Now hiring! We’re so excited to have another brilliant new opportunity for you to join the Move On team! This one’s a little different – we’re hiring not just one, but four new Development Support Workers. What’s more, the roles won’t just work with us, but also with three of our partners. The successful applicants will form an innovative team to lead on an exciting new project; the North Edinburgh Support Service, or NESSie!
Do you have proven experience working in community development, a passion for fighting the impact of poverty and social disadvantage, and a real desire to help people in need? If so, why not join us, and play an important role at the heart of an inspiring new partnership
Development Support Worker – NESSie
Full Time, Permanent – 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday with occasional evenings and weekends (TOIL offered)
Salary: £20,173 – £24,108 (with opportunity to progress to £24,108 – £26,096)
Location: Edinburgh
Closing Date: Monday the 18th of July, 5pm
About NESSie
The North Edinburgh Support Service, or NESSie programme, is an exciting new consortium project. We’re so excited to have partnered with our friends at Fresh Start, North Edinburgh Arts, and Spartans Community Football Academy. Together, we’re creating an innovative new support network for vulnerable people across the North of Edinburgh.
NESSie will reach out to those most at risk of suffering the long-term negative outcomes of poverty and social disadvantage. We’ll support our service users to access and sustain the services that they need. The various strengths of the four partners will allow us to deliver a broad programme of activities and opportunities across the North of Edinburgh.
The NESSie project aims to create a “No Wrong Door” approach for people seeking support, advice, and access to services.
The Partners
The four partners share the same values, and have long-standing, trusted relationships. We’re so excited to work together in this new way, combining our shared and individual strengths.
Move On
Move On is a mentoring, employability and support charity. Our mission is to help our service users take their next steps to lead an independent, fulfilling life. We’re committed to providing opportunities, taking a person-centred, trauma-informed support to all of our practices. By doing so, we offer our people an equal chance to reach their full potential, and find their path.
Move On will be lending mentoring and befriending support to the project, along with access to volunteering, training and work experience at our social enterprise, Move On Wood Recycling. We’ll also offer our knowledge of how to use 1:1 support to help people with complex needs.
Fresh Start
Fresh Start is a homelessness support charity. Their mission centres around helping people who have been homeless to get settled in their new home. Working in partnership with volunteers and organisations from a broad section of the community, they deliver a range of services which provide the practical and social support needed to help people resettle successfully. Fresh Start help people make a home for themselves.
Fresh Start links with over 100 referrers to provide essential household goods, tackling immediate financial hardship. Their Community Hub provides access for the NESSie project to deliver services which build community connections, and reduce social isolation. They’ll also address food poverty through access to their Community Pantry.
North Edinburgh Arts
North Edinburgh Arts is a cultural centre where local residents can relax, explore, learn, meet, volunteer and have fun. The award-winning venue holds two studios, a 96 seat theatre, recording studio, gallery, offices, and a cafe with children’s play area leading onto a large garden. The centre is loved community spot, attracting over 34,000 visits last year. North Edinburgh Arts creates the space where people can.
North Edinburgh Arts brings the NESSie project access to a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities. They also offer volunteering opportunities, tailoring support where it’s most needed to enable the most disadvantaged people in the Edinburgh community to get involved.
Spartans Community Football Academy
Spartans Community Football Academy is a sports facility which is about much more than football. Mindful of the challenges facing many young people and their families in the local area, they provide new opportunities to allow more people to access sport and recreational activities. Their vibrant centre, and focus on social impact, provides a ‘social home’ for people of all backgrounds and ages.
Spartans will bring their wide range of education, youth work, health and well-being programmes to NESSie. Their strong links with local primary schools will also help with early identification of low-income families at risk, and connecting them to the support needed.
The Role
The Development Support Workers will lead on the NESSie project as a team employed by the four partners. Each partner will host a worker, but the team of four will work together to deliver NESSie’s vision.
The NESSie partners already deliver a broad programme of activities and opportunities across the North of Edinburgh. The NESSie project will bring the strengths of each organisation – and their dedicated staff teams – together as one accessible service.
As one of our new Development Support Workers, you’ll work across sectors and organisations to identify those most at risk. You’ll then work to help them to develop their own support network, engaging with both NESSie partnership resources, and other local opportunities on offer. Once through our doors, you’ll support our service users to find and sustain their own path to a better life.
Joining the NESSie team means getting a real chance to change lives. The people we work with are vulnerable for a number of reasons. They’ve often gained few qualifications, and have very low levels of confidence as a result. We work with our people one-on-one to help them find the support that they need. Most importantly, we believe in our people, even when they can’t believe in themselves. If this sounds like something you can do, then we want to hear from you!
What You’ll Need
Our ideal NESSie Development Support Worker is motivated, independent and imaginative. You’ll need to have a full driving licence, and be educated to degree level – or have equivalent experience.
It’s important that you’re aware of our aims and values, as you’ll need to be committed to upholding them. You’ll need good experience of working in community development, co-ordinating volunteers, and managing staff. You’ll also need to be able to engage with people in a supportive, person-centred way. As part of a small team, you’ll need to be willing to be flexible, and work independently under your own initiative
Most importantly, our perfect Development Support Worker has brilliant communication skills. Working with NESSie, you’ll meet people from all walks of life. As such, it’s so important that our team members can welcome anyone comes through our doors. You’ll be key to positively influencing, motivating and enthusing others. Being part of the NESSie team means holding a genuine wish to help the people who come to us find their path.
Sound like the role for you? Then what are you waiting for – See here for full job spec and how to apply
More Information
For more information about the role, please contact Biddy Kelly, Managing Director at Fresh Start – biddy@freshstartweb.org.uk
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