Are you playful, adaptable and a good communicator? We are seeking a Play and Wellbeing Practitioner to deliver high-quality, self-directed play opportunities across Midlothian, as part of a team. This is an active, hands‑on role with a strong emphasis on outdoor play in all weather conditions.
About Play Midlothian
Play Midlothian is a registered charity (no. SC025474) working to enable every child in Midlothian to thrive through play by creating opportunities, removing barriers and addressing inequalities. We have an office base at the One Dalkeith Business Hub in central Dalkeith, but deliver services throughout Midlothian, and if commissioned, beyond.
About the Role
The postholder will work across our various services, supporting children and young people aged 0-14, including children with disabilities and those with emerging mental health challenges, and their families. We champion adventurous, self-directed play, with a focus on loose parts, and use varied community settings to create rich play opportunities. A high proportion of sessions take place outdoors, all year round.
Travel and transportation of play resources to multiple sites across Midlothian is required for successful delivery of our services. Sessions take place at various times, including during the school day, but most are after school hours and at weekends. Flexibility is therefore required, though we do aim to share out weekend working on a rota pattern so that everyone gets predictable weekends off.
If you are enthusiastic about enabling children to play in their own ways, we would love to hear from you.
How to apply
The role requires PVG scheme membership for children. The post is subject to the scheme record accessed prior to the post commencing. Play Midlothian will meet this cost.
Please note that if selected for interview, you will also be asked to attend a play session lasting up to 1.5 hours prior to interview - various day and time options will be available.
An application pack can be downloaded from our website at playmidlothian.org.uk/jobs, where the link to apply can also be found.
The application deadline is midnight Sunday 12 April 2026
Interviews will take place on Thursday 23 April 2026
Play and Wellbeing Practitioner
Postcode: EH22 1AG
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We are seeking an enthusiastic and committed Residential Project Worker to join our Pentland Way Service.
The post is a full-time day shift post, 37 hours a week, worked on a rota basis including weekends.
ABOUT CAERN
Barnardo's Caern Disability Services consists of three unique Projects who deliver a variety of quality services for young people with learning disabilities and/or autism. We have done this for over forty years.
Pentland Way Project is a residential service providing support to up to three young people. Working primarily in the residential setting you will promote the happiness, safety and welfare of the young people. You will play an active role in supporting the young people and their families/carers to achieve positive outcomes, as identified in their Individual Support Plans (ISP's).
ABOUT YOU
Ideally you will have experience in working directly with children and young people in a residential setting. Experience in supporting children and young people with a learning disability and/or Autism would be an advantage. Communication with the young people is paramount - the key is time tabling; structure; reliability and consistency. You will be faced with behaviours that challenge, including physical.
The staff team across Caern Services must be fully accepting of our children and be prepared to offer them a professional relationship based on acceptance and informed by our understanding of their individual needs, wishes and experiences. We are passionate about the children and young people that we care for, showing understanding, empathy and consistency in our approach.
You will hold (or be willing to work towards) a relevant professional qualification at SCQF level 7 or above (for example SVQ3 children and young people) plus an HNC in social services. These qualifications are required to register with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) as part of your employment. There may be external grants available to partly fund this.
For an informal chat about this role – please call 01968 664 792
Pay & Reward Framework
We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values. We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people.
For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay.
Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours. More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application.
Benefits:Workplace Offer: What it means for you
Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these. Please read through the advert carefully to understand the remits of hybrid working that will be specific to the role.
Barnardo's require colleagues to be UK residents, based in the UK and to complete their roles from within the UK (with the exception of colleagues providing Barnardo's services in Jersey and colleagues who live in the Republic of Ireland providing services in Northern Ireland)
*T&C's apply based on contract
About Barnardo's
We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti-racist organisation with Anti-Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.
Our basis and values
We are seeking an enthusiastic and committed Senior Residential Project Worker to join our Pentland Way residential Service.
Barnardo's Caern Disability Services consists of three unique Projects who deliver a variety of quality services for young people with learning disabilities and/or autism. We have done this for over 40 years.
At the Caern Short Breaks Service, we support up to 5 children and young people aged 5-18 by offering respite and short break packages to them and their families.
Working primarily in the residential setting you will promote the happiness, safety and welfare of the young people. You will play an active role in supporting the children and young people and their families/carers to achieve positive outcomes, as identified in the Young People's Individual Support Plans.
