The Trust has a vacancy for a Project Coordinator. This is an opportunity for a creative and caring individual with excellent organisational, administrative and volunteer management skills to play a leading role in the running and development of a highly successful community project aimed at enhancing the wellbeing of residents of the Perthshire village of Stanley.

Working in partnership with existing groups and statutory services, the successful applicant will coordinate and support volunteers to run a time bank offering opportunities to local people to devote some of their spare time to helping others. Activities undertaken by members range from dog walking, gardening, shopping to more specialised tasks.

The post holder will be required to recruit and train a group of befrienders to support individuals at risk of social isolation and loneliness and to support a volunteer group that runs a lunch club aimed at reducing loneliness.

The post holder would also be responsible for securing funding to continue ongoing community projects within the village.

Fauldhouse and Breich Valley Community Development Trust (F&BV CDT) are primarily focused on addressing poverty, inequality and disadvantage. We work with many partners, CAB, Bridge Project, Advice Shop, WLCAN, Wide Range of Health and Social Care Partners, Schools, Family Servies, and Older Peoples Services.

F&BV are rural, fairly isolated communities. The rural location makes access to mental health and wellbeing services and resources almost impossible for many local people. F&BV CDT would like to employ a Mental Health and Wellbeing Development Worker. We would like to continue to address issues within the community using a person-centred, social prescribing approach.

We want to focus on the person in a way "that enables people to achieve the outcomes that they want (rather than outcomes defined or prescribed by others) "We want to manipulate structures not people".

We currently provide a range of advice and support services via our Anti-Poverty programme, projects which address disadvantage, marginalisation and the cost-of-living crisis. Our work often involves a “revolving door”, where people return with a similar crisis.

We want to continue to work with people through their crisis. But we are keen to continue to work with them as they come out of crisis mode and help them continue on their journey with (for example) support, encouragement and self-help. We also want to ensure we train and include local people, local volunteers who have life experience. F&BV CDT wants the post holder to assist in the recruitment of volunteers who can identify with the issues and concerns, who have come through “crisis” and have found a pathway which has enabled them to improve their life chances, life skills, their potential and their future opportunities. We also want to work with our partners and service providers towards positive outcomes.

The post holder, with support from their line management, The F&BV CDT Team, The Board of Trustees, will work with the individual, family and the wider communities. We want to be here for the individual, family, community for as long as needed, until they no longer feel isolated, alone. Until they feel confident, and they feel that their mental health and their wellbeing has improved, and they are able to continue on a positive pathway.

We think this project offers a very exciting opportunity to develop a new way of working within the local communities.

If you feel you have the knowledge, experience, commitment and the enthusiasm required to fulfil these aims, F&BV CDT would really like to hear from you.

About Thrive

Thrive Edinburgh is about thinking big and thinking differently. We have made it our goal to promote mental health and protect our citizens’ resilience, self-esteem, family strength and joy, and reduce the toll of mental ill-health on individuals, our communities and our city.

The Thrive Welcome Teams are comprised of organisations that provide social, practical, learning and clinical support.

The South West partnership is between Space, SAMH and the Edinburgh Health & Social Care Partnership. Our organisations share a commitment to the Thrive vision and values of trust, respect, collaboration, person-centeredness, innovation, and compassion. Together we deliver a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency response so that citizens receive the right help for their mental health, at the right time. The team includes Mental Health Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Social Workers, Support Practitioners and Peer Workers.

More information about Thrive Edinburgh

The Role

Peer work is a recognised practice in mental health recovery across the world.

The main role of a Thrive Peer Worker is to use their own lived experience of mental health recovery journey to promote good mental health practices with citizens within our communities.

This is achieved by providing short term, one-to-one, emotional and practical mental health support. Through confidential conversations a safe space is provided for people to discuss issues at their own pace, using person-centred tools to help others identify their strengths, and work towards achievable and meaningful recovery goals. These meetings can take place in a variety of locations including NHS venues and community based settings.

Peer Work supports people to establish meaningful and fulfilling links in the community so that people can more easily access the right help when needed including social, therapeutic and medical interventions.

Key tasks in the job:

Hold initial conversations to assess needs and risk, ensuring people access the services that will best support them.

Guide people to create individual support plans that draw on their own strengths

Provide short term support through 1:1 meetings, typically between 2-6 sessions, drawing on your own mental health journey

Be well connected in the community to understand the different services on offer and the criteria for referring.

Accompany individuals to appointments to connect them into services.

Attend cross team meetings to discuss cases and share learning.

Attend open access ‘drop-in’ sessions that are held within community venues, providing people with instant access to advice and sign posting.

The full job description listing all key tasks is attached.

About Space

Space is a community anchor organisation supporting people and their families in South West Edinburgh, with some of our services stretching city wide.

WE BELIEVE THAT CONNECTIONS BUILD COMMUNITIES

Space delivers 22 projects, with 60+ staff and over 200 volunteers. We deliver diverse services supporting young people, families, older people and carers amongst others.

For more information about Space and all our projects can be found on our website – spacescot.org

To oversee all aspects of the Hamilton District Foodbank operation and ensure alignment to the agreed operating model as follows:

• Recruiting volunteers including interviews, reference checks, disclosure checks (as required), and obtaining signed confidentiality / GDPR agreements
• Recruiting and supporting Duty Co-ordinators
• Organising and facilitating volunteer training
• Ensuring that all volunteers adhere to the confidentiality agreement
• Ensuring that the Foodbank meets Health and Safety standards
• Ensuring that the Foodbank meets Environmental Health standards
• Developing, maintaining and ensuring compliance to policies and procedures (e.g. Safeguarding)
• Maintaining awareness of the benefit system and any changes to it, and understanding and responding to the impact of those changes on the Foodbank operation and future plans
• Communicating with all the relevant people including churches, volunteers, Trussell Trust, Referring Agencies and Committee members
• Ensuring that the Foodbank maintains the online database, website, and social media
• Communicating with local media and positively promoting the Foodbank service
• Organising Foodbank representation at Community events
• Working in partnership with the Salvation Army in Hamilton