Background information

The Welcoming Association is a charity that works with New Scots (asylum seekers, refugees and migrants) in Edinburgh. We won the 2021 Ashden Award for Greener Communities, and three of our volunteers also won prestigious prizes at the Inspiring Volunteer Awards 2021. At the five-year strategic review in February 2024, the staff acknowledged some of the organisation’s many strengths, such as being cooperative, close-knit, flexible, and dedicated to its employees. Therefore, our future fundraiser will join a supportive and high-performing team.

Purpose of the role

The purpose of the post is to work closely with the Director to create and implement comprehensive fundraising plans aligned with the Welcoming Association’s strategic goals.

This is an ideal role for someone who has demonstrated experience in fundraising and is looking to further develop their knowledge and experience in an exciting and far-sighted organisation. The role offers the successful candidate an opportunity to learn and develop the skills needed to forge a successful career in the third sector.

Key Working Relationships:

Internal: Senior Management Team and project coordinators. Please refer to our organogram.

External: Service users, funders, and partner agencies.

Additional information

Please note that you must already be eligible to work in the UK to be employed by The Welcoming Association.

The post holder will work from The Welcoming’s office on 20/1 Westfield Avenue, Edinburgh, EH11 2TT.

Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of The Welcoming. We welcome applications from BAME people, applicants with lived experience as refugees, or working with refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable adults.

Do you have experience as a gardener or horticulturalist and have a passion for growing fruit and vegetables and inspiring others? This is an exciting opportunity to join a new project that aims to actively improve the health of children and their families, and their understanding and interest in the environment and biodiversity. The project will span four Primary Schools in Rosyth. Where children will learn and participate in their schools sowing, planting, growing, harvesting, tasting, and cooking fruit and vegetables. They will take this learning home – growing and cooking and eating fruit and vegetables at home.

You will join an Education Officer and a Project Support Officer and be supported by the General Manager of EATS Rosyth. The gardener will lead on the planning, creating and maintaining of the growing spaced in the 4 Rosyth Primary Schools . Example of some of the main duties will include:

• Work with the Education Officer and schools to design and create the growing spaces.
• Prepare the growing aspects of the project, with the Education Officer, and plan to meet the agreed timescales of the education programme.
• Maintain the growing spaces within each school and manage the soil fertility, crop rotation, sowing, irrigation, pest and disease control etc.
• Prepare for the education programme lessons so that the Education Officer has the necessary equipment and materials ready to use with the children.
• Work with the Project Administrator Officer to support how the project is communicated, for example taking photographs for promotion on social media.
• Involve families and carers in the project and work with them through out.

Please see the job description for more details and we warmly welcome inquiries by email at info@eatsrosyth.org.uk or by phone to Charlotte Oakley (General Manager) Tuesday – Thursday on 07396734859 or 01383 341260

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.

VOCAL - Voice of Carers Across Lothian - seeks two enthusiastic and experienced Carer Brokerage Practitioners to join its busy and expanding team to provide brokerage support to carers across Edinburgh and Midlothian.

VOCAL is a carer-led organisation and provides a wide range of services to support unpaid carers in their caring role. Postholders will be expected to work as part of a team, improve outcomes for carers and maximise uptake of VOCAL and community services.

Postholders will be part of a SDS focused project, VOCAL about Independent Living funded by Support in the Right Direction, Inspiring Scotland. They will liaise with staff, relevant organisations and the funder whilst running the project, including Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living (LCiL) who will also have a funded post as part of this project . SDS carer support is already well established at VOCAL, and postholders will be able to benefit from the expertise of the practitioners who have been involved with SDS support to date.

Applicants will evidence excellent people, and communication skills, brokerage and person-centred support work. Applicants will also demonstrate awareness of the diverse range of caring situations, the impact of caring on peoples’ lives and barriers carers face at different points of the caring journey. Good working knowledge of health and social care will be expected, with preference given to candidates with applied knowledge of self-directed support. Applicants will be digitally competent and effective communicators with individuals, carer groups and partner agencies.