ABOUT YOU
Ideally you will have experience in working directly with children and young people in a residential setting. Experience in supporting children and young people with a learning disability and/or Autism is required.
You will work directly with the children and young people on shift, as part of the staff team on rota. In addition to this your main role will include
The staff team across Caern Services must be fully accepting of our children and be prepared to offer them a professional relationship based on acceptance and informed by our understanding of their individual needs, wishes and experiences. We are passionate about the children and young people that we care for, showing understanding, empathy and consistency in our approach.
You will currently hold or be working towards a SVQ3 (Children and Young People) and also be willing to work towards a recognised SSSC qualification/s relevant to this role (Residential Worker with Supervisory Responsibilities).
This is a full-time position (37 hours). Working on a dayshift rota basis, you will typically work a rota of 5 out of 7 days, including weekends. You will require to be flexible for the needs of the Young People and the Service.
For an informal chat about this role – please call Aileen Gallagher on 0131 339 8840.
Pay & Reward Framework
We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values. We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people.
For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay.
Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours. More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application.
Benefits:Workplace Offer: What it means for you
Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these. Please read through the advert carefully to understand the remits of hybrid working that will be specific to the role.
Barnardo's require colleagues to be UK residents, based in the UK and to complete their roles from within the UK (with the exception of colleagues providing Barnardo's services in Jersey and colleagues who live in the Republic of Ireland providing services in Northern Ireland)
*T&C's apply based on contract
About Barnardo's
We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti-racist organisation with Anti-Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.
We are seeking an enthusiastic and committed Residential Project Worker to join our Short Breaks Service.
The post is a full-time day shift post, 37 hours a week, worked on a rota basis including weekends.
ABOUT CAERN
Barnardo's Caern Disability Services consists of three unique Projects who deliver a variety of quality services for young people with learning disabilities and/or autism. We have done this for over forty years.
At the Caern Short Breaks Service, we support up to 5 children and young people aged 5-18 by offering respite and short break packages to them and their families.
Working primarily in the residential setting you will promote the happiness, safety and welfare of the young people. You will play an active role in supporting the children and young people and their families/carers to achieve positive outcomes, as identified in the Young People's Individual Support Plans.
ABOUT YOU
Ideally you will have experience in working directly with children and young people in a residential setting. Experience in supporting children and young people with a learning disability and/or Autism would be an advantage. Communication with the young people is paramount - the key is time tabling; structure; reliability and consistency. You will be faced with behaviours that challenge, including physical.
The staff team across Caern Services must be fully accepting of our children and be prepared to offer them a professional relationship based on acceptance and informed by our understanding of their individual needs, wishes and experiences. We are passionate about the children and young people that we care for, showing understanding, empathy and consistency in our approach.
You will hold (or be willing to work towards) a relevant professional qualification at SCQF level 7 or above (for example SVQ3 children and young people) plus an HNC in social services. These qualifications are required to register with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) as part of your employment. There may be external grants available to partly fund this.
For an informal chat about this role – please call 0131 339 8840
Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.
Pay & Reward Framework
We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values. We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people.
For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay.
Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours. More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application.
Benefits
Workplace Offer: What it means for you
Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these. Please read through the advert carefully to understand the remits of hybrid working that will be specific to the role.
*T&C's apply based on contract
About Barnardo's
We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti-racist organisation with Anti-Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.
We cannot take play for granted – barriers and inequalities can limit children’s access. We work to overturn these and create opportunities where they are needed most, so that every child can experience the play they need to thrive.
Play Midlothian is a registered charity (no. SC025474), with an office base at the One Dalkeith Business Hub in central Dalkeith, delivering services throughout Midlothian. Each year, we support over 750 children through over 875 sessions, helping children (and, in some services, their families) to gain skills and confidence, be included and improve wellbeing.
We are looking for a Fundraising Manager to help sustain, and, where part of our strategy, grow this work. If you have a track record in securing grant funding, an interest in all forms of fundraising, and excellent communication skills, this could be the role for you.
About the Role
This is a key role at an exciting time for Play Midlothian, as we mark our 30th anniversary and will develop a new website and communications materials.
You will lead on developing and delivering our fundraising strategy, with a strong focus on securing grant income, including from lotteries, trusts and foundations, which currently forms the majority of our funding. Alongside this, you will help us develop other income streams over time, such as individual giving, corporate support and events.
You will be the sole fundraising specialist role at Play Midlothian, however we recognise that effective income generation is supported across the organisation, and you will work in close partnership with the CEO.