Employability Support Worker, Edinburgh – 21hrs

• Families: Help eligible single parents to identify their future goals, assess motivation, develop personal development plans and help in their implementation through individual and group work.
• Barriers: Identify barriers to employment, education or training and work with single parents to address those barriers.
• Liaison: Build links with health, education and third sector organisations and groups across the city to identify eligible single parents interested in progressing towards suitable employment, education or training.
• Case Management: Maintain confidential information, complete all appropriate client paperwork. Record and document meetings and support provided to single parents.  Use appropriate databases as required by OPFS and the post funder, complete quarterly reports, case studies and maintain a high level of data recording to record, monitor and evaluate targets as set by the funder.
• Work/Vocational Activities & Training: Co-ordinate and deliver a range of employability activities to support single parents facing barriers to employment to develop core knowledge and skills, helping to increase their access to available employment, training and education opportunities. Support provided to single parents via 1:1 and group activities.
• Outreach & Engagement: Undertake activities in communities to actively reach eligible single parents as a basis to support their learning and development and engage them in early work preparation and employer matching activities to support positive change within their lives.
• Job Matching: Provide job ready single parents with the help participants need with job searching, interviews, securing and sustaining suitable employment.
• In Work Support: Provide single parents living with complex needs and facing additional barriers to employment with continued support on entering employment, to help parents sustain their jobs.
• Local services: Develop knowledge of services related to employment, training, education, childcare and other support. Develop an effective network of referral agencies to support clients’ needs.
• Signpost: single parents to services that will address their needs.
• Money Advice: Offer better off calculations and benefits checks and offer access to debt support via OPFS debt service.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Ensure effective recording, monitoring and evaluation procedures are implemented.
• Other Relevant duties: Carrying out any other relevant duties related to the above.

Essential experience:

• Experience of working with families and children.
• A sound understanding of the employability landscape in Edinburgh.
• An understanding of how flexible employment options for single parents contribute to the Scottish Government Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan and Noone Left Behind approach to transforming employability support in Scotland.
• An understanding and awareness of the issues and barriers faced by single parents.
• Experience of developing partnerships and multi-agency working.
• Relevant professional qualification, equivalent to HNC/HND, SVQ 3 or 4.

Desirable:

• A sound knowledge or experience of working in local statutory and third sector services, particularly regarding children and families, employability, training and further education.
• Experience of group work: candidates should preferably have had experience of running groups and understand group work issues or a willingness to learn.
• Driving licence and access to a car.  This role involves travel in an around Edinburgh, including to communities not widely serviced by public transport.

Practical Skills

• Ability to plan, record and evaluate through recording and written reports.
• Strong organisational skills.
• Ability to work as part of a team and as an individual.
• Competent use of standard IT packages in word processing, spreadsheets, use of databases, and Microsoft Office 365.
• Knowledge of issues affecting single parents in Scotland
• Commitment to professional development.

Personal Qualities & Attributes

• Flexible to meet the needs of the service.
• To be approachable, friendly and a good communicator.
• The ability to prioritise workload.
• To accept and respond to the varying needs of families in a non-judgemental way.
• To ensure OPFS values are upheld.

• Confirmation of Appointment: Fixed term contract from 1^st April 2025 – 31^st March 2028 with the possibility of extension (dependent on funding). Confirmation of appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a 3-month probationary period, two references and a PVG check.
• Salary: Grade Point 13-17, £25,111 – £30,691 (pro rata)
• Hours of work: 21 hours per week, worked flexibly to meet the needs of the service.
• Holidays: Annual leave entitlement is 25 days and 12 Public holidays (pro rata)
• Pension: You will be auto enrolled in our pension scheme with a 3% contribution from you and 7% contribution from OPFS
• Training and support and supervision: You will receive induction training and frequent support in the first three months. Thereafter you will receive monthly individual support and supervision and annual appraisals. Regular team meetings will be held, and staff have access to internal and external training.