbeing and protection concerns for all who participate in sport. The service is being established through a strategic partnership between sportscotland, Children First and SGBs.

We are looking for a skilled and confident leader to lead the strategic development of the service. As the Service Manager, you will provide professional strategic leadership and direction of the service and manage the team’s partnership with SGBs to:

support their management of wellbeing and protection concerns and investigations in a timely and appropriate manner.

build the knowledge, skills and confidence of SGB staff through training, mentoring and directed learning.

facilitate the development of resources including practice guidance, tools and templates that support SGBs’ case management of wellbeing and protection concerns.

What kind of person will make a great Service Manager for the Case Management Support Service?

• resilient, skilled, strategic leader who can shape and build a new service in response to identified needs.
• able to inspire and motivate team members providing leadership, guidance and emotionally-intelligent support.
• ability to lead and work collaboratively with partner agencies to maintain momentum, effective planning and open communication.
• have an excellent understanding of wellbeing and protection for both children and adults.
• have effective organisational skills and an ability to respond to complex and changing situations.
• is a strong communicator who values a collaborative approach.
• is passionate about human rights.

If you have the above and possess a professional qualification and experience from an appropriate sector, such as social work, law, human resources or sports governance, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Base

You will work flexibly at home with a periodic requirement to attend meetings at our offices and those of our partners across central Scotland.

Salary, Conditions, Pension

We will offer you a competitive salary, generous annual leave entitlement (40 days inclusive of 9 public holidays, pro rata), flexible working opportunities and a contributory pension scheme. Additionally, we offer further benefits such as a cash-back healthcare plan, cycle to work scheme and option to join a Credit Union.

Hours

This is a fixed term, full time post of 35 hours per week funded until May 2027.