The Croft Family Support - Supporting Visitors at HMP Barlinnie

Welcoming, Connecting and Supporting Families and Visitors is at the core of what we do here at the Croft

Providing practical and emotional support, information and advice to the families who come into contact with HMP Barlinnie, improving the visits experience and through an earlier intervention model, supporting complex needs, easing often extremely difficult life circumstances for children and families - including the multi-faceted impacts of deep poverty.

Role

Do you want to help make a difference to the lives of families affected by another’s imprisonment – this is a group of people, including many children, often marginalised and severely impacted, practically, emotionally and financially by the actions of another. Want to learn new skills in the process? - you can by becoming a volunteer Board Member for the Croft at HMP Barlinnie and help us to lead and guide the Management Team and staff to deliver the ambitions sets out in our 5 year strategy.

What we are looking for

We welcome applicants from any background and experience, including people who have been personally impacted. We welcome all skills but do have particular skills gaps we would love to bring aboard –

• Communications Experience - to further guide and help us develop work we have already undertaken to improve our communications offering as we grow and diversify our work
• Commercial business experience (particularly Social Enterprises / Community Interest Companies) – to support the further development of our Social Enterprise ambitions - supporting a more self-sustaining approach to our funding
• Bookkeeping / Accounts – finance – as we grow and diversify what we offer we find ourselves managing more complex funding arrangements
• Other experience and skills will always be welcomed – a cross section of skills is what makes our Board such a great environment to work in

What you get from being a Board Member

• The chance to give something back into the community and make a real difference to the lives of families impacted by imprisonment - Becoming a Trustee is a fantastic way to give something back to a cause you care about. You’ll be playing an integral part in the way the charity is run, ensuring it remains sustainable and financially viable. The help you provide will be invaluable.
• Meet new people - joining a new organisation or charity is a fantastic way to meet new people from a range of different personal and professional backgrounds. There will be meetings to attend (the Board itself meets quarterly), projects to get involved.
• Learn new things - getting involved as a charity Trustee is a great way to put your professional skills to use, but can also be a fantastic opportunity to learn new things. You’ll get great insight into what’s involved in the management of charities and gain skills on working well within a leadership role.
• Improve your CV and enhance your professional development - from learning how organisations are run to planning finances and attending meetings, this experience can be the perfect way to boost a CV and set you apart from the crowd.

Background

For more information about the Croft and its work see:

Visit our new website: Home | The Croft HMP Barlinnie Visitors Centre | 81 Lee Ave, Glasgow City, G33 2QX

Visit our Facebook page: facebook.com/CroftVisitorsService

About East Ayrshire Citizens Advice Bureau

East Ayrshire Citizens Advice Bureau is an independent charity providing free, confidential and impartial advice to people across East Ayrshire. We support thousands of local residents every year with issues including debt, benefits, housing, employment and consumer problems.

As demand for advice continues to grow, the Bureau is entering a new phase of development. We are seeking a Business Development Manager to play a key role in strengthening the organisation’s financial sustainability and supporting the strategic development of our services.

Purpose of the Role

The Business Development Manager will lead on identifying, securing and developing funding opportunities to support the Bureau’s work. This will include building relationships with funders, developing compelling funding proposals and creating a clear and sustainable funding strategy for the organisation.

Working closely with the Chief Executive and Board, the postholder will also support the wider development of the Bureau as a resilient and forward-looking organisation, identifying opportunities for service growth, partnership working and innovation within the advice sector.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who enjoys combining strategic thinking with practical delivery and who is motivated by strengthening services that make a real difference to people’s lives.

Are you interested in:

• people and making a real difference to their lives?

• fairness in housing?

• influencing change?

• supporting staff and tenants?

• promoting our Values?

• collaborating with others?

• providing insight and strategic direction?

• improving people’s lives?

• the well-being of local communities?

Then you might be what we are looking for, as a new voluntary Board Member of Manor Estates Housing Association (MEHA) and its subsidiary Manor Estates Associates Limited (MEAL). We are particularly interested to hear from people with skills, knowledge, or experience in:

• Accountancy (preferably a qualified accountant with experience of RSLs)

• Housing Management

• Asset Management

• Procurement

• ICT/Digital

• Community Engagement

• Third Sector experience

• Equality, diversity and inclusion

Our Boards are voluntary but we pay reasonable out of pocket expenses including transport and childcare costs. The MEHA Board meets eight times a year and the MEAL Board meets four times

We are particularly interested in ensuring that our Board is diverse and representative of the communities that we serve.

Previous board experience is beneficial but not essential as we offer an induction and training programme. We carry out annual reviews with all Board members to ensure we are offering appropriate levels of support and training.

You will have opportunities to attend external conferences and events.

About us

We own and manage over 1,000 social and 95 mid-market rent properties, as well as providing factoring services to 1,500 owners operating throughout Edinburgh.

We also have a small number of properties in Fife.

manorestates.org.uk