Partners in Advocacy has established itself as one of Scotland’s leading providers of independent advocacy, delivering exceptional advocacy services since 1998.

We are thrilled to present a wonderful opportunity within our supportive and welcoming Children and Young Persons team. As an independent Advocate you will have the privilege of providing one-on-one independent advocacy to young people in our My Rights My Say Service that supports Children with additional support needs aged 12-15 who want to exercise their own rights within their education. Through this role, you will ensure that young people’s voices and wishes are heard, enabling them to make informed choices, protect their rights and have a meaningful impact on decisions that affect their lives.

We strongly encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds to apply. If you believe your skills, experience, and expertise align with the criteria outlined in the person specification, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please complete the application form, ensuring that you provide examples of how your knowledge and experience fulfil each aspect of the person specification.

Partners in Advocacy takes pride in being a Disability Confident Employer, fully committed to creating an inclusive and accessible work environment.

My Rights My Say can support children Scotland Wide. Please note that this post is Home Based but travel will be required for Face-to-Face visits with Advocacy Partners if requested.

Lanarkshire Rape Crisis Centre (LRCC), established in 2004, is an independent charity with the objective of relieving the distress and improving the welfare of women and girls who, at any time in their lives, have been subjected to any form of sexual violence. LRCC works collaboratively with 17 Rape Crisis Centres across Scotland who also adhere to National Service Standards.

The National Lottery Community Fund, Improving Lives- Young Persons Project 2025-2027:Lanarkshire Rape Crisis Centre (LRCC) has been awarded funding for a 3-year period for a Young Survivors Project. The funding will provide a dedicated Young Survivors Support Service and lead to the creation of a Young People Reference Group. The Support Service will offer a range of individual and peer support options to aid in the recovery from any form of sexual violence or abuse. The Reference Group will be a space for young people to come together in solidarity, have their voices championed and amplified and be a key part of the prevention landscape tackling gender-based violence. The funding means we are recruiting 2 new staff to lead on the development and delivery of the project and work collaboratively within our existing staff teams to deliver the project outcomes.

Purpose of Post:The overall aim of this post is to support young people to establish a reference group and other group activity to: amplify young survivors voices, offer peer support and connection, engage in consultations, lead on awareness raising campaigns and influence the work of LRCC and the Violence Against Women partner agencies in Lanarkshire. The post will also play a key role in the facilitation of programmes with young people around recovery from sexual violence, what healthy sexual relationships look like (using nationally approved prevention materials), and to support schools, colleges, universities and communities in implementing holistic and strategic approaches to addressing gender-based violence.

Partners in Advocacy has established itself as one of Scotland’s leading providers of independent advocacy, delivering exceptional advocacy services since 1998.

We are recruiting for our Children’s Hearings advocacy team for an Independent Advocate for the City of Edinburgh (21 hours). You will be joining a busy team supporting children and young people going through the Children’s Hearings System. Please note, applicants for this role must be based in or close to the City of Edinburgh.

Through this role, you will ensure that young people’s voices and wishes are heard, enabling them to make informed choices, protect their rights and have a meaningful impact on decisions that affect their lives.

We strongly encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds to apply. If you believe your skills, experience, and expertise align with the criteria outlined in the person specification, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please complete the application form, ensuring that you provide examples of how your knowledge and experience fulfil each aspect of the person specification.

Partners in Advocacy takes pride in being a Disability Confident Employer, fully committed to creating an inclusive and accessible work environment.

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.

We are one of the largest children’s charities in the UK and have been making a difference to the lives of the UK’s vulnerable children for over 150 years.

Find out more about Action for Children on our careers page, X, LinkedIn, Facebook or YouTube to get to know us better.

A bit about the role

Our housing support and care at home service is all about empowering young individuals to live independently within their own homes and communities. We currently provide full-time, 2:1 care and support for two wonderful young people, a young man and a young lady, both of whom have learning disabilities and occasionally face challenging behaviours and hold their own tenancies.

Our approach is centred on assisting them with daily routines, personal care, and medication, all while nurturing their zest for life and activity. We keep them engaged with exciting adventures, walks, swimming, surfing, park visits, and exploring new experiences.

As a Housing Support Worker in our team, you'll play a crucial role in creating and implementing personalised care plans. You'll have the rewarding opportunity to support our young people in their journey towards greater independence, helping them achieve milestones, make informed decisions, and actively engage with their community.

At the heart of our philosophy is the belief that behaviour is a form of communication. We strive to understand the messages behind challenging behaviours and guide individuals to express themselves in positive and effective ways.

How you'll help to create brighter futures

Working in this environment can be so rewarding when you see the difference you're truly making. Our aim is to give every young person we work with the support and guidance to reach their potential and support their aspirations for a positive future, and this is a vital part of our work.

Some key responsibilities of a Housing Support Practitioner are;

• Helping young people in all aspects of their daily lives.
• Maintaining effective working relationships and communication with colleagues, young people and families.
• Being alert to child protection and safeguarding policies and procedures.
• Helping young people transition in to happy and healthy adults.
• Being solution focused and building on strengths.
• Achieving the highest standards of safeguarding, whether through direct care provision or support activities to the young people who come into contact with our services, or by appropriately reporting concerns.

Let's talk about you

You don't need a lot of previous experience or qualifications for this role – we're looking for someone with a positive attitude, and the desire and commitment to giving the best care to children and young people.

• A positive approach, providing a fun environment for the young people in our care.
• Ideally, a HNC and SVQ 3 in a social care discipline (or a qualification which would meet the registration requirements) or a commitment to working towards these.
• Ability to manage difficult situations.
• Willingness to participate in relevant on the job or off site training
• Providing support and care
• A commitment to working on rota pattern, which includes weekends and some bank holidays.

Good to know

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

If, for any reason, you need support with your application, please contact Laura McCarthy at recruitmentservice@actionforchildren.org.uk quoting reference 10615. We'll be happy to give you any support you require.

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