The Vacancy: As a skilled Social Care Manager, you will be joining a team of five other Support Advisor’s who are dedicated to supporting the people we work for to live their good lives. Across the Lanarkshire area, we support around 30 people who receive varying support from committed and dedicated teams, supporting people to live in their own home and be a valued part of their community. You will work alongside your Area Lead to manage and develop highly bespoke services designed with the people we work for at the centre.

The Brief: Support people we work for to live their good life…To achieve this, you will be part of a friendly and supportive team of experienced Support Advisors who walk alongside people we work to manage their support. You will ensure each person we work for receives high quality, personalised and aspirational support which keeps them at centre of everything. You will ensure that people we work for are empowered to enjoy everyday living and are part of the community they live in. You will be outcome focused and have a keen eye for detail to ensure people we work for have the high-quality support they deserve.

About You:You will have a proven track record in Social Care Leadership, including management of team members and supporting people to achieve their outcomes. You will be authentic, flexible, patient and be able to plan ahead. You will be assertive, confident, resilient and be able to think outside the box to solve problems that may arise. You need to be a team player and a self-starter all at once who thrives on doing good work. You will be able to adopt a supporting and coaching management style with the team members you line manage to get the best out of support teams working with people we work for as well as experience of performance management.

Your Skills: Experience of working with adults with additional support needs is essential as is a knowledge of Self Direct Support. If you have knowledge of Individual Service Funds, this is also desirable. It is essential that you can demonstrate excellent communication skills, be IT savvy, and be able to plan & prioritise your workload independently. You will have an in-depth knowledge of Person Centred Planning and developing detailed Care Plans. You should also have experience of working alongside a wealth of multi-disciplinary colleagues and be able to build positive relationships with families and loved ones of the people we work for. At heart, you will be a people person who can connect people we work for to their communities and have a ‘can do’ approach.

A relevant qualification in line with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) (an SVQ 3 in Health & Social Care) or a willingness to undertake study to achieve this is a requirement of this role.

The Reward: Be part of a dynamic, forward-thinking organisation working actively to promote and implement a human rights-based approach and active citizenship, supporting people to live their best lives and being a key player in teamwork.

This role is to cover the Motherwell Locality in North Lanarkshire but may include work in other localities when required. This role is hybrid, working from our base in Bellshill, the communities where people we work for live, and some home working. Occasional travel to other areas to attend training/meetings can be a requirement of the role.

Perks of the Post:

• Paid PVG and SSSC fees
• 30 days annual leave - rising to 35 days after 5 years’ service.
• Life Assurance
• Access to Discount Scheme
• Cycle to Work and Tech Scheme
• Credit Union Affiliation
• Health Plan
• Flexible working options

Next Steps:

For an informal chat or further information, contact Ryan (Area Lead) on 07885803772 or if you feel ready to apply now, click the link.

SBP has a compelling story to tell about the transformational recovery of Scotland’s nature. It’s called rewilding.

As an organisation with an exciting portfolio of projects to deliver across Scotland, we are looking for a dynamic and highly-skilled digital media specialist, who will be at the heart of our creative communications activity and work to optimise the reach and influence of SBP’s work via multiple digital channels.

See the job description, available for download below, for the duties and responsibilities associated with the role, as well as the experience, skills and attributes we are seeking.

Organisation profile

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture (SBP) is a charity that works to drive the recovery of nature across Scotland through rewilding, in response to the growing climate and biodiversity crises. Our vision is of a vast network of rewilded land and water, where wildlife flourishes and people thrive.

We are a small, friendly, agile and progressive team that works in collaboration with many different interest groups to:

• Drive support for rewilding
• Commit more land and water to rewilding
• Return missing species
• Develop rewilding business

Please see our website for more information on our work: scotlandbigpicture.com

Do you want to front an amazing team and the delivery of services health and care services which make a difference to the lives of people across the North and North East of Scotland?

This could be the role for you. We have a fantastic opportunity for a people leader, ideally with regulated service experience, to join our Health and Care team as a Health Operations Manager.

What does a day in the life of Health Operations Manager look like?

• You will guide the local management team producing a range of health and care services.
• You will also be a key part of our national leadership team. Here you will drive growth and development of our services so we can meet reach more people with greater impact across Scotland. This should help us to increase our reach of care and support to vulnerable people. Thus, enhancing the reputation and influence of British Red Cross in this field.
• You will oversee and lead the day-to-day function of all aspects of the British Red Cross Health and Care Services. This will include leading, managing and developing a service delivery team of staff and volunteers. These services focus on supporting people to get home from hospital and on enabling them to live freely at home. Ultimately preventing admission or readmission and tackling social seclusion.
• You will be a key strategic point of engagement with local stakeholders (including commissioners). You will be responsible for meeting our contractual obligations, including quality, KPIs and financial performance. You will also work closely with our business development team to develop opportunities across Scotland.

To be a successful Health Operations Manager, you’ll need:

• Experience of successful operational management of health / social care-related services. Ensuring regulated activities meet the required standards.
• Experience of developing services with NHS or Local Government partners and achieving agreed outcomes.
• Public speaking and presentation skills. Influencing people and making an impact with your message.
• IT literate. Experience of using Microsoft email, word processing and spreadsheet packages.
• Demonstrable experience of managing staff, volunteers, and projects.
• An awareness of the needs of vulnerable people, with the ability to improve the services we provide for them.
• Budgeting and financial management experience.
• Organisational skills and the ability to manage a demanding workload.
• Able to work and travel extensively throughout the North East & East of Scotland on a regular basis as appropriate, and more widely in Scotland as required.

