Bairns Hoose Coordinator

Transforming the experience of child victims and witnesses in Scotland

Children 1st are looking for an exceptional and experienced operational leader to become our Bairns Hoosecoordinator/service manager in Aberdeenshire. You will co-ordinate children’s journey through the Bairns Hoose,managing the space, liaising with agencies on behalf of children and their families and leading a team ofadvocacy and trauma recovery workers. Working within the Aberdeenshire Bairnshoose Development Group alongsideSocial Work, Police, Health and Justice colleagues to deliver on the ambition to offer children a traumasensitive, rights-based and recovery focussed response to their care, protection, justice and recoveryneeds.

The Bairns Hoose is based on the European Barnahus, a child-friendly, multi-disciplinary, and interagency model ofjustice, care and recovery for children who are victims and witnesses of all forms of violence. A carefullydesigned place where all services and supports are child centred, rights- based and recovery focussed withPolice, Social Work, Health, Court and recovery support services based under one roof.

This service demands a leader who is driven by children’s rights, is passionately committed to trauma responsivemodels and who has a background in delivering child centred, family minded support and multiagency services. Youwill lead our team of Rights, Advocacy and Trauma Recovery Workers and ensure the effective and efficientrunning of the Bairns Hoose. As a member of the Aberdeenshire Bairns Hoose partnership, you will build on theprogress made to date and work towards achieving fully the aspiration of a Bairns Hoose for children and theirfamilies. As a key member of our Bairns Hoose Team, you will support our ambitions to have the highest qualityBairns Hoose delivering the greatest impact in the lives of children and families.

Our charity is a people and culture organisation. We put children’s rights and relationships at the heart ofeverything we do. We have ambitious plans for our Bairns Hoose to deliver on the Bairns’ Hoose NationalStandards, offering support to recover from the point at which children report abuse or harm, minimising there-traumatisation of the justice and child protection system.

The Bairns Hoose Coordinator role is challenging due to the complexity of the systems change that Bairns Hoose seeksto achieve, requiring significant multiagency partnership working. The role also provides an excitingopportunity for you to develop new approaches to practice within child protection and justice that helps informthe way forward for Bairns Hoose in Scotland. You will shape and lead a high performing team focussed onachieving the best outcomes for children and their families. You will be an excellent communicator, creative,collaborative, inclusive and willing to work alongside our brilliant partners and leaders in Aberdeenshire toachieve our shared strategic vision for Bairns Hoose.

This is an exciting and unique opportunity to join us and play a critical part in transforming the lives of childrenand families in Scotland, ensuring that children’s voices are at the heart of our Bairns Hoose development andsupport.

About you

You will have substantial experience of leading a team delivering trauma sensitive support to children, young peopleand families. You will fully understand the ways in which the current justice and child protection systemsretraumatise young people. You understand that ambitious change requires a clarity of purpose and vision andthat as a leader it is your responsibility to communicate this. Your leadership and decision making are foundedon a strong value base of doing the right thing by children and families at all times. You understand thatstrong professional, working relationships are the foundation of quality outcomes for children and families andhigh quality practice within your own team and with external stakeholders.

Knowing our ambition for children and young people, you will:

• Want to transform children’s lives
• Understand trauma and know that with the right support children andyoung people can recover – there is always a way
• Be able to build strong relationships, workcollaboratively with partners and manage tricky conversations
• Be resilient and calm when under pressure– modelling a clear and accountable approach to leadership
• Be an outstanding communicator
• Beenthusiastic, driven and able to motivate and develop a professional team, inspiring colleagues to be evenbetter
• Have a fierce passion for children’s rights and belief in working with children and families; not‘doing to’
• Believe that it is a privilege to work with and on behalf of children and families and thattheir voices should be at the heart of service design
• Be kind and willing to bring your whole self tothe job: heart and mind, above all else, you are someone who will do the right thing for children and theirfamilies at every turn.

If this sounds like you and your values align with ours then we would love to tell you more. An informal conversationwith our Assistant Director can be arranged for interested candidates.

Further information

This a full-time role of 35 hours per week. You will work across the Aberdeenshire area. As you will be leading anddeveloping a new service. Children1st are a relationship based organised and we need you to be a physicallypresent ‘hands on leader’ of an amazing team who are similarly ‘hands on’ and ‘in person’ in their support ofchildren and young people and families. The role may also involve occasional travel across Scotland.

