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Legal Consultant
Post:Legal Consultant (subject to Basic Disclosure check)
Contract:Permanent (subject to a 6-month probationary period)
Hours:21 hours per week, (3 days) (hybrid working home and office base in Leith)
Salary: Salary scale £48,003 - £54,003 per annum, pro rata
Reporting to:Executive Director
About the role
Are you an experienced Solicitor who wants to make a difference advising, training and supporting childcare social work practitioners across Scotland?
This is a fantastic opportunity to share your knowledge and talent. You should have significant experience and knowledge of childcare law in Scotland particularly for children and families with care experience in fostering, kinship care and adoption. Understanding routes to permanence is central to the role.
The Legal Consultant role will provide interpretation of the law for social work practitioners and solicitors practicing within Scottish Local Authorities, hosting a Forum for Local Authority and Private Practice Solicitors and organising and facilitating an annual conference for legal and social work members. The role also includes developing and providing training on the law for social work practitioners and related professions through open workshops and commissioned training. You may also contribute to good practice guidance and text by AFKA and with our collaborative organisation CoramBAAF. Our Legal Consultant should be able to provide authoritative advice in response to legal enquiries from our members and to participate, where appropriate in policy workstreams.
About AFKA Scotland
AFKA Scotland is an independent charity that promotes and facilitates evidence-informed best practice in fostering, kinship care and adoption, through advising, training, and influencing practitioners and policymakers, and supporting them to improve outcomes for children and families.
Our Team includes experienced Social Work Trainer Consultants who are highly regarded in their fields of fostering, adoption and kinship care. Our Research Lead and Researcher are actively involved in supporting our approach to evidence-informed best practice and we are a partner in the permanently progressing longitudinal study. We also host Scotland’s Adoption Register which offers family finding activities for children who have a plan for adoption and AFKA facilitates the annual Adoption Week Scotland on behalf of Scottish Government. AFKA are currently engaged in collaborating with our 32 Local Authority, Voluntary Adoption Agency and Fostering agency members to produce Good Practice in Permanence Guides for Scottish Government.
At AFKA Scotland, we are dedicated to improving the lives of children, young people, and the families who care for them. Children and young people are at the centre of all that we do. We are committed to promoting practices which are always in the best interests of the child, underpinned by the UNCRC.
What we can offer you
AFKA Scotland’s mission is very important to us, but our people are important too. We recognise the importance of a good work-life balance and a friendly supportive work environment. We offer:
• 30 days annual leave and 8 public holidays (pro rata).
• Access to Royal London Pension Scheme with a salary sacrifice option.
• The post is 21 hours a week. Working days can be agreed but must include a Wednesday.
• A hybrid working environment, home working allowance and equipment is provided.
• You will be encouraged to engage in learning and continued professional development.
If you are thinking of applying but would like to have a conversation first, please email our Director, angie.gillies@afkascotland.org to arrange a convenient time.
APPLICATIONS
Applications should be made using the attached form and forwarded to angie.gillies@afkascotland.org.
Closing date5.00pm, Monday 17 November, 2025
Interview dateThursday 27 November 2025
Location
AFKA Scotland
Foxglove Offices/Gf2
14 Links Place, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 7EZ
JOB SUMMARY AND PURPOSE
Purpose of the role will be to:
1. Provide informed advice and support to member agencies, practitioners and individuals involved in kinship care, fostering, adoption and permanence with children, young people, and their families/carers - promoting evidence informed best practice that promotes a good childhood and the best outcomes for children and young people.
2. Provide a supportive Legal Forum for Local Authority Solicitors and members in private practice and to facilitate their participation and the opportunity to share practice and legal developments.
3. Provide quarterly Legal Briefings for members sharing the latest information on childcare law and emerging themes.
4. Attend AFKA Forums to provide an update to members on key legal themes emerging in practice, significant case law or changes to legislation. This will include the Family Placement Forum, Independent Adoption, Fostering and Kinship Chairs Forum, Medical Advisors Forum, Inter Country Adoption Forum.
5. Provide a range of direct services to agencies and practitioners within the social work, education, legal and health professions. This will include creating and delivering training courses both in-person and online on a variety of topics related to childcare law and Fostering, Adoption and Kinship Care. The role can also include providing consultancy.
6. Create an exciting and engaging Annual Legal Conference bringing together Solicitors and Social Work Managers to explore key themes in legal and social work practice.
7. Participate in the development of the service provided by AFKA Scotland and to support its role in providing an independent voice on policy and practice at both local and national levels in kinship care, fostering, adoption and permanence.
Main duties and responsibilities will be to:
1. Design and deliver legal workshops to a range of professionals involved in providing services to children and young people, their families of origin, and within kinship, fostering, adoption and permanence both in-person and online. These will include legal routes to permanence, presenting at children’s hearings and courts, preparing reports for children’s hearings and courts, with scope to bring your own ideas about topics.
2. Develop resources and materials for use by practitioners working with children and young people, their families of origin, and within kinship, fostering, adoption and permanence. This includes a quarterly Legal Briefing on key themes and case law.
3. Support AFKA Scotland’s contribution to the development of policy and practice at both local and national levels, to #keepthepromise and work alongside colleagues in our hosted service: Scotland’s Adoption Register (SAR)
4. Contribute with legal knowledge to AFKA Scotland projects which may involve connecting, developing and delivering training, developing and writing practice guidance or providing legal text for projects, books etc with our partner agencies.
5. Organise and facilitate the Legal Forum and also contribute to other AFKA forums bringing up-to- date and informed legal knowledge.
6. Provide informed advice and support to member agencies responding to legal and practice enquiries timeously.
7. Provide independent consultancy to agencies where commissioned.
8. Attend and facilitate relevant meetings across Scotland or online, and to be engaged in the development of local and national policy and practice.
9. Support AFKA Scotland events including conferences and Adoption Week Scotland.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Qualifications
• LLB Degree
• Diploma in Professional Legal Practice
• Inclusion in the Roll of Scottish Solicitors
Knowledge
• Knowledge of childcare law and practice in Scotland particularly in relation to kinship care, fostering, adoption and permanence.
• Knowledge of case law relevant to childcare, kinship, fostering, adoption and permanence across the UK.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the Promise and current policy and legal drivers for its implementation.
• Commitment to valuing diversity and promoting equality and challenging discrimination.
Experience
• Be a Solicitor with experience in adoption, fostering and kinship care, permanence and in providing legal advice on routes through care for children and families.
• Of responding to enquiries, providing authoritative advice and direction.
• Experience in successfully designing training programmes.
• Experience of organising and chairing meetings and groups.
• Of developing resources and briefings on the law for professionals.
• Experience of contributing to the development of policy and practice at both local and national level.
Skills
• Ability to design, present and evaluate training materials for both in-person and online formats.
• Ability to deliver training to a wide range of multi-disciplinary stakeholders.
• Ability to produce clear and succinct information and resources to support policy and practice development.
• Advanced skills in networking across agencies and influencing.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to deliver services online and familiarity with relevant IT platforms including Microsoft teams.
Job specific requirements
• Ability to work in a hybrid way which includes working from home, travel to the office base for meetings and to Local Authority areas throughout Scotland. Team Meetings are held in-person, one Wednesday a month.
• Manage and prioritise workload and meet deadlines.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and knowledge of current data protection policies and the handling of information.
• Capacity to work flexibly according to demands on the organisation and role.
• Personal experience of providing or receiving care.
Foxglove Offices/Gf2
14 Links Place, Leith
Edinburgh, EH6 7EZ
Tel:0131 322 8490
Email:info@afkascotland.org
Web:www.afkascotland.org
