Following a successful round of recruitment in the 2024/25 academic session, the GSA is now seeking to appoint additional Independent Governors particularly with skills and experience in arts and creative cultures; legal knowledge and understanding; accounting and finance; strategy, innovation and commercial awareness; and digital futures.

Applications would be particularly welcomed from individuals from protected characteristic groups currently underrepresented on the Board, as are applications from the GSA’s local and wider communities, including GSA alumni. Reasonable adjustments for disability will be implemented for those who may require them.

The GSA wishes to appoint new external Independent Governors who share the commitment to the institution’s ambition and values. The institution is seeking Independent Governors who will play an active role in helping the GSA to realise its potential, extend its impact and achieve its goals. Working with the Board, the Director and the Senior Leadership Group, you will help the GSA to maintain strong governance in support of the delivery of both the core business and the GSA’s strategic ambitions.

The Board of Governors is the GSA’s governing authority – among its responsibilities is approval of the mission and strategic vision of the institution, together with oversight of the GSA’s governance and finances. The Statement of Primary Responsibilities is set out together with full details of the GSA’s constitution and governance in the annually

updated Statement of Corporate Governance.

The majority of the GSA’s Governors are independent members – Independent Governors – and provide constructive and independent advice and guidance, informed by expertise, across a range of creative and professional backgrounds.

The Board has the following committees: Audit and Risk; Finance and Resources; Governance and Nominations; People and Culture; and Remuneration.

All of these committees are formally constituted with terms of reference and all are convened by Independent members of the Board. On appointment, and dependent upon relevant experience and areas of expertise, Independent Governors may be invited to become a member of specific Board committees.

TIME COMMITMENT

Based on a standard year, members of the Board will usually attend:

• Four meetings of the Board each year which are normally held in October, December, March and June.
• An annual away-day which focuses on strategic matters (generally held in October).
• The GSA’s graduation ceremonies, taking place in June and December, and the GSA’s Degree Shows, which are held in June and September.
• The GSA’s Annual Stakeholder Meeting.
• Independent Governors may also be invited to become members of specific Board committees which normally meet three times per year between November and May. These meetings will normally be held via video-conference.
• Members of the Board are encouraged to take a full part in the GSA’s rich internal and external life and may also be invited to attend lectures, exhibitions, dinners and other social events, which may take place throughout the year.

Are you an innovative and analytical thinker? Are you great at developing and delivering clear, engaging communications?

Development Trusts Association Scotland is looking for a motivated, creative and experienced individual to deliver our influencing and communications work, and ensure that it is underpinned by robust evidence, sector intelligence and member insight. Working across the organisation, this role will will use insight and impact data to shape the narrative around development trusts, community ownership and democratic finance, and to strengthen our position as a national voice of the sector in Scotland.

This post will involve hybrid working from home and the Edinburgh office, with travel throughout the country.

CoWL are recruiting a Support Advisor with a specialist focus on Self Directed Support (SDS). This Inspiring Scotland funded role will provide direct support to unpaid carers and disabled people through individual and group based work. The post holder will deliver independent information, advice and support to those considering or receiving SDS, supporting outcome focused conversations and informed decision making, alongside providing wider CoWL support in response to individual needs.

My Support Day is currently seeking new Board Members. My Support Day is governed by a voluntary Board of Trustees, who guide and oversee our organisation. Our board is made up of people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, with an interest in supporting families and loved ones who are affected by someone else's substance use,

The main aim of My Support Day is to support families who are affected by someone else's substance use. My Support Day is a charity based within South Lanarkshire which supports families and loved ones who have been affected by someone else’s substance use. The support is person centred, and individuals are supported via 1:1, support group both face to face and online.

My Support Day are provision holders and distributors of Naloxone.

We are also in partnership between Liber8 to deliver the service FREE – Family Recovery Everyone Everywhere. This service is based across South Lanarkshire to access one-to-one support, group support, learning and development and events for the whole family. This service will also offer counselling, mediation and therapeutic services to Individuals using the service which can tailor their support to suit their needs.

Our Board wishes to expand its skills base and welcomes individuals with relevant financial, community, business or lived experience. We are looking to attract individuals with skills and experience ranging from social media, human resources, community learning & development, legal, finance/fundraising, marketing and, most importantly, an interest in the wellbeing of families who are affected by someone else's substance use with a passion to make family recovery visible.

The position of trustee is a voluntary position, but travel expenses and other reasonable expenses accrued when carrying out the role will be paid.

Time Commitment

We ask board member candidates for a minimum commitment of attending 1 meeting every quarter, held online or in person, with email contact on matters arising between meetings. Alongside this, additional requests may be made for support with board activities such as recruitment of staff on an occasional basis

Are you passionate about making a difference to the lives of young people? Do you want a flexible, varied and meaningful job in a supportive team? Do you value great employee benefits such as generous holidays and an annual training budget? Apply to join us!

