Aberlour Guardianship Scotland - National Child Trafficking Support Service

About Aberlour Guardianship Scotland

Guardianship Scotland is a specialist statutory service providing Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTG) to all unaccompanied asylum seeking children, victims of trafficking and children vulnerable to trafficking who arrive in Scotland. We deliver this in partnership with Aberlour and Scottish Refugee Council on behalf of the Scottish Government.

The children and young people we help in Guardianship have been through unimaginable traumas. Now, they must cope with being apart from their families in a strange, new country. They face language and cultural barriers, and they enter complex systems which include the welfare, asylum and trafficking processes which are very complicated, and it can be difficult for them to understand.

We support young people to understand these processes, stand by the young peoples’ side throughout these processes, support them to access the help they need and advocate when needed to ensure their views are clearly listened to. Our guardians support the young people to make informed decisions about their future and to settle into a new life in Scotland.

Could you be the person to support children to navigate complex processes and feel empowered throughout? We have an exciting opportunity for you to join our team.

What we are looking for....

We are looking to recruit nine Guardians, 2 based in Aberdeen, 1 in Inverness, 2 in Edinburgh and 4 in Glasgow. This service is Scotland wide, and you will at times be required to travel to other Local Authorities. You will work 37.5 hours per week, these hours will be worked in line with the needs of the young people and service and may include evenings and weekends.

Please specify in your Supporting Statement your preferred work location.

We are looking for candidates who have a relevant professional qualification at SCQF level 8 and has, or is prepared to work towards, the Office of Immigration Services Commissioner Level 2 Registration.

You will have experience of working with young people and children, dealing with child/adult protection issues, experience of advocacy work, inter-agency and partnership working and a good knowledge or experience of the asylum systems.

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. To have a look at our values to understand more about what we are looking for from our employeesclick here

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. Find out more about our Employee Benefits and our commitment to Equality and Diversityhere.

“I lost my kids a few times they went to foster care and I would have gone to a place like this if I had the chance. This is badly needed. I hid my drug use and people only found out about it when I had my baby and she was in withdrawal. I loved my daughter and would have welcomed something like this.”

A mother who has been supported by Aberlour

About Aberlour’s Mother and Child Recovery House

Aberlour is proud to be working in partnership with the Scottish Government and we are excited to be opening a new dedicated Mother and Child Recovery House based in central Falkirk. Building on the success of our house in Dundee, also funded by the Scottish Government which opened just over a year ago, our service is designed to enable children of women with problem alcohol or other drug use to stay with their mothers during recovery. Aberlour’s approach to rehabilitation aims to deliver positive outcomes for women and their children. The house will accommodate up to 4 women with their children under 5 years old.

We will be using the Parents Under Pressure (PuP) programme which combines psychological principles relating to parenting, child behaviour and parental emotion regulation within a case management model. The programme is highly individualised to suit each family. Mothers are given their own Workbook and for many of them this becomes a personal journal of their treatment experience. The overarching aim of the PuP programme is to help parents facing adversity to develop positive and secure relationships with their children. Within this strength-based approach, the family environment becomes more nurturing and less conflictual. Full training on the PuP Programme will be provided to the whole team.

“Too many women with problem drug and alcohol issues are having their young children taken into care and many other women won’t engage with support agencies for fear of their children being removed. The new houses will improve outcomes for these women and children; reduce deaths of mothers with problem drug use; avoid family breakdown and increase the likelihood of children being cared for by their parents.”

Aberlour Chief Executive SallyAnn Kelly

What we are looking for....

We are looking to recruit a Residential Support Worker (Nights) to be part of trauma responsive team delivering and implementing residential recovery support for women and their children (0-5 years) to help them reach their aspirations. If you share our vision and values and have the passion and ability to work as part of this new therapeutic team, we would love to hear from you.

You will work 35 hours per week during the night as part of a residential rota.

Ideally you will have experience of direct work with mothers in recovery, enhancing their skills and capacity for them and their babies. You must also have experience of working collaboratively with other professional agencies and a working knowledge of drug/alcohol use and its effects on women and children.

Applicants should hold a relevant professional qualification at least SCQF level 7 or

equivalent knowledge acquired by other means with a willingness to obtain the required qualifications for SSSC Registration.

We strongly encourage people to apply who have lived experience of alcohol or drug use, with a minimum of 2 years living in recovery, free from all drug use and problem drinking. People with lived experience will provide crucial insight into the issues being faced by women and children.

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.

“I lost my kids a few times they went to foster care and I would have gone to a place like this if I had the chance. This is badly needed. I hid my drug use and people only found out about it when I had my baby and she was in withdrawal. I loved my daughter and would have welcomed something like this.”A mother who has been supported by Aberlour

About Aberlour’s Mother and Child Recovery House

Aberlour is proud to be working in partnership with the Scottish Government to establish a new dedicated Mother and Child Residential Recovery House in central Falkirk. Building on the success of our house in Dundee, also funded by the Scottish Government, which opened just over a year ago, our service is designed to enable children of women with problem alcohol and other drug use to stay with their mothers during recovery. Aberlour’s approach to rehabilitation aims to deliver positive outcomes for women and their children. The house will accommodate up to 4 women and their children under 5 years old.

