Do you want to help make a difference to the lives of families affected by another’s imprisonment – this is a group of people often marginalised and severely impacted, practically, emotionally and financially by the actions of another. Want to learn new skills in the process? - you can by becoming a volunteer Board Member for the Croft HMP Barlinnie’s Visitors Centre.

What we are looking for

We are looking to recruit a number of Board members.

We welcome applicants from any background and experience but are particularly looking for people with the following skills –

• Treasurer - Accounting/Finance
• Branding
• Lived experience of being a family member impacted by another’s imprisonment

What you get from being a Board Member

1. The chance to give something back into the community and make a real difference to the lives of families impacted by imprisonment - Becoming a Trustee is a fantastic way to give something back to a cause you care about. You’ll be playing an integral part in the way the charity is run, ensuring it remains sustainable and financially viable. The help you provide will be invaluable.
2. Meet new people - joining a new organisation or charity is a fantastic way to meet new people from a range of different personal and professional backgrounds. There will be annual meetings to attend, day-to-day tasks to complete with other volunteers and staff at the charity, events or activities to do within your local community, as well as many other opportunities to meet new and interesting people.
3. Learn new things - getting involved as a charity Trustee is a great way to put your professional skills to use, but can also be a fantastic opportunity to learn new things. You’ll get great insight into what’s involved in the management of charities and gain skills on working well within a leadership role.
4. Improve your CV and enhance your professional development - from learning how organisations are run to planning finances and attending meetings, this experience can be the perfect way to boost a CV and set you apart from the crowd.

Background

In 2012 local churches and the community recognised that the families of prisoners in HMP Barlinnie had nowhere to go for help on what was happening to their loved one, how to go about arranging a visit, what information and support was available to their family and them.

The Croft Visitors Support and Advice Centre was established as a charity whereby volunteers and support workers met with families prior to and after their visits to get the support and information they needed on whatever issues they were facing. As time has gone on there is now a support service at every Scottish prison, core funded by Scottish Government. The Scottish Government recognised the importance of the centres and created the National Visitors Centre Framework for Scotland which we all follow, stating that -

The service they provide is accessible to all family members and visitors to the prison including those who do not go into the prison to visit their family member.

They achieve positive outcomes for prisoners’ families and friends and for prisoners themselves by fulfilling three core functions:

• They improve the visits experience for people visiting their family member or loved ones in prison.
• They help families access independent and impartial advice, information and practical support, which meets their needs.
• They voice the needs of families affected by imprisonment to the prison they work alongside.

The Croft provide a wide range of support to visitors on an emotional, practical and informative level and are looking for volunteer Board Members to help govern the charity and shape its future whilst making a different to the lives of families affected by imprisonment and often punished for a crime they did not commit. We are looking to redesign our services and expand our provision so this is an ideal opportunity to help shape the future of the charity.

Angus Citizens Advice Bureau is an independent and innovative advice organisation providing holistic advice and support to local people. Over the last year we’ve worked with approximately 3500 clients on a variety of different advice topics. We are a friendly and welcoming team made up of around 16 paid staff and around 35 volunteers that offer generalist advice to clients alongside more specific projects. Angus CAB was formed in 1985 and we are keen to ensure we remain here in Angus providing people with high quality advice for many, many years to come.

That’s where this role comes in! We are looking for a highly motivated Fundraising Officer to join our team to focus on funding applications to ensure our resourcing meets the demands that are placed upon us. This is a sole fundraising role, so the successful applicant should be comfortable working alone, although they will have the ongoing support of the Chief Officer and any other relevant members of the team to provide information and context to support applications and bid-writing. In return for your expertise we are happy to be flexible around the days worked and where you base yourself, and you will join a team of very hard working people who are all passionate about achieving great outcomes for our Angus clients.

For more information on the role please contact Laura Stewart (Chief Officer) on 01241 439235 or by email – arb-chiefofficer@anguscab.org.uk

GEMAP seeks an Advice Worker to join our stablished team and support clients to maximise incomes, reduce household costs and cope with unmanageable debt.

You should be conversant with all relevant legislation and practice in Money Advice and Welfare Rights.

You will be comfortable managing a caseload in line with Scottish national standards in advice and information.

GEMAP, as an agency, always looks at the person and not the problem; therefore, you should be client-focused in your outlook and experience.

You will be driven and passionate, have excellent teamwork, communication and organisational skills, be computer literate, and be committed to continuous improvement, equality, and diversity.

The successful candidates will be flexible in their approach as GEMAP needs to meet the demands of users and customers in these challenging times.

A Help to Claim Adviser (Universal Credit, further ‘adviser’) delivers a holistic advice and support service aimed at clients on completing their initial Universal Credit claim and supports them through to their first payment. This involves helping with the online forms, the evidence required, and verifying their identity online using telephone, web chat and video call.

The adviser will be expected to complete full holistic issue diagnostics, support with issues in scope of the project and any emergencies, then refer on to further services available to the client (such as drug and alcohol support). The adviser should maintain local connections with partner organisations and the DWP within their region.

The adviser will be line managed by their local bureau manager but will be operationally responsible to the Citizens Advice Scotland Operations Officer for providing their regional service and local knowledge. They will be required to liaise with the Operations Officer regarding their shifts, helpline coverage and holiday requirements

Responsible to (line management): Stirling CAB CEO

Responsible to (operations management): Citizens Advice Scotland Operations Officer