We are seeking a Befriending and Volunteering Facilitator to join our team. In January 2023, Scottish Families launched its first Befriending and Volunteering programme, supported by the Health and Social Care Alliance Self-Management Fund. This includes a family befriending project and wider volunteering opportunities with Scottish Families. The befriending project engages with adult family members (aged 16+ years) who are affected by someone else’s alcohol or drug use, and it is primarily delivered by peer volunteers (i.e. other affected family members). This post will support the ongoing development and delivery of our befriending and volunteering programme.

The post will be based at Edward House, Glasgow – Scottish Families’ national office. (Note that staff are currently working between home and office). The post has a Scotland-wide remit and may involve some travel and occasional out-of-hours working. The post will be part of the Scottish Families’ staff team and be supervised by the Fundraising Manager.

The post-holder will be responsible for facilitating the further development and delivery of Scottish Families’ befriending project and wider volunteering programme, with the assistance and support of the Fundraising Manager, and with input from family members; building relationships with volunteers in order to provide meaningful volunteer opportunities; and working with staff to encourage volunteer participation in events and other activities. The post also involves facilitating the recruitment, support, and retention of volunteer befrienders and wider volunteers within the organisation; and facilitating the induction of new volunteer befrienders and wider volunteers, and their ongoing training and development; as well as supporting the process for identifying adult family members (aged 16+) in need of befriending support and matching these with suitable volunteer befrienders; and for matching wider volunteers with appropriate opportunities.

We are seeking applicants who are educated to HNC level, vocational qualification (level 3) or relevant professional qualification, with experience of working with volunteers. Applicants should have an understanding of the principles and benefits of befriending, as well as understanding of the needs and motivation of volunteers and the ability to adapt to those needs. You should be able to facilitate volunteer training, have strong organisational skills, and effective interpersonal and communication skills.

You can find out more information about our work in ‘The Cost of Loving, our Strategic Plan 2023-26 and our Impact Report 2023-24.

As a result of exciting growth within the team, a great opportunity is newly available at Alzheimer Scotland, supporting our Fundraising & Engagement team in raising vital funds to make sure that nobody faces dementia alone.

This role can be based in either of our city centre offices in Glasgow or Edinburgh with a minimum of four days in the office to ensure we give our supporters the best service. There will be occasional travel to a range of other locations, as required by the organisation.

You will play a vital role in the supporter journey for third-party event participants and community fundraisers, ensuring they get the information and advice to enable them to have a fruitful and enjoyable experience with Alzheimer Scotland. You will often be their first point of contact, so you need to be passionate about providing first-class care to our supporters in an empathetic, efficient and enthusiastic way.

You will also be responsible for data entry and management so organisational skills and attention to detail are paramount. If you are someone who understands and uses processes with confidence and can complete reports to a high standard, then this is the role for you.

We are looking for someone who is naturally optimistic and empathetic, with a can-do attitude. You will be a self-starter who thrives on building meaningful relationships.

The successful applicant will have a positive attitude towards dementia, along with excellent communication skills and a caring manner.

Our vibrant and busy service in North West Glasgow provides support to people concerned about their own or someone else's alcohol or drug use. We have a Recovery Hub however much of our work is carried out in the local community. We work with people at all stages on their journey providing both one to one appointments and group work.

Please note that this is a fixed-term contract until 31st March 2025.

If you are passionate about helping others facing the problems caused by drugs and alcohol, then this might be just the job you are looking for. We are looking for someone experienced, motivated and determined to make a difference within local communities.

You will be someone who can work well within a team and well with partner agencies, having excellent communication skills. You will act as a champion for our clients, sharing your experiences and knowledge and showing change is possible. This means offering a safe space for them to share what it's like for them so we can understand their needs and design a support plan that's right for them. You'll be part of our amazing Recovery Worker team and work alongside our partner agencies to ensure each client receives the full package of support needed to keep them safe. We'll also welcome your ideas as to how we can develop our support offering to be even more effective and so help more people. A driving licence and access to a vehicle is desirable.

We work with people at all stages of their journey providing both one-to-one appointments and group work. We are determined and always professional in our approach to each and every case and we never judge, we're just here to help.

