An introduction to Volunteering Matters and RSVP

Volunteering Matters believe that everyone across the UK should have the opportunity to thrive. We bring people together through the unique power of volunteering, to overcome some of society’s most complex issues. The Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme (RSVP) is supported by the Volunteering Matters family. RSVP is a volunteer-led project that encourages, facilitates, and supports older people aged 50+ to keep active by volunteering in their community. RSVP believe by volunteering and using their life experience and skills, older people are less likely to be socially isolated and suffer from poor mental and physical health and wellbeing. RSVP groups are coordinated by a team of Volunteer Organisers. Current activities include volunteering within NHS hospitals and schools, charitable knitting groups, walking groups, and a Handyperson scheme. Over 1000 older people have engaged over the last 21 years.

An introduction to the role

We are looking for a Development Worker who can work flexibly, is driven, and is passionate about supporting older people to volunteer in their community. It is important that the post holder can commit to our organisational values – being Compassionate, Empowering, Inclusive, Positive and Straightforward.

The coronavirus pandemic caused major disruption to RSVP. Risks to older people meant that our volunteers were asked, overnight, to shield at home. RSVP activities closed for a prolonged period of time. While these have since re-launched, a significant number of Organisers and Volunteers have not returned to volunteering. As our Development Worker, you will provide staff support to re-build RSVP activities across Forth Valley. You will help to decrease social isolation and loneliness, and improve older people’s mental health and wellbeing, by engaging them in regular, ongoing volunteering roles suited to their needs and interests. You will work closely with a small team of Volunteer Organisers, supporting and empowering them to deliver and develop RSVP activities across Forth Valley. Over the next year, we aim to engage a minimum of 60 new volunteers in our activities across Forth Valley. You will lead a volunteer recruitment campaign while also developing and implementing sustainable infrastructure for the future such as Organiser guides, and other volunteering and project resources. These local resources will supplement the nationally developed “RSVP toolkit” and resource materials already available. This role is funded by the Community Mental Health and Wellbeing fund, in Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire.

Information on Employee Benefits

Our ambition is to be the best place to work in the charity sector. We offer lots of employee benefits including:

•Fully flexible working

•Unlimited annual leave, to achieve a positive work-life balance

•Cycle to Work scheme

•Interest free season ticket loan (public transport)

•Competitive and supportive maternity/adoption/family leave provision

•Competitive and supportive sick leave provision

•Access to our free Employee Assistance line

Our ways of Working:

We offer flexible working by default. This means that our staff have significant flexibility when it comes to place of work, working hours, and are empowered with the responsibility of managing their own diary and workload.

Part of your working week will need to be based in local communities within Forth Valley, meeting older people, volunteers, and other stakeholders. For the remainder of the time, you will work from our Alloa office, or from home (must be based locally). If working from home, you will need good internet access and a suitable home working environment. All I.T. equipment, mobile phone and other infrastructure will be supplied.

A full Job Description and Person Specification is available for download below.

WorkingRite seeks to stop the cycle of deprivation and poverty that occur in so many communities across Scotland. We do this through our award-winning, youth employability programme, which sees practical work skills coupled with personal development, strengthened through a mentored work placement with a small, local business of the young person’s choice.

Our flexible, person-centred programme of training, support and work placements puts the young person at the heart of their future, helping those 15 – 24 years old who are furthest from the job market, to gain real skills and a foothold on the employability ladder. We have been operating as a charity since 2011 and in that time have supported over 3,500 young people into a positive destination. We currently operate programmes in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Argyll & Bute, Aberdeen and East Ayrshire.

WorkingRite have recently secured significant investment that will see us grow our work across the country. We have also recently appointed a new CEO who has a vision to see us increase our work in the 5 local authorities we already work in and expand into new areas of Scotland where the needs of young people are greatest.

All this means it is a very exciting time to be joining WorkingRite.

