An exciting opportunity has become available to join Families Outside as our Regional Family Support Coordinator. If you are passionate about making a difference for families impacted by imprisonment and working to tackle and reduce stigma, we want to hear from you. We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Regional Family Support Coordinator (RFSC) to support and promote the work of Families Outside in Edinburgh & the Lothians.

Role Summary:

• Hours: 28 hours per week

• Contract: 2-year fixed term contract (renewal subject to funding)

• Starting salary: Families Outside Scale Points 29-34 and updated annually subject to appraisal and where funds allow. Starting salary £29,467 pro rata (0.8FTE)

• Probation period: A probationary period of 6 months will apply.

• Location: Based in Edinburgh, with some work in the Lothians

Staff Benefits:

• 25 flexible leave days plus 10 public holidays (pro rata)

• 4% matched contribution workplace pension scheme

• Hybrid & flexible working

• Employee Assistance Programme (Health Assured)

• Cycle to Work Scheme

• Laptop and mobile phone for all staff

The Role:

At Families Outside, we're the only national charity in Scotland working solely to support families affected by imprisonment.

Joining the East of Scotland regional team, within our national Family Support Team, the Regional Family Support Coordinator will support people living in the Edinburgh and Lothians area who have a family member in prison. They will:

• Support families at home and in their community via 1:1, family, and/or peer support

• Work closely with key professionals including prison staff and prison visitors centre staff to provide advice, information, and guidance on a range of issues

• Raise awareness with key professionals within the local community about the impact of imprisonment and our work to improve outcomes for families

• Work closely with HMP Edinburgh, contributing to meetings and events that support the rights of children and families affected by imprisonment

About You:

We are looking for an individual who is:

• Experienced in working with, and alongside families in a creative and flexible way

• Rights-focused in their work and all they do

• Trauma-informed and is willing to understand the impact of imprisonment upon families

• Skilled and knowledgeable in working with people to overcome challenges they face in their day-to-day life

• A confident and effective contributor to working in partnership with others to meet families’ needs.

If you are an experienced professional with social work, community work, family support, or other appropriate experience and are passionate about making a difference for families impacted by imprisonment, then we want to hear from you.

About Us

Families Outside is the only national charity in Scotland that works solely to support families affected by imprisonment. Imprisonment can often have a huge impact on the things that matter most to families: money and secure housing, safe and connected relationships at home and in the community, and the emotional health and wellbeing of families. Families Outside is dedicated to providing a range of practical, social, and emotional support to people with someone in prison that are relationship-based, prison-aware, and family-focused.

Help us make sure no family faces the impact of imprisonment alone.

The Childcare Connector will contribute to the organisation’s vision of a Scotland in which single parents and their children are valued and treated equally and fairly, by supporting the delivery of various components which contribute to the Dundee service, including proactively supporting single parents to find, secure and access flexible childcare that meets their needs, allowing single parents to progress within their current employment, enter employment or enrol in education or training.

The role will include direct work with single parents to understand their needs, their current childcare limitations, and their current barriers to work, education or training. Liaising with childcare providers within Dundee, helping single parents access flexible childcare options and know and understand flexible payment options at local and national level is a key element of this role. This role will include networking and events to promote the Childcare Connector service and will include outreach work with single parents, stakeholders, and partners in and around Dundee.

All roles at OPFS contribute to our mission of working with and for single parent families, providing support that enables them to achieve their potential and help create lasting solutions to the poverty and barriers facing many single parents and their children. Our core values of Justice, Equity, Trust, Collaboration and Compassion are at the heart of everything we do and underpin all aspects of our work.

About Aberlour Sycamore Children’s Houses

Aberlour Sycamore Services’ vision is to provide warm, loving homes for children where everyone learns, laughs, grows into their future and is treasured always. At any one time, the residential houses within Sycamore require additional support to help to maintain stability and balance within the teams. Sycamore services are widely recognised in Scotland for providing a range of quality therapeutic residential houses for some of the most vulnerable children and young people in the country. The Service is a national resource and as such receives referrals from throughout Scotland.

What we are looking for....

We are looking for individuals who can integrate seamlessly into our existing team, working alongside it and relief adults to support excellent service delivery. We are looking for a Residential Worker to work 18.75 hours per week to work within our home in Glenrothes. You will work as part of a residential rota including early, late, sleepovers and weekend shifts. You will have a knowledge and understanding of the importance of attachment, trauma and how this can impact on an individual’s development. At times our children express their distress through their behaviour and the role can be emotionally and physically challenging; we are therefore looking for someone who is resilient, understands that behaviour is a means of communication and is trauma responsive.

You will be skilled in building therapeutic relationships with the children, young people and young adults to enable them to feel safe, loved and cared for.

You must have the ability to quickly build your relationships with the adults within the house. The nature of the role is such that you could be working to cover a shift or longer periods as required, including days and wakened nightshifts and you may also be supporting young people to attend school or participate in other learning programmes. You must therefore be able to quickly adapt to the working environment within each house.

You will be comfortable with working within Aberlour’s culture embracing respect, integrity, innovation and the ability to challenge. Demonstration of these qualities will be particularly important in this role given that you will be dipping in and out of the different teams. You must be able to be an exceptional role model for other staff and the young person.

Undertaking the role of Residential Worker will afford you the opportunity to develop and build on a range of transferrable skills which are valued in a range of employment. You will be able to demonstrate excellent flexibility and adaptability with exceptional interpersonal skills, ability to work with different teams and different children, young people and young adults living within our Sycamore Houses.

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. Please click here to have a look at our Employee Benefits.

“I lost my kids a few times they went to foster care and I would have gone to a place like this if I had the chance. This is badly needed. I hid my drug use and people only found out about it when I had my baby and she was in withdrawal. I loved my daughter and would have welcomed something like this.”

A mother who has been supported by Aberlour

About Aberlour’s Mother and Child Recovery House

Aberlour is proud to be working with the Scottish Government for our dedicated Mother and Child Residential Recovery House based in Dundee. Our service is designed to enable children of women with problematic substance use to stay with mothers during their recovery. Aberlour’s approach to rehabilitation aims to deliver positive outcomes for women and their children.

We support families using the Parents Under Pressure (PuP) program which combines psychological principles relating to parenting, child behaviour and parental emotion regulation within a case management model. The program is highly individualized to suit each family. Parents are given their own Parent Workbook. For many parents, this becomes a personal journal of their treatment experience. The overarching aim of the PuP program is to help parents facing adversity develop positive and secure relationships with their children. Within this strength-based approach, the family environment becomes more nurturing and less conflictual.

What we are looking for....

We are looking to recruit a Residential Support Worker (Nights) to be part of trauma responsive team delivering and implementing residential recovery support for women and their children (0-5 years) to help them reach their aspirations.

You will work an average of 35 hours per week (over two weeks) from 10pm to 8am as part of a residential rota. Week 1: 3 x 10 hour shifts (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) and Week 2: 4 x 10 hour shifts(Monday, Tuesday, Saturday, Sunday).

Ideally you will have experience of direct work with vulnerable families to support improved capacity for women and children and of working collaboratively with other professional agencies and a working knowledge of drug/alcohol use and its effects on women and children.

You should hold a relevant professional qualification at least SCQF level 7 or equivalent knowledge acquired by other means, with a willingness to obtain the required qualifications for SSSC Registration.

Individuals with Lived Experience of alcohol or drug use are strongly encouraged to apply for these positions where they will gain experience and training to enhance their knowledge and skills. People with lived experience are vital members of the team delivering this service to the women and children.

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.