South Lanarkshire Alcohol & Other Drugs Reachout Service

Could you support someone in crisis in your community?

Turning Point Scotland’s Alcohol & Other Drugs Reachout service are offering the opportunity to work within their fantastic supportive team to provide rapid response to crisis and near fatal overdose.

We offer an immediate response to people in crisis and people that have experienced a near fatal overdose within South Lanarkshire, this may be a response to a call or email from the individual or a third party who has significant concerns for the individual’s safety. You will provide a short, focused period of support to each person and assertively engaging them with mainstream services such as alcohol and other drug services, community mental health and other partner organisations who we have well established excellent working relationships. You will not be expected to lone work. You will always be accompanied by an experienced colleague, allowing you to build your skills, knowledge and confidence.

As part of the existing team you will work with individuals who have a wide range of support needs, providing them with practical and emotional support and encouraging them to achieve their own personal outcomes in all aspects of their daily lives e.g. keeping safe, meaningful activities, community involvement, physical health, relationships, emotional health and wellbeing.

Rapid Response staff will operate from 9am to 9pm (7 days per week) on a rolling two-week work pattern (4 days one week and 3 days the next) which will allow for each team to work every second weekend to ensure an ‘out of hours’ engagement is available alongside links to and engagement with mainstream services. Full drivers licence and access to own vehicle is preferred. You will be paid 45p per mile for when using your vehicle for work purposes, so you will never be out of pocket.

The team endeavours to provide advocacy and emotional and immediate support at time of crisis. Referring and sign posting to relevant services. Discussions surrounding tenancy sustainment, harm reduction advice, information and provision (IEP, Naloxone, alcohol intake) generally keeping people in a safe place until they can engage with or be referred into appropriate services.

The key aims and objectives:

• Rapid response to people in crisis and/or has experienced a near fatal overdose primarily during out of hours /7 days per week.

• Rapid response to crisis and/ or near fatal overdoses providing harm reduction interventions and advice.

• Short, focused period of support maintaining contact through assertive outreach.

• Improved access, engagement and assertive linkage to healthcare and support services.

• Reducing drug and alcohol related deaths within South Lanarkshire

The support we provide is always person centred, we do this by involving people who know the person well, this includes family and friends, other health and Social Work professionals, Advocacy services and our own staff members.

As an already experienced Support Practitioner, you will work with individuals who have a wide range of support needs, providing them with practical and emotional support and encouraging them to achieve their own personal outcomes in all aspects of their daily lives e.g. keeping safe, meaningful activities, community involvement, physical health, relationships, emotional health and wellbeing.

Join our Board of Trustees!

Are you looking for an opportunity to use your skills to make a difference in the North East of Scotland?

VSA is looking for Trustees to join its Board. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a historic charity with a formidable reputation and to help the Board build a long-term plan.

VSA has over 150 years’ experience of delivering social care in Aberdeen, to vulnerable people, adults and older people with learning difficulties and mental health needs. We have grown to be a major employer with an accredited Skills Qualification Centre. VSA has a strong corporate and community volunteering tradition. Today, VSA is of a medium sized company providing education, housing support and social care to young people and adults with complex needs.

We particularly want to hear from people with a medical background, or current skills in the following: charity & company law, complex learning & behavioural education/social care and environmental/social governance.

Key aspects of trustee roles at VSA are as follows:

• To assist the Chair in providing Board leadership on specific areas of strategic direction
• To act as an effective champion for VSA
• To ensure that VSA has people with LD & MH at the heart of decision making
• To oversee and ensure the implementation of VSA policies, with responsibility for occasional decisions on individual recipient cases
• To ensure effective corporate governance, risk management and financial management of VSA
• To ensure public accountability for the funds for which VSA receives from central and local government and raises independently
• To uphold the highest ethical standards of integrity and probity and comply with the Board’s Code of Conduct

You will be interested in joining VSA’s Board if you have a personal commitment to supporting vulnerable children, young adults and older people with learning disabilities and/or mental health needs to lead the best of life alongside current practices in the above field.

This role is not remunerated but all reasonable expenses, for example childcare, travel etc will be covered. The time commitment is approx 8 to 10 days per year. This is likely to include attendance at Board or Committee meetings, reading and preparation time, and other meetings such as Strategy or Stakeholder. If you are interested please contact the Chair of Trustees, Kevin Shand via Ally Panton at the email address below.

