About the Lochaber Experience Matters Project

The Lochaber Experience Matters Project aims to engage and empower individuals in Lochaber with lived experiences of mental health challenges. By establishing an Experience Matters Advisory Panel (Ex-MAP), we seek to create a sustainable platform for these voices to influence and improve third-sector services.

The project's objectives are to:

• Community Collaboration: Foster opportunities for people with lived experience to come together and give voice to their support needs.
• Capacity Building: Enhance the ability and confidence of third-sector service providers to engage meaningfully with people with lived experience.
• Co-Design Advocacy: Promote active involvement in the co-design of 3rd sector services, ensuring that community voices shape their delivery and evaluation.

This new Lochaber Experience Matters Project is funded through the Scottish Government’s Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund and builds on the successful Caithness Experience Matters Advisory Panel approach.

Key role responsibilities:

• Project leadership, planning, and delivery
• Outreach and community engagement
• Reporting, relationship building, and collective advocacy

For an informal discussion about the role, contact John Beaton, Development Manager, at john@spiritadvocacy.org.uk or call 07553 206666.

About the Pathways to Recovery Project

Pathways to Recovery is a collaborative initiative between Spirit Advocacy, Connecting Carers, and NHS Highland. It will support people 18 and over who have lived experience and/or caring for someone who has lived experience in Mid and East Ross with their mental health and well-being by providing peer-led, relational support grounded in lived experience.

• Peer Navigators work alongside individuals to help them make sense of their experiences, build confidence in navigating services, and feel empowered in their recovery. The project aims to:
• Improve access to compassionate, person-led support
• Reduce feelings of isolation, distress or being 'stuck'
• Strengthen collaboration between communities, services, and support networks
• Build local capacity through values-based training and partnership working

We are recruiting a Peer Recovery Co-ordinator to lead and support the development of this project. The Co-ordinator will ensure the project’s values and aims are realised across both areas by supporting two Peer Navigators, maintaining key partnerships, and embedding reflective practice.

About the role

The Peer Recovery Coordinator leads the delivery of peer-led support across Mid and East Ross, ensuring safe, trauma-informed, and relational practice across the team. They will work closely with Peer Recovery Navigators, support reflective practice, and maintain strong partnerships with Connecting Carers, NHS Highland, and third-sector organisations.

This leadership role is rooted in values-based supervision, lived experience, and collaboration. The Coordinator ensures that participants feel supported, peer staff feel valued, and the overall project is responsive, safe, and effective.

For an informal discussion about the role, contact John Beaton, Chief Executive Officer, at john@spiritadvocacy.org.uk or call 07553 206666.

Do you want to work for an organisation that truly cares about its staff?

Would you like to use your skills to make a difference to the lives of hundreds of families every week?

If the answer is ‘yes’, Space is the place for you!

About Space:

WE BELIEVE THAT CONNECTIONS BUILD COMMUNITIES

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

Space delivers 20 projects, with around 60 staff and over 150 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

As a dynamic organisation no two days are the same, with a wealth of learning and development opportunities for our staff and volunteers.

We are an accredited Living Wage employer and proud to share our Carer Positive accreditation, as part of our commitment to the growing number of people in the workforce who need flexibility due to their caring role.

Space is wholly committed to inclusion and diversity and to building a culture and environment where everyone is appreciated for the unique person they are.

Annual Leave: 32 days annual leave, increasing to 37 days in year two of employment, Pro Rata. This includes some set public holidays and two-week closure over Christmas and New Year.

Location: The Broomhouse Hub, EH11 3RH, with an element of home working hours available.

The Role:

The purpose of the Young Carers Project Worker role is to improve the quality of life of Young Carers in South West Edinburgh, providing support, information, advocacy, advice and connections, using a whole family approach.

The post holder will be mainly working with carers who are in 1st & 2nd year of high school, managing a caseload to provide 1:1 support and deliver weekly group activities. The post holder will also work closely with team members who are supporting carers in other age ranges to aid the smooth transitions between groups.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide 1:1 support sessions to young carers, creating person centred development plans, building in regular reviews and tracking progress
• Offer young carer statements to document the specifics of the individual’s caring role and help identify any challenges they are experiencing. Where issues are identified, take proactive measures to ensure young carers have equal access to support, respite and funding.
• Process incoming referrals which includes liaising with referrers, carrying out home visits to assess young carer support requirement.
• Advocate for young carers, empowering them to articulate their needs and views
• Plan and deliver a weekly programme of fun activity-based group sessions on Wednesday evenings. Consult with the young people to consider their interests and activities that will encourage peer connection, whilst working to set budgets.
• Support a fellow Project Worker to run group activities on Monday evenings for Young Carers Primary 1-5
• Plan and facilitate off site activities, residential opportunities and summer day trips for young carer groups, following appropriate health & safety procedures.
• Support and train group workers and group volunteers, promoting opportunities for development.
• Maintain accurate detailed records and database of own caseload in a timely manner in order to track progress and inform funder reporting.

Skills and Experience required for this role:

• A minimum of 3 years’ experience working with children/young people on a 1:1 basis and in a group setting.
• Have a creative approach to delivering age appropriate, engaging group activities whilst adhering to strict budgets
• Be available to work until 8.30pm on a Monday & Wednesday evening in order to run carers group sessions.
• Have a natural ability to form appropriate relationships with children and young people
• Have a sound understanding of, and sensitive approach towards, the needs and difficulties faced by children & young people, in particular those in a caring role
• Have experience of supporting people with neurodiversity and/or ASD
• Have a proactive approach to tasks, showing excellent time management and an ability to use own initiative to organise workload efficiently to meet deadlines with minimal supervision

The full job description and person specification for the role is attached.

PVG: Membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme required

PlayPeace is recruiting!

We have an exciting job opportunity for a Peer Information and Support worker to deliver our recently funded project; Peer and Collective Power ( ASN Parents). The postholder will be instrumental in developing an online directory of information for parent and other carers of children and young people with additional support needs, bespoke to and informed by our PlayPeace community. This will involve working directly with parents and other carers , primarily as part of the support to our parent carer breather activities.

The post is fixed term for one year from commencement of contract; on a 21 hour per week basis . Salary is £14,400.00 p.a based on a whole time salary of £24,000.

More details are contained in the detailed Job Description and Person Specification attached.

For an informal discussion, or if you have queries regarding the post please text your name and telephone number to 07752227924 to arrange a phone call.