Advocacy & Participation Worker – Aberdeen City

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 3000 Care Experienced members. 

At the heart of Who Cares? Scotland’s work are the rights of Care Experienced children and young people, and the power of their voices to bring about positive change. We provide individual relationship-based independent advocacy and a broad range of imaginative participatory opportunity for Care Experienced young people across Scotland; we work alongside corporate parents and communities of all sorts to broaden understanding; we work with policy makers, leaders and elected representatives locally and nationally to shape law, policy and practice on the basis of all that can be learnt from the voices of those with experience of care – working together to build on the aspirations of The Promise and secure positive change.  

The purpose of the post is to help nurture an environment where the voices, views and experiences of Care Experienced children and young people are at the heart of decision-making – both for individuals experiencing care, and in the shaping of services for Care Experienced children and young people. 

Advocacy and Participation Workers provide independent advocacy support to children and young people with experience of care who have a need for advocacy support.  This means listening to what they say and supporting them to amplify their voices to ensure that their views are heard regarding all decisions which are being made about their lives. At the heart of the advocacy relationship is trust – built through transparent, honest, accountable and reliable interactions with a skilled and knowledgeable Advocacy and Participation Worker.

This role is a part time 17.5 hour per week post with a primary focus on advocacy within the Children’s Hearing System in Aberdeen City.  

You will be skilled at developing positive relationships with children and young people.  You will place young people at the heart of everything you do, helping them live a positive life now and to reach their full potential in the future. 

You will be joining Who Cares? Scotland and working within the North-East team at an exciting time, when the voices of those who are in or have experienced care are growing in power, individually and collectively – bringing with them insight, challenge, hope and change. The post-holder will be part of a supportive and dynamic team. 

If this sounds like the role for you, we would love to hear from you.

We particularly welcome applications from people with experience of care who meet the criteria for the post.