Do you want to help create a safer, brighter future for children across Scotland?

Children First, Scotland’s national children’s charity, is looking for a Support Line Coordinator to join our national service. By joining us, you will help protect children, support families and make sure no one has to face difficult moments alone.

About the role

Based in Edinburgh with some flexible hybrid working this role sits at the heart of our national support line. You will provide compassionate, skilled support to families, carers and professionals who may be facing some of the most challenging times in their lives.

You will respond to busy and varied contacts through phone, webchat and email, offering timely advice, emotional support and practical guidance. Every interaction is an opportunity to keep a child safe, strengthen a family and make sure children’s voices are heard.

You will record your work clearly and meaningfully so that it reflects families’ experiences and helps us learn, improve and grow our services.

This is a fast-paced role, but at its core it is about connection, empathy and good judgement.

What you will do

• Provide high quality support to families, carers and professionals across Scotland
• Listen carefully to understand what matters most to children and families
• Offer clear advice that helps keep children safe and supports recovery
• Respond to a high volume of contacts with care and professionalism
• Maintain accurate, child-centred records that inform service development
• Work as part of a team to improve how we support families across Scotland

Why this role matters

Families are facing increasing pressure, including poverty, online harm and emotional distress. Our support line is often the first-place people turn.

Your work will help ensure that:

• children are safer
• families feel listened to and supported
• people get the right help at the right time

What we are looking for

• A relevant professional qualification at SCQF level 9 such as social work, health, education or community education
• Experience supporting children, young people or families facing challenges
• Experience of supervising or supporting others, including staff or volunteers
• Strong listening skills and the ability to respond with empathy and clarity
• The ability to manage risk and make sound decisions under pressure
• Confidence working in a fast-paced environment

What you can expect from us

• A supportive, inclusive team where your wellbeing matters
• A strong focus on learning, reflection and development
• 40 days annual leave (pro rata)
• Contributory pension scheme
• Generous family leave
• Flexible working options

Our values

You will be part of a team that lives its values every day:

With love, we put children first with compassion and kindness

With purpose, we work together to transform children’s lives

With strength, we do whatever it takes to protect Scotland’s children

Because every child deserves a fair start in life.

At Home-Start Edinburgh, we believe in the power of early intervention and the life-changing potential of strong, nurturing relationships. We're here for families with young children in Edinburgh facing challenging circumstances—whether it’s isolation, mental health struggles, or financial insecurity. Our skilled volunteers work alongside these families, empowering them to thrive. Now, we’re looking for an Administrator to join our dedicated team and help us continue delivering this vital mission.

About the Role

The Administrator is responsible for general administration of Home-Start Edinburgh, data entry, support to deliver services and general office duties. It is an integral part of our team that helps support babies, children & families across Edinburgh.

What You’ll Do

• Be the first point of contact for the organisation, including answering the telephone and managing our inboxes
• Administratively support our services, including volunteering, group work and family events
• Undertake general office duties

What You Bring

We’re looking for someone with:

• Experience of administration (whether that be in a charity or a business – or your family!)
• A flexible and adaptable personality that can respond to business needs as they arise
• A consistent and reliable work ethic

Why Join Home-Start Edinburgh?

At Home-Start Edinburgh, we believe:

• Early childhood matters. Healthy development – from conception to infancy and beyond - provides the foundation for future learning, behaviour and health. It is the launchpad for a child to become a happy and well-functioning adult.
• Empowerment and enjoyment are key. Families thrive when parents feel confident, have nurturing relationships with their children, and the whole family can experience the joy of life together.
• Needs-based and responsive support. We listen to families and provide flexible support based on their needs and challenges. No two families are the same and we work to address individual needs and support families as long as they need us.
• We believe in the power of relationships. Our volunteers support nurturing relationships in the families they support, and we work in partnership with others who share our values and our vision.

You’ll be part of a small, mission-driven team with the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution. We’re proud of the impact we make together and we want someone who shares our belief that childhood can’t wait.

Richmond’s Hope was founded in 2003 in the Craigmillar area of Edinburgh and is a charity that supports children and young people aged 4-18 who have experienced a bereavement. We offer tailored one-to-one support for children and young people once a week for an average of 12 weeks. Children and young people are seen in a neutral space which is adaptable for each age and stage of development. The children who come to Richmond’s Hope have experienced the bereavement of a significant person in their life that has significantly impacted their physical and mental health.

The successful candidate for this position should have experience of working in childcare, education, health, playwork or another relevant discipline.

Richmond’s Hope will provide a comprehensive induction and training programme in preparation for starting work with bereaved young people at Richmond’s Hope.

These roles will be part of our wider team at Richmond’s Hope, based in Midlothian, at the Midlothian Innovation Centre, Pentlandfield Business Park, Roslin.

Applicants should have enthusiasm and vision for the work of the organisation, excellent interpersonal skills and be able to work as part of a team and on your own initiative.

We are seeking an enthusiastic and committed Residential Project Worker to join our Pentland Way Service.

The post is a full-time day shift post, 37 hours a week, worked on a rota basis including weekends.

ABOUT CAERN

Barnardo's Caern Disability Services consists of three unique Projects who deliver a variety of quality services for young people with learning disabilities and/or autism. We have done this for over forty years.

Pentland Way Project is a residential service providing support to up to three young people. Working primarily in the residential setting you will promote the happiness, safety and welfare of the young people. You will play an active role in supporting the young people and their families/carers to achieve positive outcomes, as identified in their Individual Support Plans (ISP's).

ABOUT YOU

Ideally you will have experience in working directly with children and young people in a residential setting. Experience in supporting children and young people with a learning disability and/or Autism would be an advantage. Communication with the young people is paramount - the key is time tabling; structure; reliability and consistency. You will be faced with behaviours that challenge, including physical.

The staff team across Caern Services must be fully accepting of our children and be prepared to offer them a professional relationship based on acceptance and informed by our understanding of their individual needs, wishes and experiences. We are passionate about the children and young people that we care for, showing understanding, empathy and consistency in our approach.

You will hold (or be willing to work towards) a relevant professional qualification at SCQF level 7 or above (for example SVQ3 children and young people) plus an HNC in social services. These qualifications are required to register with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) as part of your employment. There may be external grants available to partly fund this.

For an informal chat about this role – please call 01968 664 792

Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible

Pay & Reward Framework

We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values. We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people.

For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay.

Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours. More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application.

Benefits

Workplace Offer: What it means for you

Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these. Please read through the advert carefully to understand the remits of hybrid working that will be specific to the role.

Barnardo's require colleagues to be UK residents, based in the UK and to complete their roles from within the UK (with the exception of colleagues providing Barnardo's services in Jersey and colleagues who live in the Republic of Ireland providing services in Northern Ireland)

• Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.
• Annual Leave entitlement for full-time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum, after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum, after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum, after 7 years Barnardo's service. Those working less than full time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata
• The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our Buy Your Leave scheme
• A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options
• Service related sick pay from day 1
• Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's. Ability to pay via salary sacrifice to garner both tax and NI savings on your own contribution
• Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension
• Cycle2work scheme
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Discounts and cashback from at high street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal
• 20% discount at Barnardo's stores
• Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc
• Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support
• Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer

*T&C's apply based on contract

About Barnardo's

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti-racist organisation with Anti-Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

Our basis and values