“I lost my kids a few times they went to foster care and I would have gone to a place like this if I had the chance. This is badly needed. I hid my drug use and people only found out about it when I had my baby and she was in withdrawal. I loved my daughter and would have welcomed something like this.”A mother who has been supported by Aberlour
About Aberlour’s Mother and Child Recovery House
Aberlour is proud to be working in partnership with the Scottish Government to establish a new dedicated Mother and Child Residential Recovery House in central Falkirk. Building on the success of our house in Dundee, also funded by the Scottish Government, which opened just over a year ago, our service is designed to enable children of women with problem alcohol and other drug use to stay with their mothers during recovery. Aberlour’s approach to rehabilitation aims to deliver positive outcomes for women and their children. The house will accommodate up to 4 women and their children under 5 years old.
We will be using the Parents Under Pressure (PuP) program which combines psychological principles relating to parenting, child behaviour and parental emotion regulation within a case management model. The program is highly individualized to suit each family. Mothers are given their own Workbook and for many of them this becomes a personal journal of their treatment experience. The overarching aim of the PuP program is to help parents facing adversity to develop positive and secure relationships with their children. Within this strength-based approach, the family environment becomes more nurturing and less conflictual. Full training on the PuP programme will be provided to the whole team.
“Too many women with problem drug and alcohol issues are having their young children taken into care and many other women won’t engage with support agencies for fear of their children being removed. The new houses will improve outcomes for these women and children; reduce deaths of mothers with problem drug use; avoid family breakdown and increase the likelihood of children being cared for by their parents.”
Aberlour Chief Executive SallyAnn Kelly
What we are looking for....
We are looking to recruit a Child and Family Worker to join our team. You will lead and support the group care planning for the young children resident in the house with their mothers working alongside the wider care team. This will ensure consistent delivery of quality care and support to the children and their mothers, supporting women in their recovery journey.
You will work 30 hours per week, which may require working in the evenings and weekends depending on service needs. A 9% unsocial hours allowance is included in the salary to reflect this.
Ideally you will have experience of direct work with vulnerable families to support improved capacity for women and children and of working collaboratively with other professional agencies and a working knowledge of drug/alcohol use and its effects on women and children.
Applicants should hold a relevant professional qualification at least SCQF level 7 or
equivalent knowledge acquired by other means with a willingness to obtain the required qualifications for SSSC Registration.
We strongly encourage people to apply who have lived experience of alcohol or drug use, with a minimum of 2 years living in recovery, free from all drug use and problematic drinking. People with lived experience will provide crucial insight into the issues being faced by the women and children.
At Aberlour we want to make sure every child and young person has the love, support and opportunity they need to reach their potential. If you share the same vision, we want you to join our team. Please go to our website to have a look at our values to understand more about what we are looking for from our employees.
What we offer...
As well as a supportive team and excellent training opportunities, we want all our employees to feel valued and rewarded for the vital work they do. When you work with us, we'll recognise your efforts with generous annual leave, an excellent employer pension scheme and a range of deals and discounts across various retailers. Find out more about our Employee Benefits and our commitment to Equality and Diversity on our website.
Please go to our website aberlour.org.uk/jobs where you can apply online.
If you have any queries please e-mail: jobs@aberlour.org.uk.
Aberlour is committed to the safeguarding and welfare of all our service users and uses a thorough and rigorous recruitment and selection process including PVG Scheme checks to ensure this commitment is not compromised.
Applications to be returned by noon on Monday 8th April 2024
Interviews are expected to be held in the week beginning 15th April 2024
A Scottish Guarantee Co No: SC312912 Scottish Charity No. SC007991