Bridges Project is a leading youth work charity that helps young people aged 12-25 in East Lothian and Midlothian overcome challenges and adapt to adulthood. Since 1984, we have helped young people develop their life skills, improve their educational attainment and move into employment or further education. Join our team and take pride inspiring young people!

We have a vacancy for a Support Worker to deliver a support programme to young people aged 13 – 21 from East Lothian who are experiencing a wide range of challenges including family poverty and family substance use.

The successful candidate will:

• Support young people in areas such as reducing social isolation and improving mental health
• Provide mentoring support to young people enabling them to engage in activities within their local communities

This is an exciting position in which the successful candidate will take pride in developing a programme of delivery which will improve the lives of young people in East Lothian.

It is essential that candidates have a full, clean driving licence and constant use of a car. Membership of the PVG scheme will be an essential requirement of the post. A contributory company pension scheme is offered with a 10% employer contribution.

Are you passionate about making a difference to the lives of young people? Do you want a flexible, varied and meaningful job in a supportive team? Do you value great employee benefits such as generous holidays and an annual training budget? Apply to join us!

Bridges Project is a leading youth work charity that helps young people aged 12-25 in East Lothian and Midlothian overcome challenges and adapt to adulthood. Since 1984, we have helped young people develop their life skills, improve their educational attainment and move into employment or further education. Join our team and take pride inspiring young people!

We have a vacancy for an Employability Support Worker to deliver an effective casework and group

work service to young people experiencing a range of challenges such as non-attendance at school,

low attainment, lack of confidence, poor mental health and family poverty.

The successful candidate will:

• Support young people to gain employability skills, life skills and accreditation; helping them in to work, apprenticeships, further education, training, work experience and volunteering
• Provide training to groups of young people alongside individual support to address particular barriers

This is an exciting position in which the successful candidate will take pride in developing a programme of delivery which will provide young people with clear pathways to positive destinations.

It is essential that candidates have a full, clean driving licence and constant use of a car. Membership of the PVG scheme will be an essential requirement of the post. A contributory company pension scheme is offered with a 10% employer contribution.

Health in Mind offers a range of counselling services. We are seeking a compassionate and qualified Counsellor who is fluent in British Sign Language (BSL) to join our team in a self-employed capacity. You will provide face-to-face and online one-to-one counselling individuals facing a range of emotional and psychological challenges in our Lothian Deaf Counselling service.

Key Responsibilities:

• Deliver confidential counselling sessions tailored to client needs
• Maintain accurate and timely client records
• Work collaboratively and have good communication with the Counselling Team Leader and Administrator
• Uphold ethical and professional standards in line with BACP guidelines

Requirements:

• Recognised counselling qualification (Diploma or Masters Level)
• Registration with COSCA, NCPS, BACP, UKCP, HCPC or other relevant professional body
• Experience working with diverse client groups, including people who have experiences of trauma
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills

Are you looking for a new challenge and an opportunity to shape the next phase of Ark’s ambitious strategy ?

Ark’s mission to create the best possible customer outcomes through our highly skilled people, the provision of high-quality affordable homes and excellent care will be achieved through creating inclusive communities where quality of housing and care enable people to thrive and live a good life.

Established in 1977 Ark provides 450 tenancies and supports over 400 people through our dedicated and highly skilled workforce of 700+ staff. We operate in 12 Local Authority areas in the North and East of Scotland, and we also have services in The Western Isles.

The Ark Group is made up of three companies:

1. Ark is a registered charity and registered social landlord (RSL) that provides housing and care and is the parent company within the group structure.

2. Ark Services Limited is a private company limited by guarantee and a wholly owned subsidiary of Ark.

3. Ark Commercial Investment Limited (ACIL) is a private limited share company and wholly owned subsidiary of Ark.

Although a housing association, the majority of Ark’s activity relates to the provision of care and support for people with long term and enduring conditions such as learning disability, mental health issues, dementia and autism. Our aim is to ensure that those who use our services receive the very best support from Ark to enable them to live a good life. For further information see Ark’s website: arkha.org.uk.

We currently have vacancies for Non-Executive Board members on both the main board as well as the group subsidiary board, at a very exciting time for Ark. We are about to launch a stakeholder engagement exercise across the business to consult on our new corporate strategy as well as celebrate our 50th anniversary. As a new Board Member, you will play a key part in developing and enabling the delivery of the strategy for the next 5-10 years and improving the governance framework to effectively monitor performance. This will be clearly focussed upon delivery of high-quality Housing and Care & Support services.