Salary, Conditions, Pension

We will offer you a competitive salary, generous annual leave entitlement (40 days inclusive of 7 public holidays),flexible working opportunities and a contributory pension scheme. We also have a cash healthcare plan, cycle towork scheme and access to a credit union.

(Please upload your supporting statement and CV as one document)

Closing date: Friday 24 May 2024 at noon. It is anticipated that interviews will take place week commencing 03 June2024.

Question & Answer sessions

We will be holding 2 virtual Q&A sessions via Microsoft Teams on Thursday 16 May 2024 from 6-7pm and on Friday 17May 2024 from 12noon-1pm, where we will provide more information about Children 1st as well as the Bairns Hoosemodel and you can meet members of our leadership team and our Chief Executive.

We would request that attendees e mail their intention to attend in advance and submit any questions you would liketo put to the Panel via hr@children1st.org.uk by Friday 10th May. (Please include job title and preferredlocation in your e mail). Teams invites will be sent prior to the sessions.

The selection process will include seeking PVG Scheme/Disclosure information.

Children 1st is the working name of the Royal Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children. RegisteredCharity No: SC 016092

Equal opportunities matter to Children 1st

Are you a brilliant bid writer, with a passion for improving children’s lives? Are you looking for that nextopportunity to work for an inspirational cause? If this is you, then Children 1st is where you belong

If you want to work within a creative, dynamic, and passionate team, where you will further grow and develop thenjoin us as our new Senior Bid Writer. The role will be exciting, fast-paced and challenging.

You will be key to securing high level funding from statutory sources that will grow our reach and help support morechildren and families in Scotland. With opportunity to try new ways of engaging and inspiring supporters youwill be creative, collaborative, inclusive and willing to work alongside our brilliant leaders to achieve ourkey strategic priorities and goals.

Children 1st is an incredible charity full of people who love what they do and the difference they make. This is anexciting and unique opportunity to join us and play a critical part in transforming the lives of children andfamilies in Scotland.

At Children 1st our ambition is for every child in Scotland to be safe, loved and well, together with their family.As a charity we offer emotional; and practical support and financial advice to help families to put childrenfirst and we campaign to uphold the rights of every child.

About the role

This role requires an excellent candidate to produce high quality bids, applications and tenders which communicateour unique approach to working with Scotland’s vulnerable children, young people and families and which captureour outcome focused delivery models with clarity and conviction.

High quality stewardship of our existing supporters will be one of the key responsibilities, alongside managing adynamic team of fundraisers, and developing new income streams.

About you

We are looking for the right candidate to take our team to the next level. You will need to demonstrate ability tobuild strong relationships internally and externally to secure long term sustainable income. You will:

• Be passionate about our work and able to convey that to a range of audiences

• Can work collaboratively with stakeholders at all levels

• Have success in delivering significant large gifts from funders

• Be innovative in developing new approaches to funders

“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 thechance. This is badly needed. I hid my drug use and people only found out about it when I had my baby and shewas in withdrawal. I loved my daughter and would have welcomed something like this.” A mother who has beensupported by Aberlour

About Aberlour Mother and Child Recovery House Dundee

Aberlour is proud to be working in partnership with the Scottish Government and we are delighted that the work beingdone in our dedicated Mother and Child Recovery in Dundee has recently been recognised with a high levelassessment awarded by the Care Inspectorate. Our service is designed to enable children of women withproblematic substance use to stay with their mothers during recovery. Aberlour’s approach to rehabilitation aimsto deliver positive outcomes for women and their children.

We use 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 highlyindividualised to suit each family. Mothers are given their own Workbook and for many of them this becomes apersonal journal of their treatment experience. The overarching aim of the PuP programme is to help parentsfacing adversity to develop positive and secure relationships with their children. Within this strength-basedapproach, the family environment becomes more nurturing and less conflictual. Full training on the PuP Programmewill be provided to the whole team.

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

What we are looking for....

We are looking for a Service Manager with the passion, enthusiasm and expertise to lead this team. As part of theManagement Team, you will be responsible for enhancing our relationships with the Scottish Government, LocalAuthorities and other stakeholders. You will play a lead role in developing the service, identifying where ourrole and service delivery can be enhanced and overseeing the delivery of quality care and support to mothers andtheir babies. The service operates a shift rota in order to provide 24-hour care. The service is registered withthe Care Inspectorate as a Care Home for Adults and so you are required to register with SSSC as a Manager in aCare Home for Adults.

