Specialist jobs in Edinburgh

We are looking for someone experienced, proactive, organised and confident in delivering on tasks. Someone who values collaboration, co-production and working in a culture rooted in trust, flexibility and compassion.

This is an opportunity to provide trauma-informed, gender-sensitive casework support with women impacted by their own or someone else’s gambling who are experiencing complex and intersecting challenges including mental health difficulties, debt, homelessness, relationship breakdown, neurodiversity, coercive control, isolation and safeguarding risks.

The role provides longer-term, structured support and advocacy, primarily online and by telephone, helping women stabilise, rebuild safety, access services and strengthen resilience.

This role requires high emotional literacy, strong boundaries, and safe risk management within a multi-agency framework.

Key Responsibilities

Intensive Casework Support

• Provide structured 1:1 support to women with complex needs.
• Develop collaborative support plans with clear goals and review points.
• Provide safety planning where risk is identified.
• Support women navigating debt, housing, legal and safeguarding systems.
• Facilitate access to specialist services (mental health, housing, domestic abuse, financial advice, substance misuse, etc.).
• Support women experiencing homelessness risk, including advocacy with local authorities and housing providers.
• Maintain ongoing contact over medium-to-longer term support journeys (as agreed in service model).

Risk Assessment & Safeguarding

• Identify and respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns.
• Conduct proportionate risk screening and escalate concerns to DSL.
• Work in accordance with safeguarding policy.
• Maintain awareness of suicide risk indicators and escalate appropriately.
• Record safeguarding actions accurately and promptly.

Advocacy & Systems Navigation

• Advocate on behalf of women with external agencies where appropriate.
• Support women in understanding rights and entitlements.
• Attend multi-agency meetings (online) where required.
• Work collaboratively with associate counsellors when women are accessing therapy.

Trauma-Informed & Gender-Sensitive Practice

• Deliver support grounded in trauma-informed principles.
• Recognise impact of shame, stigma and gender-based inequality.
• Understand intersection of gambling harm with coercive control, domestic abuse, and financial exploitation.
• Maintain non-judgemental, strengths-based approach.
• Respect women’s autonomy and lived experience.

Record Keeping & Data

• Maintain accurate case notes in our CRM system.
• Complete outcome measures as required.
• Contribute to monitoring and evaluation processes.
• Maintain confidentiality in line with GDPR and safeguarding frameworks.

Professional Boundaries

• Participate in supervision and reflective practice.
• Escalate complex clinical risk appropriately.

Working Relationships

Internal:
Service Manager
Peer Support Coordinators
Associate Counsellors
Operational Manager (for data compliance)

External:
Housing services
Debt advice agencies
Mental health services
Domestic abuse services
Local authorities
Primary Care and GP services
Voluntary sector partners

Person Specification

Essential Education & Qualifications

• Level 3 or Level 4 qualification in:
  • Health & Social Care
  • Counselling Skills
  • Community Work
  • Social Care
  • Or equivalent relevant field

• Safeguarding Level 3 (or willingness to obtain)
• Understanding of trauma-informed practice

Desirable Qualifications

• Level 4 Diploma in Counselling
• Domestic Abuse awareness training
• Suicide prevention training (ASIST or equivalent)
• Debt, welfare or housing training
• Mental health awareness qualifications
• Neurodiversity

Essential Experience

• Minimum 2 years experience supporting women with complex needs.
• Experience working with individuals experiencing:
  • Mental health challenges
  • Financial hardship or debt
  • Housing instability or homelessness risk
  • Isolation or social exclusion

• Experience working remotely (online/phone support).
• Experience multi-agency working.
• Experience risk management and safeguarding escalation.

 Desirable Experience

• working with gambling harm.
• supporting family members impacted by addiction.
• working within women-only services.
• working with domestic and financial abuse.
• experience of advocacy and case coordination roles.
• experience of supporting women who identify as neurodiverse

Skills & Competencies

• Strong relational skills.
• Ability to hold distress without rescuing.
• Clear professional boundaries.
• Excellent written case recording.
• Emotional resilience.
• Good digital literacy.
• Ability to work autonomously within structured supervision.
• Understanding of intersectionality and inequality.

Trauma-Informed & Gender-Sensitive Expectations

Postholder must:

• Understand the impact of shame and secrecy in gambling harm.
• Recognise coercive financial control.
• Be sensitive to caring roles and stigma.
• Work at pace appropriate to trauma recovery.
• Avoid deficit-based language.
• Recognise cultural and structural barriers affecting women.

Our current operational days are Tue-Thurs with potential evening work and appointments outside of these days.

Working with thrivin’ together

· Application deadline: Tuesday 31 March 12 noon 2026

· Provisional Interview date: Wednesday 15 April 2026