We’re one of Scotland’s fastest growing charities, improving outcomes for children by supporting their Dads and families. We are currently looking for two trustees to join our dynamic voluntary Board team at an exciting time.

Our aim is to improve outcomes for children to ensure the best start in life by providing support to Dads and families. Our hope is through achieving this, there will be a larger shift in society toward accepting the vital role Dads play.

We currently have a vacancy for a Board member to join our Board of Trustees. As a Trustee Board Member, your responsibilities will include:

1. Setting and maintaining the strategic direction of the organisation
2. Sharing responsibility for Board decisions
3. Maintaining an overview of the organisations financial performance
4. Ensuring appropriate governance is in place
5. Attend quarterly Board Meetings.

We're particularly looking for applicants with employment law experience, or applicants who have used Dads Rock services in the past.

Remuneration/Expenses

This is an unpaid role however reasonable expenses associated with the role can be reimbursed.

Time commitment:

• You will be expected to commit to serving on the Board for a minimum of three years.
• Board Meetings take place approximately every quarter and are usually on Zoom. Dates for the following calendar year are circulated prior to, and agreed at, the last meeting of the year.
• To represent Dads Rock at other internal and external events depending on your availability.
• To participate in appropriate sub-committee groups – depending on your area of expertise and availability.
• To attend any other meetings and events by agreement of the Board, as well as our Annual General Meeting.

Main duties:

To ensure that Dads Rock:

• Complies with its governing documents, such as our Constitution and Policies
• Pursues its charitable objects as defined in its Constitution
• Applies its resources exclusively in furtherance of its objects, i.e. Dads Rock must not spend money on activities which are not included in its own objects, no matter how worthwhile or charitable those activities are
• Has an effective and efficient administration
• Is financially stable.

Contribute actively to the role of Trustee by:

• Attending Board meetings and other meetings and events
• Offer support and challenge to board colleagues and staff, adhering to collective responsibility once decisions are made
• Setting and reviewing operational policy and practice
• Defining goals, setting targets and evaluating performance against agreed targets
• Safeguard the good name and values of DR
• Protect and manage the tangible assets (property etc.) of the organisation and to ensure the proper investment of all funds
• Promote and represent DR externally as required.

In addition to the above duties of all Trustees, each Trustee should use any specific knowledge or experience they may have to help the Board reach sound decisions. This will involve scrutinising Board papers, leading discussions, focusing on key issues, and providing advice and guidance requested by the Board on new initiatives or other issues relevant to the area of work in which the Trustee has special expertise.

Person Specification:

Essential attributes

• An interest in the ethos and aims of Dads Rock.
• An understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship.
• Commitment to preparing for and attending board meetings and other meetings and events.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality on personal and sensitive information.
• The ability to work as part of the team of Trustees in order to reach sound and fair decisions.
• Ability to understand and analyse complex information, often presented in report form.
• Ability to contribute to Dads Rock strategic planning process.
• To be able to represent at least one key skill/knowledge area on the Board.
• To ensure that you are not disqualified from being a trustee for any reason.

Desirable attributes

• Given the aims of the charity, trustees with experience of one or more of the following areas is beneficial:
  • Third Sector
  • Finance
  • Fundraising
  • Fatherhood
  • Marketing and Communications (including digital)
  • Legal
  • Early Years
  • Healthcare (NHS)
  • Local Authority (i.e. Education and/or Social Work)
  • Social Enterprise
  • Human Resources

Trustee Induction includes:

An induction meeting with the Chair and if desired to be peer supported by an existing Trustee.

Benefits of becoming a Trustee:

The knowledge that you are playing a vital role in the running and development of Dads Rock; enabling the organisation to continue its work and make a difference to Scottish society.

The opportunity to enhance your existing skills and knowledge relating to the development of an innovative and dynamic voluntary organisation.

The ability to enhance your network and broaden your experience of the third sector.

Read about our other Board Members

Family Journeys are currently recruiting for a trustee to join our Board of Directors. Collectively, the board are responsible for the governance and strategic directions of our charity and we would welcome any individual with compassion and professional experience in the field of social work, children’s services, third sector or family law to please get in touch with us.

We are looking for foster carers who live within 60 miles of Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Elgin. They will be matched with one of our Foster Care Social Workers in our Edinburgh and Aberdeen offices.

Job purpose

To provide a family home and care to children and young people who cannot be cared for by their birth parents.

Main duties

• The key tasks for a foster carer are wide ranging — they cover the health, educational, cultural and religious needs of the child or young person you care for.
• Also, children and young people usually have a need to maintain contact with members of their family or other significant people and your support for this is very important.
• Often they will have difficult and challenging behaviour and you will be helped to find ways of both managing these challenges and of helping them learn new ways of coping and interacting with adults and their peers.
• You will be asked to prepare reports and attend meetings; and you will need to record a range of information about each child in placement and you will need to know how to keep this information safely and protect the confidentiality of the children and their families.
• You are a vital member of a team and we will offer you support and training to help you fulfil your role and to develop new skills.