Ideally you will have experience of direct work with mothers in recovery, enhancing their skills and capacity forthem and their babies. You must also have experience of working collaboratively with other professional agenciesand 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 yearsliving in recovery, free from all drug use and problematic drinking.

Applicants should hold a relevant professional qualification at SCQF level 9 or above

Plus

Any award in management that is certificated at or above SCQF level 9* (minimum 60 credits) and mapped against theNational Occupational Standards: Leadership and Management for Care Services SCQF 10

Or

SVQ Care Services Leadership and Management SCQF Level 10

At Aberlour we want to make sure every child and young person has the love, support and opportunity they need toreach their potential. We want the mothers and babies in the Mother and Child Recovery House to experience whatit is to be nurtured and loved, supporting them to begin their new family relationship in a safe and positiveway. If you share the same vision, we want you to join our Aberlour team.

What we offer...

As well as being in a supportive team with excellent training opportunities, we want all our employees to feel valuedand rewarded for the vital work they do. When you work with us, we'll recognise your efforts with generousannual leave, an excellent employer pension scheme and a range of deals and discounts across variousretailers.

This is an excellent and rare opportunity for an experienced manager and qualified worker to join The Lilias GrahmTrust. The post involves supporting practitioners and families whilst developing parenting capacity assessmentand the delivery of service. The post holder will contribute to the unique culture and ethos of LGT.

Key Responsibilities:

The successful candidate will:

• Work proactively to achieving positive, engaging, relationships with families, all other services, andstakeholders.
• Lead their team and delegate effectively.
• Motivate families, individuals, and theteam with excellent communication, listening and interpersonal skills.
• Undertake high quality writtenassessments whilst demonstrating critical thinking and warmth in their assessments.
• Continually work todevelop the team and service delivery to ultimately benefit the families we serve.
• Contribute andparticipate in the development, and delivery of the day to day running of the service to promote of the welfareof staff and families.
• Monitor the efficiency and quality of policies, procedures, and currentdocuments, actively promoting a culture of continuous improvement.
• Provide supervision, coaching,mentoring, training and induction to staff and volunteers.
• Be committed and willing to meet the needs ofthe service, working 9am-5pm, five days a week and additional shift, evening and weekends asrequired.
• Participate in the on-call system which includes public holidays, evenings, andweekends.

Essential skills and Experience Required

The successful applicant will:

• Hold a degree in Social Work or another relevant degree eg psychology as a minimum qualification with ongoingpersonal development for continued practice.
• Be trauma informed with a working knowledge of thesignificant impact that poverty and systems have on children and families.
• Have a keen interest inattachment theory, child development and understanding of an approach of therapeutic parenting.
• Have acurrent working knowledge of child development, and attachment and trauma informed theory which will underpinpractice.
• Be registered with the Scottish Social Services Council and adhere to standards in line withtheir requirements.
• Have the creativity, compassion, and skill base to deliver robust and focusedparenting capacity assessments.
• Have a keen interest in the delivery of The Promise Scotland and thesupports required to scaffold families in the community.
• Have Line Management experience (essential) ofmulti-disciplinary agencies, in children and families.
• Be proficient in the use of Microsoft officeprogrammes, including Excel and PowerPoint.
• Hold a full driving licence and have use of their ownvehicle (mileage paid).
• Provide two references and join the PVG Scheme.

Who are we?

The LGT is a registered Scottish Charity which offers independent parenting capacity assessments within a ruralresidential setting near the village of Thornhill, 10 miles from Stirling town centre. We provided residentialplacements to parents and their child/children in cases where a Local Authority has concerns about the parent’sability to meet the children’s needs. By working with the families, we are able to provide evidence -basedinformation about whether the child can remain safely within the family, and if so, what support is required.The LGT’s practice is based on Kate Cairns ‘Five to Thrive working model’ and, via a 12-week parenting capacityassessment we assess, support, and develop parent’s confidence, skills, and insight to promote healthyattachments. The LGT staff team work closely in partnership with independent consultants in Social Work,Psychiatry, Counselling, Health, Play, Music, and Art Therapy to provide a holistic and organic assessment.

