Project Worker; North Ayrshire

Job Title: Project Worker (North Ayrshire)

Reference: CF26-65

Division: Children and Family Services

Location: Irvine based covering North Ayrshire including Islands

Salary: C-11 £ 30,602 - £35,778 (Full Time)

Post Type: Full time (35 Hours) or x2 Part Time (17.5 Hours) / Fixed Term from 01 Jan 2027 to 31 Aug 2027

Closing Date: 11 November 2026

Interview Date: Week Commencing 25 November 2026

A fantastic opportunity to come and join the Children First team in North Ayrshire

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of our Family Wellbeing Service in North Ayrshire and an innovative partnership between Children First and The Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP), working alongside families, building strong relationships, taking an approach that is restorative, relational and trauma responsive striving to achieving positive outcomes for families. This post is funded by the ADP and will contribute to the delivery period 1 st September 26- 31 st August 27 (this post being from 1 st Jan 27 – 31 st Aug 27 fixed term).

We are also determined that the full incorporation of the UNCRC means that children will have their rights respected in all areas of their lives and will have a real say in the way they are supported. If you share this determination, we would love to hear from you.

Our project builds on the voices of the recovery community and our extensive experience in supporting children and families impacted by substance use. We will do this through early help providing community-based whole family support that can be accessed easily in a non-stigmatising way and prevention and education work within local primary schools and alongside other specialist addiction services within all our North Ayrshire Secondary schools.

• Ensure children, families and communities affected by substance use in North Ayrshire access early help to prevent crisis and to support the whole family to recover from the impact of substance use.
• Reduce the number of people who develop problem drug use.
• Promote a whole system’s approach personalised to the specific needs of families impacted by substance use, ensuring that individual’s most at risk, have access to specialist support that aids their recovery.

• have experience of keeping children safe in their own families
• are fiercely passionate about children’s rights
• thinks it’s a privilege to work with and on behalf of children and families and,
• are kind and will bring their whole selves to the job: heart and mind

Knowing our ambition for children, you will be someone who is:

• resilient, skilled and knowledgeable who wants to transform children’s lives
• determined to support children to stay safely with their own family
• big hearted and courageous
• able to build strong relationships and to manage the tricky conversations
• is compassionate and understanding of trauma
• a cool head and clear minded at times of pressure
• inspiring colleagues and teams to be even better
• an amazing ambassador for children and Children First

Above all else, the most important thing to us is that you are someone who will do the right thing for children and their families at every turn.

You will be based in Irvine, Bourtreehill within our Children First North Ayrshire space and will travel to connect with other parts of the organisation and North Ayrshire HSCP. You will work on an outreach basis to connect with children and families in communities across North Ayrshire.

• A workplace with values of with love, with purpose and with strength.
• 40 days annual leave, inclusive of bank holidays.
• Pension scheme and wellbeing support.
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements.
• Access to Westfield Health, giving…