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 East Lothian locality, the post will be based within the Older Adult Community Mental Health Team, East Lothian Community Hospital, Haddington, EH41 3PF. 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, 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 licence and access to a car.

The successful candidate for this post will be subject to a criminal check through Disclosure Scotland.

As a Senior Practitioner, I take responsibility for my own work and have a responsibility in assisting or supervising others in the team to achieve the overall team/service outcomes. I have a lead role in developing my part of the service/project.

I am responsible for one-to-one support including carrying a case load and developing and reviewing personal support plans; I work autonomously being able to judge when I refer to my Manager and I take a lead role in developing the service.

I work mainly on a one-to-one basis in the community and/or in people’s homes; and I may support group and other activities in the Change Mental Health Resource Centre – although one to one support is my main focus.

I support the Locality, Service and Area Managers, in their strategic role to meet national and funder criteria. I work l closely with partners in the community to identify gaps in the service where they arise and implement solutions in partnership with my line manager.

What I do and what I achieve

· I work closely with the Project Manager, Locality Manager or Area Manager to achieve strategic outcomes

· I compile and review service user development plans ensuring outcomes are being achieved

· I establish supportive relationships with each individual, encouraging individual responsibility and decision-making to maximise choice, control and self-management.

· I ensure that people I support are connected to other Change Mental Health services in the area as appropriate

· I provide advice and guidance to new or less experienced employees in my own area of responsibility

· My focus is ensuring continuity of service within the context of Change Mental Health values and strategic outcomes

· I ensure that careful and ongoing review systems are in place and maintained

· I build positive working relationships with local partners to better support our service users and to promote the work of Change Mental Health

· I develop new services/approaches in response to unmet need

· I collate information and prepare agency reports for line management as required

· I have a lead role to oversee that all Health and Safety responsibilities within practice settings are fulfilled

Who I am

· I am educated to SVQ 3 level or have experience working in mental health

· I work well in a team setting but can also work autonomously

· I have a sound theory base of social care interventions including risk assessment

· My value base is consistent with the aims and objectives of Change Mental Health

· I apply an analytical approach to problems in order to find solutions

· I am competent in planning and reviewing development plans and taking appropriate action if needed

· My I.T skills are of a good standard

· I recognise the importance of providing professional support and supervision to practitioners

· I have a sound knowledge of Health and Social care policy in Scotland and can apply this to my role

· I am keen to develop my knowledge and skills and attend training as required

I may also have

· Experience of delivering a Registered Service and meeting SSSC requirements

General Duties

· Act in accordance with General Data Protection Regulation legislation. Ensure all records, personal, staff and client data are managed in line with Data Management and Information Governance policies

· Comply with legal and regulatory requirements such as provisions set out in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

· As with all employees, workers and volunteers; to encourage people to join Change Mental Health as a member, donor or activist

· To act in accordance with the charity’s Health & Safety and Safeguarding policies and to notify your line manager promptly if there are any concerns

· To participate in regular supervision and appraisal and undertake any relevant training as appropriate to the role

· To support and enable our dedicated teams of volunteers in the delivery of the charity’s aims

· To work in accordance with the charity’s national policies and local operating procedures and those of external regulators or professional bodies

· This job profile and list of duties is not exhaustive and serves only to highlight the main requirements. The line manager may stipulate other reasonable requirements and projects commensurate with the general profile and grade of the post.

Transform Forth Valley is offering this post in partnership with the Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership.

This post will be split with 3 days in the Falkirk Self-Neglect and Hoarding Service, and 2 days in the Falkirk Social Inclusion Project.

The aim of the Self-Neglect and Hoarding Service is to support people living in Falkirk who are experiencing issues with hoarding. We currently have an established Self-Neglect and Hoarding Service in Falkirk & Clackmannanshire, with this new post expanding our team. Self-neglect is an extreme lack of self-care, it is sometimes associated with hoarding.

People who experience self-neglect often decline help from others; in many cases they do not feel that they need it or can be overwhelmed by their circumstances and are often socially isolated. This often leads to crisis interventions following a significant deterioration. We work with people who are affected by hoarding disorder and other conditions that result in extreme clutter and chronic disorganisation to make long-term sustainable change. This service aims to provide early, effective, and supportive interventions to those adults who are experiencing self-neglect and hoarding.

