Join us to help improve the lives of disabled children, young people and their families and carers by becoming our new Family Support Officer in Edinburgh.

We have big aspirations and this new role has been created to provide structured family support. This will complement our existing adventure play-based activities at The Yard and in the wider community.

Job details

In this role you can expect to gather and provide information to families, sign posting where additional support can be accessed, in voluntary and statutory organisations. You will provide emotional and practical support, developing peer support amongst families and carers. You’ll have the confidence and lived experience to talk to people on an individual or group basis.

This role will suit someone who is excited about taking a concept and turning it into practical support for families.

To learn more about the role download our Family Support Officer job description.

Read more about some of the excellent benefits available to people who work at The Yard.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Personal Assistant to the Director of Barnardo's Scotland. This role is permanent, full time with hybrid working between home and an office base in Edinburgh.

As the Personal Assistant, you will effectively manage the time and workload of the Director by supporting them with a wide range of administrative tasks. You will do this by proactively identifying and undertaking tasks and undertaking ad-hoc project work.

The ideal candidate will have exceptional organisational skills, the ability to produce agendas and minutes for key meetings and be able to communicate comfortably across multiple levels of the organisation. Project, time management and conference organisation skills would also be an advantage. This role will require you to be conscientious, self-motivated and pro-active whilst working with multiple stakeholders across the charity and externally.

If you feel like you have the skills that we are looking for, and you would like to work for a leading children's charity, please click on the ‘apply now' button below, and we will look forward to reviewing your application.

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 should be in place by 1st April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a key pillar of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to grow and develop in their career at Barnardo's.

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

WORKPLACE OFFER: WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU

The world of work has changed. We are understanding of what works best for our colleagues both current and future as we look to embrace this new way of working. 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, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or any combination of these.

Benefits

• 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.
• 26 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing after 5 years service
• The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our HolidayPlus 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
• 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 Corporate University

*T&C's apply based on contract

About Barnardo's

At Barnardo's we believe in children – no matter who they are, what they have done or what they have been through. Please read about our basis and values following the link below. You will be asked questions relating to them as part of the recruitment process for this role.

Barnardo's is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce for staff and volunteers. We actively encourage applications from disabled, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within Barnardo's.

Our basis and values

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 3500 Care Experienced members.

At the heart of Who Cares? Scotland’s work are the rights of Care Experienced people, and the power of their voices to bring about positive change. We provide individual lifelong relationship-based independent advocacy and a broad range of imaginative participatory and engagement opportunities for Care Experienced people across Scotland. We work alongside Corporate Parents and communities to broaden understanding and create change. We work with policy makers, leaders, and elected representatives locally and nationally to shape law, policy, and practice, 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 Angus/Aberdeenshire region.

The post-holder will be a key member of the Advocacy and Participation team within Angus/Aberdeenshire, supporting young people from across the region and wider Local Authorities 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 across Tayside, 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. The position will also involve collaborating with Angus Participation Assistants to plan and implement group and collective advocacy locally, supporting the Care Experienced voice to be heard.

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 Angus alongside the Corporate Parenting Partnership. 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, including schools.

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 Angus/Aberdeenshire locality 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.

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 3500 Care Experienced members.

At the heart of Who Cares? Scotland’s work are the rights of Care Experienced people, and the power of their voices to bring about positive change. We provide individual lifelong relationship-based independent advocacy and a broad range of imaginative participatory and engagement opportunities for Care Experienced people across Scotland. We work alongside Corporate Parents and communities to broaden understanding and create change. We work with policy makers, leaders, and elected representatives locally and nationally to shape law, policy and practice, working together to build on the aspirations of The Promise and secure positive change.

This Development Officer (Youth Work) post is central in facilitating and developing Participation and Belonging activities for Care Experienced children and young people in our North East region. The post is imperative in creating safe and inclusive environments for Care Experienced children and young people, where their voices, views and experiences are heard by senior leaders, helping to bring about positive change.

In this role you will utilise and create opportunities for participation and belonging activities with care experienced young people, whilst supporting PR, awareness-raising, events, and other projects. Core belonging and participation activities will involve fun connection sessions; issue-based group work; creative based group work; collective advocacy and focus groups; as well as forums and events. You will support volunteers and students on placement to utilise youth work and/or community engagement skills and work collaboratively with organisational partners, Local Authorities, and other public services to create new opportunities or develop existing ones.

Responsible for maximizing the networks through which care experienced young people can connect, develop, and grow as individuals, you will use a range of communications channels to promote belonging and participation activities to care experienced children and young people. By developing accessible and applicable youth work tools and activities, you will build upon your experience working with children and young people to create attractive offers locally that encourage care experienced people to join our membership.

In your capacity as a Development Officer, you will work closely with Who Cares? Scotland Volunteer Manager to ensure we are providing the best support available to volunteers serving our young people. Through collaboration with our Advocacy and Participation Manager, you will identify and attract local funding and fundraising opportunities to enhance our local offering to care experienced people. In doing so, you will develop and maintain good working relationships with relevant regional organisations (e.g., Local Authority, Third Sector, Public Sector Corporate Parents) and gain experience in awareness-raising and promotion. Providing reports in relation to participation, belonging, and the impact of your work, you will bolster the evidence base to support fundraising and awareness- raising opportunities, as well as to influence local policy initiatives, such as The Promise. As an ambassador for Who Cares? Scotland, you will be joining Who Cares? Scotland at an exciting time, when the voice of those who are in or have experienced care is growing rapidly across Scotland - bringing with it insight, challenge, hope and change.

The right candidate for this post will be able to form positive and compassionate relationships with children and young people and have good interpersonal skills, as well as experience in designing tailored group work programmes. You feel confident communicating, with a solution focussed attitude. As well as evidencing your work, you can prioritise and meet deadlines. You hold knowledge of the current structure, developments, policy, and practice in relation to children and young people experiencing care in Scotland. You are 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.