Practice & Policy Advisor

Who are we looking for and why work at Children’s Hearings Scotland (CHS)?

We’re looking for an analytical thinker and collaborative team player who can support, develop, and implement effective practice and policy advice for our CHS community. You will have experience unpacking complex legislation and creating resources to support our Panel Members and Area Support Teams. You will be an outstanding and engaging team player who can prioritise workload and deliver on the technical detail across multiple fronts.

At CHS we recruit, train and support empathetic and committed volunteers across Scotland. Our volunteer roles are Panel Members and Area Support Team (AST) members.

Our 2,500 volunteer Panel Members take part in children’s hearings in their local areas, making decisions with and for infants, children and young people. Our organisation also supports a network of 22 Area Support Teams made up of 400 volunteers who support Panel Members in their local communities.

CHS has signed-up to deliver The Promise and in that we will work with young people and our partners to redesign Children’s Hearings over the next 5-years. This is possibly the most exciting time to work at CHS as you will play a key role in these reforms.

Our Practice & Policy team

We now have an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic individual with relevant experience of practice and policy to join our team. Applying your expert professional knowledge, you will play an integral part in developing and implementing effective practice information and resources for Panel Members. You will work with our National Training Lead to ensure that training materials are developed and maintained in line with current legislation and the National Convener’s practice advice for Panel Members. Your relevant legal knowledge regarding the children’s hearings system and child protection will be particularly advantageous for this purpose.

As a confident self-starter you will also drive initiatives and work in close partnership with key stakeholders on various national practice improvements and programmes. You will take on responsibility for coordinating the work of a newly established bank of Independent Report Writers, managing the end-to-end process of the independent report writer’s function.

Playing an integral and trusted part in the successful management of the hearings process, you and your team will be responsible for providing sound practice advice and guidance to Children’s Hearings Scotland volunteers and staff.

You will be required to travel across Scotland and work on occasion outside CHS’ normal working hours to meet the requirements of the job.

You must be able to deliver high quality support, information and advice within a volunteer centric organisation ensuring a sound understanding of our mission, vision and values and have a real passion for delivering high quality policy and practice.

If you think that you can help to shape and improve practice to achieve better hearings then this could be just the position for you.

Life at CHS

As an organisation that works within the children’s hearings system, we are passionate about making a positive contribution to improving outcomes for Scotland’s infants, children and young people. Our values are at the very heart of what we do every day. By working with us, you’ll be joining a diverse community of colleagues and volunteers.

At CHS we are proud to celebrate difference. We all have different skills, experience and backgrounds and we strive to have a friendly and inclusive culture where you can be yourself.

We offer an excellent benefits package, from health and wellness to finances and family. including: generous annual leave, flexible working and other leave policies, fantastic pension, Employee Assistance Programme, development opportunities and wider employee wellbeing initiatives.

Diversity and Inclusion

CHS is an equal opportunities employer. We encourage diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We actively encourage applicants from all protected characteristics and commit to providing any reasonable adjustments required during application and assessment process, and upon joining CHS.

Want to find out more?

For more details and to apply, please download the application pack from the CHS website which includes information about the organisation, full job description and person specification, as well as the application link and instructions. If you wish to apply for this post, please complete the CHS application form via the link in the application pack. CVs are not accepted.

If you would like to discuss any working differently requirements or adjustments you may require throughout the recruitment and selection process please contact jobs@CHS.gov.scot

For an informal and confidential discussion on the role, please email jobs@CHS.gov.scot and we will arrange for one of our leadership team to contact you.

Appointment is normally made on the minimum step of the salary range.

Closing Date: Tuesday 26^th of October

After the closing date, this role profile won’t be available on our website, so please save a copy when you apply.

It is anticipated that first round VIRTUAL interviews will be held the week commencing the 1^st of November.

*Due to the anticipated interest in this post, if may not be possible to respond to candidates who have not been invited to interview. We thank you for your interest in this post.