Transforming the experience of child victims and witnesses in Scotland

Children 1st are looking for an exceptional and experienced operational leader to become our Bairns Hoose coordinator/service manager in Aberdeenshire. You will co-ordinate children’s journey through the Bairns Hoose, managing the space, liaising with agencies on behalf of children and their families and leading a team of advocacy and trauma recovery workers. Working within the Aberdeenshire Bairnshoose Development Group alongside Social Work, Police, Health and Justice colleagues to deliver on the ambition to offer children a trauma sensitive, rights-based and recovery focussed response to their care, protection, justice and recovery needs.

The Bairns Hoose is based on the European Barnahus, a child-friendly, multi-disciplinary, and interagency model of justice, care and recovery for children who are victims and witnesses of all forms of violence. A carefully designed place where all services and supports are child centred, rights- based and recovery focussed with Police, Social Work, Health, Court and recovery support services based under one roof.

This service demands a leader who is driven by children’s rights, is passionately committed to trauma responsive models and who has a background in delivering child centred, family minded support and multiagency services. You will lead our team of Rights, Advocacy and Trauma Recovery Workers and ensure the effective and efficient running of the Bairns Hoose. As a member of the Aberdeenshire Bairns Hoose partnership, you will build on the progress made to date and work towards achieving fully the aspiration of a Bairns Hoose for children and their families. As a key member of our Bairns Hoose Team, you will support our ambitions to have the highest quality Bairns Hoose delivering the greatest impact in the lives of children and families.

Our charity is a people and culture organisation. We put children’s rights and relationships at the heart of everything we do. We have ambitious plans for our Bairns Hoose to deliver on the Bairns’ Hoose National Standards, offering support to recover from the point at which children report abuse or harm, minimising the re-traumatisation of the justice and child protection system.

The Bairns Hoose Coordinator role is challenging due to the complexity of the systems change that Bairns Hoose seeks to achieve, requiring significant multiagency partnership working. The role also provides an exciting opportunity for you to develop new approaches to practice within child protection and justice that helps inform the way forward for Bairns Hoose in Scotland. You will shape and lead a high performing team focussed on achieving the best outcomes for children and their families. You will be an excellent communicator, creative, collaborative, inclusive and willing to work alongside our brilliant partners and leaders in Aberdeenshire to achieve our shared strategic vision for Bairns Hoose.

This is an exciting and unique opportunity to join us and play a critical part in transforming the lives of children and families in Scotland, ensuring that children’s voices are at the heart of our Bairns Hoose development and support.

About you

You will have substantial experience of leading a team delivering trauma sensitive support to children, young people and families. You will fully understand the ways in which the current justice and child protection systems retraumatise young people. You understand that ambitious change requires a clarity of purpose and vision and that as a leader it is your responsibility to communicate this. Your leadership and decision making are founded on a strong value base of doing the right thing by children and families at all times. You understand that strong professional, working relationships are the foundation of quality outcomes for children and families and high quality practice within your own team and with external stakeholders.

Knowing our ambition for children and young people, you will:

• Want to transform children’s lives
• Understand trauma and know that with the right support children and young people can recover – there is always a way
• Be able to build strong relationships, work collaboratively with partners and manage tricky conversations
• Be resilient and calm when under pressure – modelling a clear and accountable approach to leadership
• Be an outstanding communicator
• Be enthusiastic, driven and able to motivate and develop a professional team, inspiring colleagues to be even better
• Have a fierce passion for children’s rights and belief in working with children and families; not ‘doing to’
• Believe that it is a privilege to work with and on behalf of children and families and that their voices should be at the heart of service design
• Be kind and willing to bring your whole self to the job: heart and mind, above all else, you are someone who will do the right thing for children and their families at every turn.

If this sounds like you and your values align with ours then we would love to tell you more. An informal conversation with our Assistant Director can be arranged for interested candidates.

Further information

This a full-time role of 35 hours per week. You will work across the Aberdeenshire area. As you will be leading and developing a new service. Children1st are a relationship based organised and we need you to be a physically present ‘hands on leader’ of an amazing team who are similarly ‘hands on’ and ‘in person’ in their support of children and young people and families. The role may also involve occasional travel across Scotland.

Salary, Conditions, Pension

We will offer you a competitive salary, generous annual leave entitlement (40 days inclusive of 7 public holidays), flexible working opportunities and a contributory pension scheme. We also have a cash healthcare plan, cycle to work scheme and access to a credit union.

Benefits:

A generous annual leave entitlement of 29 days PLUS bank holidays

Up to 5 more days leave for continuous service plus the option to buy and sell leave.

Gain professional qualifications with excellent training, and development opportunities.

Flexible maternity, adoption, and paternity packages.

A pension with a up to a 7% employer contribution rate. Plus, if you pay in to the pension you will receive life assurance cover.

