Project Worker - East Renfrewshire

A fantastic opportunity to come and join the Children First team in Giffnock

This is an exciting opportunity to join an innovative partnership between Children 1st and East Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership.

Over the past number years, in partnership with East Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership, we have developed a variety of responsive and dynamic support offers which align to the needs of families.

We adopt a relational and restorative approach which helps families to strengthen relationships and reduce emotional distress. Placing the voice of children, young people and their families at the centre of the support, the team provide intensive and collaborative whole family support; focusing on highlighting the resilience of families and responding to their individual needs.

We invest in reflective and trauma-sensitive practice which guides workers to develop a relationship with family members characterised by trust, respect, honesty, compassion and an open communication where families can then be linked with community-based networks of support.

The East Renfrewshire Service offers support to help improve the emotional wellbeing of children and young people aged 8-18, and their families.

We are currently looking for a new colleague to join the team in a temporary role. In the role of Project Worker, you will connect with children and their families who are looking for help and support; offering them space and time to begin to share their story and thinking with them about what they might need to help things feel better.

We offer a range of different supports for children and families, including individual and family support; facilitated and peer led group supports and befriending relationships. This is an exciting yet demanding role which will require you to get alongside children and their families where, when and how best suits them. We want to be able to offer children and families the right support at the right time.

What kind of people are we looking for?

• Experience of keeping children safe in their own families
• Extensive experience of working alongside and together with children and families impacted by trauma and adversity, with a lens on the promotion of long-term recovery
• Experience of providing support to children and families, with confidence, in a trauma sensitive and systemic way
• Experience and understanding of relational and restorative approaches to practice
• Curious, responsive, flexible and courageous in your relationships with children and families, and colleagues in other services
• Fiercely passionate about Children’s Human Rights
• Shares our belief that it’s a privilege to get alongside children and families to help life feel better for them
• Confident and competent communicators who can work autonomously in a fast paced, demanding role

What kind of Children First team member 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
• Determined to support children to stay safely with their own family
• Big hearted and courageous
• Able to build strong relationships and to manage difficult conversations
• Calm and clear minded during times of challenge or distress
• Kind and compassionate
• Able to demonstrate Children First's core values of working with love, with purpose and with strength

If you have a professional qualification in a relevant area such as Social Work, Health, Teaching or equivalent in Child Care/Social Care or related area, accredited counselling qualification, or other relevant qualification at SCQF level 9 or higher then we want to hear from you. In particular, we are seeking to further enhance our diversity from the perspective of ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender and disability.

Base

Your base will be in Giffnock alongside time spent meeting young people and their families in their local community; with the option for occasional home working.

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 to work scheme and access to a credit union.

Further Information

1 fixed term, part time post of 21 hours per week funded until 31 March 2026

Hours to be worked flexibly across the week to meet the needs of families and the service. Our 21-hour post is anticipated to be delivered across 3 days, although this is negotiable and equally flexible to meet the needs of families. Furthermore, there is an expectation to work Wednesdays which is seen as our ‘core day’ when essential service activities take place such as team meetings.

If you would like to discuss any aspect of the role before applying, please contact – eastrenfws@children1st.org.uk

For further information and to apply, please click here.

Children First has a long tradition of valuing and involving sessional and volunteer workers. To find out more about volunteering with us, please visit our website.