An exciting opportunity has become available to join our Support and Information Services team. We are looking for TWO motivated and confident individuals to join our established team in offering support via our Helpline to families across Scotland who are experiencing having a relative in prison.

Role Summary

Hours: 21 hours per week (0.6 FTE) and 14 hours per week (0.4 FTE)

Contract: Funded through the Scottish Government Whole Family Support Fund through March 2027 in the first instance, with extension through March 2029 to be confirmed with the Scottish Government Budget

Starting salary: Families Outside Scale Points 25-28 and updated annually subject to appraisal and where funds allow. Starting salary £26,327 pro rata (0.6 FTE = £15,797; 0.4 FTE = £10,531)

Probation period: 6 months

Staff Benefits

• 25 flexible leave days plus 10 public holidays
• 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

Joining a welcoming and friendly team, you will be involved in providing support and offering information on our national Support & Information Service (Helpline) through a range of methods, primarily phone calls, email, and social media.

Our Helpline is an integral part of Families Outside and is the first stop for many families who are looking to utilise our services and access support. You will have the important job of communicating directly with families and those seeking information on the work we do.

You will also have the opportunity to be involved in developing resources for families, working alongside the Communications Manager on various projects.

About You

We are looking for people who can work as part of a team, are organised, have experience of using different communication channels, and have an interest in helping vulnerable or marginalised groups.

We are looking for individuals who:

• Have excellent communication skills
• Can work effectively within a team
• Can work independently and flexibly and enjoy a varied role
• Can demonstrate a strong understanding and commitment to our organisational mission and values

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.

The Advice and Information Service is a national support service for single-parent families and professionals across Scotland. It provides multi-channel advice on a wide range of topics, ensuring accessibility and inclusivity.

The Advice & Engagement Worker plays a key role in increasing awareness, accessibility and engagement with the OPFS Advice and Information Service.

Working collaboratively with colleagues, partner organisations and professionals across Scotland, the postholder will promote the service, build effective partnerships and improve access to high-quality advice and information for single-parent families.

Working within the OPFS My Life and Me framework, the postholder will provide high quality advice and information through a range of channels, deliver outreach activities, facilitate online practitioner webinars and advice clinics and build the confidence and knowledge of professionals supporting single-parent families. The role will also identify emerging issues affecting families and contribute to service development, policy and campaigning by highlighting trends and barriers experienced by those accessing the service.

The Advice & Information Service is part of OPFS Support for Families Services, providing holistic support to single parents and their children across Scotland. Our work is guided by the six My Life and Me priority areas

• Money
• Health & Wellbeing
• Home
• Work, Education & Training
• Children
• Relationships

Through a person-centred, strengths-based approach, guided by our organisational values of Justice, Equity, Trust, Collaboration and Compassion, we work alongside families to:

• Involve them in shaping the support they receive.
• Strengthen their skills, confidence and resilience.
• Support them to achieve their goals and aspirations.
• Influence positive change in their lives and communities.
• Challenge the barriers and inequalities that impact them.

The Advice & Engagement Worker will contribute to these outcomes by increasing awareness of OPFS services, ensuring families can access the right support at the right time, strengthening partnership working across Scotland and empowering both parents and professionals with the knowledge and confidence to navigate services and improve outcomes for single-parent families.

Role and Responsibilities:

As an Advice Worker at OPFS you will:

