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.

The Yard is an award-winning charity that runs adventure play services for children with disabilities and/or additional support needs and their families.

Join us to help improve the lives of disabled children, young people and their families and carers by becoming our new Family Worker in Edinburgh.

About the role:

As Family Worker you will be providing information, emotional and practical support to families with children with a wide range of additional support needs, empowering them to understand and access the support available to them from external services.

The Family Worker role is essential in ensuring that families get the right help when they need it most.

About you:

This job is for you if you have:

• experience of working with children and young people with a range of disabilities and additional support needs
• excellent relationship building skills
• knowledge of children’s rights, trauma informed and inclusive practices
• an understanding of child and adult protection practices
• excellent organisational skills and administrative abilities

If you would like to work in a supportive and understanding work environment, ensuring that families feel valued and part of an inclusive community, we would love to have you on board.

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.