Energy Lead in Edinburgh

This is an exciting opportunity to work within our Supportline Advice Service as well as support our wider aims as a charity. Our Advice service works alongside support colleagues to help families address the challenges and risks which may have led to vulnerability, promote connection to their local communities, and improve financial stability and resilience.

The Energy Advisor will work within an integrated model of family support, community connection, and expert energy advice, exploring money and debt advice. This will enable families to stay connected, keep homes warm, resolve debt and money problems, become more financially resilient, and break the cycle of fuel poverty.

A priority for the Energy Advisor will be to increase the energy advice and support we offer our families and with the capacity of our current services to provide Type I and II money advice in one of the most deprived areas in Scotland. You will work as part of our National Money Advice team, supporting families within their homes, by telephone and other digital methods, delivering workshops within the community and in schools, and offering drop-in sessions within the community.

If you have experience of energy advice, welfare rights, income maximisation, money and debt advice, understand the impact trauma and adversity can have on children and families, and believe that you can apply this to your practice, we want to hear from you.

This is a full-time, 35 hours post. Hours to be worked flexibly to suit the needs of families, including evenings and weekends as required.

What we offer:

• A workplace with values of love, purpose, and strength
• 40 days annual leave, inclusive of bank holidays
• Pension scheme and wellbeing support
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements
• Access to Westfield Health, giving colleagues and their families confidential counselling support, wellbeing resources, and access to health and lifestyle benefits to support physical and mental wellbeing
• Blue Light card discount
• A Fair Work accredited workplace

Our Values:

• With love, we put children first.
• With purpose, we transform lives together.
• With strength, we do whatever it takes to protect Scotland’s children.

General Purpose:

To provide relationship-based expert energy and debt advice to families, helping them stay connected, keep homes warm, resolve debt and money problems, become more financially resilient, and achieve long-term sustainable outcomes for them and their children. Work as part of the remote National advice team supporting Supportline in offering advice to parents who are struggling both emotionally and financially.

Key Result Areas:

• To carry out home energy audits, offering one-to-one tailored advice, support, and information to families.
• Provide telephone advice and support, home visits, and outreach events across Scotland.
• Support the wider team to deliver a range of face-to-face and remote/digital welfare rights, financial inclusion, income maximisation, debt, and energy advice up to and including casework to SNSIAP Type II.
• Introduce and support families for representation and preparation for court/tribunal.
• Offer training to Children First staff on energy and supporting families with staying warm and connected.
• Support families with energy-saving measures in their homes to help them save energy and reduce their carbon footprint.
• Deliver events, workshops, and talks for community groups and the wider public within local Children First hubs.
• Attend local events to promote the project and wider charity objectives.
• Develop, deploy, and manage targeted social media campaigns alongside the senior advisor and comms team.
• Work alongside support teams to develop activities and resources to raise awareness of home energy use and change attitudes and behaviours.
• Engage a wide range of people with the project.
• Assist in the development and implementation of monitoring and evaluation systems.
• Contribute to written reports for a variety of partners/funders and support accreditation in Money Advice.
• Develop a network of contacts, including local community groups, for the project to work with.
• Promote a multi-skilled/multi-agency approach in working collaboratively with relevant organisations and partners.
• Promote the values and principles of Children First in providing support and advice to the most vulnerable families.
• Work in partnership with families to address their needs.
• Record, monitor, and evaluate information and plan work in accordance with Children First policies, procedures, and management systems.
• Work in partnership with staff members and volunteers to assist in the evaluation and continuous improvement of the service.
• Ensure own continuing professional development through the Children First appraisal and supervision process.

This role will cover the east/west of Scotland, so a driving licence and access to a vehicle are required.

Additional Duties:

Any additional duties will normally be to cover unforeseen circumstances or changes in work and will usually be appropriate and compatible with the regular type of work. If an additional task or responsibility becomes a regular or frequent part of the job, it will be included in the job description in consultation with the post holder.

Additional Responsibilities:

• To be committed and adhere to Children First vision, mission, and values.
• To comply with Children First Child Protection and Adult Protection policies and procedures and with National Guidance.
• To comply with Children First code of conduct and Codes of Practice for Social Service Workers and Employers.
• To actively consider the involvement of children, young people, and families in all areas of practice.
• To actively consider the involvement of volunteers in all areas of our work.
• To observe all health and safety requirements.
• To work within and promote policies in relation to Equal Opportunities and anti-discriminatory practices.
• Work and adhere to the Scottish National information and advice Standards.

Qualifications:

• City and Guilds Energy Awareness Level 3
• A relevant qualification in a relevant environmental field, community development, and/or advice.

Experience:

• Experience working in a related field (such as community development, energy advice, advocacy, charities).
• Experience in delivering energy advice.
• Experience of working with people with multiple and complex needs.
• Experience in preparation and presentation of casework including case recording.
• Experience of liaising effectively with partner agencies.
• Experience of balancing and prioritising a varied workload.
• Experience of advice or support work.
• Experience of delivering training or workshops.
• Experience of marketing and promotion.
• Experience of working in a voluntary organisation.
• Experience of debt solutions and casework.

Knowledge:

• Good knowledge of energy and fuel poverty issues.
• A sound working knowledge of social security benefits including UK wide and Scottish specific.
• Good working knowledge of generalist advice issues including debt and financial issues affecting families.
• Relevant childcare legislation linked to associated welfare benefits.
• Child development.

Skills:

• Written and verbal reporting skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Assessment, monitoring, review, and evaluation.
• Ability to work as part of a team.
• Inter-agency liaison and communication.
• Creativity and imagination in response to engaging with families.
• Group work and family work.
• Delivering training.

Other:

• Commitment to Children First vision, mission, and values.
• Commitment to and understanding of the principles of participation.
• Commitment and promotion of equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practices at work.
• Awareness of personal responsibility in relation to health and safety.
• Ability to work flexible hours and remotely as required.
• Driving Licence.

About us:

Children First is Scotland’s national children’s charity. We stand up for every child because all children should have a safe childhood. We protect children from harm and support them to recover from trauma and abuse through our national and local services. We help children, their families, and the people that care for them by offering emotional, practical, and financial support. We give children hope and a safer, brighter future. Our core values guide how each one of us works in our individual day-to-day job:

• With love, we put children first.
• With purpose, we transform children’s lives together.
• With strength, we do whatever it takes to protect Scotland’s children.

If you share our vision and values and would like to join our team, then we would love to hear from you.