Organisational background:

We are a Scottish charity providing baby loss counselling and peer support to families, with over 40 years’ experience of offering compassionate bereavement care in the community.

Many of our staff are bereaved parents themselves, so through shared, lived experience, we provide compassion and support to each other and connect through our care for our families and each other. Our families are the heart of everything that we do. All our support is free, personal to each family and for as long as is needed. Our support includes counselling, one to one peer support, our Hospital to Home service, group support and events.

We are in a period of growth, having expanded the team from 4 to 26 over the last 8 years and, most recently, extending our geographical reach from Edinburgh and the Lothians to Fife, Forth Valley and the Highlands.

Job Summary

• To deliver specialist baby and child bereavement counselling over 26 weeks to families in Forth Valley.
• To hold and manage a caseload with complex bereavement needs
• To work closely with other Counsellors, Bereavement support lead and the Head of Support Services in co-ordinating the service ensuring timely and sensitive communication.
• To monitor and develop the counselling service waiting list.
• To offer an initial assessment as part of a new triage system to clients referred to counselling.
• To lead on a new counselling structure

VOCAL is the Voice of Carers across Lothian, a Scottish charity run by carers and for carers since 1994. We are looking for a qualified, compassionate and experienced Senior Counsellor to join our dedicated and busy Counselling service.

With a minimum 3 years’ post-qualification experience in delivering counselling services, the successful candidate will provide one-to-one therapeutic counselling to unpaid carers via face-to-face, telephone, and online sessions. The post holder will also support the management, coordination and development of all aspects of VOCAL’s Carer Counselling service. This will include: the recruitment, induction, support and line management of volunteer and paid sessional Counsellors; referral management; carer assessment through intake sessions and client allocation; and deputising for the Counselling Manager as required.

This role is ideal for a qualified Counsellor who is passionate about supporting those who care for others and who has previous managerial/ staff-supervisory experience. Experience and skills must include post-qualification counselling practice; service management and planning; counselling assessment/intake; and managing or supporting Counsellors. Membership of a relevant professional body, e.g. BACP, COSCA is also required and experience of using CORE evaluation system is desirable.

A fantastic opportunity to come and join the Children First team in Scottish Borders

At Children First our ambition is for every child in Scotland to be safe, loved and well with their family. As a charity we offer emotional, practical, and financial support to help families to put children first and campaign to uphold the rights of every child.

We have a long history of working with children, families and partners in the Scottish Borders. 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. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of our specialist Domestic Abuse team and play a pivotal role in the delivery evidence-based programmes such as CEDAR and Caledonian, ensuring high quality relationships with children and families and working alongside our partners to evidence impact.

If you have a professional qualification in a relevant area such as Social Work, Health, Teaching, Child Care/Social Care, accredited counselling/therapeutic qualification, IDAA training/qualification or other relevant qualification at SCQF level 9 or higher then we want to hear from you.

What kind of people are we looking for?

• have experience of keeping children safe in their own families
• are fiercely passionate about children’s rights
• thinks it’s a privilege to work with and on behalf of children and families and,
• are kind and will bring their whole selves to the job: heart and mind

What kind of team member will you be?

Knowing our ambition for children, you will be someone who is:

• resilient, skilled and knowledgeable who wants to transform children’s lives
• determined to support children to stay safely with their own family
• big hearted and courageous
• able to build strong relationships and to manage the tricky conversations
• is compassionate and understanding of trauma
• a cool head and clear minded at times of pressure
• inspiring colleagues and teams to be even better
• an amazing ambassador for children and Children First

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

At Children First, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that reflects communities across Scotland. Guided by our values, With Love, With Purpose, With Strength, we strive to create a culture where everyone feels valued, respected, and supported to thrive. We actively work to remove barriers to inclusion and promote equity in all aspects of our work. We warmly welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, especially those from marginalised communities, and are dedicated to ensuring a fair and supportive recruitment process.

Base

Your base will be shared between our office in Selkirk as well as venues within the local community. You will work on an outreach basis to connect with children and families in communities across Scottish Borders. A driving licence and access to a car is essential.

Salary, Conditions, Pension

We will offer you a competitive salary, generous annual leave entitlement (40 days inclusive of 9 public holidays). ​We have additional benefits such as a cash back health plan, cycle to work scheme, and option to join a ​Credit Union.

Join our mission to end youth homelessness in Scotland!

For over 30 years, we have been dedicated to preventing youth homelessness and supporting young people in building better futures.

We are looking for a psychotherapist, allied health professional, and/or counsellor to join our team. The Health and Wellbeing Worker will be based within the Youth Development Team but will work with other teams in the organisation.

The Health and Wellbeing Worker will use a person-centred approach with young people to build trust and enable them to improve outcomes with a focus on:

• Mental and emotional health, self-esteem, and confidence
• Relationships, boundaries, and safety

The Health and Wellbeing Worker will work with young people within a psychotherapeutic role in one-to-one support and group work. Where appropriate they will support young people to gain additional support from statutory services.