This is an exciting opportunity to join the Children 1st team in Midlothian as a peer support worker. You will provide support to parents impacted by substance use and poor mental health and their families. You will be skilled in “getting alongside” parents with a compassionate approach, using your own lived experience of substance use, poverty and poor mental health amongst other factors, to form trusting relationships, facilitating lasting, meaningful change.

The role will be varied, including 1:1 and group based supports which will see you supporting parents to engage in mutual aid meetings, attend health and wellbeing appointments, be more connected in recovery communities and feel more confident. You will support parents in their understanding of how substance use has impacted on both themselves and their family, and working with colleagues help families to strengthen their relationships with each other.

If you have compassion, are skilled at forming trusting relationships, dedication to making a meaningful difference, are non judgemental and can evidence stability in your lived experience, we would be interested in hearing from you. You will be expected to have an understanding / experience of recovery orientated support and an awareness of the supports available in the Midlothian community.

What kind of person will make a great peer worker for Children 1st?

• is fiercely passionate about supporting parents and their families through recovery
• thinks it’s a privilege to work with and on behalf of parents, children and their families
• is kind and will bring their whole selves to the job: heart and mind
• is committed to being part of a wider team to promote meaningful change for families.
• is flexible and creative in their approach

Further Information

This is a full time position however we are open to accepting applications from people who are interested in working a minimum of 14 hours, up to 35 hours.

MULTICULTURAL FAMILY BASE is a unique, community based social work centre based in Edinburgh. Approximately 50% of our workforce are from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background.

The organisation’s key objective is to support Black and Minority Ethnic individuals, children and parents deal with important transition points - this can be the birth of a child, the move into primary school or the move to Edinburgh for families who are new migrants. In addition, we combine our service delivery with student learning by providing high quality and diverse placement opportunities for social work students from academic institutions across Scotland.

We are now seeking qualified, skilled and motivated individuals to join our team.

The Bright Choices Project offers practical and emotional support and advice to women, children and men from Black and Minority Ethnic communities who are experiencing, or at risk of, Honour-Based Violence (HBV), Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and other harmful practices relating to cultural belief systems and pressures.

You will have experience of group and individual work with people affected by HBV who are likely to experience disadvantage or discrimination due to their race, ethnicity or cultural backgrounds.

You will be engaging service users in group work and will have knowledge of the key issues as well as relevant experience of working within a therapeutic, community development role in 1:1 setting.

You will be facilitating Creative Nurture Group in collaboration with an Art Therapist once a week, working with women affected by HBV.

The qualified candidate will have:

1) Diploma in Social Work or another relevant professional qualification;

2) Knowledge of the challenges and needs of children, individuals & families from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds;

3) An understanding of and commitment to equal opportunities, anti-racist and anti-discriminatory practice and user participation. The posts require membership of the PVG Scheme.

We seek someone who has these skills but is also dedicated to the values of MCFB and is willing to work alongside the team to achieve our goals of anti-oppressive

Every childhood is worth fighting for. This is our belief. It drives us. And it's the reason our Children's Services team push themselves to transform the lives of children and families – in person, in service centres nationwide, and through the knowledge they share. Join us as our Children's Service Practitioner – Social Worker and make a contribution that means everything.

Together for Childhood is a place based approach to prevention of child abuse and neglect. In partnership with local people, groups and agencies, we will bring people together to develop and test new approaches. Principles at the heart of the project include co-creation through relationships with children and families, local partners and community members; continuous learning and the use of evidence; building on strengths; inclusivity and accessibility; and creating sustainable change through local ownership and capacity.

This is an innovative and ambitious project to bring about change for children across a whole community. A particular focus on early childhood development, and the experience of children growing up in families facing adversity are key elements work.

Are you are a qualified Social Worker who wants to use their skills and knowledge to influence others in a local community to do all they can to prevent abuse and neglect? Could you work as part of our team to find innovative and evidence led practice to build capacity in local people to change the lives of children and support communities that enable children to thrive? We are looking for a Social Worker who wants to work constructively and creatively with a real passion for enhancing the life chances of children and young people & who has the ability to plan and deliver appropriate programmes of work with individuals, families and groups; and, who has:

• The ability to identify risk
• experience of child protection intervention
• up to date knowledge of legislation, research and best practice
• the ability to evaluate the effectiveness of their own practice.

Join us and you'll become part of a team that cares about the work they do and the people they work with. You'll discover opportunities to grow, along with challenges and a shared purpose that'll bring the best out in you. And you'll get to find your own way to make a difference that means more, and that impacts millions of young lives.