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 housing support and care at home service is dedicated to ensuring the independence of a young person within their community. We offer round-the-clock care and support on a 2:1 ratio for a young lady with learning disabilities.

We're looking for a Team Leader who'll be a positive role model, while providing line management to a small team of staff, to deliver high standards of care across our Edinburgh and Haddington services. You’ll be responsible for rota management, lead on shifts, support staff in their personal development and assist the Registered Manager with the day to day running of the service. You’ll work to achieve positive outcomes for the Young Person and will be the go-to person when the Registered Manager is not available.

You'll be part of an exceptional team who work together to develop and deliver person-centred care plans. You'll proactively help the young person on her journey to lead a more independent life by supporting her in achieving outcomes, making informed choices, and promoting participation in her community. We strongly believe that behaviour is communication and work to identify what the young people are trying to tell us through their behaviour and support them to communicate that in a positive way.

How you'll help to create brighter futures

Some key responsibilities of a Team Leader role are;

• Leading shifts and working with the Registered Manager to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and organisational policy and procedure.
• Provide leadership by example to ensure that records, paper and electronic, are maintained and duly uploaded into the appropriate database.
• Support staff team development through training opportunities, staff supervision, and multidisciplinary working.
• Work to achieve positive outcomes for individual children and young people and contributing to the achievement of an outstanding, good or equivalent rating in external inspection including deputising in the absence of the Registered Manager.

Let's talk about you

• Must possess SVQ 3 in Social Services & Healthcare, or HNC Social Services or equivalent / SVQ4 in Social Services or Healthcare or willing to work towards / SSSC registered.
• Previous experience of supervising staff.
• Significant experience of working with children and young people with Learning Disabilities.
• Confident in all aspects of MS Office.
• Experience of coaching and supporting staff to reach a competent standard.
• Ability to work under pressure while maintaining drive and enthusiasm and to be able to deal with children and young people effectively and safely with challenging behaviour.

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.

Do you want to make a difference to our children and young people?

Do you believe that every one of Scotland’s children and young people deserve the chance to flourish?

If so, this is the post for YOU!

About Aberlour Glasgow Intensive Family Support Service (IFSS)(City Wide)…

Aberlour will be working in partnership with the Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership and other Third Sector providers to promote the wellbeing of children and young people by offering caring and responsive support, something which is now needed more than ever as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. Aberlour Glasgow Intensive Family Support will deliver the support families need, when they need it. The aim of the service is to ensure that children and young people can continue to flourish at home, at school and in their local community.

What we are looking for....

We are looking to recruit a Family Support Worker, working 37.5 hours per week on a fixed term basis until 14th September 2025. You will work directly with families to nurture relationships, build on existing strengths and interests, help children and families build skills and confidence and strengthen community connections. You will be part of a multi-disciplinary team that works for a period of up to 12 months with families to support and enable positive change and improve outcomes. Our ambition is to help children, young people and families feel safe, confident, capable, and included, offering support when it is needed, including evenings and weekends. We believe in working alongside families, empowering them to lead positive change in their own lives.

We are looking for candidates who are experienced in working alongside vulnerable families to assess strengths and needs as well as plan, deliver and evaluate interventions and strategies which enable families to thrive. You will have experience of child and adult protection issues. Experience of working within other childcare settings such as Residential Child Care will be considered.

You must share our vision that collaborative working and relationship based early intervention is the best option for children and families who are feeling overwhelmed or excluded. Ideally you will hold a relevant professional qualification at SCQF level 7 or above, together with relevant experience of working directly with children or young people and their families. Not afraid to test new ways of working, you will bring a fresh, caring, and collaborative approach which recognises strengths and responds empathically to the needs of children, young people, and their families – this will include early mornings, evenings, and weekends.

To succeed in this role, you will need to work flexibly within a variety of locations across Glasgow City, including family homes, schools, and community settings.

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...

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.

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 is 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

This is an exciting opportunity to join Action for Children as a Senior Bid Writer, with responsibility for producing professionally written high scoring bid responses to meet defined quality standards.

Reporting to the Head of Business Development for Scotland, the successful candidate will predominantly be working on bids for the business in Scotland but will also work flexibly across the wider UK Business Development Team, as required.

The bids will be for a variety of service areas, and you will ensure that the written bid clearly articulates Action for Children's offer in a way that is compelling to provide a competitive advantage and is consistent with our brand and our passion to deliver service excellence.

How you'll help to create brighter futures

• Apply functional expertise to clearly articulate the quality of our service provision through written submissions.
• Work collaboratively and engagingly with internal colleagues to translate quality practice into conceptual model descriptors.
• Use a range of software packages to visually represent complex ideas in accessible ways.
• Work collaboratively and effectively with members of the Business Development team and Operational Colleagues.
• Interpret complex data to ensure the commissioners preference is evident in the written submission.
• Source business opportunities, including finding out about the service/sector for the written bid.
• Gather evidence to answer PQQ (Pre -Qualification Questionnaire) questions, including collecting data for bids.

Let's talk about you

• High level written skills to translate and structure complex information in a simple, straight forward, and logical way to support high scoring bids.
• Demonstrates the ability to lead or support the development of bids that win new business.
• Ability to gather and manage intelligence to inform the development of bid win narratives.
• Experience of bid work; transferable experience will also be acceptable.
• High level of IT skills including ability to use graphic design programmes to support bid production.
• Demonstrates the ability to lead or support the development of bids that win new business.

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 retailer's discounts.

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.