Post Objectives:

The postholder will contribute to the effective delivery of the Independent Living Service supporting disabled people, their carers and families who are considering, or are in receipt of, Self-directed Support (SDS).

The Independent Living Officer will provide independent advice, information, and one-to-one support to help disabled people understand SDS, empowering service users to identify and implement person-led independent living opportunities.

The service offers flexible support ensuring disabled people, their carers and families can access help in ways that work for them. As part of this, the postholder will undertake outreach including home visits, where these best fit the needs of service users. The postholder will work across Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian and West Lothian as needed.

LCiL implements a rights-based approach to strategy and service delivery. Our advice, information and support services proactively promote and work to protect the human rights of disabled people and their carers. By working alongside others, we increase the ability of those with responsibility for fulfilling rights to recognise and know how to implement those rights, and make sure they can be held to account.

The Independent Living Service also works in partnership with VOCAL to deliver the Support in the Right Direction-funded service, supporting carers and supported people at all stages of their social care journey in Edinburgh and Midlothian. As part of this work, LCIL supports carers and the cared for person to become employers, providing practical support and training to help them build their knowledge and confidence in this role.

The overarching purpose of these services is to facilitate person-centred access to advice and information and rights-based support. The postholder is not required to have specialist knowledge Self-Directed Support at application. We can provide training, learning and development in this area.

We want you to succeed with your application to join LCiL.

To help you, we will provide the interview questions in advance to all shortlisted candidates.

We want to hear about all of the skills and experience you can bring to this role. The ability to 'think on your feet' can be useful but it is not always a primary function of a role. We believe it helps to be able to sit with information and take the time you need to think through your responses, examples, your skills and experience, so you can bring the best of yourself to your LCiL interview.

Post objectives:

The post holder will have management responsibility for LCiL peer support and learning service (PSL).

The role provides day-to-day management and support to the service ensuring strategic and operational goals are successfully met.

The post holder will have line management responsibility for a team of three Facilitators.

This post is an essential management role contributing to the ongoing sustainability of LCiL enabling it to take forward a new three-year strategic plan which is currently being developed.

Peer support happens when people with shared life experiences come together to support each other. It is enabled through relationships that build mutual acceptance, understanding and that affirm everyone’s experience. PSL facilitates group peer support with disabled people and carers on all stages of their social care and Self-Directed Support (SDS) journey, empowering them to take ownership of, and have more control over, their health and wellbeing.

The power of peer support lies in connecting people in safe spaces where shared experiences develop into knowledge, skills, and confidence to self-manage, self-advocate, and address other issues that might be affecting their health and wellbeing, such as loneliness.

Through facilitating peer support, LCiL empowers disabled people and carers to build knowledge and confidence in their own support planning skills, increasing personal confidence and resilience to participate as holders of rights in their care and support, and equal partners in the SDS process.

PSL also works in partnership with The Action Group (TAG) to facilitate peer support with carers from BAME backgrounds and as a Facilitator, you will support these groups alongside TAG colleagues.

Alongside group work, PSL Facilitators provide one-to-one casework support to peer group participants on aspects of social care and SDS, and other matters to support their wellbeing.

To increase group members’ knowledge and awareness of SDS, PSL Facilitators provide information workshops on a variety of topics as part of the peer support sessions.

LCiL benefits hugely from the lived experience and insight from volunteer Champions who are a very valuable part of the LCiL family and the PSL programme. The postholder will work alongside and support Champions.

PSL offers a blended programme of activities and engagement including online and in-person across community locations.

The overarching purpose of the PSL programme is to facilitate person-led peer support, access to advice and information and rights-based support. The postholder is not required to have in-depth knowledge of social care and Self-Directed Support at application. We can provide training, learning and development in this area.

We want you to succeed with your application to join LCiL.

To help you, we will provide the interview questions in advance to all shortlisted candidates.

We want to hear about all of the skills and experience you can bring to this role. The ability to 'think on your feet' can be useful but it is not always a primary function of a role. We believe it helps to be able to sit with information and take the time you need to think through your responses, examples, your skills and experience, so you can bring the best of yourself to your LCiL interview.

The post holder will provide management and leadership that supports LCiL to deliver and grow person-led, innovative, and high-quality services that are informed and shaped by the voices, the experiences, rights and capabilities of disabled people and their carers.

The overarching purpose of these services is to facilitate person-centred access to advice and information and rights-based support. The postholder is not required to have in-depth knowledge of social care and Self-Directed Support at application. We can provide training, learning and development in this area.