TalkTime Scotland is a unique charity dedicated to supporting young people aged 12-25 who are either physically disabled or have a long-term physical health condition, through free weekly sessions of face-to-face or online counselling. For more information please see our website talktimescotland.co.uk

Description of Post

The appointed counsellor will be self-employed and insured and will provide person-centred supportive counselling for between 1-4 hours per week. Hours will vary depending on the number of clients and it is envisaged that this work will be in addition to the counsellor’s current workload. Hours are flexible and are by mutual agreement. The rate of pay is £35 per session. A retainer fee of £35 per week will be paid if no sessions are available.

Location

Clients are seen face-to-face at our base at Norton Park, 57 Albion Rd, Edinburgh EH7 5QY. Ideally, the counsellor would live or work within reasonable distance of this location. Clients may also request online or telephone counselling.

Responsible to

The counsellor will be responsible to the Trustees of the charity.

Confidentiality and Record Keeping

The counsellor will be responsible for documenting, maintaining and storing client records consistent with all legal, ethical and professional requirements.

Essential

• Minimum 2 years’ post-qualification experience of counselling including working with young people.
• BACP/COSCA accreditation.
• Personal organization of external supervision with a suitably qualified counselling supervisor.
• Maintenance of appropriate professional indemnity insurance.
• Ability to work independently and to manage own caseload.
• Flexible approach to working.
• Awareness of issues facing physically disabled people.

Any successful candidate will be offered support in how to work with young physically disabled people and also the opportunity to share experiences through peer support with other counsellors working for the Charity. The charity TalkTime Scotland reserves the right to vary the candidate information or make no appointment at all. Neither in part, nor in whole, does this information form part of any contract between the Charity and any individual.

Victim Support Scotland – Empowering People Affected by Crime

We put victims and witnesses at the heart of everything we do so they are heard, have improved health and well-being, feel safer, more secure, and informed and that we are an effective organisation, that makes a lasting difference.

Who We Are?

Victim Support Scotland provides support and information to people affected by crime and campaigns for victim and witness rights. Regardless of whether a crime has been reported, or when it happened, our services are free, confidential, and tailored to individuals’ needs.

Our vision is that people affected by crime – victims, witnesses, and their families – are treated with dignity and respect and are at the heart of the justice in Scotland. Our mission is to ensure that all those affected by crime receive high quality support that will help them to recover from their experiences. All our work is guided and underpinned by our six core principles of being engaging and compassionate; inclusive and accessible; person-centred; adaptive, flexible, and responsive; collaborative; and knowledgeable and skilled. Now is the time to join Victim Support Scotland, helping us work towards the ambitions of our 5-year plan: Empowering people affected by crime: VSS Strategy 2021-2026.

VSS is committed to the safeguarding and welfare of all of our service users and has a thorough and rigorous recruitment and selection process including PVG scheme checks in place to ensure this commitment is met.

What is the role

Reporting directly to the Head of Service, you will be responsible for a team of Co-ordinators who in turn manage groups of volunteers to deliver and evaluate the support to victims and witnesses, our service users, at local court and community-based services. You will be responsible for ensuring, within your services, that VSS’s organisational objectives are being implemented at a local level and have a role in business planning to ensure that all service users within your local area are aware of, and have access to, the support they need. You will be responsible for all aspects of people management for staff in your area, ensuring that employees and volunteers are supported, knowledgeable and capable to deliver the support that meets service user’s needs.

Location:Inverness office, with travel across the locality and further afield being an expectation of this role.

We offer a 28 hour working week. You will also join a rota of Service Managers to provide remote management support around the country on an on-call basis. You will receive an additional allowance for this.

Primary location: Inverness, however be able to travel throughout Highlands and Islands Locality essential (this includes Elgin, Inverness, Tain, Wick, Fort William, Portree, Stornoway, Lochmaddy, Oban, and Orkney, Shetland and the Outer Hebrides (Western Isles).

Work pattern:Monday - Friday 8AM - 8PM & Saturday 10AM - 4PM (the work pattern can be in between these hours, further details can be discussed at interview stage)

What you’ll need to be successful

We are looking for a dynamic, driven, and motivated individual with a proven track record in managing and supporting the delivery of high-quality support and staff within our community and court services across the Highland area. You must have a degree qualification or demonstrable equivalent experience, continuing professional development and the ability to plan and organise complex workloads with shifting deadlines in order to meet specific targets, ensuring quality output. Good verbal and written communications skills, along with the ability and confidence to develop effective internal and external relationships which deliver organisational goals. And willingness to be flexible in working hours and able to travel as required. In return you will receive, regular training, supervision and opportunities to expand your skills including learning about the criminal justice system.

As well as being responsible for your team, you will have lead responsibility for safeguarding across the Locality Manager team. In this capacity, you will work closely with the Head of Service Delivery and peers to actively contribute to the continuous improvement of our safeguarding across the locally delivered services.

Further details of this role are available in the job description

Please note - This post will be subject to a satisfactory PVG check and two satisfactory references.

What we offer?

When you work for Victim Support Scotland, your wellbeing is important to us. Not only do we offer a generous annual leave package of 39 days (Pro-rata) for this post and a 35 hour week, but you will also have access to our free health cash plan which includes cover for you and your family across a range of benefits, which include, dental cover, access to a virtual GP, counselling, legal support and discounts on gym memberships, cinema tickets, retail and much more. In addition we offer a generous pension, enhanced maternity and paternity pay and access to a credit union. Supporting employee development is important to us and we offer comprehensive learning and development opportunities.

If you are looking for a role with a purpose, where you can really make a difference, then this may be the role for you.

Circle is a children and families charity working at the heart of communities across central Scotland. Our purpose is to improve the lives of children by strengthening families.

Circle’s approach builds on strengths, is solution focussed and uses a whole family approach to create a family environment that promotes healthy development in children.

Offering peer support across Edinburgh to parents who are affected by substance use.

We have an exciting opportunity for a committed and enthusiastic individual to join our Harbour team and be part of delivering a service for parents, children and young people affected by parental substance use in Edinburgh.

Funded by Scottish Government, and administered by Corra Foundation, our project aims to develop family inclusive practice and involve families in the development of group opportunities within the recovery community.

The post holder will work alongside families to ensure that their views and experiences inform not only their support, but wider family inclusive practice.

Applicants should be parents and have lived experience of substance use.

Expected to be funded until 31 March 2027

We offer excellent staff benefits including a competitive salary, generous pension contribution, flexible working, an employee assistance programme and generous annual leave.

We are committed to finding the right people for the jobs that we advertise.