Research Officer - Edinburgh, United Kingdom - With Kids

Description

• Initial 23 month contract, on a rate of £178.83/day (Outside of IR35).

Role

Venesky-Brown's client, a public sector organisation in Edinburgh, is currently looking to recruit a Research Officerfor an initial 23 month contract, on a rate of £178.83/day (Outside of IR35). This role will be primarilyoffice-based, with a degree of flexibility of up to two days per week working from home.

Responsibilities:

Carry out analysis of information gathered by the wider Inquiry teams for research purposes, and be able tocommunicate findings to a variety of stakeholders in sensitive, compelling, and creative ways.

Produce literature and rapid reviews of research to inform and guide the work of the Inquiry, ensuring high qualitydata is used across the organisation.

Research and evaluate the implementation of public policies.

Research, identify and obtain information relevant to the work of the Inquiry including, but not exclusively,historical, national and local government records, other institutional records, legislation, and publishedresearch.

Be responsible for own projects' objectives and targets.

Support with copy-editing and proofreading reports, ensuring consistency and accuracy within and across outputs,both in terms of their content and format.

Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, establishing effective working relationships with colleagues across theorganisation.

Where required, support other tasks within the Policy and Research Team.

Gathering, managing, manipulating and analysing complex and sensitive data for research purposes.

Working on complex, large-scale research projects and datasets.

IT literacy, including advanced use of Microsoft Excel, Access, Word, and Outlook.

Using research analysis software such as NVivo, SPSS, R, or Jamovi.

Excellent communication and presentation skills and command of English grammar and usage.

A strong commitment to quality and meticulous attention to detail.

Proven experience of working under pressure and to tight timescales.

Experience of working independently, as well as part of a multi-disciplinary team.

Highly organised and efficient.

Personal resilience and the ability to deal with what can be a distressing subject matter.

If you would like to hear more about these opportunities, please get in touch.

Application notes

To apply please send an up-to-date CV, accompanied by a Statement of Suitability of no more than 500 words, - by Friday 10th May at 9am

Venesky-Brown's client, a public sector organisation in Edinburgh, is currently looking to recruit a Senior ResearchOfficer for an initial 23 month contract, on a rate of £220.98/day (Outside of IR35). This role will beprimarily office-based, with a degree of flexibility of up to two days per week working from home.

Responsibilities:

Undertake specialist, strategic, and impactful research, including the gathering, processing, and analysis ofhighly sensitive and confidential data, to inform and guide the work of the Inquiry, ensuring high quality datais used across the organisation.

Provide regular specialist advice and guidance to the Chair, Senior Counsel to the Inquiry, and Chief Executive ofthe Inquiry, along with other senior Inquiry colleagues, such as the Solicitor team, on all aspects ofresearch.

Provide strategic advice and specialist knowledge to the Chair and Senior Management Team, which will impact andinfluence the development of the organisation practice and policy.

Through the application of specialist knowledge and professional expertise, provide achievable and judicioussolutions to complex research and policy issues.

Be autonomous for setting own projects, objectives and targets.

Be responsible for the design, creation, implementation, and day-to-day management of research databases.

Carry out analysis of information gathered by the wider Inquiry teams for research purposes and be able tocommunicate findings to a variety of stakeholders in sensitive, compelling, and creative ways.

Be responsible and accountable for the production (research and compilation) of specialist reports, managing andcoordinating resources to ensure project targets are achieved within agreed timescales.

Using specialist knowledge relevant to individual projects be responsible for copy-editing and proof-readingreports, ensuring consistency and accuracy within and across outputs, both in terms of their content andformat.

Be responsible for providing business research solutions through the development and/or adaption of existingprocedures.

Research, identify and obtain information relevant to the work of the Inquiry including, but not exclusively,historical, national and local government records, other institutional records, legislation, and publishedresearch.

Produce rapid reviews of research.

Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, establishing effective working relationships with colleagues across theInquiry.

Where required, support other tasks within the Policy and Research Team.

Graduate or postgraduate qualification combined with significant experience.

Proven experience of gathering, managing, manipulating and analysing complex and sensitive data for researchpurposes.

Experience working on complex, large-scale research projects and datasets.

Excellent IT literacy, including advanced use of Microsoft Excel, Access, Word, and Outlook.

Experience of using research analysis software such as NVivo, SPSS, R, or Jamovi.

Excellent communication and presentation skills, and command of English grammar and usage.

Highly organised and efficient.

A strong commitment to quality and meticulous attention to detail.

Proven experience of working under pressure and to tight timescales.

Proven experience of working independently, as well as part of a multi-disciplinary team.

Personal resilience and the ability to deal with what can be a distressing subject matter.

If you would like to hear more about these opportunities, please get in touch.

The Association for Fostering, Kinship and Adoption Scotland (AFKA) is an independent charity that promotes andfacilitates evidence-informed best practice in fostering, kinship care and adoption, through advising, training,and influencing practitioners and policymakers, and supporting them to improve outcomes for children andfamilies.

Our Vision is a future where every practitioner working with children, young people and their families isknowledgeable, skilled, confident, and empowered to support the safe, secure, and loving care to which everychild has a right.

Our services support agencies and professionals to implement child centred, evidenced informed practice that involveschildren and their families in decisions about their lives, protect their rights and promotes inclusion. Throughour multi-disciplinary communities of practice, we enable social workers, lawyers, and health professionals towork effectively across professional boundaries to meet the needs of children, their families, and their Carers.As a membership organisation, AFKA Scotland uses its links with professional bodies and agencies across thecountry to contribute to the development of policy and practice at a local and national level. We have acollaborative agreement with CoramBAAF.