We aim to provide early intervention to identify need to offer support and improve outcomes, by reducing health inequalities and enabling adults to realise their potential and be connected to resilient and compassionate communities

The Social Inclusion Project (SIP) supports people who use alcohol and drugs and have backgrounds of offending or other particularly challenging behaviour, to access existing services, referred by partner organisations. The SIP model complements the work of existing agencies/services by supporting people to interact with services when their complex needs (such as substance use, homelessness, mental health illness, learning disability, welfare benefits issues, social isolation and / or family dysfunction) present barriers for their access to care. The collaborative approach between the SIP and existing services is proven to deliver an effective means by which people can access services which they might otherwise struggle to interact with.

This post holder will work directly with the service user to enable their access to an integrated pathway across universal services including the ‘Third Sector’ and wider Health & Social Care services. The service aims to tackle the issues associated with social exclusion by supporting the people affected to enable their engagement with community-based supports.

The post holder will report to the Team Leader. They will work in partnership with colleagues from Falkirk Council’s Housing and Social Work, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, NHS Forth Valley and Substance Use Services. In partnership we aim to provide services that are specifically designed to identify, engage, and support individuals. This includes issues of substance use with mental health, physical health, exclusion, learning disabilities, offending behaviour, self-neglect & hoarding, anti-social behaviour, housing, and social problems.

The post holder as an employee of Transform Forth Valley will have a corporate responsibility to contribute to the overall performance of the organisation to ensure that contractual outputs and targets are achieved. There is a responsibility for the post-holder to demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvements in service delivery for the benefit of the service user, the service, and the partners.

The post-holder will be required to work from several operational sites across the local authority areas and work flexibly within an agreed number of hours to maintain the most appropriate level of provision.

Organisational Profile

Transform Forth Valley is a Scottish based registered charity limited by guarantee (SC033772).

Transform Forth Valley is governed by a Board of Directors and is strategically led, managed, and operated on a day-to-day basis by a Corporate Leadership Team consisting of a Chief Executive, Operational and Corporate Service Managers.

Transform Forth Valley offer a wide range of services to support individuals and families who are impacted by inequality, whether this be societal, financial or in relation to their health.

Transform Forth Valley is dedicated to empowering individuals and families to live a more fulfilled life. We work with partners to actively challenge inequalities and to achieve sustainable change.

You can find out more about Transform Forth Valley here: transformfv.org.uk.

Benefits:

• Leave – For full time employees Transform Forth Valley offer 30 days of Annual Leave plus 9 days of Statutory Holiday per annum.
• Pension – If eligible Transform Forth Valley will auto enrol you into our pension scheme where we will contribute 5%, and employee’s a minimum of 3%, of your pensionable salary.
• Wellbeing Days – For permanent members of staff, who have completed their probationary period, Transform Forth Valley offer two day’s paid leave of absence per annum as a ‘wellbeing day’ to support positive mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing for staff.
• Death in Service Insurance – If eligible Transform Forth Valley will place you into the scheme upon commencement of employment and the lump sum benefit is 4 x Basic Annual Salary.

Express Group Fife is an established mental health charity with a network of social groups throughout Fife. The aim of the groups is to promote positive mental wellbeing by providing a safe place for sharing experiences and peer support. This aim is as relevant today as it was in 1977, when Express Group Fife started to operate, and the number of people living in the community with mental health problems is as large as ever.

We are looking to recruit a Group Co-ordinator to cover groups in St Andrews, Methil, Tayport and Cupar.

There are 4 elements to the service:

• Working with groups of people around a shared activity
• Providing a basic healthy lunch
• Supporting service users in the development of individual support/recovery plans
• Mental health promotion and community development work.

Job purpose:

• To support the team in working effectively with individuals by supporting service users in a group setting and assisting in the management of individuals.
• To co-ordinate and manage day support groups; in consultation with the Manager and caseworker, be responsible for the management of groups.
• To co-ordinate, manage, monitor and review the development of the groups in order to make them interesting and relevant to the people who attend.
• To provide emotional and practical support to service users with high support needs.
• To enable provision of a basic healthy lunch.