Join Our Team as an SDS Information Officer!

Are you passionate about making a real difference in people’s lives? We’re looking for a dedicated and enthusiastic individual to join our team as an SDS Information Officer. In this important role, you’ll be part of a small, supportive team working both in the community and remotely to provide essential information and support about Self-Directed Support (SDS).

As an SDS Information Officer, you’ll engage with individuals, carers, families, and Health and Social Care partners across the Forth Valley area. Your role will be key in helping people feel informed, confident, and empowered to take control of their social care decisions. While experience in delivering training or support is beneficial, what matters most is your eagerness to learn and your commitment to helping others.

Why This Role is for You:

• Community Impact: You’ll be out in the community, delivering sessions and making a meaningful impact on people’s lives.
• Empowerment and Independence: Our goal is to support greater independence and improved wellbeing for disabled individuals.
• Learning and Growth: We provide full training, so you can develop a strong understanding of SDS and effectively support others.
• Rights-Based Focus: You’ll be instrumental in providing rights-based information, ensuring people and carers feel informed and supported.

What We’re Looking For:

• Commitment to Learning: No prior knowledge of SDS? No problem! We value your willingness to learn and your passion for helping others.
• Driving Required: A full driving licence and access to a car are essential as you’ll be travelling throughout the Forth Valley area.
• Team Player: You’ll work closely with our small team to improve service delivery and promote the SDS Service.
• Effective Communicator: You should be skilled at engaging with a diverse range of stakeholders, including social workers, individuals with lived experiences, and carers.

If you’re proactive, organised, and passionate about making a difference, we’d love to hear from you. Apply today to be a part of our mission to empower individuals and enhance their independence. Join us in creating a more informed and supportive community!

EARS is an independent advocacy provider – our mission is to ensure that people’s voices are heard, and their rights are respected.

This is an office-based post. The majority of the working hours will be spent working in Local communities, with the people who seek your support, and working from the West Lothian office to join meetings, record notes and compile reports. Mileage expenses are reimbursed for travel within work.

Ark has been successfully supporting people with Learning Disabilities, Autism, Mental Health, and Complex Support needs to live good lives and make their home in their communities for 47 years. Providing over 16,000 hours of support a week, we currently support over 400 people across Scotland in 12 Local Authority areas.

Ark has a long history of supporting people using Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) approaches and we want to build on this by making a step change in the way we support staffs’ understanding and development, placing PBS at the heart of our service delivery.

To support our PBS strategy, we now have an exciting opportunity to join Ark’s newly established Practice Development Team as a Care & Support Practice Leader. Reporting to the Practice Development Manager, Care & Support Practice Leaders will promote a learning culture and lead on embedding a coaching and mentoring practices within their area.

This is a newly established team that will have a national reach within Arks services across Scotland.

You will play a key role in staff and managers’ development through building knowledge, capacity, and resilience within their teams. This role will mainly be based out in our services allowing you to support with identifying potential areas for improvement and work with managers and teams to find appropriate solutions while maintaining consistency of care for our supported people. You will be innovative and committed to continuous improvement, actively engaging in proactive reflective practice and feedback in your work activity. You will ensure that all developments are based on evidence and best practice.

There will be a focus on the implementation of our Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Strategy within this role. You will ensure PBS personal planning processes are carried out and based on appropriate assessments and understanding of behaviours, risk assessments and developed with the supported person, family, and other professionals.

As this is a new role for Ark there will be a real emphasis on ensuring that we review, adapt, and improve our processes regularly to ensure that Practice Leaders are providing the right support to managers, team members and supported people.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Experience of working with people who have a wide range of support needs and personal outcomes in a person-centred way in social care.
• Experience of working with people who have experienced trauma and may have been marginalised and with people with behaviours of concern, supporting them to better quality of life outcomes and access wider opportunities.
• Experience of taking a lead role within a team.
• Demonstratable experience of applying evidence and knowledge to decision making processes.
• Strong report writing skills.
• Demonstratable experience that shows the ability to coach and mentor others and successfully transferring embedded knowledge to others.
• Excellent interpersonal skills in order to communicate well with supported people and colleagues at all levels.
• Be able to demonstrate an accomplished level of skill used when directly supporting people.
• Willingness to travel to Arks Services throughout Scotland.

Does this sound like the perfect fit for you?

If you’d like to discuss the opportunity and find out more about the role, please contact Calum Robson, Practice Development Manager via email calum.robson@arkha.org.uk .

Find out more, download the Job Outline at arkha.org.uk/work-with-us

Please note this post will include travel across Ark services and while there will be some hybrid working flexibility within the role the majority of your working week you will be working within Arks services across Scotland.

Why Ark?

Hybrid Working: While mainly based in Arks services across Scotland there will be some flexibility for Hybrid working.

Flexible Working Times: Not a 9am - 5pm person. Arks allows you to flex your start & finish time in agreement with your line manager.

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.

Employee Discounts: Employee Discounts Portal with 1000s of discounts on your favourite brands including Supermarkets, Cinema Tickets, Gym Membership and Holidays.

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

Ark is a major provider of Care and Support to people with long term and enduring conditions including learning disability, mental health issues, dementia and autism. As a Housing Association, we provide a range of accommodation much of which has been designed or adapted to meet the needs of people with disabilities.

Our aim is to create the best possible customer outcomes through our highly skilled people, the provision of high-quality affordable homes and excellent care.

We have an exciting opportunity to join Alzheimer Scotland as a finance assistant.

Alzheimer Scotland is Scotland’s national dementia charity. Our aim is to make sure nobody faces dementia alone. We provide support and information to people with dementia, their carers, and families, we campaign for the rights of people with dementia, support vital dementia research and promote positive brain health.

We are seeking applications from individuals with demonstrable high volume transactional work experience within a complex organisation and who possess the skills to take on the tasks outlined in the job description.

The role is a varied finance transactional role and will undertake regular bank and sales processing including appropriate reconciliation to both Financial and Fundraising Systems. The role will also have involvement in supporting the wider finance function including areas such as purchase ledger, direct debit processing and general administration.

Prior experience in a high-volume transactional finance role is highly desirable.

You will be a strong communicator and able to balance competing priorities. You will have experience of working with a wide range of office systems including Microsoft 365 and databases or financial systems.

If you are interested by what you have read, and have the necessary skills, experience, and ability to make a success of this role, we would be delighted to hear from you.