SCIAF is seeking to appoint the Chair of our Integral Human Development Committee who will also serve as a Trustee on our Board of Directors.

About SCIAF

SCIAF is the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund - the official relief and development agency of the Catholic Church in Scotland. We work in partnership with local and church organisations, supporting communities across the world to bring about lasting change. We are inspired by the Gospel to tackle the causes of poverty and injustice.

The position

The Integral Human Development Committee’s purpose is to support, oversee and advise on SCIAF’s international development and emergency work, in a way that contributes to the quality and effectiveness of what SCIAF does and its accountability to its partners, the communities it serves, supporters, donors and other stakeholders. The Chair of the Integral Human Development Committee will spearhead this purpose and will also serve as a Trustee on SCIAF’s Board of Directors.

As a member of the Board of Directors you will be responsible for directing the affairs of SCIAF through efficient, effective and accountable governance, ensuring that the organisation is solvent, well run and most importantly that its activities are in the interests of its beneficiaries – the people who need it most.

The term of office for the Committee Chair position is three years which is renewable, normally only on one occasion.

Both the Integral Human Development Committee and Board of Directors meet four times per year. There will also be an opportunity to visit SCIAF’s work overseas, at least once within each three-year period.

Safeguarding/Code of Conduct

The position holder may travel overseas and will therefore come into contact with children and vulnerable adults. SCIAF undertakes to ensure that all staff, volunteers and relevant others, whose work might involve contact with children and vulnerable adults, will have completed additional recruitment procedures and in addition have obtained a satisfactory PVG Check from Disclosure Scotland.

All staff and volunteers are required to adhere to SCIAF’s Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct which specifies the attitudes and behaviours that all staff and volunteers are expected to maintain.

About Us

Our aim is to find routes out of homelessness and into independent living for the people we support every day. Alongside our services, we have two social enterprises, that provide vital income for our charity as well as volunteering and training opportunities for people using our services and the wider community.

About The Job

This is a key role in the organisation supporting the Chief Executive and Leadership Team (LT) to execute and deliver the strategy. You will be a highly visible and pivotal member of the team arranging support and access to the LT and the Board of Directors. You will report to the Director of HR and Corporate Services, supporting the CEO and others with a range of diverse tasks and activities.

All Four Square employees must complete a Basic Disclosure and provide evidence of the outcome when received from Disclosure Scotland.

Main Responsibilities

• Proactive management of CEO and Leadership Team (LT) diaries. While acting as first point of contact for those seeking the CEO, diverting requests as appropriate.
• Provide proactive support to board members including recruitment, induction, SharePoint and events.
• Organises meetings including drafting papers for meeting and minute taking.
• Manage key governance documentation and KPI information.
• Other tasks as required to ensure overall administrative responsibilities of Four Square are met.

Employee Benefits

• 35 days holiday including public holidays.
• Pension with People’s Pension (employees 3%; employers 5%).
• Casual dress code.
• On-site parking.
• Access to Organisational Development Programme.
• Access to advice and support through our Employee Assistance Programme.
• 15% staff discount plus free delivery for items purchased in Edinburgh Furniture Initiative.
• 20% staff discount at Four Square Park Cafe *excluding alcohol.
• Access to exclusive deals and discounts through our HR platform.
• Access to a staff support fund to help with unexpected one-off costs.
• Involvement in Four Square’s strategy planning.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Able to demonstrate recent experience of providing administrative support to senior stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to multi-task and prioritise with an everchanging workload.
• Ability to proactively provide support in challenging situations to resolve issues.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal;
• Ability to build relationships at all levels across the organisation and with external stakeholders.
• Highly organised with strong attention to detail.
• Advanced skills in MS Office Packages; and remote meeting technology.
• Able to be mainly office based to ensure collaboration with stakeholders and a consistent presence in the organisation.

BACKGROUND

The Association for Fostering, Kinship and Adoption Scotland (AFKA) is an independent charity that promotes and facilitates evidence-informed best practice in fostering, kinship care and adoption, through advising, training, and influencing practitioners and policymakers, and supporting them to improve outcomes for children and families.