Ark Group Board

We are seeking 2-3 recruits to fill non-exec positions on Ark’s parent Board: Ark Housing Association.

This Board meets 6-7 times per year in a hybrid approach and will require some attendance face to face. We welcome applications from people with experience in Care & Support, Housing/Asset, Finance or Digital Improvement, and understanding of governance in an RSL would be an advantage, however not essential.

Ark Subsidiary Board

We are seeking to strengthen our governance by appointing non-executive directors to our Subsidiary Board and separate from the Ark Group Board to ensure independence. This Board is completely independent from the parent Board. Your role will be to serve both subsidiary companies with meetings being held consecutively, 4 times per year. This board meets on a remote basis and will be the perfect opportunity for people seeking their first Board role, with the opportunity for exposure to two very different businesses; one a commercial/private company and one a registered Charity. We will provide you with a full induction and an opportunity to be mentored by an experienced Board member and we do not expect you to have any previous board experience. Overall, we are looking for dynamic, forward-thinking and enthusiastic people from a variety of backgrounds to contribute to Ark’s emerging future.

We are currently looking to recruit support workers to join our small team within Inclusion Alliance. The role involves supporting people with learning disabilities to be included in the community and lead an ordinary life. Your work would involve helping people to access educational, social, leisure and work or volunteering opportunities in the community.

No experience or formal qualifications are necessary for the role although a caring nature, positive attitude and a sense of fun are important characteristics to have. New staff will receive paid training and undertake shadow shifts with experienced staff members during induction. We want new staff to feel ready and able to work prior to working on their own for the first time.

We have various vacancies available including part time and relief/casual positions in various locations throughout Edinburgh.

Working hours are based between the hours of 8am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

We have various permanent and casual vacancies available.

Relief/Casual pay rate- £12.75 per hour.

Candidates must be caring, motivated and have excellent communication skills whilst being committed to working in a person-centred way ensuring that support is built around the supported person’s wishes and needs.

Benefits include

• Employer contributory pension scheme
• Funded SVQ 3 qualification and learning opportunity
• Paid annual leave entitlement
• Regular paid supervision sessions
• Regular paid training and development opportunities
• Daytime Monday to Friday working
• Working for a well-established small organisation where person centred values are at the core.Free 24/7 access to employee support app

Ark is a major provider of Housing, Care and Support to people with long term and enduring conditions such as learning disabilities, mental health issues, dementia and autism.

Ark supports people to live independently in their own homes providing everything from a few hours a week social and life admin support to 24/7 care supporting with personal care, medication, household tasks, attending appointments and leisure activities.

We have lots of opportunities across Scotland for our Support Worker roles. As we provide full training no previous is experience is required.

If you are enthusiastic about supporting people to live their best lives, then apply now to join our team!

Your main duties will include but not be limited to:

• Working with colleagues as part of an effective and efficient team to support vulnerable people.
• Communicate and work well with our supported people to provide individual care and maintain appropriate relationships.
• Being responsible in supporting individuals throughout the activities, giving positive feedback and encouragement.
• Updating and maintaining accurate records using a tablet on Arks Information Management system.

Previous experience of the following is an advantage but not essential as Ark will provide full training: Care Worker, Social worker, Home Carer, Case Worker, Care Assistant, Autism Support Worker, Personal Care Assistant , Social Care Worker.

View our job outline, find out what you working week could look like and hear from our current Support Workers on Arks website arkha.org.uk/work-with-us

Why Ark?

• No Previous Experience Required - Ark provide full training so no previous experience is required making our Support Worker roles the perfect place to start your career in Adult Social Care.
• Get a qualification while you work - Ark fully fund your SVQ2 in Health & Social Care which you complete with the support of our in house SVQ team.
• Employee Discounts - Employee Discounts Portal with 1000s of discounts on your favourite brands including Supermarkets, Cinema Tickets, Gym Membership and Holidays.
• Career Progression -Over 75% of all Managers within Care & Support have been promoted internally.
• Employee Assistance Program - Arks Employee Assistance program (EAP) gives all employees access to counselling sessions. There is also support available through weekly webinars and the EAP Website & App.
• Contracted hours to suit you-We have Full-time, Part-time and Relief Support Worker roles available at our services throughout Scotland.

In return for your valuable contribution, Ark will also offer you:

• Up to 36 days paid holiday per year pro rata
• 4% Contributory pension scheme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Fully funded PVG & 1st year SSSC registration paid by Ark

Our employees told us in a recent survey that they stay with Ark because they believe in our values, we have supportive managers who continually appreciate their staff and they love making a positive difference in our supported peoples lives, helping them to achieve their dreams.

Ark would love to hear from you whether you are an experienced Support Worker or new to Social Care.