Jobs in Inverness Central, Highland

Inspiring Young Voices is a SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation) whose objective is to enable children and young people, particularly those with additional support needs/disabilities, to have their voices heard – where and when they wish.

Are you passionate about giving children and young people a voice and enabling them to be actively involved in decisions that affect their lives, to speak out about their rights and to campaign for change?

Do you want to make a difference to the lives of children and young people in Highland with diverse needs and experiences?

We are looking for a special individual with energy and enthusiasm for youth participation and engagement work who is passionate about enabling the direct voice of young people experiencing challenges in their lives to be heard.

Reports to: Inspiring Young Voices Participation Lead

The young people we work alongside told us: “We would like a fun, bubbly and chatty person who loves working alongside young people and has an understanding of mental health issues. We want someone who is compassionate and passionate about our cause, someone who is open minded and who makes us feel safe.”

We believe that every child has the right to live in a family where they get the care. support and encouragement they need to flourish.

About Aberlour Fostering

Aberlour Fostering has an excellent reputation for caring for vulnerable and neglected children. We believe we can only do that by recruiting the right people to be foster carers and we believe it’s important to support our foster carers and prospective foster carers as much as we can. The recruitment process for foster carers takes a long time and this can be disheartening for those who have applied and are waiting for a decision. Part of our role is to link with prospective foster carers, providing them with full information and encouragement during this lengthy process. You would also support and attend virtual and live events to provide prospective foster carers with detailed information about the recruitment process and fostering in general. This may include some evening and weekend work. Also following up with attendees to encourage them to enter and progress through the recruitment process.

What we are looking for....

We are looking for a Fostering Recruitment Officer to actively recruit new foster carers. The postholder needs to be able to set up Recruitment events throughout Scotland or online and to speak authoritatively to groups of individuals who attend the events about Aberlour as the organisation of choice as a fostering agency and about the role of foster carers and the recruitment process. You will respond to enquiries through telephone, email, live chat, webform and social media. Using clearly defined criteria you would screen applicants for their current eligibility to be foster carers. You would encourage communication with existing foster carers and support our current pool of Aberlour foster carers. You would also support the Service Manager and Marketing Team in developing and delivering the Fostering marketing plan. Accurate records are crucial and you must be proficient at data entry and record keeping and able to produce reports in a format agreed with your manager. Linking with the fostering team you would ensure that the advice you provide is current, appropriate and up to date.

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.

If you would like to discuss any aspect of the job, please do not hesitate to contact Kerryanne Duffin (Service Manager) on 07815839567

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.

About Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC)

Aberlour. Child Care Trust is leading a Partnership of Highland Council, Barnardos Highland Services and Right There to provide practical support care and integration to Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC).

This is a new partnership which focuses on three areas – feeling safe and settling in, support and integration, throughcare aftercare with the aim of improving the lives of children by using a rights-based trauma informed approach.

The service will work in partnership to ensure that the young people have access to education and learning opportunities.

What we are looking for....

As the Service Administrator you will work directly to the Admissions and Programmes Manager providing comprehensive day to day administrative support for the service.

You should be organised, used to working in a busy office environment and possess the skills to deliver a full administration service including reception duties, co-ordinating meetings, mail and maintaining manual and electronic storage and retrieval systems. You will also coordinate building and equipment needs as required in consultation with your manager.

An important part of the role is to provide financial administration for the service, supported by the Senior Finance Officer. You must be able to work with high levels of accuracy in recording and inputting data and in providing regular management information, in an agreed format and also responding to ad hoc requests as required.

You must have excellent IT skills, and experience of using the range of Microsoft Office tools on a daily basis: Word, Excel, Outlook etc.

You will be proficient in using Microsoft Word such as to enable you to support the production of a range of reports. As you will often be the first point of contact within the service for a range of social care, education and other professionals you will need to have strong verbal communication skills.

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. Aberlour’s values are critical and drive everything we do. We will be looking for someone who can demonstrate how Aberlour’s values of Respect, Innovation, Integrity and Challenge will be visible in their practice. You must be comfortable working in an environment where Aberlour’s values are lived in practice.

For an informal discussion about the post we would encourage you to phone

Rhonda Wilson, Head of Admissions and Programmes on 07715 238337.

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.