Our Vision is a future where every practitioner working with children, young people and their families is knowledgeable, skilled, confident, and empowered to support the safe, secure, and loving care to which every child has a right.

Our services support agencies and professionals to implement child centred, evidenced informed practice that involves children and their families in decisions about their lives, protect their rights and promotes inclusion. Through our multi-disciplinary communities of practice, we enable social workers, lawyers, and health professionals to work effectively across professional boundaries to meet the needs of children, their families, and their Carers. As a membership organisation, AFKA Scotland uses its links with professional bodies and agencies across the country to contribute to the development of policy and practice at a local and national level. We have a collaborative agreement with CoramBAAF.

AFKA Scotland’s multi-disciplinary team has a wealth of experience and up-to-date expertise in practice relating to kinship care, fostering and adoption and delivers a wide range of workshops, training and consultancy, post qualifying courses, and conferences to assist professionals to develop the knowledge and skills they require when working in this specialist area.

We work closely with our research colleagues in AFKA Scotland, and our research underpins our evidence informed approach. We are committed to #keepthepromise, have been instrumental in promise funded work and have been on a journey to adapt to the changing landscape of care in Scotland.

We are seeking to recruit a highly experienced and motivated individual to the role of Administrative Assistant. This role is key in supporting the Business Support and Finance Manager in the day-to-day operational activities of the organisation and to the smooth delivery of our Forums, training and workshop activities.

JOB SPECIFICATION

PURPOSE

To provide administrative support to the Business Support & Finance Manager on a day-to-day basis and to support the overall work of the organisation.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

National Practitioner Forums and Consortia - in conjunction with lead facilitator, manage the arrangements for the full range of forums and consortia meetings, including setting dates, sending out agendas, formatting and sending out final notes, collating meeting papers, and keeping distribution lists up-to-date.

Support training and development events (Commissioned Training, Conferences and workshops) – in conjunction with Trainer/Consultants, provide administrative support for management of events including: finalising training materials for training booklets, creating and sending out booking forms; logging bookings and maintaining database; preparing attendance certificates for participants at all external events; create , collate and analyse evaluation form returns.

Information Technology – Support staff in their use of IT apps and platforms when they are producing materials or delivering training.

General Administration – Undertake a range of administrative tasks to support the work of the organisation including:

• In conjunction with the Business Support & Finance Manager plan and monitor the action required to run the planned programme of events.
• Telephones - answer the phone and pass messages to staff as appropriate.
• Email - check generic emails and respond / forward messages as appropriate.
• Photocopying – where required, photocopy training materials / meeting papers for all events.
• Banking/Post Office – posting office mail and banking cheques when required.
• Library – maintain database and record when books taken out on loan.
• Take notes at staff meetings.

Scotland’s Adoption Register - provide administrative support to Register staff including support for the running of family finding events when required.

Advice Line Enquiries – record all enquiries, forward to staff, follow up as required, maintain records of completion dates and provide statistical information to Business Support & Finance Manager.

Participation in conferences and other external events – provide administrative support for the running of events as part of the AFKA Scotland team.

Experience

Essential

• A working knowledge of an office environment
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Ability to work on own initiative

Desirable

• Personal or professional experience of the care system
• Experience of working as part of small enterprise or charity

Knowledge, skills and abilities

Essential

• Computer literate in a range of computer processes which must include Microsoft Access, Word, PowerPoint and Excel and have proficient keyboard skills
• Familiarity with Microsoft 365 including MS Teams
• Working knowledge of social media platforms
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and telephone manner
• Ability to collate and analyse information and to produce accurate, well presented documents
• Self-motivating with excellent organisational skills

Attitude and beliefs

Essential

• Positive, problem solving and resourceful
• Clear understanding of the need to maintain confidentiality
• Flexible working approach

Base: Office - 3 days / Home - 2 days (if desired).

Organisational Relationships:Line Managed by the Business Support & Finance Manager / Responsible to the Executive Director.