✨ Join the Fun! Action-Packed Holiday Hub Across 2026 School Holidays! ✨
At The Action Group, we are committed to fostering a community where relationships are built on trust, respect, and a shared commitment to competency. Our core values—Community Presence, Relationships, Competency, Respect, and Choice—guide everything we do
Post: Support Playworker (Edinburgh)
Base: Edinburgh
Line Managed by: Playscheme Manager
Salary: £13.45 per hour
Details of the role: This is ongoing seasonal work, with the opportunity to work with children and young adults during school holidays only throughout the year.
Hours: To be agreed with Playscheme Manager
Playscheme Dates & Shifts – 2026
Join us for a fun-filled year of Playschemes across all school holidays in 2026!
Dates:
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October Half Term: Monday 12th – Thursday 15th October
Shifts:
Monday to Thursday, typically 8:30am – 3:30pm, with some flexibility depending on activities.
Training:
Mandatory training will take place before each Playscheme. Full details will be provided in advance to help you prepare.
Come join us for a rewarding and energetic week supporting children during the school holidays!
Purpose of the Post:
To look after children and young people at a playscheme and provide them with opportunities
for fun, play and social interaction.
Playscheme Aims:
- To increase confidence among parents, children and playscheme workers/volunteers, so children with widely differing abilities can benefit from meeting and playing together.
- To offer good play experiences to children with learning disabilities and other special needs in a safe environment.
- To offer a worry-free break to parents.
To learn more about our recruitment process please click the link - Our Recruitment Process
To support our commitment to a fair and inclusive recruitment process, we invite all candidates to optionally complete our -
- Equal Opportunities Form for Applicants
- Equality Statement | The Action Group
The Action Group values diversity in our workforce and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. As a Disability Confident Leader organisation, we particularly encourage applications from people with disabilities, and offer a guaranteed interview for anyone who meets the essential criteria for the role. We also strongly encourage and welcome applications from people from minority ethnic backgrounds and other underrepresented groups. If you require any adjustments to take part in the recruitment process, please let us know, and we will do our best to support you.
Since this is a registered service with the Care Inspectorate, all applicants for the role of Playworker must be at least 16 years old
This is a regulated role and requires PVG Disclosure Scotland membership for children.
As part of our recruitment process, candidates who have lived outside the UK for more than 12 months in the last 10 years will be required to provide a Criminal Convictions Certificate (or equivalent) from the relevant country or countries. Please note that the cost of obtaining this certificate will be the responsibility of the candidate.
Please note: Due to visa restrictions and our shift requirements, candidates on restricted visas may be offered a maximum of 15 hours per week.
About The Role
Our holiday hub enables children and young people aged between 5-18 years old with support needs and learning disabilities to have a stimulating, inclusive play with an emphasis on young people having fun and developing their confidence.
Our service provides families & carers with a short break in the school holidays and gives children the opportunity to interact and engage with others in an active, creative and sensory environment.
- Paid training is provided
Responsibilities/Tasks: General - Holiday Hub
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You should arrive at the venue by a given time. This provides an opportunity for you to organise
your groups matching for the day and reassure the volunteers about their children. Children’s
profiles will be available for all to check out the specific needs of their child. Other Play Workers
may be bus escorts so ensure you deal with anything from the other groups necessary.
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This time also provides an opportunity to get the equipment ready or activities organised before
the children arrive and it also means that you are available to welcome the children and to show
them where to put their belongings.
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Get to know the children, there will be information sheets available for you to look through, but
do not forget to ask the children what they would like to do!
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Make sure the children are comfortable, that they are reminded and supported with toileting.
Change pads regularly and when needed.
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Help children with eating and drinking where help is needed.
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Help children to clean up after activities. At the end of the day, share responsibility with other
volunteers for cleaning and tidying up the playscheme premises!
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Please respect confidentiality. Do not discuss any of the children or their families’ outwith the
playscheme.
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Report any breakages or damage to the playscheme manager.
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It can be difficult for a parent to entrust their child to our care. Earn their trust by making sure
you follow any reasonable instructions they give you, but always bearing in mind the playscheme’s
good practice guidelines for the supervision of children. If you have any concerns these should be
discussed with the play leader as soon as possible.
-
Keep parents informed. If you have any contact with them (e.g. Bus Escorts), tell them about
what has happened during the day – things that have gone well and also any difficulties. Ensure
you fill in the daily note for parents of the child you have worked with on that day and put it in the
child’s bag.
