Job Role: Outreach Support Officer (Scotland), Full Time
Responsible to: Support Team Lead
Responsible for: None
Pay Band: Band 3, point 1 (£29,758 per annum FTE)
Key Contacts: Support Team Lead, Family Support Officers, Communications Officer, Project Engagement Coordinator, Support Executive, Action Duchenne volunteers, Action Duchenne community, external stakeholders.
Location: Scotland (home-based with travel across region)
This is a grant funded role, fixed term for two years, with the opportunity for conversion to a permanent role should funding allow.
Main Purpose of the Role:
To provide proactive, emotional, and practical support to families and individuals affected by Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) across Scotland. The role will focus on early engagement, wellbeing assessment, community building, and delivery of workshops and events, while ensuring accurate tracking of support outcomes and data. The successful candidate will also lead on support for young people living with Duchenne during 2 key transition points (primary to secondary school stage and moving into adulthood). They will work closely with the England-based Transitions Coordinator to deliver a joined-upprogramme of support across the UK.
Specific Tasks:
Proactive Family Support
* Initiate contact with newly registered families within agreed timeframes (email within 3 working days, call within 7–10 working days).
* Contact to be made to all registered Action Duchenne members, knows to us in Scotland, to ensure the current support offer is clear.
* Provide ongoing support tailored to individual needs, including emotional wellbeing, physical health, housing, financial security, self-esteem and respect, decision-making, social engagement, quality of life, and access to care.
* Use the Action Duchenne Assessment Form and Action Plan to identify and respond to areas of concern.
Transitions Support
Lead transition support across all nations, with a focus on Scotland, for children and young people facing key life changes, including:
* Moving between educational settings such as primary to secondary.
* Transitioning from paediatric to adult health services.
* Changes in mobility and independence (e.g. transitioning to using powerchairs).
* You will lead, but expected to work collaboratively with the England-based Transition Coordinator to ensure consistency and continuity of support across the UK.
* Develop resources, guidance, and workshops to support families through transitions.
Wellbeing Tracking and Outcome Measurement
* Administer wellbeing questionnaires and record scores across key domains (e.g. physical health, emotional wellbeing, financial security).
* Collaborate with families to co-create action plans and track progress.
* Ensure all data is entered into CRM (E-Tapestry or similar) within the allotted timeframe, i.e. immediately after or during the call.
Community Engagement and Event Delivery
* Organise and deliver regional meetups (minimum one per quarter).
* Facilitate support groups (virtual and in-person) for parents, young people, and extended family.
* Support delivery of workshops and events aligned with programme schedule (e.g.music, life skills, employability).
Stakeholder Collaboration
* Liaise with external organisations including NHS care advisors and clinics, local authorities, counselling services, and other charities.
* Represent Action Duchenne in Scotland and build relationships with local networks.
Administration and Reporting
* Maintain accurate records of all interactions and support provided.
* Contribute to quarterly reporting on activity delivery, capacity utilisation, and family impact.
* Support development of CRM processes and service delivery improvements.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
* New contact acknowledgement email: within 3 working days.
* New contact follow-up call: within 7–10 working days.
* Families contacted per week: 12–15 hours of direct contact.
* Regional meetups: 1 per quarter.
* Support groups delivered: 9–12 per year.
* CRM data entry: within 24 hours of interaction.
* Family outcomes tracked: via wellbeing questionnaire and action plan.
* Transition support delivered: tracked through engagement, resources, and feedback.
NB: This is not an exhaustive list, the role holder will be asked to carry out additional tasks as required for the team’s successful service delivery. Such tasks will always be reasonable and broadly in line with current knowledge levels and skill sets.
Person Specification:
Education and Qualifications
Essential Criteria:
Good general education, no specific qualification required; relevant experience will be considered equivalent.
Desirable Criteria:
Understanding or training in one or more of the following areas: Palliative and End-of-Life Care (including for children and young adults); Communication during sensitive or distressing situations; Safeguarding of children and adults at risk (advanced level); Trauma-informed and person-centred practice; Loss, grief, and bereavement support.
Emotional resilience and selfcare in demanding roles.
Collaborative and multi-agency working across health, social care, and education.
A qualification in health, social care, education, or a related field would be advantageous.
Knowledge and Experience
Essential Criteria:
Proven experience supporting families or individuals with complex needs.
Maintain up to date knowledge of signposting for service users.
Great ability to communicate effectively, in writing or verbally.
Good organisational and time management skills.
Ability to work as part of a team and work on own initiative and to deadlines.
Commitment to equality, inclusion, and person-centred support.
Understanding of transitions in health, education, and mobility for children and young people with complex conditions.
Desirable Criteria:
Experience working in the health sector or at a patient-led charity.
Experience in health, social care, or patient-led charity sector.
Knowledge of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy or similar conditions.
Familiarity with wellbeing assessment tools and outcome tracking.
Experience delivering transitions support or working in transitional care settings.
Skills and Aptitude
Essential Criteria:
Passionate about improving the lives of young people, adults and their families living with Duchenne.
Has empathy and can communicate well with audiences of all levels.
Ability to be assertive but also have empathy and the ability to be sensitive with the families and young adults we support.
Note: This role profile is not exhaustive and may evolve as the service develops. The postholder may be asked to undertake additional duties in line with the role and their skills.
How to Apply
Please apply by completing our application form. Your application will be anonymised to remove as much unconscious bias as possible. If you have any questions, please contact us.
Closing Date: 24th November at 9am GMT