This vacancy has now closed

Specialist Youth Advisor

  • Full time
  • £31,035 – £32,880
  • Home based in south/west Scotland (with extensive travel)
  • Closing 26th January 2024


  • Advertised from 2nd January 2024
  • Permanent, 36 hours per week.

Role

Are you passionate about working with children and young people? Can you work with families to make a positive change to their lives? Can you provide ongoing, tailored support through one-to-one sessions, group work, residentials and camp?

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join Scottish Huntington’s Association Youth Service as a Specialist Youth Advisor providing support for vulnerable children and families throughout South/West Scotland through bespoke, individual sessions. If you are someone with dedication, talent and expertise, we want to hear from you.

Scottish Huntington’s Association Youth Service works with children and families aged 8-25 impacted by familial Huntington’s disease. To affect positive change for our families, we focus on a person-centred approach to managing Huntington’s disease including psychoeducation, information and advice, peer support and respite opportunities. The Specialist Youth Advisor role is pivotal within the South/West team and will provide a vital link in supporting young people in this region in line with the strategic aims of Scottish Huntington’s Association.

You will be responsible for your own caseload and will help plan and co-ordinate group work sessions, activity days, residentials and our summer camp.

Highly organised with a proven ability to build trusting relationships, you will help to empower children and young people to manage the complexities of living with Huntington’s disease and their own genetic risk. Experience of child and adolescent mental health difficulties, young carers’ issues and child protection is advantageous.

Previous experience or knowledge of Huntington’s disease is preferred, but not required as full training and ongoing mentorship will be provided.

You will work from home with regular travel throughout Ayrshire and Arran, Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire and Dumfries and Galloway. There will also be travel required for organisation-wide meetings.

This post will include out of hours and periodic weekend working. In addition to a competitive salary, we offer benefits including flexible working practices, a generous leave allowance totalling 37 days (25 days Annual leave and 12 days public holidays) and a competitive pension.

This is an exciting time for the charity with the launch of Standing Tall: A Strategy For Growth 2023 - 2028 to transform the care and support of Huntington’s families, expand specialist services and deepen involvement in research and clinical trials.

It follows two years of significant expansion in our specialist teams, growth in funding, a rise in media engagement and parliamentary support for the work we do, and the success of our ground-breaking Dance 100 event in Glasgow.

About Scottish Huntington’s Association

People impacted by Huntington’s disease need specialist services to cope with a severe and complex disease, the impact on families and a lack of awareness amongst health and social care providers and the wider public.

Scottish Huntington’s Association is the only charity in the country exclusively dedicated to providing expert and personalised support for those impacted by Huntington’s disease.

Our personalised support reduces unnecessary hospital admissions, supports carers and other family members; lowers household poverty; and alleviates wellbeing risks to children and young people living in Huntington’s families.

We are commissioned by NHS Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships throughout the country to share our expertise with front line staff and build support for improved services and higher standards of care for every family impacted by this devastating disease. Scottish Huntington’s Association plays a full and active role in attracting the global research community to Scotland to work in partnership with us to improve the lives of families impacted by Huntington’s disease. At Scottish Huntington’s Association you will find a values-driven organisation, founded by families for families and recognised at national and international levels for its expertise and support. Our services are delivered through a nationwide network of Huntington’s Disease Specialists, Specialist Youth Advisors and Financial Wellbeing Officers. We offer a flexible working environment, contributory pension scheme, generous holiday entitlement, contributory pension, and annual incremental pay increases to top of designated salary scale.

Application notes

You will find more information, including the job description, person specification and the downloadable Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form in the vacancies section of our website at hdscotland.org/volunteering/vacancies

Please email your completed application, including the Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form, with a subject line Specialist Youth Advisor vacancy, to recruitment@hdscotland.org. You will also find the person specific / role description documented below.

Informal enquiries should be made to Youth Service Lead Grant Walker on 07903 840 524 or by emailing grant.walker@hdscotland.org. Find out more about Huntington’s disease and the work of Scottish Huntington’s Association at hdscotland.org.

Closing date for applications: Friday 26 January 2024 – 12 Noon

Interview date: Monday 12 February 2024, in person at our National Office, Paisley.

Previous applicants need not apply.

Scottish Huntington’s Association is a registered charity and is committed to promoting equal opportunities in employment. Scottish Charity No: SCO10985.


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