Partners in Advocacy has delivered independent advocacy services since 1998 and is a trusted provider across Scotland.

We are pleased to offer an opportunity to join our Edinburgh service as an Independent Advocacy Worker.

This is a rewarding role in a supportive, experienced team, where you will make a genuine difference by providing one-to-one independent advocacy to people aged 16 and over with learning or physical disabilities, autism, and older people. You will support individuals in having their voices heard, helping them express their views, understand their rights, explore their options, and participate in decisions that affect their lives.

The role involves travelling throughout Edinburgh to meet people in a range of community and clinical settings. Travel expenses are covered, and you will be supported to plan your work in a way that is both effective and sustainable.

Working closely with the Service Coordinator, you will help maintain accurate service data and support the development of quarterly reports, helping demonstrate the impact of advocacy.

This is a role that offers a high degree of autonomy, alongside regular support, supervision, and opportunities to connect with colleagues across the organisation.

We warmly encourage applications from people from diverse backgrounds.

If your skills and experience align with the job description and person specification, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Please complete the application form, providing examples of how you meet each aspect of the job description and person specification.

Partners in Advocacy is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to creating an inclusive and accessible working environment.

What the role is really like

• You’ll be working most of the time independently, managing your own diary and priorities
• You’ll need to be confident working with people aged 16 and over with learning or physical disabilities, autism, and older people
• Your days will vary from supporting someone in a meeting, to travelling across Edinburgh, to completing case notes at home
• Some situations are complex or emotionally demanding, so strong boundaries are essential
• You’ll need to be able to understand complex information and processes, translate them to your advocacy partners, helping them to understand their rights and explore their options
• You’ll need to be comfortable making decisions and working proactively, while staying connected to your wider team
• You’ll be speaking to a range of professionals in a range of settings, communicating and amplifying your advocacy partner's opinions and wishes
• You’ll record, track and compile statistical and other information, writing it into tracking spreadsheets, Microsoft Word forms and create anonymised case studies

You’ll be a good fit if you:

• Are comfortable working autonomously and managing your own workload
• Are comfortable with regular travel across Edinburgh as part of your working day
• Can recognise the right times to check in with your line manager
• Have good planning and are punctual
• Can build trust with people and communicate clearly in a range of situations
• Are organised and able to balance direct work and admin responsibilities
• Have good writing and IT skills
• Are confident travelling independently across Edinburgh
• Value equality, rights, and person-led support
• Can research, read and understand complex information, then translate it and explain it in clear terms

Argyll & Bute Citizens Advice Bureau (ABCAB) is an independent member of the Citizens Advice network in Scotland. The Bureau provides free, impartial, confidential and independent advice to residents across Argyll & Bute on a wide range of issues including debt, benefits, housing, energy, and consumer rights. The Citizens Advice network in Scotland plays a key role in tackling poverty, inequality and social injustice, while influencing policy and practice at both local and national levels.

The Energy Debt Adviser role sits within the ABCAB Energy Debt Project, which has developed in response to the ongoing fuel crisis and persistently high levels of fuel poverty across Argyll & Bute. The project aims to support individuals and families who are struggling to manage fuel costs, address energy-related debt, improve energy efficiency, and resolve disputes with energy suppliers.

The post holder will provide in-depth energy and fuel debt advice, advocacy, and casework support to clients, with a particular focus on vulnerable households. The role also has a proactive outreach element, supporting community engagement and contributing to improved awareness of energy efficiency, fuel rights, and available support schemes.

Job description

The Energy Debt Adviser is responsible for delivering high-quality, impartial energy advice and undertaking casework to support clients experiencing fuel debt, fuel poverty, and energy supplier disputes. The role requires specialist knowledge of the energy sector, strong advocacy skills, and the ability to work collaboratively with colleagues and partner organisations.

