Health in Mind

With your mental health at heart

Development Worker Engagement Pathways - Scottish Borders Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Services

We are offering a new permanent post for a Development Worker – Engagement Pathways to lead and develop our pathways into services for people. This includes enquiries, initial conversations including risk assessment, baseline outcome measures, reviews and endings.

This opportunity requires excellent communication and organisational skills, where the successful candidate will be required to support the journey of people through our services within the Scottish Borders.

You will be key to maintaining quality within this area of service delivery. You should have experience of working together with people experiencing mental health problems to support them to achieve their aims related to mental health and wellbeing. You should also have experience of developing systems and processes and sharing your learning experiences across teams.

If you have experience in these areas and are passionate about enabling people to fulfil their potential, we’d love to hear from you!

A new and exciting opportunity has arisen to work within Alzheimer Scotland as a Centre Manager in Perth. on a permanent basis.

The Centre Manager will lead and manage a team providing Alzheimer Scotland’s programme of support for people concerned about their brain health or affected by dementia. The Centre Manager will be key to the successful delivery of Alzheimer Scotland’s vision to develop a programme of brain health and dementia support at identified centres across Scotland. Alzheimer Scotland is named after Alois (A-lo-ish) Alzheimer who first identified the brain disease we now recognise as the leading cause of dementia. By building a range of engaging and supportive services in the heart of their community, the Centre Manager will ensure that people have access to:

• Advice - our expert advisors can offer one-to-one help with anything from building cognitive resilience, to managing money matters and legal issues.
• Listening - we offer places to be heard, whatever the question or concern, whenever help is needed.
• Opportunities - to connect, learn and share with others in a similar situation.
• Information - on all stages of the brain health journey, whether someone is worried about their brain health or living and caring well with dementia.
• Support - everyone is welcome in our Centres, where those affected by dementia can feel safe with trusted staff who understand what they’re going through.

We are looking for a dynamic person who will support and deliver the ALOIS programme, embedding it within their daily practice and work alongside the Centres Lead to bring the programme to life.

Working with individuals and families, Centre Managers are required to have a warm, flexible approach, as well as skills in empathy and relationship building. We are looking for someone who has strong networking skills and experience of collaborating and developing partnerships both internally and externally.

Line management responsibilities for staff within the Centre is an expected part of the role, including development and supporting a network of volunteers.

Applicants will have an understanding of the aims and values of Alzheimer Scotland supported by excellent communication skills; hold a recognised professional qualification and/or have relevant experience with a willingness to learn and participate in training. Relevant qualifications and/or experience of working with people with dementia would be an advantage.

Are you looking to make a positive change in society through policy work? Are you a skilled communicator with a passion for people and communities across Scotland? At Samaritans Scotland we are seeking an experienced Policy and Engagement Officer to join our friendly team.

You’ll support our work to reduce suicide by developing and influencing policy and practice at national and local levels. You’ll also support positive, informed engagement with communities and key stakeholders to strengthen the effective delivery of Samaritans’ policy work in Scotland.

We are a flexible and inclusive organisation. Our team is growing in Scotland and you’ll be able to influence key policy and practice in our community. We are moving from strength to strength and this role will make a real and lasting difference to ensure fewer lives are lost to suicide.

• £33,000-£33,500 per annum plus benefits
• Permanent role
• Full time (35 hours per week)
• Hybrid working – Regular office working in Edinburgh with travel in and around Scotland, plus home working
• We are passionate about flexible working, talk to us about your preferences

Samaritans Scotland

Join a friendly, supportive, and ambitious staff team in Scotland. Our established Policy and Communications team is working with Scottish Government, MSPs and partners to achieve change and have an impact on suicide risk. There are around 1000 Samaritans volunteers across Scotland working in our 19 branches. These volunteers respond to calls for help every day of the week via telephone, e-mail, text and in person at our branches or at events across Scotland.

We also work with the public and the media to inform them about Samaritans and explain how we can help people find their own way forward. We reach out to groups where there is a high risk of suicide and emotional distress.

What’s in it for you – our benefits

So, you want to work for us? Good choice. We like it here too. We offer competitive salaries, flexible and hybrid working to suit your needs, family-friendly policies, 28 days annual leave inclusive of wellbeing days and a matched pension contribution up to 5%. You’ll have a structured induction and ongoing projects, secondments & learning opportunities. We also have colleague-led affinity groups made up of people with shared identities.

Your health and wellbeing is our priority. We have a staff community of Mental Health First Aiders, a Health Cash Plan and an Employee Assistance Programme. You’ll have free subscriptions to Headspace (your personal guide to mindfulness, sleep, focus, movement, and more) & Perkbox (an employee benefits platform with online exercise classes). That’s not all. We listen to your ideas and have staff forum and social committee networks.

Hybrid and flexible working

We are a flexible organisation, and we embrace hybrid working – a mix of connecting in person and remotely. We’re aware that the world is changing, and we all want and need different things from our work and home lives. So, if you need to walk the dog, go to the gym, or have commitments outside of work, we’re open to talking through flexible working options that work for you and us.

Being Inclusive

We recognise the enormous benefits and the social justice imperatives of ensuring diversity at every level of our organisation. Samaritans is wholly committed to inclusion and diversity and to building a culture and environment where everyone is appreciated for the unique person they are. To ensure Samaritans is representative of those we support and who support us, we particularly welcome applications from Disabled, BAME and LGBTQ+ candidates, as these people are under-represented at Samaritans

Are you a creative and motivated individual with the passion and drive to support people with a recent diagnosis of dementia to live well in their community?

If so, you can be part of a National Team of Post Diagnostic Support Link Workers (PDS Link Workers) providing high quality, person centered support to people living with dementia and their families for a minimum of a year following diagnosis in line the Scottish Government’s minimum guarantee.

The aim of the PDS National Service is to enable people to live well with dementia and is centered around Alzheimer Scotland's 5 pillar model so that people move on to a period of supported self- management.

The model includes understanding the illness and coming to terms with the diagnosis, peer support, connecting and maintaining links with their community along with planning for future care and decision making to develop an outcome focused plan to support their future hopes, desires and aspirations.

Supporting our Stirling and Clackmannanshire locality, the post will be based at the Brain Health and Dementia Resource Centre in Alloa. Alzheimer Scotland’s PDS Link Workers are required to be effective team workers and have the skills to build and maintain relationships with colleagues both within Alzheimer Scotland, the NHS and other stakeholders.

Skills in using digital platforms are essential as we use a blended approach to support people that involve some virtual meetings and on-line groups.

Applicants must hold a recognised relevant professional qualification to a minimum of SVQ level 4, have a good understanding of dementia and how it affects people and their families along with excellent communication skills, a warm flexible approach, combined with skills in empathy and relationship building.

In addition, you should have skills and knowledge at the Enhanced Level of the Promoting Excellence Framework or be able to evidence you are working towards its completion.

This post requires a full driving license and access to a car.