BACKGROUND:

The Discovery College is an inclusive service based on the principle that connection, community, peer support and learning can be a transformative experience. It is moving into its second year of operation. To date the work has been co-delivered and developed alongside those with lived experience and in collaboration with Spirit Advocacy, Scottish Recovery Network, NHS Highland, Caithness Mental Health Group and Habitus Collective all supporting in the planning, building, and envisioning of this new development for Highland. College courses are open for all to enrol. Our goal is to create an environment for people to come together – be it those who identify as experiencing or having experienced a mental health, or substance use issue, to those who want support in order to move on.

We tailor and target courses and drop-ins for men, Disabled people, LGBTQ+ folks, people who are neuro-divergent, young people and people from ethnic and cultural minorities. Currently the Discovery College operates across multiple hubs in Inverness, Caithness, and Lochaber which we intend to develop further in partnership with a variety of organisations.

The Role:

In the role the post holder will be responsible for a number of key pieces of work:

• Lead the Discovery College in offering the community a one stop shop for their recovery needs including social activity, courses, volunteering opportunities and access to employment.
• Development of the strategy across the organisation to ensures there is a clear programme of activity, training, and employment opportunities that meets the community need.
• Leading Discovery College Hubs across Highland. This will involve the maintenance and continual improvement of the model to include online learning and support as well as face to face, developing the processes and procedures that support this so that there is a coherence across all services as well as a clear set of performance and delivery standards which ensure a positive student and volunteer experience.
• Developing the peer support offer and courses so that students can flourish in their recovery journey. In doing this you will:
  • Execute the strategy for developing and growing the Discovery College and related services including finding ways to promote and communicate about activities so our community is aware of what the offer is for them.
  • Ensure that all the Discovery College operations are effectively managed and achieve outcomes which are in line with funder requirements and other agreed governance and KPIs.
  • Champion co-development, lived experience, involvement and peer support, working closely with staff, students and stakeholders.
  • Work closely with the other senior service delivery colleagues and managers across Centred Scotland as well as relevant external organisations to ensure that services are joined up and readily accessible by clients. If you feel you could deliver many of these roles, love working with people, have a passion for improving well-being and have a drive and determination to succeed then we would love to hear from you.

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU?

• Annual salary review
• Annual holiday allocation of 32 days including bank holidays, increasing with length of service
• Fully funded training and personal development
• Health and wellness support paid for by the company
• Access your money as you earn it via our partners Hastee after completion of probationary period.
• Provision of mobile phones and any other IT hardware you require • Life assurance
• Competitive pension scheme

At Key and Community Lifestyles, we provide person-centred support to over 2,000 disabled people, across 17 Scottish local authorities, to enable each person to lead full, active lives in their own homes and communities. The people we support have significantly varying life experiences and needs and range from young people still at school through to people in their 90s. Key is also a specialist Registered Social Landlord (RSL) providing over 700 homes specially designed for disabled people and those with long term support needs.

Our workforce is compassionate, talented, and committed to providing high quality, personalised support so that people can live full, active lives in their own homes and communities. Respect for the fundamental dignity of each and every person, regardless of the level of support they require, lies at the heart of our organisation, as do the principles of choice, control, participation and inclusion.

We are excited to be recruiting to this full-time Practice Development Manager position, which is a crucial leadership role in both Key and Community Lifestyles. We are looking for someone who:

• Has experience of successfully supporting individuals with very complex support needs to live good lives in their own homes and communities

• Can contribute to the development of individually designed support services that uphold human rights and enable citizenship.

• Has strong interpersonal and leadership skills, able to work closely with the people we support, their families and teams, as well as multidisciplinary partners, to support and sustain the highest standards of practice.

• Is able to confidentially role model excellent practice in line with our values, through a thriving community of practice leaders and positive behaviour practitioners as well as contribute to external networks and initiatives.

• Has strong project management and IT skills to support the implementation of effective processes, systems and tools which measure and demonstrate the impact of our strategies.

You will have a recognised social care or relevant professional qualification and while a recognised PBS/BILD qualification would be advantageous, this is not essential as we will offer support to attain this.

The post is based in Glasgow but will involve travel to our services across Scotland.

If you think you’re the person we are looking for, and you’d like to discuss the role further, please contact Sheila Hanney, Head of Staff Development, Policy and Practice by email sheila.hanney@key.org.uk

Around since 1923, SAMH is Scotland’s national mental health charity. We have represented the voice of people most affected by mental health problems in Scotland for almost 100 years. Today, in over 60 communities we work with adults and young people providing mental health social care support, services in primary care, schools and further education, among others.

These services together with our national programme work in See Me, respectme, suicide prevention and active living; inform our policy and campaign work to influence positive social change. SAMH is dedicated to mental health and wellbeing for all: with a vision of a society where people are able to live their lives fully, regardless of present or past circumstances.

For Scotland’s Mental Health

About the Role

Redhall is a mental health service based in an award winning walled garden/six acre estate in Edinburgh. In a beautiful outdoor setting we promote recovery from mental ill health through therapeutic horticulture including organic gardening, conservation and team working. There is a strong group work emphasis, staff work with the people attending our service to develop and maintain the garden, plant nursery and estate which is open to the public on weekdays and occasional weekends. Duties also include key working responsibilities, supporting our service users with their personal development plans.

What we are looking for

We are seeking a creative, enthusiastic and practical individual to join our team of eight.

Applicants should have:

You will have experience in horticulture, ideally both garden and plant nursery work, and of supporting groups in an outdoor setting.

You will be able to demonstrate good communication skills and a mature attitude together with adaptability, creativity and enthusiasm. You will also have experience and a good understanding of working with mental health issues.

You will be required to work flexibly to suit the needs of the service including some evening and weekend working.

What we will provide for you

You will work in a supportive environment and will be provided with a full induction and training opportunities. You will be given the chance to develop your knowledge and skills, as well as develop professionally. Some of our benefits include;

• Reimbursement of PVG, Disclosure & SSSC annual fees and registration costs.
• Funded continuous learning and development opportunities, access to over 100 courses online in addition to classroom and virtual training sessions
• 30 days annual leave rising to 33 after 5 years’ service
• 4 public holidays
• 2 paid wellbeing days off per year to use on what matters to you
• Team wellbeing budgets
• Workplace pension scheme
• Life Assurance policy
• Employee Assistance Programme