• Work to the agreed priorities of the service, providing clear, compassionate advice on key areas including housing, money, parenting, relationships, health & wellbeing and employment/training.
• Help develop and deliver an outreach programme that promotes OPFS's advice services within communities, partner organisations and professional networks.
• Build and maintain positive relationships with statutory, voluntary and community organisations to increase awareness of the service and improve referral pathways.
• Plan and deliver engaging online practitioner webinars on topics relevant to supporting single-parent families.
• Facilitate regular online advice clinics, providing advice, guidance and support to parents across Scotland.
• Promote OPFS services through presentations, networking events, partnership meetings, outreach clinics and any other community engagement opportunities.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues to identify opportunities to improve access to advice for underrepresented or harder-to-reach communities.
• Contribute to and deliver advice over the digital advice channels, ensuring information is accessible and responsive to the needs of single-parent families.
• Signpost single parents and professionals to relevant services and resources.
• Accurately record all interactions, outreach activity and engagement using Salesforce CRM and other agreed systems.
• Participate in monitoring, evaluation and training to support continuous improvement and demonstrate the impact of outreach and promotional activity.
• Maintain confidentiality and uphold safeguarding, data protection and health & safety policies.
• Contribute to team meetings, service development and quality assurance activities.
• Promote equality, diversity and inclusive practice in all aspects of your work.
• Ensure the voices and experiences of single parents inform your advice, outreach activity and contribute to OPFS's policy and advocacy work.
• Demonstrate flexibility, a positive attitude and a commitment to OPFS's core values: Justice, Equity, Trust, Compassion and Collaboration.

The job description is a broad picture of the post at the time of preparation. It is not an exhaustive list of all possible duties, and it is recognised that jobs change and evolve over time.

Personal Specification

We're looking for someone who is passionate about supporting single-parent families and confident engaging with communities, professionals and partner organisations. You'll enjoy building relationships, sharing knowledge and helping improve access to advice services across Scotland.

Essential

• Experience in an advice, support, community engagement or customer-facing role.
• Experience of delivering presentations, workshops, training sessions or group information sessions, either online or in person.
• Interest in and an awareness of topics including housing, benefits, parenting, wellbeing and employment.
• Understanding of the challenges single parents face, or a strong desire to learn and put this into practice.
• Some knowledge and understanding of both UK and Scottish benefits systems.
• Demonstratable experience of building positive relationships with partners, stakeholders or community organisations.
• Ability to organise and deliver outreach or engagement activities.
• Must respect sensitive information and understand the need for it to be handled with care and professionalism.

Practical Skills

• Strong communication skills that are clear, engaging, empathetic and nonjudgmental.
• Confidence presenting information to groups and facilitating discussions online.
• Good listening and questioning skills to understand people's needs.
• Ability to build productive relationships with professionals and partner organisations.
• Good organisational skills with the ability to plan and prioritise competing demands.
• Confident using IT tools (Word, Outlook, Excel, Office 365, Microsoft Teams) and open to learning systems such as Salesforce.
• Able to work independently while contributing positively to a collaborative team.

Personal Qualities

• Enthusiasm for promoting services and improving access to advice.
• Empathy and respect for the lived experiences of single parents.
• A confident and approachable communicator.
• A team player who is flexible and open to change.
• Self-motivated and committed to continuous learning.
• A strong belief in equality, inclusion and diversity.
• A non-judgmental approach to supporting families from all backgrounds.
• Alignment with OPFS values: Justice, Equity, Trust, Compassion and Collaboration.

Desirable

• Experience delivering welfare rights advice or undertaking benefit calculations.
• Experience delivering webinars, online learning or practitioner development sessions.
• Experience planning and delivering community outreach or promotional campaigns.
• Familiarity with Salesforce, SharePoint or multi-channel advice platforms.
• Knowledge of partnership working across the third sector and public services in Scotland.
• A clean driving licence and access to a car.

Terms & Conditions

Confirmation of Appointment: Confirmation of appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a 3-month probationary period, two references and a PVG check.

Salary: £29600 - £34042 (pro rata)

Hours of Work: up to 35 hours per week (typically from 9.15am – 4.45pm)

Holidays: Annual leave entitlement is 25 days and 12 Public Holidays (pro rata).

Pension: You will be auto enrolled in our pension scheme with a 3% contribution from you and 7% contribution from OPFS.

Training, Support and Supervision: You will receive induction training and frequent support in the first three months. Thereafter you will receive regularly scheduled individual support and supervision and annual appraisals. Regular team meetings will be held, and staff have access to internal and external training.

Equal Opportunities and Family Friendly Employment: OPFS aims to be an equal opportunity and family friendly employer. OPFS has Investors in People GOLD status.

Help shape brighter futures for children and families across Scotland

At Children First, we believe every child should be safe, loved and able to enjoy a happy childhood. As Scotland's national children's charity, we work alongside children, families and communities to protect children from harm, support recovery from trauma and abuse and create lasting change.