Employee benefits

Argyll & Bute Citizens Advice Bureau offers excellent terms and conditions, including a total of 35 days leave and a pension scheme with an 6% employer contribution, and life assurance. The Bureau is an inclusive employer considering flexible & remote working arrangements where appropriate, and operates a 4 Day Working Week.

Duncan Place Community Hub in Leith is looking for up to six volunteer Trustees to make up a board of twelve. We are looking for Trustees willing to share their skills, knowledge and experience, and who can work in a team to ensure good governance and provide strategic direction to the staff team who carry out the day-to-day operations and management.

Trustees should be universally welcoming and supportive of our diverse community.

If you have the following skills and experience, let’s talk:

• Charity management and Development
• Community and Membership Development
• Marketing and Communications
• Social Impact Measurement
• Accountancy / Finance / Investment
• Staff Development

We welcome other skills and experience too and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences who can add value to the organisation.

Duncan Place offers some activities for children. Whilst day to day contact is unlikely, Trustees are involved in safeguarding via policies and procedures, so are therefore required to join the Protecting Vulnerable Group (PVG) Scheme. Duncan Place will organise this at no cost to the Trustee. More details are available here: mygov.scot/pvg-scheme

About Duncan Place Community Hub

Duncan Place Community Hub is a registered charity operating as a social enterprise. Through offering a range of inclusive and low-cost community events, we aim to promote well-being, reduce social isolation, and build social connections in Leith and the surrounding areas.

We also provide affordable office space to organisations making a positive social impact in the area, and hourly room hire for local groups, businesses and individuals.

The organisation has grown from the potential demolition of a very tired council owned community centre, to a fully refurbished hub owned by the charity and serving the people of Leith. The income we generate from tenancies and room hire is used to maintain our building, employ our team at the real living wage, and to subsidise our community events. This innovative model means that the charity is financially healthy, has decent reserves and is able to use funds raised to respond to the communities’ needs without the need to rely on short-term funding.

Our Vision, Mission

Our Vision

Our vision is for a happy healthy community where people are welcomed to take part in what we offer.

Our Mission

Our mission is to promote well-being, reduce social isolation, and build social connections in Leith and the surrounding areas.

We do this through

Offering a range of inclusive and low-cost community events and activities covering a wide range of ages and interests.

Providing affordable office space to organisations making a positive social impact in the area, and hourly room hire for local groups, businesses and individuals.

Generating income from tenancies and room hire to maintain our building, employ our team at the real living wage, and to subsidise our community events.

Our Values

Maintaining Duncan Place Community Hub as a welcoming and inclusive space takes kindness and effort from all of us. We thank all building users for sharing in our values and being part of making it such a great space.

Inclusion: We are committed to creating a space and providing services where everyone feels welcomed, respected, and valued.

Community: The people that use our building, our tenants, room-hirers, staff and visitors are central to all that we do. We are proud to be a part of the diverse and exciting community that is Leith. We will continue to build strong relationships within and outside our organisation to support our community.

Diversity: We celebrate the unique backgrounds and experiences of those that use our community hub.

Wellbeing: We prioritise the health and happiness of all hub users and employees. Physical, mental, social, and emotional health are equally important and underpin the decisions we take.

Making a difference: We strive to create a positive impact on the lives of our members, visitors, employees, tenants and the broader community.

Training Details

Current board members and the chief executive of the charity will provide induction and ongoing support. We will support you to access online training for the role of a charity trustee which is available through Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations Council (EVOC) and will explore other training opportunities as required and as budget allows.

About Our Board

We are keen to continue developing the organisation by welcoming up to six new Trustees, bringing fresh eyes with a range of skills, experience and perspectives. New Trustees will join our current board of committed and engaged individuals who have been with the charity for between two to six years. Our current chair is reaching the end of their maximum length of service and will be retiring at the next AGM. The board will be appointed at the AGM (18th June) and then, at the first meeting following the AGM, the board themselves will decide on the office bearing roles. Current trustees have skills in organisational management, facilities management, staff support, strategic planning, policy development, treasury skills, funding and more.

