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.

Do you love working with children and young people? Are you a teacher, health play specialist, youth worker, family support worker or someone with experience helping children and young people build confidence, develop new skills and have fun? Do you have a talent for creating engaging and memorable experiences that inspire children and young people to participate, connect with others and thrive?

If so, we'd love to hear from you.

Children's Health Scotland is looking for an enthusiastic and creative Programme and Engagement Coordinator to help deliver our exciting programmes and activities across Scotland.

Every week is different. One day you could be supporting children and young people to develop self-management skills through our award-winning programmes, the next you could be helping deliver a Health Rights Defenders session, planning a family event, supporting volunteers, or building relationships with schools, NHS services and community partners.

We're looking for someone who brings energy, positivity and creativity to everything they do, someone who believes every child deserves the opportunity to thrive and whose first instinct is to ask: "How can we make this engaging, accessible and fun?"

What you'll be doing

• Delivering engaging programmes, workshops and activities for children, young people and families.
• Supporting Health Rights Defenders, Self-Management Skills Programmes and SMS:HUB activities.
• Building trusted relationships with children, young people, families and partners.
• Supporting the delivery of events, participation activities and campaigns.
• Helping recruit and support volunteers.
• Collecting feedback and demonstrating the impact of our work.
• Creating blogs, case studies and social media content that celebrates children's voices and achievements.
• Helping children and young people build confidence, make connections and better understand their rights and wellbeing.

We're looking for someone who is

• Fun, friendly and approachable.
• Passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people.
• Creative and full of ideas.
• Organised and able to plan and deliver activities.
• Comfortable working independently and as part of a small team.
• A confident communicator who can build relationships with families and partners.
• Flexible and able to work regular Friday evenings and Saturdays.
• Willing to travel throughout Scotland.
• A driver with access to a car for business use.

Why join us?

At Children's Health Scotland, you'll be joining a friendly and passionate team committed to ensuring every child receives the support, information and opportunities they need to achieve their best possible health. In return, we offer:

• Nine weeks' leave per year (pro rata), including public holidays.
• A supportive team environment.
• Opportunities for training and development.
• The chance to make a genuine difference to the lives of children, young people and families across Scotland.

Important information

This is not a standard Monday to Friday role. The successful candidate must be able to work flexibly, including regular Friday evening and Saturday working, to support programme and event delivery. A full UK driving licence and access to a car for business use are essential. The post is subject to membership of the PVG Scheme and satisfactory Disclosure Scotland checks.

About Children's Health Scotland

Children's Health Scotland supports children, young people and families to navigate health challenges, understand their rights and improve their health and wellbeing. Through programmes, participation opportunities, events and information, we help children and young people build confidence, resilience, self-management skills and lasting connections. If you're enthusiastic, creative and ready to help children and young people thrive, we'd love to hear from you.

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.

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of our Edinburgh Family Wellbeing Service, to positively impact on the lives of children, young people and their families. This innovative service works alongside children and their families across Edinburgh from our office in Whitehouse Loan, where this role would be based.

Children First along with our partners share a determination to act upon the recommendations from The Independent Care Review and deliver The Promise to children and young people. We are also determined that the full incorporation of the UNCRC means that children will have their rights respected in all areas of their lives and will have a real say in the way they are supported.

We’d love to hear from you if you have:

• will possess excellent administrative, IT and financial skills to support the work of Children First

• provide a first point of contact to telephone enquiries about support, answering questions and responding to queries using own initiative as appropriate to ensure a relational and responsive service is provided

• ability to maintain diaries, schedule and coordinate meetings and appointments

• a cool head and clear minded at times of pressure

• thinks it’s a privilege to work for and on behalf of children and families and

• is kind and will bring their whole selves to the job: heart and mind

Above all else, the most important thing to us is that you are someone that will support the teams who are doing the right thing for children and their families at every turn.

What we offer:

• A workplace with values of with love, with purpose and with strength

• 40 days annual leave, inclusive of bank holidays

• Pension scheme and wellbeing support

• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements

• Access to Westfield Health, giving colleagues and their families confidential counselling support, wellbeing resources, and access to health and lifestyle benefits to support physical and mental wellbeing.

• Blue Light card discount

• A Fair Work accredited workplace

Base

You will be based in our Edinburgh office in Whitehouse Loan. Due to the needs of the service, this is an office-based role.

Our Values

Living our values, you will help create a workplace where our people can thrive, ensuring we deliver the best possible support to children and families.

With love, we put children first.

With purpose, we transform lives together.

With strength, we do whatever it takes to protect Scotland’s children.