Hours: Various hours available up to 35 hours per week

Hourly Rate: Induction Grade - £10.90 per hour

Main Grade - £11.00 per hour

Sleepover hourly rate - £10.90 per hour

Who are we?

At Key we support people living in their own home, in their family home or in their community. We start by seeing the person first. The support we offer can range from just a few hours a week, a few hours a day to 24-hour support, including overnights.

Could you be Key?

If you are caring, reliable, flexible and passionate about getting alongside people providing support to achieve the life they want then...you could be Key!

What we offer you...

In return you will be part of a supportive, local team and will receive:

• 31 days annual leave inclusive of public holidays Public holidays are paid at double time Company sick pay
• Full training provided
• Fully funded SVQ qualification with support given to achieve this
• Paid PVG Membership
• Eligible to apply for Blue Light Card/Blue Light Ticket Schemes offering discounts and savings
• Registered with Concert for Carers
• Eligible to register for a Costco Membership
• Credit Union Membership
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Pension Contributions

What do we need from you?

No experience necessary! Full training will be provided and support will be given to help you reach your full potential.

Applicants must be able to work flexibly as part of the team to meet the needs of the people we support. This will include evening, weekend and sleepover work. Waking nights may also be required.

If you would like to get involved in support work but cannot commit to a contract due to other commitments, we also have opportunities for you to complement our existing workers by joining our Relief Register of bank support workers. This means you can work flexibly to suit your current commitments. Please specify this within your application

SUMMARY OF MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

The Highland Macmillan CAB Partnership, established in 2004, provides a welfare benefits advice service across the Highland region (excluding Lochaber) to people affected by cancer and their families. Based at Raigmore Hospital, our award winning team works alongside the Macmillan Person Centred Care Project and other professionals, such as Clinical Nurse Specialists and GPs, to provide holistic, high quality advice and assistance to our clients at any point in their cancer journey.

We are seeking to recruit an additional welfare benefits caseworker to join our friendly team.

The successful candidate will provide holistic advice to our clients on a range of welfare benefits issues, offer advice and information to maximise their income and ensure they are receiving the correct entitlements. This will include conducting full benefit checks, carrying out better-off calculations, assisting with revisions, supersessions and appeals of benefit decisions and also assisting client to navigate their benefit claims. The role will require the candidate to provide advice on all areas of entitlements for clients such as energy, grant applications or assistance with health costs for example. The post will require someone who has in-depth experience or understanding of the benefits system, ideally in provision of advice, information and representation.

This role will suit a resilient and empathetic person who is able to work under pressure but enjoys the challenges of advice delivery and is able to work in a non-judgmental and impartial, confidential manner.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1) Service Provision

• Provide a full welfare benefits casework service to people affected by cancer, including UK and Scottish disability benefits, and other sources of financial support, such as charitable grants, energy advice and help with health and travel costs.
• Assist clients to prepare for benefit appeals and provide representation at Tribunals as required.
• Liaise and negotiate with other statutory and voluntary organisations to progress the client’s case and ensure they receive all assistance available.
• Ensure that all work conforms to the bureau's Quality Standards at the appropriate level.
• Assume responsibility for the day-to-day management, maintenance and prioritising of own case load.
• Maintain, to a high standard, detailed (computerised) case records for the purpose of continuity of case work, statistical monitoring, information retrieval and report preparation in line with the requirements of Citizens Advice Scotland and Macmillan Cancer Support.
• Refer clients on to colleagues or other agencies as appropriate for specialist help with issues that fall outside the remit of the service, including housing, debt and employment.
• Provide advice, information and cancer-specific benefits awareness training to colleagues and other health and social care professionals working with the client group as required.
• Support Citizens Advice Scotland and Macmillan Cancer Support’s social policy work by providing case studies and feedback on issues of concern for people affected by cancer.

2) Service Design and Development

• Gather statistics and feedback in order to monitor and evaluate the service, provide information to the Health Projects Manager for reports to advisory groups, funders and partners.
• Assist with initiatives for the improvement of services to people affected by cancer
• Develop working relationships with health professionals supporting the client group
• Network with other professionals in the advice work field
• Represent the project at meetings with other agencies as appropriate

3) Professional Development

• Maintain an up to date knowledge of the benefits system and policies and procedures relevant to the post.
• Identify your own personal strengths and weaknesses, including identifying personal training needs, and attending in-house and external training courses and meetings as appropriate
• Undertake training and personal development in order to develop skills and increase knowledge and understanding of cancer and its treatments, and its impact on people affected by cancer and their ability to access financial help.
• Prepare for and participate in internal team meetings, supervision and appraisals.

