Join Aberlour – Make a Real Difference in Children’s Lives

Are you a dedicated and compassionate leader looking for a role where you can truly make an impact? Aberlour Children’s Charity is seeking a House Manager to lead our Fort William residential service, providing support to vulnerable young people in a nurturing, safe, and inspiring environment.

Our Fort William service, one of our Sycamore services, offers residential care and support for children and young people. With the stunning backdrop of Ben Nevis and access to an active outdoor lifestyle, this is a unique opportunity to grow professionally while enjoying a fantastic quality of life in the Scottish Highlands.

Why Join Aberlour?

• Be part of Scotland’s largest solely Scottish children’s charity, recently recognised as a Top 100 Employer by The Sunday Times.
• Lead a highly motivated and supportive team, making a real difference in children’s lives every day.
• Enjoy a healthy work-life balance in a spectacular location with a strong sense of community.
• Enjoy up to 40 days annual leave, an enhanced pension scheme, life assurance, family-friendly policies and if needed, relocation support.

The Role

As House Manager, you will:

• Provide leadership and direction to staff, ensuring the highest standard of care for young people.
• Promote a nurturing and supportive environment where children feel safe and empowered.
• Oversee the day-to-day management of the house, ensuring compliance with national standards.
• Support staff development, fostering a culture of teamwork and professional growth.
• Build strong partnerships with local agencies, families, and community groups.

About You

We are looking for someone with:

• A relevant professional qualification at SCQF level 9 or above and a management qualification at SCQF level 8 or above (or willingness to work towards)
• Experience in residential childcare and team leadership
• A passion for supporting vulnerable children and families
• Strong communication and organisational skills
• A commitment to Aberlour’s values of respect, integrity, innovation, and challenge.

Life in Fort William

Fort William is a vibrant town with a strong community spirit, excellent local amenities, and an outdoor lifestyle like no other. Whether you enjoy hiking, cycling, or simply immersing yourself in the beauty of the Highlands, this is an incredible place to live and work.

Aberlour Sycamore Services- Fort William, is a residential care home for children and young people between the ages of 12 years and 18 years old, helping them to live and grow in a community setting. We work using a Dyadic Developmental Practice model which means that we ensure that the child and their behaviour is understood and the child feels as safe as possible at home, in school and in social activities.

‘Staff have a warm and friendly approach with the young people and there are plenty of organised activities for the young people to take part in’-Child Care professional working with Sycamore Fort William.

We are looking to recruit a Residential Worker to join our team in Fort William, you will work 37.5 hours per week working in a residential house. We have a core team of Residential Workers who support our young people, helping them to achieve and overcome the challenges they face. At Aberlour, we believe that every child deserves the change to flourish regardless of their background and the circumstances that have brought them to live with Aberlour. The children we support are presently not able to live safely with their own families and many of them have suffered from trauma and loss in their young lives. Working therapeutically with the young people, using a Dyadic Developmental approach, our aim is to help the young people to develop their confidence and self-worth and therefore to maximise their potential and opportunities for living fulfilled and happy lives. As a Residential Worker, you will play a fundamental role in ensuring that our young people are working towards their goals through supporting them with different daily activities. These activities can include college, different hobbies and attending fun groups. Not without its challenges and demands, this is a highly rewarding role.

This service operates a residential rota and, as part of this, you will be expected to work evenings, weekends, nights and public holidays. Shifts are set on a monthly basis and follow a rolling pattern, however may be altered to suit the needs of the service. Find out more information on what we are looking for in candidates here.

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.

Please also read our recruitment privacy notice - Aberlour | Privacy notice

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. 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 people to join our relief pool who are passionate about supporting children and young people. The children and young people who live in our houses have experienced significant trauma in their young lives and our aim is to create loving, nurturing family homes where they feel safe and cared for.

Our relief workers play a crucial role in supporting our teams. This work is offered on a casual, hourly paid basis to provide cover during staff absence and/or particularly busy periods.

Members of our relief pool have a varied range of backgrounds and often work in different areas of the workforce. Although experience in child-care is ideal, we would also like to hear from people who may have skills from their work experience in different sectors which would be transferrable and provide a good basis from which to learn and develop their skills, utilising the range of training we provide.

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.

About Options Fife Continuing Care

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

This service will be home to 4 young people aged 16 plus who will all have their own individual flat. Our rota has been drafted to suit the needs of the young people.

What we are looking for....

We are looking for a part time (25 hours, working 2 x 12.5 hour shifts per week) Young People’s Worker to join our team. You will play a fundamental role in our young people’s lives to ensure that they get the best possible experience whilst working towards goals in their care plan. Using a person-centred approach, you will provide enabling support ensuring the highest level of physical and emotional care, supporting our young people in their daily living and within the local community.

If you have an interest in working with young people, we would like to hear from you. Ideally, candidates will have social care experience, understanding of autism, complex needs and disability. You will hold, or be willing to work towards, a relevant professional qualification at SCQF level 7 or above (for example: SVQ3 Care plus an HNC) together with relevant experience of working with children or young people. You must also be able to demonstrate awareness of the key elements of working with people affected by disability as well as an understanding of, and commitment to, young people’s rights.

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 please see our website for further information.

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.