We are seeking volunteers to join our Board of Trustees. Specifically, we are looking for volunteers to fulfil the role of Chair of the Board and also Treasurer. It’s an exciting time to join our Board as we continue to develop our strategy and target growth in all aspects of our work.

If you are passionate about making a difference in peoples’ lives and want to volunteer your skills and experience, we want to hear from you. This is an opportunity to volunteer for a charity that provides high-quality psychodynamic training and services, aiming to make psychodynamic counselling and therapy, and the theories that inform them, more accessible across Scotland.

Chair

Working closely with the Director and fellow Trustees, the Chair will utilise their skills and experience to lead the Board on matters of governance, ensuring that all activities align with HDS’s charitable aims, publicly stated objectives values and constitution, and that there is appropriate risk management in place (financial and other).

The ideal candidate will have a substantive employment background in one or more of the following areas:

• Psychotherapy and/or counselling
• Financial management and accounting
• Business management
• Governance
• Management within the public or charity sector

Treasurer

The ideal candidate will have substantive employment background in financial management and accounting to fulfil the role of Treasurer of the Board. The postholder will work closely with our Director and provide financial oversight to the management and administration of HDS activities.

In addition to the above, we are looking for someone who has substantive experience in one or more of:

• Business management
• Governance
• Management within the public or charity sector

Role of all Trustees

Our volunteer Trustees contribute significantly to our overall charitable objectives and we value their knowledge and experience. Trustees dedicate time to attend Board meetings (usually six meetings per year). While an in-depth understanding of the theories informing the psychotherapeutic training or work of the organisation is not required, our Trustees should have a grounded belief in the value of high-quality psychotherapy and counselling in effecting change in people's lives.

About HDS

Human Development Scotland (HDS) is a charity that provides high-quality psychodynamic training and therapeutic services, aiming to make psychodynamic counselling and therapy, and the theories that inform them, more accessible across Scotland. Our office is based in Glasgow city centre which includes a Training Suite for our part-time students to receive their teaching, and counselling rooms where some of our therapeutic services operate from.

VOX (Voices of Experience) Scotland is recruiting for a Policy & Participation Officer to support the team based at our Mental Health Foundation Glasgow office.

VOX is Scotland’s national voice on mental health, we represent our members’ views to Scotland’s politicians and health professionals to make sure Scotland’s laws and mental health services reflect our members needs and interests. VOX’s Board of Directors includes individuals who have lived and living experience of mental ill health. The role of the Policy and Participation Officer will be to work alongside the VOX Senior Development Officer to progress the key aims within VOX’s business plan, including delivering on specific project and policy objectives and achieving required outcomes.

What does the role involve?

• To support VOX Scotland respond to consultations which will influence the policies and laws in Scotland which impact people living with mental illness.
• To gather insights and experiences from our members and the wider public to enable us to deliver research and evidence around the experiences of people living with mental illness.
• To help develop opportunities for those who have, or have had mental distress to influence the development of services with which they may engage.

What skills, knowledge and experience are we looking for?

• Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of human rights, social justice issues and the inequalities encountered by those who have experienced mental health problems.
• Demonstrable ability to engage with the Scottish Policy, service and practice environments (mental health and social justice).
• Demonstrable relevant experience in working within the Mental Health or related field.

Safeguarding is Everyone’s business – Mental Health Foundation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of all its beneficiaries, those who surround them, its staff, volunteers, and anyone else who comes into contact with its services and expects all trustees, staff, and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful applicant will be subject to appropriate vetting procedures (proof of eligibility to work in the UK, proof of residency and satisfactory employment screening, including a Disclosure check and two most recent references) along with 3-year renewals of Disclosure checks. We are unable to provide sponsorship for this post, you must be able to demonstrate your eligibility to work in the UK.

About us

Break The Silence make a profound and positive difference in the lives of those affected by childhood sexual trauma, their partners and family members. We support all genders, age 13+ across East and North Ayrshire. Operating since 2004, Break the Silence is a registered charity in Scotland (SCO36263), a company limited by guarantee (SC341157) and strives to be a centre of excellence for clients and stakeholders. We hold British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy service accreditation and won Ayrshire Chamber’s prestigious Business Excellence Award, 2004.

We offer a professional counselling service, working collaboratively at the client’s pace, facilitating positive change through healing to challenge the effects of sexual trauma and to assist post-traumatic growth; provide psychoeducational support for partners and family members; and explore opportunities to influence, promoting early intervention and prevention and representing the collective voice of those affected by sexual trauma to educate and inform, reducing inequalities by improving education and understanding of trauma in our communities.

Applicants

We celebrate diversity, recognising and valuing different perspectives, experiences, opinions and thoughts which a new board member can bring. We welcome applicants that reflect the community we serve.

The role may appeal to someone wishing to volunteer as a trustee for the first time, or to an experienced trustee seeking a new challenge. We are especially keen to hear from candidates with experience in marketing/communications, digital skills, human resources and general business knowledge.

The board meet quarterly on-line and a full induction will be provided including training in trauma, safeguarding and governance. As a third sector trustee appointment, the post is unremunerated.

A PVG is required for this post as it is considered a regulated role.

The Housing First Service is for people who are rough sleeping, homeless or at imminent risk of rough sleeping; they may present as challenging and difficult and are likely to have multiple and complex needs which make finding, securing, and maintaining accommodation impossible or extremely difficult.

The key aim of Housing First is to end the cycle of homelessness for those with high support needs, improve health and wellbeing, maximise opportunities and potential and encourage social integration. It is to move individuals from a homeless environment to a permanent safe and secure property of their own with intensive support for as long as they need it.

The Housing First Project Worker acts as the key worker for a small group of Housing First tenants providing a co-ordinated approach to support service users that have had multiple exclusions to sustain their Housing First tenancy. The Project Worker will assess and engage with service users to develop a person-centred plan that aims to address and resolve issues that have contributed to their chaotic lifestyles.

Staff will work to engage service users who have a history of disengaging from services, using a variety of techniques and approaches to build a relationship and develop a person-centred support plan. Staff will meet the service users’ needs first in supporting them to reach their identified goals, make informed decisions, and achieve a greater level of stability and independence. All staff will work alongside multi-disciplinary partner agencies who will be there to provide additional advice and support to service users as agreed in their person-centred support plan.

This role will report to the Team Leader. The role focusses on offering both practical assistance and emotional support to individuals being supported. By fostering positive relationships with clients, you will help them sustain a safe and well-maintained living environment.

This role will require you to provide both emotional and practical support to clients to address these issues, having a can-do attitude is essential. The range of tasks that this role involves aligns with tasks commonly referred to as intensive housing management. You will have a deep understanding of the challenges faced by individuals with complex needs, along with experience supporting clients through various issues. Additionally, you will demonstrate a strong knowledge of the skills necessary for independent living.

This role work in partnership with colleagues from Falkirk Council’s Housing and Social Work, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, NHS Forth Valley, Substance Use Services, and other services as appropriate. 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.