Who Cares? Scotland is Scotland’s only national independent membership organisation for Care Experienced people. Our mission is to secure a lifetime of equality, respect, and love for Care Experienced people in Scotland and we currently have over 3500 Care Experienced members.

At the heart of Who Cares? Scotland’s work are the rights of Care Experienced people, and the power of their voices to bring about positive change. We provide individual lifelong relationship-based independent advocacy and a broad range of imaginative participatory and engagement opportunities for Care Experienced people across Scotland. We work alongside Corporate Parents and communities to broaden understanding and create change. We work with policy makers, leaders, and elected representatives locally and nationally to shape law, policy, and practice, working together to build on the aspirations of The Promise and secure positive change.

This unique role offers the opportunity to listen to and work directly with children and young people with experience of care, in an individual relationship-based advocacy role, and within participation and group activity across our North East region.

The post-holder will be a key member of the Advocacy and Participation team, supporting young people from across the region to ensure their rights are upheld and their voices are heard. In this role you will have the opportunity to provide independent advocacy, children’s rights, and participation opportunities for children and young people who are looked after, Care Experienced or subject to formal processes and structures. The role will see you actively participating in child’s plan meetings, children’s hearings, and other formal processes, as well as assisting children and young people to prepare for them. In partnership with professionals, carers, and organisations, you will help to achieve the best outcomes for children and young people by keeping detailed records of the work you undertake, writing liaison reports, and monitoring statistics.

As a vital part of the work of Who Cares? Scotland, your role will include facilitating group opportunities for and with children and young people within the North East region (Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Dundee, Angus, Rossie). This includes providing engagement and participation opportunities throughout the Who Cares? Scotland local and national network, as well as meeting with care experienced children and young people to introduce the service in agreement with the local authority. Raising awareness of Who Cares? Scotland and its services with children, young people, professionals, and carers you will also be responsible for facilitating training amongst care corporate parents.

The right candidate for this post will be able to form positive relationships with children and young people and have good interpersonal skills. You will feel confident communicating with individuals and groups, both in writing and verbally, and be able to adapt to a wide range of contexts. Secure in making effective plans, as well as evidencing your work, you can prioritise and meet deadlines. You take enjoyment from working collaboratively with partners, believing in equal opportunities and inclusive working. Committed to children’s rights, you are someone who knows that all young people can make transformative change happen in their lives if given the opportunity. You can demonstrate knowledge of the current structure, developments, policy, and practice in relation to children and young people experiencing care in Scotland. You are also flexible, given the remit of the role, as some evening and weekend work will be necessary, along with a full driving licence and access to transport.

While we would welcome the knowledge gathered through relevant qualifications, we are just as interested in relevant work experience. We welcome and encourage applications from those with experience of care.

The successful candidate will be joining Who Cares? Scotland and working within the North East team at an exciting time, when the voices of those who are in or have experienced care are growing in power, individually and collectively - bringing with them insight, challenge, hope and change.

If this sounds like the role for you, we would love to hear from you.

CR Pathways is a national award-winning charity dedicated to addressing the long-standing inequality in education outcomes, career opportunities and life chances for young people in care and those on the edge of care and in need. Our in-school mentoring has proven to have profound impacts on young people; boosting their confidence, improving wellbeing and encouraging achievement and post-school progression. At present MCR mentors make and experience a life changing difference to over 4,000 young people from across the country.

We are looking for an outstanding Partnership & Mentor Recruitment Manager based in the North of Scotland - covering primarily the Highland area but also supporting the team in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City. The role will focus on forming leading partnerships with key public and private sector organisations to drive mentor recruitment and also help create other opportunities for MCR young people. You will represent the regional mentor recruitment team, input to schools’ teams and meet targets to ensure we have as many mentors local to each school as our young people need.

You’ll establish a deeply personal service that inspires every partner, volunteer and individual to feel a hugely valued part of the MCR cause. This is exceptional relationship building and inspirational championing of the MCR cause in practice. You will be a motivated, committed, enthusiastic and resilient person with a strong and practical belief in addressing inequality. You will be the mentor champion for each of the young people, schools, employers and the local communities we serve.

There will be significant travel involved in this role so the successful candidate must have a driving licence and access to a car.

Read the Person Specification