This exciting role will support young people from East Ayrshire to achieve employment and a positive future. Using WorkingRite’s work-based mentoring method and through the delivery of our in schools model Rite to Work; our Project Coordinators prepare young people for work placements with local businesses and support them in their placements while they learn new skills and gain confidence. It’s a simple model that works with large numbers of young people who complete the WorkingRite programme progressing to full time jobs or apprenticeships.

We require a Project Co-ordinator who can:

• Self-start and work on own initiative

• Work as part of a high functioning team

• Engage and motivate young people in groups and 1:1

• Build strong relationships with businesses

• Work to targets

• Offer new and creative ideas

• Deliver accredited and certificated learning opportunities

• Support young people with challenges and barriers to progression

You will be confident, have excellent communication skills and be well organised. Above all, you must be enthusiastic and want to support young people.

(This role is suitable for hybrid working in the East Ayrshire area. We offer Flexible Working by default.)

Fast Forward is Scotland’s national youth work agency, focusing on supporting children & young people to make informed choices regarding, and take a harm reduction approach to, risk-taking behaviours, towards reducing the negative impacts of these on their lives and those of their families and wider community.

We are seeking a Project Development Officer to join Fast Forward’s Scottish Gambling Education Hub, an enthusiastic, detailed orientated person with excellent communication skills and a track record of reporting and evaluation.

The Scottish Gambling Education Hub is Scotland’s first gambling education and prevention programme, focusing on protecting young people from gambling harms, providing free training, support and resources for practitioners who work with young people and families in a range of education and health settings across Scotland.

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

Our work is underpinned by the following values:

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

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

Do you want to work for a social enterprise that thrives on making a difference to the lives of the most disadvantaged young people, adults and communities? Are you passionate about all people being able to reach their full potential and generating creative solutions to the barriers that prevent this from happening with the individuals.

We are seeking a creative, energetic and compassionate individual to fill this vacancy and work in our amazing training team.

The Larder is committed to creating a more equal and just Scotland through the alternative economic model of social enterprise and calling for a Scotland without poverty, where everyone has the opportunity to achieve their full potential and the right to food is enshrined in Scots law.

Summary of Post and Project

CashBack: Community Connections is a partnership project in West Lothian supporting young people at risk of offending, that will address three identified gaps in local justice provision:

1. Preventing offending behaviour including very early intervention prior to charge
2. Providing longevity in service support, when needed, for high–tariff young people already receiving support from youth justice but requiring a sustained, comprehensive intervention to support them through their complex journey to case closure
3. Provide support for young people due for release from custody

It offers needs led holistic one-to-one and group work support for young people between the ages of 10 and 25, who are involved in offending behaviour or at risk of entering the Youth Justice system in the future and their families.

The project is led by trauma-trained staff, focussing on reasons for offending, behaviour, promoting consequential thinking, working around restorative justice and the impact of Anti-Social Behaviour and criminal behaviour on victims and the wider community.

Activities include skills for life and work, volunteering, health and wellbeing and employability support and is co-designed through each persons ‘programme for change’, creating positive connectedness to others in their lives and their community.

The Larder and their partners Youth Action Project, Project Scotland and West Lothian College are recruiting an experienced and dynamic Youth Worker to join the team on a full time basis to support the growth of the project. The post holder will deliver one to one and group work sessions across the whole project but will have a focus on the progression pathway of each young person, based on their needs and interests.

This is a new post and may require some evening and weekend work to meet the needs of the individual and their family. As part of the delivery team the successful candidate will support progression routes out of the project for each young person. This will involve fostering positive relationships with colleagues, young people, their families and a range of organisations, in the public, private and third sectors – offering progression options.

As a member of the CashBack team you will be reliable, enthusiastic and capable of positive interaction with all stakeholders and colleagues. You will have excellent communication skills, and able to engage with our learners in an empathatic and professional manner.

Experience of working with young people in a youth work or employability setting is essential as is a willingness to participate in further development in the post.

The post is for 37.5 hours per week and we are looking for someone who can drive and has their own transport due to the nature of the role.

The post is rewarding and you will be part of a wider team that includes training and support staff based in various locations and across 4 organisations

For more detail please download our recruitment pack for this exciting role.