Aberlour Options Lothian, Prestonpans

Aberlour Options Lothian offers a range of short break services to children and young people with complex needs. We offer a safe, homely environment for a child to come and stay for a short break that gives their families a rest from their caring role. During that break, children enjoy a range of fun activities and experiences with our staff. Our service is very much a ‘home from home’ for the children who stay with us. We are within easy commuting distance of Edinburgh, Midlothian and East Lothian with access via the number 26, 111 and 124 bus routes.

The difference we make to families:

“It’s not easy to accept that sometimes you need help. We had reached rock bottom, but Aberlour Options Lothian was that lifesaving buoyancy aid.

It wasn't easy accepting leaving my son there especially in the early days when it was new to everyone. It is a safe and welcoming place and a second home in many respects now. Somewhere he is safe, cared for and has loads of fun with the carers and other children.

It’s not just about respite; we have received help with managing behaviour, preparing for hospital visits and operations. Help and advice when there seemed to be no one else listening or who understands. It’s hard to look back to where we were but no we wouldn't be here today without their help and support.

To sum it up: Saved our lives. Peace of mind. Finally a rest.”

What we are looking for....

Our relief workers play a crucial role in supporting our team. This work is offered on a casual, hourly paid basis to provide cover during staff absence and/or particularly busy periods. Availability should be specified on your application form. As part of a small team, you will ensure that the highest level of physical and emotional care is provided to the children and young people. Experience in this type of work is preferred however we will consider all applications. The service opens Wednesday’s afterschool and from Friday 11am to Monday 12pm. As such, the requirement is to work mainly weekends. Shifts at weekends are 8am - 8pm or 12pm - 10pm and include sleepovers and wakened night shifts.

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. To have a look at our values to understand more about what we are looking for from our employees click here.

What we offer...

You will receive a planned and supported induction consisting of a varied training programme, including Child Protection. You will be working alongside a highly motivated and skilled team. Find out more about our Employee Benefits and our commitment to Equality and Diversity on our website.

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.

Do you love working with children and young people? Are you a teacher, health play specialist, youth worker, family support worker or someone with experience helping children and young people build confidence, develop new skills and have fun? Do you have a talent for creating engaging and memorable experiences that inspire children and young people to participate, connect with others and thrive?

If so, we'd love to hear from you.

Children's Health Scotland is looking for an enthusiastic and creative Programme and Engagement Coordinator to help deliver our exciting programmes and activities across Scotland.

Every week is different. One day you could be supporting children and young people to develop self-management skills through our award-winning programmes, the next you could be helping deliver a Health Rights Defenders session, planning a family event, supporting volunteers, or building relationships with schools, NHS services and community partners.

We're looking for someone who brings energy, positivity and creativity to everything they do, someone who believes every child deserves the opportunity to thrive and whose first instinct is to ask: "How can we make this engaging, accessible and fun?"

What you'll be doing

• Delivering engaging programmes, workshops and activities for children, young people and families.
• Supporting Health Rights Defenders, Self-Management Skills Programmes and SMS:HUB activities.
• Building trusted relationships with children, young people, families and partners.
• Supporting the delivery of events, participation activities and campaigns.
• Helping recruit and support volunteers.
• Collecting feedback and demonstrating the impact of our work.
• Creating blogs, case studies and social media content that celebrates children's voices and achievements.
• Helping children and young people build confidence, make connections and better understand their rights and wellbeing.

We're looking for someone who is

• Fun, friendly and approachable.
• Passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people.
• Creative and full of ideas.
• Organised and able to plan and deliver activities.
• Comfortable working independently and as part of a small team.
• A confident communicator who can build relationships with families and partners.
• Flexible and able to work regular Friday evenings and Saturdays.
• Willing to travel throughout Scotland.
• A driver with access to a car for business use.

Why join us?

At Children's Health Scotland, you'll be joining a friendly and passionate team committed to ensuring every child receives the support, information and opportunities they need to achieve their best possible health. In return, we offer:

• Nine weeks' leave per year (pro rata), including public holidays.
• A supportive team environment.
• Opportunities for training and development.
• The chance to make a genuine difference to the lives of children, young people and families across Scotland.

Important information

This is not a standard Monday to Friday role. The successful candidate must be able to work flexibly, including regular Friday evening and Saturday working, to support programme and event delivery. A full UK driving licence and access to a car for business use are essential. The post is subject to membership of the PVG Scheme and satisfactory Disclosure Scotland checks.

About Children's Health Scotland

Children's Health Scotland supports children, young people and families to navigate health challenges, understand their rights and improve their health and wellbeing. Through programmes, participation opportunities, events and information, we help children and young people build confidence, resilience, self-management skills and lasting connections. If you're enthusiastic, creative and ready to help children and young people thrive, we'd love to hear from you.