Staff discount portal with your favourite brands.

Blue Light Card eligibility with 15,000 discounts from national retailers.

Vulnerable children in the UK need your help

Wherever you work in the Action for Children family, you'll be helping to change the lives of the most vulnerable children in the UK.

Last year, we helped more than 670,000 children and families across the UK. From direct work in communities to national campaigning, we are focused on making sure every child has a safe and happy childhood, and the foundations they need to thrive.

Why Action for Children?

Working here is more than a job. Everyone in the Action for Children family is passionate about protecting and supporting children. It's the sense of purpose that drives us every single day. Because we know that, when we work together, we can make a huge difference to bring lasting improvements to vulnerable children's lives.

A bit about the role

“Supporting mental health and wellbeing is a big part of what we do. We help young people talk about how they're feeling, and make sure they don't feel alone.”

Are you passionate about supporting young people's mental health and emotional well-being? We are seeking a dedicated Young Persons Practitioner's to join our team in Glasgow. As part of the Glasgow Secondary Schools Counselling and Blues Service, you'll play a crucial role in delivering high-quality, school-based professional counseling and group work services to secondary school children aged 12-18 years.

The Blues Programme is an internationally acclaimed wellbeing programme for young people. Over six weeks, it teaches emotional resilience, and reduces low mood and anxious thoughts. Crucially, it gets teenagers talking.

As a Young Person's Practitioner, you'll be involved in delivering one-hour group sessions at school each week, plus set home tasks. As a result, students learn how to challenge negative thoughts, and talk about different coping strategies.

Regular group work builds rapport and confidence. The home tasks are a chance to practice the new skills. It's simple, and it works.

As part of a supportive team, you'll work alongside trained Action for Children Blues specialists who are committed to making a positive impact in what is a truly rewarding role.

How you'll help to create brighter futures

Some key responsibilities as a Young Persons Practitioner are;

• Providing a high-quality service to children, young people and their families, based on an assessment of need and is outcomes driven.
• Delivering complex and specialist interventions with children, young people or families on a 1:1 basis, group or community setting.
• Attending and participating at relevant multi agency meetings, providing a lead role ensuring reflective and analytical practice review.
• Taking responsibility for day to day resource planning to ensure high quality services are delivered.
• Establishing and developing effective relationships and channels of communication with children, young people, families, colleagues, community organisations, partner agencies and other external agencies

Let's talk about you

• We are very much open to experience rather than specific qualifications.
• Experience working within a multi-agency social care, schools, youth work or health environment and applying safeguarding procedures.
• Ability to keep the child and or young people as the focus and ensure their feelings and wishes are represented in meetings and record keeping.
• Ability to communicate effectively and engagingly and to maintain independent professional relationships and boundaries.
• Working knowledge of an outcome based approach to planning, delivering and reviewing services.

Good to know

Application Process: There are five sections to complete: Personal Details, CV, Supporting Statement & Information, Equality & Diversity, Submission & Declaration.

Talent Pool: We know talent when we see it. But sometimes we find the right person but not for the right job. We'd love to keep your details for when the right job comes up. Let us know if you'd rather we didn't.

Contact: If, for any reason, you need support with your application, please contact Laura McCarthy at Laura.McCarthy2@actionforchildren.org.uk. We'll be happy to give you any support you require.

Diversity, equality, and inclusion

At Action for Children, we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic, and disabled candidates as they are under-represented within Action for Children. We want to take deliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups in society and for Action for Children.

Don't meet every single requirement?

If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with the job description, we'd love you to apply anyway. You might just be the perfect person for this role, or another role within the Action for Children family.

Male staff are under-represented within our Children Service roles. We would like to encourage more male applicants for our Children Service roles.

Do you want to make a positive impact on the lives of children and young people with a disability and or Autism?

About Options Moray

Aberlour Options Moray is a community-based service for children/young people with learning disabilities offering residential, short breaks, family-based care and community support matched with the individual needs of every young person.

What we are looking for....

We have an opening for a Young People’s Worker working nightshift on a permanent basis. Usual hours would be 33.25 hours per week working 4 nights on 4 nights off rota. Shifts are from 10pm – 7.30am.

Individuals need to bring a range of qualities to the role including being playful, warm and accepting and must be able to adapt their practice to appropriately meet the varying individual needs of each young person. This role can be challenging but is also immensely rewarding and provides postholders with rich opportunities to develop their own practice and understanding of the needs of children and young people with disabilities.

You must be comfortable working in a culture based on respect, integrity, innovation and the ability to challenge – both yourself and other people. We support our staff to be as effective as they can be through dedicated training and supervision. In return our staff act as exceptional role models supporting the children and young people, as well as sharing knowledge and learning with colleagues.

Ideally, you will have a relevant professional qualification at SCQF level 7 or above, or be willing to work towards this requirement as per SSSC registration.

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.

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.