Children and Families Practitioner

Salary: £23,500 per annum pro rata.

Location: Livingston, Scotland.

Contract/Hours: Permanent, Part Time, 22.5 hours covering Friday/Saturday/Sunday shifts only.

Benefits:

· 29 days annual leave PLUS bank holidays, with up to 5 additional days for continuous service and option to buy or sell leave

· Gain professional qualifications and excellent training/development opportunities

· Flexible maternity, adoption, and paternity packages

· Pension with up to 7% employer contribution with included life assurance cover

· Staff discount portal and Blue Light Card eligibility with 15,000 national retailers discounts.

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

Our Edinburgh and Lothian Therapeutic clubs delivers a stimulating and safe weekly, term-time Therapeutic Activity Programme for disabled children/young people. Needs-led therapeutic activities will reflect children's age, abilities, and preferences. Children/young people will have fun, socialise, and enjoy positive experiences whilst their families have a break from caring responsibilities. A combination of building and community-based activities will promote inclusion and broaden children's experiences.

As a Children & Families Practitioner you'll be supporting vulnerable children/young people and families. This includes inclusive services for disabled children and families, helping to improve outcomes and quality of life. We are experts in supporting children/young people with complex needs and challenging behaviour. Our disability services include residential care homes, bespoke residential placements, short breaks, community-based outreach, and specialist fostering placements.

How you'll help to create brighter futures

· Championing community support and services for Edinburgh and Lothian Therapeutic Clubs.

· Taking a lead role of the delivery of Step by Step and other identified support.

· Coordinating the Team Around the Family meetings and support families who are on Rights for Children.

· Using a multi-agency approach and consulting with other professional bodies.

Let's talk about you

· Ideally, a HNC and SVQ 3 in a social care discipline, or a qualification in social care, nursing, education, which would meet the registration requirements.

· Applications from candidates with only a HNC qualification will be considered as the opportunity to undertake SVQ studies will exist.

· Experience of working with disabled young people.

· Safeguarding knowledge.

· A positive approach, providing a fun environment for all the children in our care.

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.

Male staff are under-represented within our Children Service roles. We would like to encourage more male applicants for our Children Service roles.

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.