We will be using the Parents Under Pressure (PuP) program which combines psychological principles relating to parenting, child behaviour and parental emotion regulation within a case management model. The program is highly individualized to suit each family. Mothers are given their own Workbook and for many of them this becomes a personal journal of their treatment experience. The overarching aim of the PuP program is to help parents facing adversity to develop positive and secure relationships with their children. Within this strength-based approach, the family environment becomes more nurturing and less conflictual. Full training on the PuP programme will be provided to the whole team.

“Too many women with problem drug and alcohol issues are having their young children taken into care and many other women won’t engage with support agencies for fear of their children being removed. The new houses will improve outcomes for these women and children; reduce deaths of mothers with problem drug use; avoid family breakdown and increase the likelihood of children being cared for by their parents.”

Aberlour Chief Executive SallyAnn Kelly

What we are looking for....

We are looking to recruit a Child and Family Worker to join our team. You will lead and support the group care planning for the young children resident in the house with their mothers working alongside the wider care team. This will ensure consistent delivery of quality care and support to the children and their mothers, supporting women in their recovery journey.

You will work 30 hours per week, which may require working in the evenings and weekends depending on service needs. A 9% unsocial hours allowance is included in the salary to reflect this.

Ideally you will have experience of direct work with vulnerable families to support improved capacity for women and children and of working collaboratively with other professional agencies and a working knowledge of drug/alcohol use and its effects on women and children.

Applicants should hold a relevant professional qualification at least SCQF level 7 or

equivalent knowledge acquired by other means with a willingness to obtain the required qualifications for SSSC Registration.

We strongly encourage people to apply who have lived experience of alcohol or drug use, with a minimum of 2 years living in recovery, free from all drug use and problematic drinking. People with lived experience will provide crucial insight into the issues being faced by the women and children.

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. Please go to our website to have a look at our values to understand more about what we are looking for from our employees.

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. Find out more about our Employee Benefits and our commitment to Equality and Diversity on our website.

“I lost my kids a few times they went to foster care and I would have gone to a place like this if I had the chance. This is badly needed. I hid my drug use and people only found out about it when I had my baby and she was in withdrawal. I loved my daughter and would have welcomed something like this.”

About our new Mother and Child Recovery House- Falkirk

Aberlour is proud to be working in partnership with the Scottish Government and we are excited to be opening a new dedicated Mother and Child Recovery House based in central Falkirk. Building on the success of our house in Dundee, also funded by the Scottish Government, which opened just over a year ago, our service is designed to enable children of women with problem alcohol and other drug use to stay with their mothers during recovery. Aberlour’s approach to rehabilitation aims to deliver positive outcomes for women and their children. The house will accommodate up to 4 women and their children under 5 years old.

We will be using the Parents Under Pressure (PuP) programme which combines psychological principles relating to parenting, child behaviour and parental emotion regulation within a case management model. The programme is highly individualised to suit each family. Mothers are given their own Workbook and for many of them this becomes a personal journal of their treatment experience. The overarching aim of the PuP programme is to help parents facing adversity to develop positive and secure relationships with their children. Within this strength-based approach, the family environment becomes more nurturing and less conflictual. Full training on the PuP Programme will be provided to the whole team.

“Too many women with problem drug and alcohol issues are having their young children taken into care and many other women won’t engage with support agencies for fear of their children being removed. The new houses will improve outcomes for these women and children; reduce deaths of mothers with problem drug use; avoid family breakdown and increase the likelihood of children being cared for by their parents.”

Aberlour Chief Executive SallyAnn Kelly

What we are looking for....

We are looking for Lead Practitioners who share our vision and values and with the passion and ability to support managers in guiding and developing this new team. Your hours of work (37.5 per week) will be based around the needs of the families we work with which will include mornings, evenings, nights, weekends, and public holidays. This role will be working within both our outreach part of the service and in the residential house so that we can ensure that our families have continued support on their journey to recovery.

Your role will be to support the assessment, intervention and planning for women and their children; initially when women are referred to the service, during their stay in the residential house and supporting them when they return to their communities, working in partnership with other agencies.

The service is registered with the Care Inspectorate as a Care Home for Adults and so you are required to register with the SSSC as a Support Worker in a Care Home Service for Adults. Ideally, you will have experience of direct work with mothers in recovery, enhancing their skills and capacity for them and their babies. You must also have experience of working collaboratively with other professional agencies and a working knowledge of drug/alcohol use and its effects on women and children.

We strongly encourage people to apply who have lived experience of alcohol or drug use, with a minimum of 2 years living in recovery, free from all drug use and problem drinking. People with lived experience will provide crucial insight into the issues being faced by the women and children.

You will have a relevant professional qualification at SCQF level 7 or above, or equivalent knowledge acquired by other means, with a willingness to complete required qualifications for 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. Please go to our website to have a look at our values to understand more about what we are looking for from our employees.

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. Find out more about our Employee Benefits and our commitment to Equality and Diversity on our website.