Expected Commitment

There are 8-10 in-person board meetings per year. These are currently monthly on a Thursday evening and approx. 1.5-2hrs long. Following a mission and values day last October we will be progressing through our next phase of growth. The frequency of board meetings will be under review with the intention of reducing the number held each year.

Trustees are expected to attend the board meetings and to also join and contribute to sub-groups to oversee ongoing areas of work in line with their interests and/ or organisational need. Depending upon the area of work, the sub-group can be short lived, medium or longer term. The times of the sub-group meetings are flexible and decided by the sub-group members. We hope that potential candidates will commit to a 3-year term of office, but we are realistic and know that ‘life happens!’

The estimated commitment is 4 to 6 hours per month e.g.

• Reading papers in advance of meetings
• Attending and contributing at meetings
• Progressing action points
• Sub-group commitments

Trustees are expected to be confident and self-sufficient in using digital tools, including email, WhatsApp, shared document platforms (such as SharePoint) and video conferencing (teams/ zoom or similar). Board papers and organisational documents are managed digitally; trustees are expected to access these independently using their own device. This means having reliable access to a laptop, tablet, or similar device capable of running a current web browser and accessing cloud-based platforms. A smartphone alone is unlikely to be sufficient for this purpose.

If you have any concerns about meeting these requirements, please contact us to discuss before applying.

Location/Travel Details

Duncan Place Community Hub, 4 Duncan Place, Leith, EH6 8HW

Expenses

Reasonable travel expenses are available. All other expenses must be agreed prior to spending.

Accessibility Details

Disabled parking space available. Ramp access. Accessible loos. Wide corridors and doors. Lift access to upper floors. Please let us know of any reasonable adjustments needed.

What happens next?

Duncan Place is registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) – a type of charity that is run by and for its members. The constitution specifies the recruitment process.

• Potential trustees should complete the form linked below.
• We will then invite you to an info session with some of our current trustees and register you as a member. (Candidates must be registered as Ordinary Members of Duncan Place in order to stand for election).
• We will share some info on potential Trustees with our members.
• At the AGM, potential Trustees stand for election and are voted for by our members.
• The Trustees provide good governance for the charity and leadership to the team of paid staff.
• The staff carry out the day-to-day operations of running the organisation.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) are Scotland’s leading advice charity. They support a network of Citizens Advice Bureaux, all operating as independent charities, to deliver frontline advice services in almost 300 locations.

The charity is driven by the strong belief that every person in Scotland should have access to free, impartial and confidential advice to help them make well-informed decisions. CAS looks at the problems we can all face at times and campaign for change where it is needed most. Their support and advice is available to all and is of particularly benefit to some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

The Chair of the Board will lead a team of trustees dedicated to making a positive difference to the lives of people across Scotland. Crucial to ensuring the organisation fulfils its purpose by providing strategic leadership, the Chair leads the Board in offering support and constructive challenge to the Executive team, enabling CAS to successfully achieve its ambitions.

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing leadership to the Board ensuring trustees fulfill their governance responsibilities.

• Inspiring and supporting the CEO and Executive team to deliver on strategic priorities.

• Fostering excellent relationships with members, Scotland’s network of 58 Citizens Advice Bureaux, at a governance level.

• Working closely with the CEO and Executive team to ensure that this network remains at all times well-positioned and forward looking in a challenging political and economic environment.

• Fulfilling a highly visible ambassadorial role for CAS, helping to further develop its profile and representation with government, other organisations and multiple stakeholders.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a highly experienced leader with a background in public, corporate and/or the charity sector, to drive impact at scale. Providing stewardship in the implementation of the CAS Strategy 2025- 2030 will make a real difference to so many peoples lives.

The Chair will gain unique insight into the social and economic issues in society and play an extremely fulfilling role in addressing these. A structured training programme will be provided to support development and enable the CAS Chair to excel in this role.

This is a voluntary, non-remunerated position and will require a time commitment of approximately two to four days per month.