Based in Fort William

Aberlour Sycamore Services- Fort William, is a residential care home for children and young people between the ages of 12 years and 18 years old, helping them to live and grow in a community setting. We work using a Dyadic Developmental Practice model which means that we ensure that the child and their behaviour is understood and the child feels as safe as possible at home, in school and in social activities.

‘Staff have a warm and friendly approach with the young people and there are plenty of organised activities for the young people to take part in’-Child Care professional working with Sycamore Fort William.

What we are looking for....

You will contribute to the leadership, management and development of services for children, young people and families in line with planned objectives and assist with service review and evaluation. You will play an important role in the overall management function of the service.

There will be an expectation that you work part of your hours on a shift rota, that will be Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm with the exception of one back shift per week (2pm to 10pm) and one day of a weekend monthly and be part of the on call rota including every 5th weekend.

You will have relevant experience of working with children and young people with a in a residential or community setting and understand the impact of trauma on social inclusion. You are required to meet the qualifications requirement for this post which is at SCQF Level 8 (eg. HNC, SVQ Level 4). This post requires you to register with the Scottish Social Services Council as a Residential Child Care Worker with Supervisory Responsibilities.

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. To have a look at our values to understand more about what we are looking for from our employees click here.

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 here and our commitment to Equality and Diversity here.

Please also read our recruitment privacy notice - Aberlour | Privacy notice

Who Cares? Scotland is Scotland’s only national independent membership organisation for Care Experienced people. Our mission is to secure a lifetime of equality, respect, and love for Care Experienced people in Scotland and we currently have over 3000 Care Experienced members.

At the heart of Who Cares? Scotland’s work are the rights of Care Experienced children and young people, and the power of their voices to bring about positive change. We provide individual relationship-based independent advocacy and a broad range of imaginative participatory opportunity for Care Experienced young people across Scotland; we work alongside corporate parents and communities of all sorts to broaden understanding; we work with policy makers, leaders and elected representatives locally and nationally to shape law, policy and practice on the basis of all that can be learnt from the voices of those with experience of care – working together to build on the aspirations of The Promise and secure positive change.

This unique role offers the opportunity to listen to and work directly with children and young people with experience of care, in an individual relationship-based advocacy role, and within participation and group activity across our South East region.

The post-holder will be a key member of the Advocacy and Participation team, supporting young people from across Edinburgh to ensure their rights are upheld and their voices are heard. In this role you will have the opportunity to provide independent advocacy, children’s rights, and participation opportunities for children and young people who are looked after, Care Experienced, or subject to formal processes and structures. The role will see you actively participating in child’s plan meetings, children’s hearings, and other formal processes, as well as assisting children and young people to prepare for them. In partnership with professionals, carers, and organisations, you will help to achieve the best outcomes for children and young people by keeping detailed records of the work you undertake, writing liaison reports, and monitoring statistics.

As a vital part of the work of Who Cares? Scotland, your role will include facilitating group opportunities for and with children and young people within Edinburghl. This includes providing engagement and participation opportunities throughout the Who Cares? Scotland local and national network, as well as meeting with care experienced children and young people to introduce the service in agreement with the local authority. Raising awareness of Who Cares? Scotland and its services with children, young people, professionals, and carers you will also be responsible for facilitating training amongst care corporate parents.

The right candidate for this post will be able to form positive relationships with children and young people and have good interpersonal skills. You will feel confident communicating with individuals and groups, both in writing and verbally, and be able to adapt to a wide range of contexts. Secure in making effective plans, as well as evidencing your work, you can prioritise and meet deadlines. You take enjoyment from working collaboratively with partners, believing in equal opportunities and inclusive working. Committed to children’s rights, you are someone who knows that all young people can make transformative change happen in their lives if given the opportunity. You can demonstrate knowledge of the current structure, developments, policy, and practice in relation to children and young people experiencing care in Scotland. You are also flexible, given the remit of the role, as some evening and weekend work will be necessary, along with a full driving licence and access to transport.

While we would welcome the knowledge gathered through relevant qualifications, we are just as interested in relevant work experience. We welcome and encourage applications from those with experience of care.

The successful candidate will be joining Who Cares? Scotland and working within the South East team at an exciting time, when the voices of those who are in or have experienced care are growing in power, individually and collectively – bringing with them insight, challenge, hope and change.

If this sounds like the role for you, we would love to hear from you. To arrange an informal conversation about this opportunity, please contact Ray MacLean Manager of Advocacy and Participation, on rmaclean@whocaresscotland.org.