Early Stage Employability Worker - Family Forward Ayrshire
- Part time
- £24,750 pro-rata
- Hybrid: Primarily community-based across North, South and East Ayrshire
- Closing 6th September 2026
- Advertised from 20th August 2026
- 17.5 hours per week. Fixed-term until 31st March 2027 (potential for extension funding dependent).
Role
TACT is looking for one exceptional and experienced individual to become a member of the new Family Forward Ayrshire team.
The Role:
The Early-Stage Employability Worker will provide a dedicated confidence, readiness and early employability strand for adults who are furthest from the labour market and who may not yet be ready to engage with mainstream employability provision.
The role recognises that for some adults, particularly those experiencing poverty, poor health, trauma, low confidence or disrupted life circumstances, a conventional employability offer can be too early or feel unattainable. The focus is therefore on building the foundations for future progression: confidence, routine, participation, relationships, practical experience and a sense of capability.
Working within each person's existing family plan, the Early-Stage Employability Worker will provide flexible, strengths-based support without imposing a compliance or progression requirement. The role will work closely with Family Navigators and the Progression Coordinator so that adults can move towards further employability support when they are genuinely ready, rather than being pushed prematurely into formal provision.
Role Philosophy:
The Early-Stage Employability Worker recognises that employment is sometimes the destination, not the starting point.
For adults who are furthest from the labour market, the first step may be leaving the house, joining a group, trying something new, taking on a small responsibility, volunteering for an hour or simply beginning to believe that change is possible.
The role is therefore about building the first rungs of the ladder. It creates safe opportunities for skills, confidence and participation while remaining connected to the individual's wider family plan. Progression is encouraged when it is meaningful and sustainable, but never pursued simply to meet a target.
The worker's role is to help adults move from “I'm not ready” to “I might be able to”, and ultimately to support them to take their next step when that step is genuinely theirs.
Equality and Inclusion
We are committed to building a diverse workforce and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Applications from people with lived experience of poverty, caring responsibilities or barriers to employment are encouraged.
About TACT:
The Ayrshire Community Trust (TACT) is a charity based in North Ayrshire that provides programmes and projects that make a difference to people’s lives by encouraging, supporting and promoting community action.
TACT are a Living Wage and Living Hours employer.
TACT and CEIS Ayrshireare recruiting jointly as part of this programme, view the CEIS posts here.
Application notes
Applications closing date in Sunday 6th September, we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we have a strong response to the vacancy. Applications are therefore encouraged as soon as possible, as the vacancy may close early if suitable candidates have been identified.
Interviews are likely to take place in the week beginning Monday 7th September, but this may be brought forward or pushed back dependent on response or availability of candidates.
Completed application forms, Equality Monitoring Forms and Self Declaration Forms should be sent to:
bryan@ceisayrshire.co.uk or Bryan Hamilton, People, Skills & Culture Manager, CEIS Ayrshire, Landek House, 44-46 Bank Street, Irvine, KA12 0LP
If you are sending by post please mark the envelope PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL
All information will be treated in strictest confidentiality in accordance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Downloads
- Job Description
- Application Form
- Equality & Diversity Monitoring Form
- Self Declaration Form Guidance
- Self Declaration Form
- Organisation chart
- Additional information
Community Engagement Worker - Family Forward Ayrshire
- Full time
- £25,741
- Hybrid: Primarily community-based across North, South and East Ayrshire
- Closing 6th September 2026
TACT is looking for one exceptional and experienced individual to become a member of the new Family Forward Ayrshire team.
The Role:
The Community Engagement Worker will make sure there is “no wrong door” into Family Forward Ayrshire for families who may be least likely to self-refer or engage with formal services.
The role will build and maintain trusted relationships with community organisations and local networks across all three Ayrshire areas, creating accessible and credible routes into the programme. The post will work particularly with communities experiencing poverty, exclusion or barriers to accessing services, ensuring that the programme reaches families who might otherwise remain unseen.
The Community Engagement Worker will act as a trusted local presence for the programme, working alongside community organisations, schools, minority ethnic communities, peer networks and voluntary groups. The role will support families to take their first steps into the programme, gather intelligence about what communities are experiencing, and ensure that the programme remains responsive to local needs.
The role is therefore central to achieving the programme's ambition to increase referral volume while ensuring that at least 60% of engagement is with identified priority groups.
Role Philosophy
The Community Engagement Worker will help ensure that Family Forward Ayrshire goes to the places and relationships where families already feel safe and trusted, rather than expecting families to find their way to the service.
The role is about building bridges between communities and the programme: developing trust, creating informal opportunities to engage, reducing barriers and ensuring that families who are least likely to self-refer are not left behind.
The Community Engagement Worker will be the programme's human face in the community, creating the trusted local routes through which families can take their first step towards sustained support.
Equality and Inclusion
We are committed to building a diverse workforce and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Applications from people with lived experience of poverty, caring responsibilities or barriers to employment are encouraged.
