Whole Family Support Worker

Victim Support Scotland – Empowering People Affected by Crime

Who We Are

Victim Support Scotland (VSS) provides support and information to people affected by crime and campaigns for victim and witness rights. Regardless of whether a crime has been reported, or when it happened, our services are free, confidential, and tailored to individuals’ needs. 

Our vision is that people affected by crime – victims, witnesses, and their families – are treated with dignity and respect and are at the heart of the justice in Scotland. We put victims and witnesses at the heart of everything we do so they are heard, have improved health and well-being, feel safer, more secure, and informed and that we are an effective organisation, that makes a lasting difference.

Our mission at Victim Support Scotland is to ensure that those affected by crime receive high quality support that will help them recover from their experiences. We aim to do this by adhering to our own organisational values:

Organisational Values

• Victims Are at the Heart of Everything We Do
• We Care
• We Work with Intent
• We Are Ambitious
• We Persevere

Everything we do is driven by our dedication to supporting and empowering victims and witnesses, so they have improved health and well-being, feel safer, more secure, and informed. We are an effective organisation that makes a lasting difference to the people we support, and these values are reflected in the behaviours expected of all staff and volunteers.

VSS is committed to the safeguarding and welfare of all of our service users and has a thorough and rigorous recruitment and selection process including PVG scheme checks in place to ensure this commitment is met.

What is the role?

This is an exciting opportunity to join our team as a Whole Family Support Worker, 21 hours per week, fixed-term for a period of 12 months. 

Reporting directly to the Locality Manager, you will take responsibility for overseeing this project. The Family Support Worker will lead the development and pilot of a Trauma-Informed Family Support Service across North Lanarkshire, designed to test a preventative approach to supporting families impacted by crime, including domestic abuse, assault, theft, fraud, and severe or persistent antisocial behaviour.

Through a coordinated, whole-family approach, the postholder will provide early intervention and tailored support to strengthen family wellbeing, build resilience, and prevent issues from escalating into crisis. This innovative model aims to move beyond traditional individual victim support, delivering a more holistic and effective response to the needs of families affected by crime.

During the pilot year, the role will provide direct support to up to 20 families affected by crime or antisocial behaviour. Beneficiaries will include adults, children, and young people, with a particular focus on families living in areas of deprivation and those experiencing hidden or underreported harms.

The Family Support Worker will undertake comprehensive assessments of need and risk, develop and review tailored support plans, and work collaboratively with partner agencies to coordinate effective, person-centred support. Operating within the Victim Support Scotland framework, the postholder will uphold victims' rights, maintain accurate and confidential case records, and contribute to the development of peer support opportunities where appropriate.

Families will receive a bespoke, trauma-informed support plan focused on early intervention, stabilisation, resilience-building, and improved wellbeing, helping to prevent issues from escalating into crisis.

In addition to delivering one-to-one and family-based support, the postholder will work closely with the Locality Manager and wider team to develop and strengthen local and national partnerships, establish effective referral pathways, and raise awareness of Victim Support Scotland's services to ensure families can access the support they need at the earliest opportunity.

Key Accountabilities:

Service Delivery

• Deliver trauma-informed support to victims and families.
• Manage a caseload of up to 20 families and review regularly
• Develop and use support tools, ensure effective risk and needs assessments are carried out in collaboration with the victim.
• Undertake holistic family assessments (needs, risk, strengths) focused on early identification of risk and prevention of longer‑term harm.
• Develop, agree, and review tailored solution focused support plans to ensure positive outcomes.
• Provide Early practical support, helping families address immediate issues before they escalate. Liaising with schools around children’s wellbeing following a traumatic incident, identifying emerging support needs, and connecting families quickly to local services. 
• Provide emotional support and support that promote safety, resilience independence, and positive outcomes for victims and their families.
• Provide a safe, supportive space for adult victims to process the impact of crime, while taking a proactive, whole‑family view to ensure dependants don’t slip through gaps in support.
• Provide early access to VSS EAF or alternative financial assistance and services.
• Identify and respond to safeguarding concerns.
• Work collaboratively with partner agencies to maximise support.
• Work in deprived areas and with hidden harm.

 Administration and Compliance

• Maintain accurate and timely records on the database, regularly reviewing and updating information to support effective case management.
• Handle sensitive and confidential information appropriately, in line with data protection and organisational policies.
• Ensure all activity is logged and monitored for compliance and quality assurance.

Representation and Communication

•  Communicate sensitively and effectively with volunteers and victims, adapting communication style to meet individual needs.
• Represent VSS professionally in multi-agency meetings and forums.
•  Contribute to raising awareness of whole Family Support and VSS services through local partnership activity and events nationally.

Partnership Work (supported by the Project Manager)

• Develop and maintain effective partnerships across Scotland to establish and sustain clear pathways for victims, witnesses including the whole family.
• Work collaboratively with statutory agencies, local authorities, family services, housing providers and third-sector organisations to improve coordinated responses to crime and ASB.
• Raise awareness and deliver inputs on the effects of crime on families through engagement with partner organisations, community groups, and relevant stakeholders.
•  Contribute to multi-agency forums, networks, and meetings to promote victim centred, trauma-informed approaches that support victims witnesses and their families who are effected by crime and ASB.
• Actively Promote Whole Family support project through ALISS or other local alternatives.

Additional Responsibilities

• Manage and prioritise own workload, ensuring adherence to VSS policies and procedures.
• Participate in regular supervision and maintain up-to-date knowledge of relevant policy, legislation, and best practice.
• Other duties as required by the Director of Services, Head of Service Delivery and locality managers.

If you are looking for a role with a purpose, where you can really make a difference, we want to hear from you!

Please note - This post will be subject to a satisfactory PVG check.

What we offer

Holiday

When you work for Victim Support Scotland, your wellbeing is important to us. We offer an enhanced annual leave package of 39 days (pro-rata) holiday. 42 days (pro-rata) from Grade 6 and above.

Pension

Save for the further and join the Standard Life Pension. Your future self will thank you. Our generous employer contribution will help you plan for the future.

Support

Sometimes we all need support and a listening ear. Our free and confidential Employee Assistance Programme can support your mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. We also offer enhanced maternity and paternity pay and access to a credit union. 

Discounts

You will have access to our free health cash plan which includes cover for you and your family across a range of benefits, which include, dental cover, access to a virtual GP, counselling, legal support and discounts on gym memberships, cinema tickets, retail and much more. 

Flexibility and development

We are proud of our flexible and inclusive work policies, which help you balance work and life. Supporting employee development is important to us, we offer comprehensive learning and development opportunities.

As a Disability Confident Committed employer, please advise if you require any adjustments in the application process by contacting us.