Home-Start Clackmannanshire is a long standing, dynamic charity, striving to ensure every young child (under 12) has the best possible start in life locally. Raising a family has never been easy; our trained volunteers and staff are there to support families through challenging times. In Scotland, Home-Starts have over 1,500 volunteers supporting over 3,500 families and 6,500 children each year through compassionate, confidential help to parents/carers when they need us most. The parents/carers we support are often overwhelmed and isolated. They may be struggling with mental health, illness, disability, multiple births, poverty, domestic abuse, separation and/or trauma. We provide a bespoke support package of 1:1 in home and group services for families, helping them to cope with the stresses and strains of daily life and encourage them to build the skills, confidence, and strength they need to nurture their children for years to come.

In 2024, Action for Children, NHS (speech and language) and Educational Psychology launched an exciting new provision called Play Roots with the support and funding from our local Child Wellbeing Partnership. Play Roots is an enhanced 0-5 group provision for local families operating across four localities in Clackmannanshire weekly.

Purpose of the job

Play Roots has developed rapidly since the first group launched, with families directly informing our sessions, allowing us to ensure we are delivering a communities based, group support system, providing a nurturing and educational environment for children (0-5) and their parents/carers. Play Roots aims to enhance positive well-being, parent-child attachment, support early childhood development, and encourage wider community connections and changes for parental progression; providing the foundations for children and families to flourish long-term.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, driven practitioner, capable of coordinating the delivery of our four local groups to ensure their effective running, and maximising impact through groups supporting the development of children and parents/carers by creating fun and interesting learning environments/activities to enhance skills, promote emotional resilience, and encourage positive behaviours and routines. Central to this role is effectively liaising with partners and supporting our delivery team made up of staff from Home-Start Clackmannanshire, Action for Children, Educational Psychology, Speech and language, and a growing team of volunteers.

You will also:

• Contribute to the effective day to day operation of the scheme in accordance with the Home-Start Memorandum & Articles of Association, Home-Start, Standards & Methods of Practice, Home-Start Agreement and Quality Assurance Standards.
• Maintain high standards of practice in supporting families within the Home-Start model.
• Ensure equality of opportunity, fairness and diversity in all aspects of the scheme’s work.
• Implement best safeguarding practice in all areas of work.

Main Responsibilities

Supporting the work of Home-Start Clackmannanshire and our Play Roots Partnership

• Undertaking work as delegated by our CEO to support the strategic management, development, evaluation, and future funding of Play Roots.
• Supporting the implementation of and upholding all Home-Start policies and procedures.
• Complying with the scheme’s administration, monitoring and financial systems.
• Promoting the work of the scheme, as required by the CEO.
• Contributing to and supporting the development of the Home-Start network locally, regionally and nationally.

Support for families

• Take a lead role in receiving and assessing referrals to Play Roots in a timely manner.
• Making initial contact/arranging implementation of support or delegating to operational team members within Home-Start and Action for Children to do.
• Lead delivery partners in planning, preparing for, and delivering group sessions (4 sessions across 4 locations, weekly, during term time).
• Enhance group support offer by leading the planning, preparation and delivery of Holiday Programmes for families.
• Providing rich learning environments where children and their families can engage.
• Facilitating interventions one to one or in a group to support identified areas of need.
• Building effective relationships and channels of communication with our partners, such as children, young people, families, colleagues, and external agencies.
• Ensuring support to families is of a high standard, in accordance with Home-Start’s model, policies and procedures.
• To undertake designated responsibilities to safeguard and promote children’s welfare.

Supporting Volunteers

• We could not deliver our services without the support of our incredible team of volunteers. As such, you will be involved in ensuring any Home-Start volunteers contributing to Play Roots sessions are appropriately onboarded, supported, informed, and adhere to all organisational policies and procedures.

Working in Partnership

• Ensuring appropriate liaison with referrers and other professionals.
• Networking appropriately within the community.

The post holder may be required to undertake any other duties that fall within the nature of the role and responsibilities of the post as detailed above.

The Relationships Scotland Network is the largest provider of family and relationship support in the country. We offer relationship counselling, family mediation and child contact centres through a Network of 21 Member Services across Scotland, which provide face-to-face support for around 15,000 people each year.

We are looking for a motivated and hardworking person to join our Child Contact Centre Team as the Training and Development Co-Ordinator. This role is an integral part of our National Office team and works with our Member Services and child contact centres across the Relationships Scotland Network.

Whilst this is a permanent post, we currently have funding in place for 3 years and hope to identify ongoing funding after that time.

We have an office in Edinburgh and would expect the post-holder to work from here on a Tuesday whenever possible (this is our office day). The remaining hours can be worked remotely if needed, or there is desk space at York Place if you prefer to be office-based.

About the role

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a vibrant and supportive national children’s charity. As Finance Manager you would have overall responsibility for delivering our efficient and effective finance function. You would play an important role in continuing to support a financially resilient organisation which contributes to a better Scotland for all children and young people.

You will be CCAB qualified and have an appropriate accountancy qualification and will have extensive knowledge and understanding of charity finance, including being up to date with the Charity Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP). You will have experience of ensuring that effective and efficient financial procedures are in place and adhered to and good communication skills with the ability to communicate financial information to different audiences.

Children in Scotland puts values at the centre of its work and you will need to be able to demonstrate that you understand how important organisational values are and to show that you are able to embed them in what you do and how you do it.

*We are advertising for a full-time role in the first instance. However, if you are seeking a working pattern of 3 or 4 days a week, then we could consider that if you are the best person for the role.

About Children in Scotland

Children in Scotland is a welcoming and dynamic charity that amplifies the voices, views and experiences of our members and children, families and professionals across Scotland. We achieve this through direct services, meaningful participation, policy work, inspiring communications and sector-leading events and learning opportunities.

We are a vibrant and inclusive community of dedicated individuals and organisations who use our skills and passion to bring evidence-based and fresh thinking together, with one shared aim of giving all children in Scotland an equal chance to flourish.

We are stronger together in driving lasting impact for Scotland’s children.

Diversity

Children in Scotland values the contribution of all our staff, whatever their background. Our recruitment decisions are based on fair, open processes, with appointment on merit. We welcome applications from everyone.

Further information

If your experience doesn’t align perfectly with all the criteria for this role, but you still feel you have something to offer, we would be interested to hear from you. Please contact Judith Turbyne, CEO, at jturbyne@childreninscotland.org.uk for an informal chat, or if you have any questions about the role.

Salary:£41,913.06 per annum (pro-rata) rising to £43,170.45 in July 2026. See detail of our current salary structure here.