Children 1st has been providing financial wellbeing and debt advice to the families we connect with over the past 10 years. We are looking for a Senior advisor to join our team. We have a team that works flexibly to provide support to all families connected with Children 1st through a mix of local delivery in our Services and through a helpline.

Our team works flexibly with families covering debt, financial wellbeing and we are about to develop a fuller approach to energy advice with the creation of 2 energy lead posts. As one of our Senior advisors, you will lead and support our advice delivery. Providing support and supervision to our Money Advisors and offering advice to colleagues across the organisation. This includes our Leadership Team and Colleagues in local Services.

We are looking of someone that has good experience and knowledge in money advice and who is creative and able to support our team ad develop our financial wellbeing support for children and families across Scotland.

The role involves working with the team across Scotland and will involve some planned travel and we have various option in terms of a work base depending on the successful applicant’s location. Our approach to flexible working supports a hybrid approach between work and the Service.

Additional Information

Please note, you will be expected to travel across the central Belt of Scotland, therefore a driving license and access to vehicle is required.

A Value and Reward Review is in progress with the resultant changes being implemented from April 2024 onwards.

An exciting opportunity has become available to join Families Outside as our Communications Officer. If you are passionate about making a difference for families impacted by imprisonment and working to tackle and reduce stigma, we want to hear from you!

Staff Benefits

• 25 flexible leave days plus 10 public holidays
• 4% matched contribution workplace pension scheme
• Hybrid & flexible working
• Employee Assistance Programme (Health Assured)
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Laptop and mobile phone for all staff

The Role

Joining a welcoming and friendly team, you will be working in a diverse and varied role, where no two days will look exactly the same. You’ll be involved in creating content for our social media channels, engaging with press, collaborating with teams across the organisation, developing resources, supporting our fundraising, working with families to bring their voice to the forefront of our communications, and more!

This is an exciting opportunity to take on a role that is vital to helping raise awareness of our service and the support we provide. Our communications are an integral part of Families Outside, and it is our goal for all families impacted by imprisonment in Scotland to know about our organisation.

About You

We are looking for someone who can work independently as well as part of a team, is organised, is confident using all social media platforms, and has an interest in helping vulnerable or marginalised groups.

We are looking for individuals who:

• Have excellent communication skills.
• Can effectively manage their own workload.
• Can collaborate with different teams to produce new ideas and opportunities.
• Can use a range of digital platforms and tools.
• Can demonstrate a strong understanding and commitment to our organisational mission and values.

About Us

Families Outside is the only national charity in Scotland that works solely to support families affected by imprisonment. Imprisonment can often have a huge impact on the things that matter most to families: money and secure housing, safe and connected relationships at home and in the community, and the emotional health and wellbeing of families. Families Outside is dedicated to providing a range of practical, social, and emotional support to people with someone in prison that are relationship-based, prison-aware, and family-focused.

Main Duties

The Employability Advisor will be responsible to Regional Co-Ordinator and will work as a member of OPFS Lanarkshire Employability Service, to provide employability support for single parents and young parents facing additional barriers to engaging with services, entering suitable employment, education, and training opportunities through one-to-one meetings and group work sessions.

Specific Duties

• Case Management: Work with single parents facing additional barriers, to access employability support by using case management methods, to provide a continuum of consistent support through each client’s journey of the Making Employability Works for Single Parents Employability Pathway and progress into suitable and sustainable employment.
• Barriers: Support clients to identify their presenting barriers to enter suitable employment, education and training opportunities and work with single parents to address those barriers.
• Initial Support: Enable single parents to identify their future goals, assess motivation, develop personal action plans, and support client’s access to suitable employability activities.
• Liaison: Build links with agencies, projects, organisations, and groups across the local authority area, to identify eligible young parents who would benefit from participating in a scheduled programme of employability support, that will enable them to access suitable employment, education, and training opportunities.
• Outreach & Engagement: Undertake activities to actively reach out to, and engage with, eligible single parents; supporting clients to build their confidence and develop their knowledge and awareness of the support and services available to them through OPFS’s Making Employability Work for Single Parents Employability Service.
• Work/Vocational Activities & Training: Co-ordinate and deliver a range of employability activities to single parents in 1-2-1 and group settings to enable parents facing additional barriers to employment to develop their knowledge, awareness and understanding of early work preparation, C.V development and core skills, helping to increase participants access to available employment, training, and education opportunities.
• Job Matching: Provide employability support to help single parents to become job ready through the provision of activities that focus on; active job searching, completing application forms, attending interviews and make informed decisions to secure and sustain suitable employment.
• In Work Support: Provide single parents facing additional barriers to sustain their employment role with continued support on entering employment and help single parents to progress within their working role.
• Signposting and Referral: Ensure that young parents gain access to the services and resources that will help to address their needs and support their progression along OPFS Making Employability Work for Single Parents Employability Service.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Ensure effective recording, monitoring and evaluation procedures are collated and produced on a regular monthly basis.
• Reporting, targets, and outcomes: Ensure project outcomes and targets are met in-line with funding application and submit comprehensive reports to the Services Manager on all areas of the work you are responsible for.
• Other relevant duties: Carrying out any other relevant duties related to the above.