The LGT has a committed and motivated staff team whose focus is to strengthen parent and child relationships toprovide a better future for families. We are committed to providing high quality support designed aroundfamilies’ abilities, needs and choices and we do this by providing high quality services that will buildparent’s and children’s capacity to overcome stress and alienation arising from poverty and socialexclusion.

Values

At the Lilias Graham Trust, we know that there is no prescription or rulebook for every situation. We have thereforedeveloped a statement of values that will underpin and guide all our work. The successful candidate will havethe key qualities and share these common values.

The role holder will maintain and develop a culture of:

• Compassion: We will treat every parent, child, family and colleague with kindness, compassion,and warmth.
• Respect: We will treat every parent, child, family, and colleague withrespect for our shared humanity as well as for our individual uniqueness. Although we will make assessments, wewill not jump to judgemental conclusions and will work in a transparent, honest, and equalising way. Humanbeings are fallible, and we can all make mistakes. This shared aspect of being human is something weunderstand.
• Hope: We will create the conditions within which hope can blossom, bybelieving in the potential of families and understanding how difficult things have been in thepast.
• Trust: We will seek to earn the trust of the families we work with. Throughtransparency, honesty, and solidarity we will aspire to be trustworthy in everything we do, even when outcomesmay not be what everyone would hope for.
• Care: All our work will be underpinned bytaking time to build authentic, warm, and caring relationships with parents and children. Through properlistening and empathy, we will seek to understand families, their situations, and future hopes.

At LGT families are provided with an opportunity to achieve their potential. As a practice manger you will look forthese glimmers of potential and guide the team through evidence-based practice.

Outline of Terms of Employment:

Contract: Permanent

Leave entitlement: 20 Annual leave days & 10 Public Holidays

Hours of Duty: 40 hours per week

Shift work: Shift and weekend work may be required.

On Call: The post holder will participate in the on-call system,

• Closing24th May 2024

Required in Ayrshire, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire

Be part of the change you want to see for child victims and witnesses in Scotland

Working In partnership across various authority areas in Scotland, Children 1st are developing Bairns Hoose based onthe European Barnahus model. Barnahus is a child-friendly, multidisciplinary, and interagency model of justice,care and recovery for children who are victims and witnesses of all forms of violence. A place where all Police,Social Work, Health and Court services are based under one roof. Children receive a coordinated traumaresponsive plan to support their journey through the care, protection, and justice system. The aim of the modelis to; prevent re-traumatisation caused by delayed and disjointed investigation and court proceedings, to keepchildren safe, allow them access to fair justice and to help them recover from the trauma of their ordeal.

This is an exciting opportunity to join our Bairns Hoose team. We are now working in partnership to develop theBairns Hoose model in Ayrshire, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

The development of Bairns Hoose across Scotland will aim to place the best interests of the child at the centre ofall the systems that are there to protect them and to offer the child and their family or caregivers all thesupport they need.

What kind of person will make a great Bairns Hoose Rights, Advocacy and Trauma Recovery Worker for Children 1st?

• is fiercely passionate about children’s rights
• thinks it’s a privilege to work with and on behalf ofchildren and families
• is kind and will bring their whole selves to the job: heart and mind
• iscommitted to being part of transformational change alongside children and their families

What kind of Rights, Advocacy and Trauma Recovery Worker will you be?

Knowing our ambition for children, you will be someone who:

• is resilient, skilled and knowledgeable, who wants to transform children’s lives
• can connect well withyoung people and their families, help them to feel safe and build a relationship based ontrust
• understands trauma and knows that with the right support children and young people can recoverfrom complex trauma – there is always a way
• is able to build strong relationships and manage trickyconversations
• is able to work collaboratively with partners
• has a cool head and clear minded attimes of pressure
• is able to make decisions
• can inspire colleagues and teams to be evenbetter
• is an amazing ambassador for children and Children 1st

Above all else, the most important thing to us is that you are someone who will do the right thing for children andtheir families at every turn.

Salary, Conditions, Pension

We will offer you a competitive salary, generous annual leave entitlement (40 days inclusive of 7 public holidays),flexible working opportunities and a contributory pension scheme. We also have a cash healthcare plan, cycle towork scheme and access to a credit union.

Further information

These posts are permanent, full time roles of 35 hours per week with a commitment to flexible working patterns.