Additional considerations

• The information contained in the Placement Agreement form, and other information in relation to the child and his or her family is shared in confidence. Families may have shared private, and at times painful, details of their lives and it is necessary that they feel trust in you. Information must only be shared with relevant parties. You should ensure written information is locked in a secure place.
• Decisions will be made with your foster care social worker and the child’s social worker about what to tell your family, friends and neighbours. Details about the child’s health and family relationships must be handled discreetly.
• Information about parents cannot be shared with the child without the parent’s consent.
• A child or a child’s parents may entrust you with information. You may have to explain that some information is important and must be shared with the child’s social worker. In other words, you must make it clear that you cannot hold all information in confidence.

Teamwork

You will be a key participant in the development of the plan for a child in your care. You are part of the Team that will work together to ensure the best possible outcomes for the child.

The Team can include:

• You – the carer
• The child
• The child’s parents
• Other family members/friends who are important to the child
• The child’s social worker
• Your foster care social worker and other staff of St. Andrew’s Children’s Society
• Other professionals involved in the care and education of the child e.g. Health Visitor, Teacher, GP, School Doctor and Psychologist.

Supervision and support

• Professional consultation and supervision to promote professional growth in your role as a foster carer will be provided by your Foster Care Social Worker and their Manager. You will also be given access to the support of other foster carers who understand the challenges of the fostering task.
• You will also receive free membership to The Fostering Network.

Terms and conditions

You will receive a Foster Carer Handbook that details all your conditions of service and the expectations of you in the foster carer role. You are considered as self-employed for HMRC purposes.

Fostering allowances and fees

Details of the rates paid are issued in April each year to all carers. Payments are made four weekly in advance directly into bank accounts, and carers receive a statement giving details of the payment made.

Carers must ensure that St. Andrew’s Children’s Society is supplied with their full name, address and relevant bank account details to ensure payments are made efficiently.

St. Andrew’s Children’s Society reserves the right to vary or amend the duties and responsibilities of the post holder at any time according to the needs of the Company’s business.

This is an exciting opportunity to join our team of dedicated staff supporting children and families to maintain or rebuild relationships with missing family members after parental separation or relationship breakdown. The role provides an interesting variety of family support interventions including working in our child contact centres as the Family Connection Lead worker (we refer to child contact as our Family Connections service); one-to-one work with children in our All About Me Voice of the Child service; and developing focussed project and group work.

Our Family Connections service supports families through a child’s rights lens to support families move towards independent co-parenting solutions with the child’s needs at the heart of decision making. You will work as part of a staff team, on shift, with families referred via the family court system, or via self-referrals, to ensure safe supervised and supported child contact can be facilitated. You will have excellent relational skills and experience of working with both children and parents/carers. As Lead Worker you will have responsibility for families matched to you through our referrals and allocations process and ensure each family member is fully prepared for support, nurtured throughout their Family Connections journey, ensure reviews are timely, and that all work supports steps towards positive outcomes for children.

Currently the project part of this role is funded to develop our commitment to care experienced children and young people through The Promise. We seek someone with experience in participation and engagement practice and skills to organise small connection events. You should have experience of developing projects, collecting accurate data, and contributing to the impact assessment and reporting of the project. You should also have experience of working with external stakeholders, ideally social workers, solicitors and other third sector partners. Please note the funding through The Promise ends in Jan 2025 hence the temporary nature of this role. It is anticipated further project funding will be available after this time.

The role will also involve nurturing one-to-one support through our All About Me Voice of the Child service which adopts a therapeutic approach to support the child understand more about their family story, safely explore their feelings and opinions, and explore options for next steps. Sometimes our children voice they are not ready to see family members due to previous trauma, it is our duty to ensure this voice is heard by decision makers, including parents and family court Sheriffs.

The Organisation:

Family Journeys are a forward-thinking organisation who work with and alongside children and families as they navigate changes to their family because of separation and relationship breakdown. Often our families have experienced high levels of conflict and children and parent relationships have become negatively impacted by adversity and change. We start our engagement with every family believing in success and achieving positive outcomes for children. Family Journeys provide professional Family Mediation services, Family Connections services, All About Me Voice of the Child services, individual parent support, and group or project work provision to support families find solutions. We proudly adapt our services to meet the needs of our children and families in response to lived experience feedback.

Family Journeys are a small organisation doing big things across Edinburgh and The Lothians. We belief the biggest difference comes from attention to the smallest details. We always think ‘child first’. So, if you are kind and compassionate, skilled in building relationships and see the person not the problem, if you share our commitment to involving children as active decision makers in their own care arrangements that will forever impact on their family relationships – then we want to hear from you.

The Opportunity:

We are looking to employ at 6-18 hours per week however we would be willing to discuss hours at interview. The role is fully funded until January 2025 with continued funding anticipated.

This role will be over 1-3 days per week and will be on shift in our Family Connections service which operate Thursday – Sunday. One weekend day will be required. We work with staff to ensure best fit with your circumstances and the needs of the organisation to set an agreed working pattern to a fixed rota across the staff team. Project and Development hours will be worked flexibly to meet the needs of our children and families. This may include outreach family support and group work. You will have flexibility to manage these hours across the rest of your week with compressed hours an option.

Family Journeys offer you a competitive salary with annual incremental growth, generous annual leave entitlement (35 days pro rata inclusive of 9 public holidays and 1 annual wellbeing day) and a contributory pension scheme.