About TACT:
The Ayrshire Community Trust (TACT) is a charity based in North Ayrshire that provides programmes and projects that make a difference to people’s lives by encouraging, supporting and promoting community action.
TACT are a Living Wage and Living Hours employer.
TACT and CEIS Ayrshireare recruiting jointly as part of this programme, view the CEIS posts here.
Practice and Supervision Programme Lead - Family Forward Ayrshire
- Full time
- £32,486
- Hybrid: Ayrshire-wide with flexible working across North, South and East Ayrshire
- Closing 6th September 2026
TACT is looking for one exceptional and experienced individual to become a member of the new Family Forward Ayrshire team.
The Role:
The Practice and Supervision Programme Lead will provide professional leadership, operational oversight and reflective supervision across the TACT service, ensuring children, young people and families receive high-quality, strengths-based, trauma-informed and relationship-centred support.
The postholder will oversee the delivery of integrated whole-family support across Ayrshire, supporting a team of Navigators and specialist workers to coordinate services, remove barriers, improve family wellbeing and strengthen pathways into education, training and employment.
The role will be responsible for embedding consistent practice standards, quality assurance processes and continuous improvement across the programme whilst fostering effective multi-agency partnerships and ensuring the voices of families inform service delivery and development.
Equality and Inclusion
We are committed to building a diverse workforce and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Applications from people with lived experience of poverty, caring responsibilities or barriers to employment are encouraged.
About TACT:
The Ayrshire Community Trust (TACT) is a charity based in North Ayrshire that provides programmes and projects that make a difference to people’s lives by encouraging, supporting and promoting community action.
TACT are a Living Wage and Living Hours employer.
TACT and CEIS Ayrshireare recruiting jointly as part of this programme, view the CEIS posts here.
Family Navigators - Family Forward Ayrshire (x 3 posts)
- Full time
- £28,400
- Hybrid: North Ayrshire, East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire
- Closing 6th September 2026
Be the one person families can rely on
Family Forward Ayrshire is recruiting Family Navigators to provide holistic, relationship-based support to families across Ayrshire.
This is not a traditional key worker role. We are looking for people who understand that meaningful change starts with trust and that families are experts in their own lives.
As a Family Navigator, you will walk alongside families through periods of challenge, helping them identify goals, access support and build lasting positive change.
About the role
You will be the main point of contact for a caseload of families, working with them to understand their strengths, challenges and aspirations. Together, you will create a whole-family plan that reflects what matters most to them.
You will coordinate support across a range of specialist services, advocate on behalf of families when needed and help remove practical barriers through access to the programme's Family Support Fund.
This role involves home visits, collaborative working with partners and a commitment to flexible, responsive and trauma-informed practice.
We are looking for people who:
- Build trust quickly and maintain positive relationships
- Have experience supporting families, individuals or communities facing disadvantage
- Can work creatively and flexibly to meet individual needs
- Are confident coordinating support from multiple agencies
- Have sound safeguarding awareness and judgement
- Are organised and able to manage a varied caseload
- Share our commitment to voluntary, strengths-based and trauma-informed approaches
- We particularly welcome applications from people who:
- Have lived experience of navigating support services
- Have worked in family support, health, housing, community development, welfare rights or related fields
- Have strong connections within Ayrshire communities
Why join us?
- Make a genuine difference to families' lives
- Work within an innovative whole-family model
- Receive training and ongoing professional development
- Join a supportive and collaborative team
- Be part of a programme focused on long-term outcomes, not short-term targets
- Company Pension scheme
- Flexible and supportive working arrangements
- Disability Confident Employer
Equality and Inclusion
We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences. We recognise the value of lived experience and encourage applications from individuals who may have gained relevant skills through community, caring or voluntary roles.
About TACT:
The Ayrshire Community Trust (TACT) is a charity based in North Ayrshire that provides programmes and projects that make a difference to people’s lives by encouraging, supporting and promoting community action.
TACT are a Living Wage and Living Hours employer.
TACT and CEIS Ayrshireare recruiting jointly as part of this programme, view the CEIS posts here.
TACT is looking for one exceptional and experienced individual to become a member of the team.
The Role:
The Employment Support Worker will provide one-to-one and group support to individuals who are unemployed or economically inactive, helping them overcome barriers and progress towards employment, training, volunteering, or further education.
The postholder will build positive relationships with participants, develop personalised action plans, provide ongoing encouragement, and signpost clients to appropriate services. They will also work closely with employers, training providers, and community organisations to create opportunities that improve employability and long-term outcomes.
This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is passionate about helping people achieve their goals and make lasting, positive changes in their lives.
About TACT:
The Ayrshire Community Trust (TACT) is a charity based in North Ayrshire that provides programmes and projects that make a difference to people’s lives by encouraging, supporting and promoting community action.
Employee Benefits:
- Real Living Wage Employer
- Four Day Working Week (Monday to Thursday)
- 8% Employer Pension Contributions (after probationary period)
- Access to Employee Supported Volunteering
- Carer Positive Employer
- Disability Confident Employer
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