In return for your commitment and expertise, you’ll get:

• Holidays –You’ll get 36 days annual leave (including bank holidays) and the option to buy an additional 5 days leave.
• Pension scheme – We offer up to 6% contributory pension.
• Flexible working – We will do what we can to make sure you work in a way that suits you.
• Learning & Development Opportunities – We are one of the UK’s largest charities and have a wide range of career opportunities. We also provide comprehensive learning opportunities for staff to develop themselves.
• Discounts – You’ll have access to brilliant discounts through the Blue Light Discount Card and our own employee benefits platform.
• Wellbeing Support – Staff wellbeing is always priority. You’ll have access to mental health and wellbeing support.
• Team Working – You will be working as part of a team that is supporting our mission of helping people in crisis.
• Cycle2Work – The cycle to work scheme enables you to lease a bicycle.
• Season ticket loan – We offer an interest free loan to buy a season ticket for travel between home and work.

ABOUT EAST LOTHIAN COMMUNITY RAIL PARTNERSHIP

Community Rail Partnerships (CRP) were first established in England in the 1990s as a formal mechanism to reinvigorate local and rural railways. CRP status provides a framework for community involvement in strategic planning, development and operation of a specific railway line.

Since 2014, the East Lothian Community Rail Partnership has been pulling together a wide range of local organisations with an interest in communities and sustainable transport, to fix the link between railway stations, town centres and the surrounding areas, and realise an integrated transport network accessible to all. We work with four train operators (ScotRail, LNER, TransPennine Express, and Cross Country), Transport Scotland, East Lothian Council, the Regional Transport Partnership (SEStran), local businesses and community groups towards the following aims:

• Supporting the local economy by promoting rail use and rail facilities
• Actively promoting the use of rail and other public and low carbon-emitting transport
• Supporting safety, security and access initiatives relating to railway use
• Working with ‘station adopters’ (individuals and groups) to provide a more pleasant environment within the station areas.

ABOUT THE VACANCY

Harry Barker has been chairing East Lothian CRP since its inception in 2014 and is now preparing to pass on the reins of a well-established and respected organisation. In addition the time is right to expand the Board and also appoint a vice chair. Examples of projects completed to date include:

• restored the murals at Prestonpans Station (best community project 2023)
• improved signage to stations
• provided information boards for display in stations promoting local attractions and historical information
• supported many local events in the North Berwick and Dunbar areas
• producing a line guide and leaflets to encourage tourism
• working with bus operators to improve integration between bus and rail

Projects have always been dependent on external funding which to date has not proved problematical, and, as such, the incoming Chair will have the flexibility to pursue their own agenda. The CRP is financially sound and new ways of operating are being explored by The Community Rail Network and the new Chair will be well placed to provide input to these.

East Lothian CRP has no paid staff, and projects are led by volunteers under direction from the Board, and therefore the amount of work involved can vary but can be expected to be around 10 hours per month for the Chair.

DUTIES OF THE CHAIR

Responsibilities include:

• Ensuring that the CRP is run in accordance with the constitution
• Guiding and encouraging projects that will be undertaken from time to time
• Ensuring that the Action Plan is kept up to date
• Chairing four meetings per year, including the AGM (normally held in November)
• Producing an annual report for the AGM
• Ensuring that the activities of the CRP are within the guidelines produced by the Train Operating Companies in all respects particularly including safely

BENEFITS

You will receive a ‘staff’ rail pass from ScotRail permitting free rail travel throughout Scotland when travelling on ScotRail trains.

Reasonable expenses will be paid if required to travel on other rail services and/or stay overnight.

REQUIREMENTS

The successful applicant will be expected to support public transport in general, with a keen interest in integration between modes such as buses, active travel and rail.

A willingness of Board members to attend committees and conferences is essential (expenses will be covered) and these will give valuable access to professional railway staff and management on the front line, where your views can be heard. These include:

• the local ‘Rail Forum’ involving MSPs, Councillors and Train Operating Companies - twice a year, usually virtually
• in-person or virtual annual conferences of the four local Train Operating Companies (ScotRail, Cross Country Trains, TransPennine Express, and LNER) which may be held anywhere in the UK
• An annual event in Scotland sponsored by Modern Railways magazine which is attended by many high profile railway managers and senior representation from Transport Scotland
• Virtual attendance (via Zoom) at the national Community Rail Network meetings
• In-person Community Rail Networks Awards ceremony, if the CRP is short listed for an Award – this year’s was in Swansea over three days
• Six Community Area Partnership ‘On the Move’ groups consider local transport in East Lothian – CRP representation on one or more of these groups is important for a full appreciation of issues surrounding each station. Each On the Move Group meets every two months

A knowledge of railways and their workings is desirable but not essential.

Living in East Lothian and using the county’s rail services from time to time would be advantageous.

You will be expected to liaise with the station adoption groups from time to time. They have a separate relationship with ScotRail.

You will be expected to be pro-active in instructing the website to be kept up to date via the CRP’s appointed webmaster, and in responding to public enquiries which come via the website. You will not be required to answer complaints from the travelling public but direct these to ScotRail for attention.

From time to time it may be necessary to communicate with the local Press (East Lothian Courier and occasionally Edinburgh Evening News).