AFKA Scotland's multi-disciplinary team has a wealth of experience and up-to-date expertise in practice relating tokinship care, fostering and adoption and delivers a wide range of workshops, training and consultancy, postqualifying courses, and conferences to assist professionals to develop the knowledge and skills they requirewhen working in this specialist area.

We work closely with our research colleagues in AFKA Scotland, and our research underpins our evidence informedapproach. We are committed to #keepthepromise, have been instrumental in promise funded work and have been on ajourney to adapt to the changing landscape of care in Scotland.

We are seeking to recruit a highly experienced and motivated individual to the role of Administrative Assistant. Thisrole is key in supporting the Business Support and Finance Manager in the day-to-day operational activities ofthe organisation and to the smooth delivery of our Forums, training and workshop activities.

JOB SPECIFICATION

PURPOSE

To provide administrative support to the Business Support & Finance Manager on a day-to-day basis and to supportthe overall work of the organisation.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

National Practitioner Forums and Consortia - in conjunction with lead facilitator, manage the arrangements for thefull range of forums and consortia meetings, including setting dates, sending out agendas, formatting andsending out final notes, collating meeting papers, and keeping distribution lists up-to-date.

Support training and development events (Commissioned Training, Conferences and workshops) – in conjunction withTrainer/Consultants, provide administrative support for management of events including: finalising trainingmaterials for training booklets, creating and sending out booking forms; logging bookings and maintainingdatabase; preparing attendance certificates for participants at all external events; create , collate andanalyse evaluation form returns.

Information Technology – Support staff in their use of IT apps and platforms when they are producing materials ordelivering training.

General Administration – Undertake a range of administrative tasks to support the work of the organisationincluding:

• In conjunction with the Business Support & Finance Manager plan and monitor the action required to run theplanned programme of events.
• Telephones - answer the phone and pass messages to staff asappropriate.
• Email - check generic emails and respond / forward messages asappropriate.
• Photocopying – where required, photocopy training materials / meeting papers for allevents.
• Banking/Post Office – posting office mail and banking cheques when required.
• Library –maintain database and record when books taken out on loan.
• Take notes at staff meetings.

Scotland's Adoption Register - provide administrative support to Register staff including support for the running offamily finding events when required.

Advice Line Enquiries – record all enquiries, forward to staff, follow up as required, maintain records of completiondates and provide statistical information to Business Support & Finance Manager.

Participation in conferences and other external events – provide administrative support for the running of events aspart of the AFKA Scotland team.

Experience

• A working knowledge of an office environment
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Ability to workon own initiative
• Personal or professional experience of the care system
• Experience of working as part of small enterpriseor charity

Knowledge, skills and abilities

• Computer literate in a range of computer processes which must include Microsoft Access, Word, PowerPoint andExcel and have proficient keyboard skills
• Familiarity with Microsoft 365 including MSTeams
• Working knowledge of social media platforms
• Excellent oral and written communicationskills and telephone manner
• Ability to collate and analyse information and to produce accurate, wellpresented documents
• Self-motivating with excellent organisational skills

Attitude and beliefs

• Positive, problem solving and resourceful
• Clear understanding of the need to maintainconfidentiality
• Flexible working approach

Organisational Relationships: Line Managed by the BusinessSupport & Finance Manager / Responsible to the Executive Director.

Scottish Women's Aid has an opportunity to join their membership services team as a Participation Lead. This role hasbeen established within SWA core work for a couple of years offering the opportunity to develop ourparticipation work as an organisation and managing the relationship with the Survivor Reference Group (SRG), agroup of women with lived experience who offer their invaluable knowledge and experience to our work. Thisposition will work as a part of the Membership Services Team, but work very closely with other teams within theorganisation including Policy and Training.

Location: Blend of home working and office, based in Rose Street, Edinburgh or can be entirely home-based anywhere inthe UK. Please talk to us about your flexible working requirements.

Do you have excellent communication and presentation skills, and experience working with young people?

We are looking for an enthusiastic Project Officer to join Fast Forward's Going Forward Programme Team. This rolewill have a focus on formal and informal education settings, and youth participation.

Fast Forward is Scotland's national youth work agency, focusing on supporting children & young people to makeinformed choices regarding, and take a harm reduction approach to, risk-taking behaviours, towards reducing thenegative impacts of these on their lives and those of their families and wider community.

We promote health through programmes and resources developed by, with and for young people.

Our work is underpinned by the following values:

• Integrity - Our work is dynamic and informed by expertise, lived experience and relevantresearch
• Forward Thinking - We are brave and bold. We are creative in our approach to identifying andresponding to risk taking behaviour.
• Inclusive - We take a person centred approach. We arenon-judgemental and
• respectful.
• Collaborative - We coproduce, partner and learn with youngpeople and experts
• from across the field

Going Forward Project Background

Since May 2017, the Going Forward Project has worked with partner organisations to deliver workshop sessions tovulnerable and at-risk young people in formal and informal education settings.

Our sessions focus on core themes of health, wellbeing and risk-taking behaviours, particularly:

• substance misuse (alcohol, drugs, tobacco, e-cigarettes/vaping)
• sexual health andrelationships
• online safety
• drink spiking
• consent

In line with United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), Fast Foward is committed to developing ourchildren and young people's participation work. We want children and young people's experiences,opinions and suggestions to shape all aspects of our work.

This role will play a key part in supporting this development, embedding a child rights approach to our work. Thiswill include developing our children and young people's Shadow Board.