JOB PURPOSE

BEACON is a Scottish Government-funded programme delivered through the Whole Family Support Fund, supporting ethnically diverse families across the East of Scotland to overcome barriers to employment, improve financial wellbeing and build pathways towards greater security and opportunity. The programme brings together community organisations, employability services and wider partners to provide joined-up, culturally appropriate, whole-family support.

The Whole Family Support Fund forms part of the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government, announced on 1 September 2026, and supports the Government’s priorities for the current parliamentary term.

The Participation Officer will play a key role in ensuring that families’ voices, experiences and perspectives are central to the development and delivery of BEACON, while also supporting effective communications, community engagement and promotion of programme activities, opportunities and outcomes across families, communities and partner organisations.

BEACON Strategic Objectives:

1. To maximise equitable support for ethnically diverse families and communities through a joined-up whole family support model of delivery.
2. To reduce social and economic disparities through improvement of minority ethnic family well-being, education and attainment, employment opportunities and outcomes, social and economic outcomes.
3. To improve participation and representation through elevating the voices of minority ethnic families and communities.
4. To make racial equality an everyday accountability through securing change at system and structural level.

The post holder will undertake the day-to-day administration of the programme, event and workshop organisation, and co-ordination of our lived experience panels. They will also be responsible for communications relating to the programme to a wide range of stakeholders.

We are looking for an administrator to oversee and ensure the effective delivery and day to day performance of our Short Course Programme.

We pride ourselves in delivering high-quality training with an enthusiastic and highly qualified professional training team. Our Short Courses are mandatory training and CPL courses for the Social Care and Childcare sectors e.g. First Aid, Moving and Handling, Epilepsy, Adult Support and Protection etc. We deliver group bookings as well as an open programme.

The role would include liaising with trainers, purchasers and course participants for course booking, information and support. Administrative duties include processing bookings, supplying course materials, maintaining records of courses, preparing information for invoicing and producing/issuing certificates.

Some courses are delivered on-site in our training suite, the short course administrator will prepare the training room and refreshments as required.

This role would be suitable for someone with excellent communication skills, who has experience in a customer-facing role. The successful applicant would also need to have experience using Microsoft Office packages, and excellent organisational skills. Some marketing experience would be preferred but is not essential.

We are a small organisation so the ability to work independently and to self-motivate is essential, as well as being a supportive member of a small admin team. We aim to provide a supportive environment for our staff and provide opportunities for development in their role where possible.

General Administrative assistance is also required to support our course and claims coordinator. This includes administration of paperwork for our SVQ candidates.

About BEACON:

Citizens Advice Edinburgh, Capital City Partnership, Fife Gingerbread, Midlothian Sure Start, Circle, Passion4Fusion, The Poverty Alliance and Glasgow Caledonian University are working in partnership to deliver BEACON, a service designed to tackle the roots cause of poverty experienced by ethnically diverse families.

BEACON — Building Equity, Accessibility and Connecting Opportunities Network — will support 200 ethnically diverse families and up to 600 individuals through a relational, wrap-around whole-family keyworker model.

The project will ensure support is available where and when families need it across the Edinburgh and Southeast Scotland region.

Each partner in the consortium will provide additional capacity and specialist expertise to reach ethnically diverse families and improve engagement and outcomes.

Maximising Income and Reducing Barriers to Employment: Citizens Advice Advisers will provide specialist advice, focused on helping families address financial, welfare rights, debt and immigration-related barriers that can prevent them from stabilising household circumstances and progressing towards longer-term outcomes.

You will provide specialist financial, welfare rights, debt and immigration advice that complements whole family keyworker support. This is targeted at low-income ethnically diverse families, particularly those facing overlapping barriers to poverty reduction and those falling within Scottish child poverty priority family types.

You will support the Advice Service Manager in capacity building, strengthening other organisations and advisers to work more effectively with families facing immigration barriers, including the no recourse to public funds condition. This will involve delivering presentations and creating and updating resources.

The overall role of Citizens Advice therefore strengthens the BEACON model by helping families address immediate financial and advice-related pressures while supporting wider outcomes around stability, wellbeing, income maximisation and progression.

This is an excellent opportunity to join one of the cities leading charities and make a substantial contribution to your local community. Competitive salaries and a 7% Employers Pension Contribution are among the many benefits of joining this fantastic organisation. If you are looking for a new opportunity, full details are included in the role descriptions. For an informal discussion about any of the roles, please contact Benjamin Napier, Chief Executive on 07840770563 or by email at bejaminnapier@cabedinburgh.org.uk

With funding from 2026-29 from the Scottish Government, we are excited to expand our gambling team, the Scottish Gambling Education Hub, to increase our capacity and strengthen the support we provide across Scotland.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and experienced Senior Project Officer to join Fast Forward’s Scottish Gambling Education Hub. The role will focus on working with children and young people, practitioners, families and partner organisations across the Highlands and Islands.

This work will be supported by colleagues from the Scottish Gambling Education Hub and is not the sole responsibility of the post holder.

We are looking for a senior practitioner with excellent communication, leadership and partnership-building skills, and a strong track record of developing and delivering community-based work with children and young people, practitioners and families.

Hybrid working:Home-based with the option of a co-working space with a locality partner organisation. Flexible working arrangements can be considered.

The cost of business travel and accommodation across the Highlands and Islands are covered by Fast Forward

Attendance at the Fast Forward office, 4 Bernard Street, Edinburgh, EH6 6PP, is required one day per month, to attend the Staff Meeting. Reasonable travel expenses and any necessary accommodation associated with attending the meeting will be covered by Fast Forward.

Organisation Profile

Fast Forward is Scotland’s national youth work organisation, supporting children and young people to make informed choices and take a harm reduction approach to risk-taking behaviours, helping to reduce negative impacts on their lives, their families and wider communities.

We promote health through programmes and resources developed by, with and for young people.

Integrity - Our work is dynamic and informed by expertise, lived experience and relevant research

Forward Thinking - We are brave and bold. We are creative in our approach to identifying and responding to risk taking behaviour.

Inclusive - We take a person-centred approach. We are non-judgemental and respectful.

Collaborative - We coproduce, partner and learn with young people and experts from across the field