We are looking for a compassionate, skilled and motivated Community Partnership & Participation Worker to join our team and help strengthen the support available to children and families across Scotland.

In this exciting role, you will build trusted relationships with communities, services and partner organisations, helping families access the support they need while ensuring children's and families' voices influence how services are developed and improved.

This is an opportunity to make a meaningful difference by connecting people, strengthening local networks and helping shape services that respond to what matters most to children and families.

What you'll do

Working as part of our Support Line service, you will:

• Develop strong partnerships with community organisations, schools, health services, local authorities and third sector partners.
• Improve access to support for families experiencing poverty, inequality, kinship care challenges or concerns about a child's safety.
• Increase awareness of Children First Support Line and the range of help available to families across Scotland.
• Ensure children, young people and families have meaningful opportunities to share their experiences and help shape service development.
• Support participation, engagement and co-production activities, including events, consultations and focus groups.
• Build local knowledge of community resources and identify gaps, barriers and opportunities for support.
• Gather learning and insights that help us improve services and influence positive change for children and families.

What we're looking for

• You'll bring experience of community engagement, partnership working or participation practice, along with a genuine commitment to improving outcomes for children and families.

You'll also have:

• Experience working with children, young people, families or communities.
• Strong relationship-building and partnership skills.
• Excellent communication and facilitation abilities.
• An understanding of poverty, inequality and the barriers families can face when seeking support.
• Knowledge of children's rights and participation approaches.
• Experience of trauma-informed, strengths-based and relationship-based practice.
• The ability to work independently, manage competing priorities and maintain accurate records.
• Confidence using Microsoft Office and digital communication tools.

Who you are

We're looking for someone who:

• Believes in the power of children's voices.
• Values inclusion, participation and co-production.
• Builds trust quickly and works collaboratively with others.
• Is passionate about reducing inequality and improving children's lives.
• Brings warmth, curiosity and compassion to their work.
• Shares our commitment to safeguarding and promoting children's rights.

Why join Children First?

At Children First, our values guide everything we do:

With Love

We put children first, listening with compassion and kindness and standing alongside families when they need support most.

With Purpose

We work together with families, communities and partners to create lasting change and better outcomes for children.

With Strength

We do whatever it takes to protect Scotland's children and champion their rights.

You'll join a supportive organisation that values learning, innovation and collaboration, where your work will directly contribute to helping children and families thrive.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive and anti-racist organisation where everyone experiences a sense of belonging. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and lived experiences and particularly encourage applications from groups currently under-represented within our workforce.

Join us

If you're passionate about building stronger communities, amplifying children's voices and helping families access the support they need, we'd love to hear from you.

Together, with love, purpose and strength, we can help Scotland's children and families thrive.

Circle is a registered charity working at the heart of communities across central Scotland. We work with families facing multiple disadvantages because of structural inequality, poverty, drug and alcohol use, imprisonment, physical or mental health, trauma, abuse and loss. We believe that every child, no matter their background or circumstances, should have the support they need to live a happy and healthy life.

We offer excellent staff benefits including a competitive salary, generous pension contribution, flexible working, an employee assistance programme and generous annual leave.

We are looking to recruit a values-driven Community Worker to join our Circle delivery team in Tayside as part of a Scottish Government–funded programme providing inclusive voluntary throughcare services across Scotland. The service supports men, women and young people leaving short-term custody or remand, helping improve reintegration, wellbeing and community safety.

The successful candidate will provide person-centred practical support to people returning to their communities. Working with Throughcare Prison Workers and partner organisations, they will help coordinate pre-release planning, support smooth transitions, and connect individuals with local, specialist and community-based services.

The postholder will build trusting relationships, take a compassionate and non-judgemental approach, and work proactively with partners to achieve the best outcomes. They must also be flexible in supporting both local and wider service delivery as needs change.

The postholder will build trusting relationships, take a compassionate and non-judgemental approach, and work proactively with partners to achieve the best outcomes. They must also be flexible in supporting both local and wider service delivery as needs change.