4) Adherence to Citizens Advice Scotland Policies and Procedures

• Have responsibility to uphold the Aims and Principles of the Citizens Advice Scotland Service and its Equal Opportunities policies.
• Abide by health and safety guidelines and share responsibility for own safety and that of colleagues.
• Any other duties commensurate with the post.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate the following:

• Considerable recent experience (paid or unpaid) in advice work or related field
• Recent representation experience (paid or unpaid), or willingness to undertake training
• Good current knowledge of the UK and Scottish benefits systems, particularly that relating to people affected by cancer, sickness and disability benefits
• An understanding of the issues affecting people affected by cancer
• Experience of managing a complex caseload
• Ability to work under pressure, on your own initiative, but also to be part of a team
• Ability to work in a systematic manner and plan own workload
• Excellent organisational, communication and report writing skills
• Good IT skills – especially word-processing, and database entry
• Good working knowledge of the statutory and voluntary agencies in the area
• Understanding of community care issues
• An ability to deal with clients and other professionals in a sensitive manner
• Evidence of ability to carry out training in benefit issues to CAB staff and outside agencies or equivalent experience
• Commitment to the principle of a client driven, volunteer led service
• Commitment to the aims and principles of the CAB service
• Commitment to CAB & Macmillan Cancer Support equalities policies

Responsible to: Health Projects Manager

At Inverness, Badenoch & Strathspey CAB, we are a friendly team of over 70 employees and volunteers delivering a busy advice service to the public. We strive to deliver a good quality advice that meets the needs of our clients in a non-judgemental and confidential manner. We aim for individuals not to suffer through not knowing or understanding their rights and responsibilities or not being aware of the services available to them. We provide advice to our clients so that they can make informed decisions and feel empowered to improve their personal circumstances.

We are looking for an Employment & Equality Adviser to help deliver our Highlands Equality Action Project. This project provides a specialist equality rights service for the Highland community that supports and empowers individuals who suffer unlawful discrimination and related employment rights breaches. We are looking for an individual who has experience of providing advice, ideally in issues relating to employment or discrimination, but we are also interested to hear from people who can evidence similar transferrable skills.

You will have an interest in:

• Employment legislation and how this applies to individuals in the workplace.
• You will value the concept of equality and diversity and have an understanding of discrimination issues.
• You will have good communication skills, both verbal and written, and have experience of dealing with a diverse range of people.
• You will be empathetic to the needs of clients and at the same time empower them to resolve their situation.
• You will have an organised and structured approach to work and able to manage your workload effectively.
• You will be a team player, willing to share your knowledge with volunteers and staff and support other teams in the bureau to ensure an effective delivery of our service.

The Supported Housing Worker role requires assisting in the management of the development thus ensuring the tenants are able to enjoy an acceptable standard of living in an environment which is clean, safe and friendly. You will be responsible for overseeing the wellbeing of the tenants and for assisting them in maintaining their independence.

As Housing Care Worker your role will involve working with our tenants to ensure they receive the support and personal care identified in their care plans. You will directly support tenants in their homes by providing individual advice, practical housing support assistance and personal care.

Both roles are to ensure that we are able to offer the best service to our tenants and make it possible for our tenants to continue enjoying as much independent living as they’re able.

As well as a competitive annual salary, our valued team also benefits from:

• competitive hourly rates of £10.50 - £10.88 per hour
• guaranteed rota hours working between 7.30am & 10pm
• generous annual leave entitlement
• a choice of pension scheme with employer contributions
• flexible working policies
• access to extensive paid training and development opportunities
• a supportive and inclusive culture.

We also have opportunities with our Trust Staff Agency - for employees who want to work across different locations, in various roles, with highly flexible hours to suit family commitments - it's a great opportunity with the same training and development that our other roles benefit from.

Previous experience working in social care or the housing sector would be an advantage but this is not always necessary. Our ideal candidate is someone with enthusiasm, a caring nature and willingness to learn as full training, support and ongoing development will be provided.