The job description is a broad picture of the post at the time of preparation. It is not an exhaustive list of all duties, and it is recognised that jobs change and evolve over time.

Personal Specifications

Essential

1. Qualification: A relevant professional qualification or a good standard of education equivalent to HNC/HND, SVQ3 /4 or equivalent experience related to this area of work.
2. Experience of working in the employability support field.
3. Experience of group work: candidates should preferably have had experience of running groups and understand potential group work issues.
4. Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
5. Excellent IT skills.
6. Commitment to professional development.
7. Flexibility to meet the needs of the services.
8. Driving license and use of a vehicle.

Desirable:

1. Experience of working with single parents: Prior experience of work with families headed by a single parent in a voluntary sector or statutory context.

Terms & Conditions

1. Period of appointment: The post is funded until 31st March 2025. Confirmation of appointment will be dependent on completion of a satisfactory three-month probation period, satisfactory reference, and Disclosure checks.
2. Salary: OPFS salary scale points 13-17: £23,915 to £29,230 per annum (Appointments will be made at a point reflective of previous experience).
3. Hours of work: up to 35 hours weekly with flexibility to meet the needs of clients. Part time hours also considered
4. Holidays: Annual leave entitlement is 25 days and 12 Public holidays, pro rata for part time hours
5. Pension: You will be auto enrolled from your start date. OPFS pays 7% of your salary and you pay a minimum of 3%.
6. Training, support, and supervision: OPFS is committed to the development of its staff through internal training and access to external training. We also have an annual staff appraisal system in place and all staff receive regular monthly support and supervision from their manager.
7. Equal Opportunities and Family Friendly Employment: OPFS aims to be an equal opportunity and family friendly employer. We have Investors in People status and Living Wage accreditation.

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

The aim of our Silverton Hub based in Blantyre, is to support children with disabilities. We ensure the child feels involved in their community and enjoys their childhood experience and builds their confidence whilst developing the family's resilience to deal with the day-to-day challenges of their care giving duties.

You'll provide support to a range of young people from the ages of 5 to 23. The support is personalized to each child's specific needs, likes, character and their personality. This is directed through an extensive and well researched care plan which is strongly led by the child's voice.

More specifically your role will involve going out and about in the community with young people introducing them to mainstream activities and supporting them to enjoy new experiences and to follow their own interests. This could include trips to parks, swimming, bowling, and the cinema. It may involve shopping trips, outings on buses and trains, visits to cafes, clubs, and museums.

How you'll help to create brighter futures

You'll work as part of a well supported and trained team who work extremely hard to achieve positive outcomes for our young people.

As a Community Short Breaks Practitioner you'll be;

• Managing cases, completing assessments, planning and reviews to ensure positive outcomes.
• Working within a multi-agency social care multi-agencies, early years or health environments.
• Helping young people with a learning disability have a presence in the community.
• Supporting young people by providing emotional support and keep the child and or young people as the focus and ensure their feelings and wishes are represented in meeting

Let's talk about you

• Experience working within a care environment - preferably working with children and young people with learning disabilities, their families, and carers.
• A HNC/ SVQ Social Care preferred – but candidates without this may have an opportunity to work towards a qualification.
• Confident delivering specialist interventions within young people and their families on a 1:1 basis, group or community setting.
• Easily establish and develop relationships with those young people and their families
• To register with the SSSC (Scottish Social Services Council) within 6 months of starting in post.

Good to know

Please note we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.

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.