You will work as part of a team with the aims of:

• understanding your clients
• keeping them safe
• creating a plan they can achieve with your support
• checking in with them and reviewing their progress
• keeping accurate and timely records of your contact with them
• working effectively with other social care providers e.g. Housing, to cover all aspects of their successful recovery
• continuously learning and reflecting to improve the outcomes for your clients
• supporting your colleagues across the service to deliver excellent care

There will be assessments to carry out and records you need to keep and update, that's all part of our professional commitment and service to our clients and commissioners.

If you think this could be the career for you, take the first step and apply now to join our amazing team.

Diversity Statement

As an organisation, we continue to build an inclusive culture that encourages, supports and celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of our staff. We know that representing the communities we serve is key to us meeting our goals of radically improving people's lives. We welcome the unique contributions that you can bring and we encourage people from underrepresented communities and backgrounds to apply to join our team, including people with lived experience, people with disabilities, people from racialised communities, LGBTQ+ people and armed forces veterans.

Required Skills

To be successful in this role you will:

• have attained SVQ level 3 in Social Services & Healthcare or equivalent
• already be registered with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) or meet the registration requirements
• have some experience of working in a health, social care, or related setting
• have knowledge and understanding of delivering evidence-based interventions
• have experience of delivering group work, specifically in outreach and community settings
• knowledge of health and safety, including assessing clients in high-risk situations
• have the ability to build and maintain effective relationships with clients and colleagues alike
• be resilient under pressure and able to prioritise you work
• be comfortable using IT and digital media
• able to be flexible with your working hours on occasion and be happy to support other With You locations when needed

Ideally you will also have previous experience of working or volunteering with people who misuse substances. We welcome applications from those with lived experience.

You will also need to meet our safeguarding requirements of a satisfactory enhanced PVG check.

A full job description and person specification is available on request.

About The Company

Everyone should feel comfortable getting the support they need for issues with drugs, alcohol or mental health.

At We Are With You we work with people on their own goals, whether that’s staying safe and healthy, making small changes or stopping an unwanted habit altogether. We give people support in a way that’s right for them either face to face in their local service, community or online.

We provide a free and confidential service without judgement to more than 100,000 people a year.

We use our expertise to improve the help available and raise awareness around drugs, alcohol and mental health so that more people can get support.

We Are With You.

#IND LP

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• 28 days annual leave, plus bank holidays
• An extra day off for your birthday or a special occasion of your choice
• 2 days paid volunteer leave per year
• Auto-enrollment into We Are With You’s pension scheme
• Access to a Blue Light Card - giving you great savings on big high-street and online brands
• Flexible working opportunities and access to a range of services and resources to support you with your wellbeing
• We have an excellent Refer a Friend scheme which offers you a £500 bonus for any recommendations, any role! Our scheme allows you to recommend your friends and family to work with us and earn a £500 bonus payment for every successful referral you make. Please note, the Refer a Friend scheme is only applicable if your recommended friend completes their 6 months probation period

Should you be successful in your application, you will be required to provide 3 years worth of references and where applicable, will need to undergo an enhanced DBS/PVG check.

Are you looking to make a positive change in society through communications work? At Samaritans Scotland we are seeking a Communications Officer to join our friendly team in Edinburgh.

As Communications Officer, you’ll ensure the smooth delivery of internal and external communications in Scotland, including media and PR. Working across new and existing Samaritans’ campaigns, representing Samaritans to external stakeholders, reacting to the day-to-day news and supporting the development and delivery of a variety of projects.

You’ll be a key driver of our marketing and brand in Scotland. Working with our volunteers, story tellers and partners to support engagement and understanding of our work.

We are a flexible and inclusive organisation. 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.

Samaritans Scotland

Join a friendly, supportive, and ambitious staff team in Scotland. Our established Policy and Communications team is working with a range of external stakeholders including the Scottish Government, MSPs and local 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. Our staff team works to support and promote our services and ensure that people know we’re here when they need us.

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, as well as supporting the delivery of media guidelines training in Scotland.

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.