Advertised from 13 June 2025

Role

Do you want to join an organisation that has been named recently as a Top 100 company to work with by The Sunday Times?

I lost my kids a few times they went to foster care and I would have gone to a place like this if I had the chance. This is badly needed. I hid my drug use and people only found out about it when I had my baby and she was in withdrawal. I loved my daughter and would have welcomed something like this. A mother who has been supported by Aberlour

About Our Mother and Child Recovery House

Aberlour is proud to be working in partnership with the Scottish Government and we are excited to have opened a new dedicated Mother and Child Recovery House based in central Falkirk. Building on the success of our house in Dundee, also funded by the Scottish Government, which opened just over 2 years ago, our service is designed to enable children of women with problem alcohol or other drug use to stay with their mothers during recovery. Our approach to rehabilitation aims to deliver positive outcomes for women and their children. The house will accommodate up to 4 women with their children under 5. 

We will be using the Parents Under Pressure (PuP) programme which combines psychological principles relating to parenting, child behaviour and parental emotion regulation within a case management model. The programme is highly individualised to suit each family. Mothers are given their own Workbook and for many of them this becomes a personal journal of their treatment experience. The overarching aim of the PuP programme is to help parents facing adversity to develop positive and secure relationships with their children. Within this strength-based approach, the family environment becomes more nurturing and less conflictual. Full training on the PuP Programme will be provided to the whole team. 

Too many women with problem drug and alcohol issues are having their young children taken into care and many other women won't engage with support agencies for fear of their children being removed. The new houses will improve outcomes for these women and children; reduce deaths of mothers with problem drug use; avoid family breakdown and

 increase the likelihood of children being cared for by their parents. Aberlour Chief Executive SallyAnn Kelly

What we are looking for.... 

We are looking to recruit a Family Support Worker to be part of a trauma responsive team delivering and implementing residential recovery support for women and their children (0-5 years) to help them reach their aspirations. If you share our vision and values and have the passion and ability to work as part of this new therapeutic team, we would love to hear from you.  

You will work 37.5 hours on a 2-week rolling rota, covering 10-12 hour shifts, including weekends, occasional night shift when required and public holidays. One sleepover shift is required per week. We also operate a weekend on and weekend off rota. 

Ideally, you will have experience of direct work with mothers/parents in recovery, enhancing their skills and capacity for them and their babies. Experience working with complex needs and vulnerabilities including domestic abuse and mental health, as well as having experience of working collaboratively with other professional agencies and a working knowledge of drug/alcohol use and its effects on women and children.

Applicants should hold a relevant professional qualification at least SCQF level 7 or equivalent knowledge acquired by other means with a willingness to obtain the required qualifications for SSSC Registration. 

We strongly encourage people to apply who have lived experience of alcohol or drug use, with a minimum of 2 years living in recovery, free from all drug use and problem drinking. People with lived experience will provide crucial insight into the issues being faced by these small, new families.

 At Aberlour we want to make sure every child and young person has the love, support and opportunity they need to reach their potential. If you share the same vision, we want you to join our team. At Aberlour we have strong values -

Respect, Integrity, Innovation and Challenging - which influence our everyday work. If you choose to apply for this role please tell us about your values in your supporting statement. 

To have a look at our values to understand more about what we are looking for from our employees click here.

What we offer...

As well as a supportive team and excellent training opportunities, we want all our employees to feel valued and rewarded for the vital work they do. When you work with us, we'll recognise your efforts with generous annual leave, an excellent employer pension scheme and a range of deals and discounts across various retailers. Find out more about our Employee Benefits and our commitment to Equality and Diversity. 

We also follow  Data Protection Guidelines - Here is our privacy policy.

Application notes

Visit our website to find out more and to apply

If you have any queries please e-mail: jobs@aberlour.org.uk.

Aberlour is committed to the safeguarding and welfare of all our service users and uses a thorough and rigorous recruitment and selection process including PVG Scheme checks to ensure this commitment is not compromised.

Applications to be  returned by midnight on Sunday 22nd June 2025