Pregnancy Counselling Care (Scotland) (PCCS) is an Edinburgh based charity that offers material aid and counselling support to families in need struggling with pregnancy or early parenthood.

We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to drive forward our post-covid recovery and expand our practical and emotional support to families.

As a Director you’ll have the opportunity to use your skills in a leadership role to make a genuine difference to the lives of others.

Our Board of Directors are responsible for:

• Setting strategic direction.
• Providing leadership to staff and volunteers.
• Ensuring effective governance, including financial and risk management, and compliance with relevant legislation and good practice.

Although desired, no previous experience of being a Board Member or experience of the charity sector is required.

You will be inducted into your role by existing Directors and will have the opportunity to meet the staff & volunteer team and visit our Baby Bank in Leith.

We particularly welcome experience in areas of:

• law & legislation
• charity management
• governance
• management
• financial planning and practice
• HR
• health and social care
• accountancy and financial planning (for Treasurer role, see below)

For a board director position, we are looking for someone who:

• Is a good communicator and will share ideas and expertise.
• Is committed to our work and is open and empathetic to the experiences of those who access our services.
• Will input into the development of policies and procedures.
• Will act as an ambassador for PCCS.
• Can attend Board Meetings every 6 weeks (held online via Zoom).

In addition, for the role of treasurer, we are looking for someone who:

• Has an understanding of accounts and financial risk management.
• Will monitor the financial administration of the charity through at least quarterly meetings with senior staff.
• Will report to the Board on financial matters.
• Will support staff with effective financial management.
• Will act as a signatory for bank matters including authorising payments.
• Will present the annual accounts at the Annual General Meeting.

The Lanarkshire Services Manager role holds overall responsibility for the delivery of OPFS Services in the Lanarkshire area. The role will contribute to the organisation’s vision of a Scotland in which single parents and their children are valued and treated equally and fairly by leading, managing and coordinating the various components of our Lanarkshire provision.

The role holder will be responsible for management of the Lanarkshire Support for Families staff to enable them to offer a consistent level of effective support to single parents and their children and to meeting funding obligations. This role holds responsibility for the relevant staff and budgets; for representing the work of OPFS to external agencies, and for developing new areas of work, and funding for these, in conjunction with the OPFS Senior Team.

All roles at OPFS contribute to our mission of working with and for single parent families, providing support services that enable them to achieve their potential and help create lasting solutions to the poverty and barriers facing many single parents and their children.

OPFS Lanarkshire Support for Families Service

Our Lanarkshire based service provides a range of support for single parents and their families,

which currently includes:

• Family Support: assisting families with everyday situations and through more complex and difficult times.
• Mental Health & Wellbeing: advice and practical support around looking after yourself and your family and therapeutic support, including the provision of counselling.
• Young Parents: pathway of specialist family and employability support for young parents and their children. Employability: specialised and comprehensive support for single parents to support progression and wrap around support for additional barriers.

The Children’s Wood thechildrenswood.co.uk is seeking to strengthen its skill set on the Board. To this end we are seeking new Trustees :

• with an interest in and preferably experience of safeguarding.
• with administrative experience to take on the role of secretary working with the Chair and our members to raise the profile of the organisation
• with HR experience to assist us to provide excellent employment experience for our part-time and sessional staff

About The Children’s Wood

The land between Kelbourne, Sanda and Clouston Streets - G20 8QW became derelict in the 1970s after it ceased to be playing fields for the local Secondary Schools which had closed. Residents fought a long battle to stop developers building on it and to retain it as green space. In 2015 The Children’s Wood was registered as a charity - SC045378. It has been described as a real “secret garden” in the heart of a residential area.

In addition, the charity established a youth- based programme known as G20 Youth Festival led by local young people. With a varied programme at an indoor base, they are encouraged to enjoy being outdoors and cooking for the local community.

Vision

Our vision is for a safe place for small children to play and thrive, young people with challenging life experiences to connect positively with their community and local residents to find a green oasis within a busy city.

Benefits

These are unpaid appointments. However, the return is considerable. You will gain experience in shaping the future of a young charity. You will learn about the considerable support and advice provided by various agencies in Scotland to enable Third Sector organisations to thrive. You will work with like-minded people whose life experiences and values will enrich yours. At present the Board meets 4 times a year but there is a necessity for engagement more frequently. Expenses will be covered but most meetings are on Zoom.