Who Cares? Scotland is Scotland’s only national independent membership organisation for Care Experienced people. Our mission is to secure a lifetime of equality, respect, and love for Care Experienced people in Scotland and we currently have over 3500 Care Experienced members.   

At the heart of Who Cares? Scotland’s work are the rights of Care Experienced people, and the power of their voices to bring about positive change. We provide individual lifelong relationship-based independent advocacy and a broad range of imaginative participatory and engagement opportunities for Care Experienced people across Scotland.  We work alongside Corporate Parents and communities to broaden understanding and create change.  We work with policy makers, leaders, and elected representatives locally and nationally to shape law, policy and practice, working together to build on the aspirations of The Promise and secure positive change.     

This Development Officer post is central in facilitating and developing Participation and Belonging activities for Care Experienced children and young people in our South Lanarkshire region. The post is imperative in creating safe and inclusive environments for Care Experienced children and young people, and care leavers, as well as in the ongoing work of the Champions Board approach in South Lanarkshire. The intention is to create an environment where the voices, views and experiences of care experienced children and young people are heard by senior leaders, helping to bring about positive change. 

In this role you will utilise and create opportunities for participation and belonging activities with Care Experienced young people, whilst supporting PR, awareness-raising, events, and other projects. Core belonging and participation activities will involve fun connection sessions; issue-based group work; creative based group work; collective advocacy and focus groups; as well as forums and events. You will support volunteers and students on placement to utilise youth work and/or community engagement skills and work collaboratively with organisational partners, Local Authorities, and other public services to create new opportunities or develop existing ones.   

Responsible for maximizing the networks through which care experienced young people can connect, develop, and grow as individuals, you will use a range of communications channels to promote belonging and participation activities to care experienced children and young people. By developing accessible and applicable youth work tools and activities, you will build upon your experience working with children and young people to create attractive offers locally that encourage care experienced people to join our membership.  

In your capacity as a Development Officer, you will work closely with Who Cares? Scotland Volunteer Manager to ensure we are providing the best support available to volunteers serving our young people. Through collaboration with our Advocacy and Participation Manager, you will identify and attract local funding and fundraising opportunities to enhance our local offering to care experienced people. In doing so, you will develop and maintain good working relationships with relevant regional organisations (e.g., Local Authority, Third Sector, Public Sector Corporate Parents) and gain experience in awareness-raising and promotion. Providing reports in relation to participation, belonging, and the impact of your work, you will bolster the evidence base to support fundraising and awareness- raising opportunities, as well as to influence local policy initiatives, such as The Promise. As an ambassador for Who Cares? Scotland, you will be joining Who Cares? Scotland at an exciting time, when the voice of those who are in or have experienced care is growing rapidly across Scotland – bringing with it insight, challenge, hope and change.  

The right candidate for this post will be able to form positive and compassionate relationships with children and young people and have good interpersonal skills, as well as experience in designing tailored group work programmes. You feel confident communicating, with a solution focussed attitude. As well as evidencing your work, you can prioritise and meet deadlines. You hold knowledge of the current structure, developments, policy, and practice in relation to children and young people experiencing care in Scotland.  You are flexible, given the remit of the role, as some evening and weekend work will be necessary, along with a full driving licence and access to transport.  

While we would welcome the knowledge gathered through relevant qualifications, we are just as interested in relevant work experience. We welcome and encourage applications from those with experience of care. 

If this sounds like the role for you, we would love to hear from you. For an informal conversation about this opportunity please contact Caroline Richardson, our South Lanarkshire Advocacy and Participation Manager on crichardson@whocaresscotland.org 

Closing date for applications is Sunday 1st October. 

Interviews will be held w/c 9th October.