General – Leisure Schemes
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The leisure schemes operate in a more flexible manner to the playscheme and may or
may not have activities arranged in advance.
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You may be working 1:1 with a young person, or looking after a small group.
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In cases where there is no pre-arranged activity, each young person will have a small
budget to spend as they choose during the day. Play Workers will help them to do this
and choose appropriate activities.
-
Typical activities might include going to bowling, swimming or playing sports.
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Play Workers are responsible for ensuring the young peoples’ safety during the day and
for making sure they arrive home at the correct time.
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Play Workers will need to assist young people with personal care as and when required.
Support/organisation
-
You are responsible for the health, safety and wellbeing of volunteers and children/young
people allocated to you.
-
You should ensure that you find the time each day to check out that your volunteers are
okay. You should be modelling good practice in your own work with the children and ensure
that you are challenging any poor practice in the volunteers.
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You will support the volunteers in training and at the end of day meetings.
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Talk to the Manager of your group if you are experiencing any difficulties with your work or if
you have any worries. Do not keep problems to yourself!
-
If you have any concerns about the physical, emotional or sexual abuse of children or young
people please tell the Manager immediately.
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Support each other! We welcome and value differences in sexuality, age, health, disability,
race and religion.
Outings
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You may be the responsible person on outings/trips. If this is the case you are responsible
for the health and safety of everyone on the trip. You will be required to complete
trip/outing checklist and risk assessment confirming whom you have on the trip,
medication accidents incidents etc.
Patterns of Work
-
Usual play/leisure scheme hours are between 08:30 and 16:00. These may differ on
occasion.
Other Duties
Confidentiality
Required Criteria
-
This post requires PVG scheme membership Applicants who are not members of the PVG scheme should be prepared to join before commencing employment.
- Continuous Professionalism: This means fulfilling commitments, acting in a very professional manner, and believing in values of choice and opportunity for all.
- Developing Self: This means having the desire to learn new things and constantly improve your own working practice
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Empowering People: This means being able support others in a practical way whilst respecting their needs, choices and dignity
- Building and Maintaining Relationships: This means demonstrating the ability to develop trusting relationships with others using fun and play
- Analysis & Decision Making: This means making sensible decisions using all information available to you at the time
- Working in Partnership: This means working effectively as a team and sharing information with outside parties (e.g. parents) as required
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Must match the availability required: most or all of the dates and times specified in the advert
Skills Needed
About The Company
Our History
The Action Group was set up in 1976 by a group of parents and carers of people who had learning disabilities and other support needs. They began by campaigning for better services for the people they cared about in the local area of Leith and Restalrig. This group, who all lived in the north east of Edinburgh, took the name Area 5 Action Group from the Social Work Department’s area in which they lived.
Providing and Improving Learning Disability Care for Over 45 Years
The Action Group was, and continues to be, a membership organisation with the twin aims of campaigning for, and providing, good community care services. In 1976, services and supports in the community were few and far between and large institutions and hospitals, like Gogarburn in Edinburgh, were the main service for children and adults.
Locally, The Area 5 Action Group ran a high profile political and media campaign to get learning disability and support needs on the agenda. It also explored ways to develop service-provision
By 1985, now called The North Edinburgh Action Group, membership had grown and service users came from all over Edinburgh, East Lothian, West Lothian and Midlothian.
By 1992, with development plans focussing across an even wider area, a further name change to The Action Group was made.
Over the years the Action Group has been at the forefront of campaigning for and providing high quality community services.
Company Culture
The Vision
That Families caring for a person and individuals who have support needs and/or Learning Disability encounter no barriers to their chosen lifestyle, are able to follow a path of choice and can enrich their opportunities.
The Mission
To Value, listen and involve people so that our every action is judged to be the best.
The Values
An ordinary life includes the 5 accomplishments which derives from the work of John O'Brien.
These values are at the heart of the organisation.
People accessing our services should have:
Community presence - Relationships
Competency - Respect - Choice
Company Benefits
Looking to make a difference?
Make a difference in your community and in people’s lives by becoming a support worker with us!
Your goal will be to help people with additional support needs to gain or maintain their independence, and going about their lives in general, to support with work, health and wellbeing, or attending and participating in activities.
HSF Health Plans for The Action Group Full-time & Part-time employees
HSF Perkbox - HSF Assist
Accredited Living Wage Employer
Good annual leave entitlements
Travel time payable where applicable
Ongoing support, training and development opportunities
Pension
Blue Light Card
Blue Light Card, On the job learning
Salary
£13.45 per hour
