About Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC)

Aberlour Child Care Trust is leading a Partnership of Highland Council, Barnardos Highland Services, Right There and Gateway to provide practical support care and integration to Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC).

The partnership provides support to Asylum-Seekers 16+yrs in all areas of life from house management, community relationships, education, financial management, activities and volunteering. Together we ensure the support improves the lives of young people using a rights-based trauma informed approach.

The Service is dispersed, with an office base in Inverness. Staff are required to provide support across the region – Inverness, Muir of Ord, Dingwall, Alness, Invergordon and Tain. Access to a vehicle and a driver’s license are essential to this role.

What we are looking for....

We are seeking to recruit Project Workers to join our established team. Funding is currently guaranteed until 31st March 2026 but we are extremely hopeful of funding being extended beyond this. The post requires some weekend work, and shifts are up to 10 hours long, starting from 8am and finishing up to 8pm. Our full time posts are 37.5 hours per week. We are also open to applicants interested in working part time. If applicants could state their preferred weekly hours in their application form. There is a need for flexibility to adapt to the needs of the service and young people however where staff are needed to work outwith these hours, this would be discussed in advance.

The young people are looking for someone to join the team who is fun, caring and encouraging, providing them with varied and bespoke support to meet their needs; from learning how to manage a house and finances to taking part in activities and learning opportunities that enable them to build a sense of belonging.

You will be an allocated keyworker for specific young people, whilst also being able to work across the service with everyone where required. You will ensure support provided promotes integration, meeting of cultural needs, independent living skills and feelings of safety, through building nurturing relationships which empower young people to grow and develop.

Strong communication skills are required for this role. English is not the first language for many of our young people requiring you to adapt your communication accordingly and support them in their informal learning of English. Additionally, the role requires you to liaise with other agencies including health, education and social worker developing collaborative relationships ensuring the young person is at the forefront of the work we all do.

Ideally, you will have a relevant professional qualification at SCQF level 7 or above, or be willing to work towards this.

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 here and our commitment to Equality and Diversity here.

Are you committed to delivering best practice to support children and young people with complex needs?

Are you ready to use your experience and skill to shape practice in delivering quality services to children and young people?

Do you feel excited about the opportunity to take your first step towards a management position?

If so, this is a great opportunity for you.

About Aberlour Options Fife – Glenrothes Continuing Care

At Aberlour we listen to understand what our young people want and need within our local area. As such, our Options Fife Continuing Care services in Glenrothes support young people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live and thrive within the local community.

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 to the children and young people in the service. You will play a pivotal role, working in partnership with parents and families to meet the emotional and physical needs of children and young people with complex disabilities.

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 children, young people and families you will plan and implement appropriate support for the children and young people. 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.

Senior Young People’s Workers will work a Residential Rota 2.5 x 12.5 hours shift direct care of their role on shift and 0.5 x 12.5 hours of their time working alongside the Service Manager on operational tasks and standardising practice. 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.

This is a senior policy and parliamentary engagement role requiring autonomous strategic thinking and confident stakeholder engagement. You'll be Close the Gap's lead on parliamentary relationships and policy development, working with considerable independence to shape our advocacy strategy and manage complex stakeholder relationships.

With Scottish Parliament elections in May 2026, this is a pivotal time to join Close the Gap as our Policy and Parliamentary Lead. You'll build relationships with a new cohort of MSPs, strengthen our parliamentary engagement strategy, and directly influence Scotland's approach to women's labour market equality. This newly permanent role reflects our long-term investment in this critical function.

As a small organisation, we looking for someone who can be the authoritative voice for Close the Gap on parliamentary engagement and policy development - thinking strategically, identifying opportunities, setting priorities, and delivering high-quality outputs with minimal supervision. You'll work collaboratively with colleagues but will be expected to own your delivery areas, exercise judgement independently, and represent the organisation confidently with senior stakeholders.

Organisation profile

Close the Gap is Scotland’s policy advocacy organisation working on women’s labour market participation. Our vision is for a Scotland where all women have a good working life. We work strategically with policymakers, employers and unions to address the causes of the gender pay gap. We deliver advocacy to influence policy and legislative change; produce research, analysis and insight into women’s diverse experiences of the labour market; and influence and enable employers to develop intersectional, gender-sensitive employment practice.

Equality statement

Close the Gap recognises that we have a responsibility to operate in line with our values. We know that structural inequalities constrain and harm the lives of marginalised communities of people such as racially minoritised people, disabled people, LGBTQ+ people, migrant people, people who are single parents, and people of faith. This is particularly important for those who experience intersecting and compounding inequalities. As part of this, we are working to become an anti-racism organisation through a proactive review of our policies and practices, and are currently developing an anti-racism action plan.

We acknowledge that our team does not yet reflect the diversity of women's experiences in Scotland's labour market. We therefore particularly encourage applications from racially minoritised people and disabled people who are currently underrepresented in our team.