Paid NHS Scotland placements for parents

Who are the paid placements for?

The placements are for parents on low incomes, and they are aimed at families most at risk of poverty. You’re likely to be a priority if:

• you're a lone parent
• you're a disabled parent
• you have a disabled child
• you're 25 or under
• you're from a minority ethnic background
• you have 3 or more children
• your youngest child is under 1

If none of these describe you but money is tight, it's still worth asking. Your local employability service can talk through what else is available.

What is an NHS Scotland parental employability programme?

They offer paid placements in NHS Scotland for parents on low incomes. You’ll get real experience of working in health care, support to build your skills and the chance to start a career. You’ll earn a wage while you do it.

You do not need to have worked in health care before.

Placements like these are already running in parts of Scotland, and the Scottish Government is funding more of them.

What the work involves

The exact roles depend on where you are, and which health board is running the placement. 

Existing programmes have offered placements in roles such as:

• healthcare support worker
• administrative assistant
• hospital porter
• catering assistant
• domestic assistant

These are real jobs in real teams, not shadowing or observation. Hours are usually flexible, so they can fit around childcare and the school run.

You are supported throughout. On existing programmes that has meant:

• one-to-one support from the health board's employability team
• help with goal setting
• understanding the NHS Scotland application and recruitment process
• interview practice
• the chance to work towards a qualification such as a Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ)

How to get a paid placement

To get started, get in touch with your local employability service.

They’ll talk through your situation, the kind of work you’re interested in, and any practical support you might need, like help with:

• childcare
• travel
• equipment

If a placement isn’t running in your area yet, they can tell you what else is available locally.

Some programmes recruit at set times of year rather than continuously, so it’s worth asking early.

Will a placement affect your benefits?

Because a placement is paid work, it may change what you receive in benefits. It’s worth checking before you commit to anything.

Your local employability service can help you to understand what a placement could mean for your household income.

Parent Club has more on help with the costs of finding work or changing job.

What happens after a placement?

A placement is a starting point. It gives you recent experience, a reference, and a much better sense of which part of the NHS suits you. Support will be provided to help you achieve your goals once the placement has finished, for example help with interviews and applications. 

If you want to see what you could work towards:

• browse our job profiles
• find out how NHS Scotland pay and benefits work

Take the first step

You do not need to have it all worked out before you get in touch.

Your local employability service can tell you what is running in your area, whether a placement would suit you, and what help you could get with things like childcare and travel costs. There is no commitment in asking.

Find your local employability service.

Background to NHS paid placements for parents

These placements are supported by the Scottish Government as part of its investment in Parental Employability Support. This forms part of Bringing Hope, Building Futures, the tackling child poverty delivery plan for 2026 to 2031, which aims to help boost family incomes across Scotland.

The plan sets out up to £4.2 million in 2026-27 to strengthen employability in NHS Scotland and deliver at least 200 paid placements for parents at greatest risk of poverty. Health boards work alongside Local Employability Partnerships to deliver the placements to make sure parents have access to wraparound support. 

The approach builds on projects already tested in NHS Scotland. Public Health Scotland's evaluation of its Parental Employment Project, published in August 2026, found improvements in participants' confidence, wellbeing, skills and financial stability, supported by inclusive recruitment, flexible working, SVQ training and wraparound employability support.

Read the Public Heath Scotland Parental Employment Project: final evaluation report.