If you’re looking to use your excellent accountancy, leadership and communication skills within a pioneering health and wellbeing charity, where two days are never the same, then this could be the role for you.

About Thistle

At Thistle we believe in a world of inclusion, free of isolation and loneliness, where a health crisis doesn’t mean a life crisis.

Our charity supports people with disabilities and long-term health conditions; to lead good lives and achieve what matters most to them. We believe that everyone in Scotland should have access to our person-centred approach to health and wellbeing.

About the Role

This role will be key in leading, developing, and managing the Finance function to support the delivery of Thistle’s strategic objectives and provide a professional, supportive, and responsive Finance service across the organisation. It will involve working closely with the operational teams in Supported Living and Health & Wellbeing, as well as colleagues right across the organisation including others in our ‘back-office’, known collectively as Thistle Hub.

• Lead the Finance function to manage our financial operations effectively and in accordance with OSCR and statutory regulations.
• Responsibility for reporting to the Leadership Team and Trustees on the financial position, delivering monthly management accounts, the annual budget and regular reforecasts.
• Have overall responsibility for financial and management accounting including sales, purchase and nominal ledgers, payroll, cash management, internal reporting and financial systems.
• Contribute to multi-year financial planning, preparing budgets for new projects and services.
• Prepare statutory accounts and other statutory returns, and lead on the annual audit.
• Lead, coach, develop and manage the finance team, ensuring that the team has an appropriate and relevant skill mix and experience, and promote a positive culture of continuous improvement.
• Identify and implement improved processes and controls and delegate work effectively within the team.
• Contribute effectively as a member of the Extended Leadership Team (ELT)

Who we’re looking for

Are you an experienced accountant who welcomes the opportunity to work in an organisation which supports people with disabilities and long-term health conditions to enable them to lead good lives and achieve what matters most to them? Do you have experience managing multiple income streams and cost centres, and in preparing budgets, forecasts and management accounts?

Do you have excellent communication skills to build relationships with colleagues at all levels across Thistle? Can you support budget holders with their financial planning and reporting?

You will have a track record of leading and managing a team effectively, and a professional and ethical approach combined with pragmatism. If you are passionate about providing an excellent customer-focussed service, developing both yourself and others, and enjoy working closely with colleagues in all areas of the organisation then you will find Thistle an exciting and rewarding place to work.

If you thrive in a fast-paced, varied role, where you can make a real difference, we would love to hear from you.

For full person specification please see here.

For full job description please see here.

What we offer

• The opportunity to work with a fun and friendly team focused on making a difference in the lives of people living in communities across Scotland
• Hybrid working between and our award winning offices in Craigmillar, Edinburgh and home
• Learning and development opportunities including our internal leadership development programme
• Contributory pension scheme
• Non-contributory death in service benefit scheme
• 35 days of annual leave
• Free Thistle Gym membership
• Membership of the HSF Health & Benefits Plan

Our Wellbeing Practitioners support people to lead full, active and socially connected lives, supporting people to achieve the things that matter to them.

Applicants should have, or be willing to work towards, a qualification meeting the standards required for registration with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).

Job Details

We are looking for two female* Wellbeing Practitioners to join an existing team supporting a lady living independently in her own home in Morningside, Edinburgh. We have two positions available (32 hours per week and 18 hours per week) also include paid on call.

The salary starts at £10.89 per hour (£22,084 FTE) and rises to £12.02 per hour £24,377FTE) on completion of a successful 6-month review. The sleepover payment is £94.50 per night.

*Exemption under Equality Act 2010

About this opportunity

Please note that a full clean driving manual licence is essential for this position.

We are looking for exceptional female* Wellbeing Practitioners who are willing to join a Team which is dedicated to supporting a woman who loves her own home and has an active and fun-filled community life which she requires careful support to enjoy to the full. Recently, severe ill-health has led to a lengthy stay in hospital where she is at present. She is desperate to return home, but this will be a challenging transition for her and the team who will need to work hard to support her to regain skills and confidence - so we are looking for people who are flexible, resilient and creative to support her to rebuild her life. You will join a dedicated and committed small team who work in shifts on a 24/7 basis to ensure that the lady in question receives the highest quality of support. The team also cover each other’s annual and sick leave as required. An on-call system is also in place to ensure that the woman always has her own staff if someone is suddenly off sick. There is a payment attached to this.

Job Purpose

• Other attributes for this post include:
• Ability to plan.
• A good sense of humour.
• An interest in trying new things and to look for new opportunities.
• The confidence to take responsibility on a day-to-day basis and help the person cope with regular seizures which have been especially difficult in recent months but are much more under control by her stay in hospital.
• Good clear communication is important with other team members and the lady herself.

You will be responsible for cooking and routine daily tasks like dressing, showering and personal care, however, it is equally important for the person to be encouraged to do as much as possible for herself. In supporting her well you will be her guide and mentor and work alongside her to reconnect with the passions she has missed since her hospital stay such as horse riding, swimming and Tai-chi. You will provide motivation, emotional support, and role modelling. As a result, you will get from this - a trusted person in your life who, once you have developed a relationship, will give you back so much more than you could ever expect.

You will be provided with the highest standard of training to support your development in this role. Thistle will support you to achieve the SVQ Level 3 in Health & Social Care, pay for your PVG and SSSC Registration and offer training to support your role as a Wellbeing Practitioner.

In the first six months of employment, you will complete a range of training and learning, including our ‘See Life Differently’ course which will give you a good grounding in how to do your job using the person-centred Thistle Approach and provide you with an Individual Wellbeing Plan. Your wellbeing and personal development will remain a focus throughout your employment at Thistle. This team is a self-organised one but due to recent events there will be additional support from senior colleagues whilst the woman’s return home is managed. When she is settled back home, additional support and training will be provided to the team to develop their skills as a member of a Self-Organised Team, working closely with colleagues and family to make good decisions and shape the support the team offers, to meet the needs and aspirations of the person you work alongside.

If you would like an informal chat about this vacancy please contact: Jackie.Deans@thistle.org.uk

Please click here for the full role profile.

Please click here for the Personal Assistant job description.

Please click here for our full list of benefits.

Job ref: KL223

What we offer

We are committed to supporting you to develop your skills as a practitioner and creating career development opportunities. At Thistle, you will have access to sector-leading training courses and be supported to achieve your SVQ level 3 in Health & Social Care accreditation.

Employee Benefits

• Starting salary at £10.89 per hour (£22,084 FTE) and rising to £12.02 per hour (£24,377 FTE) on completion of a successful 6-month review
• Fantastic training (on full pay)
• This includes enhanced learning in person-centred practice, leadership skills, IT and other bespoke training courses.
• SSSC registration paid for by Thistle
• Support to achieve SVQ Level 3 in Health & Social Care
• Support from regular meetings with your team, Lead Practitioner or Coach
• Contributory pension scheme
• Non-contributory death in service benefit scheme
• 30 days of annual leave, increasing by 1 day/year up to 35 days
• Free Thistle Gym membership
• Membership of the HSF Health Plan
• Refer a Friend scheme, paying £250 for successfully referring someone to work with us

Thistle are looking to recruit an ICJ practitioner to join the Wellbeing Team on a fixed term period (up to end April 2025)

Are you a health and social care practitioner with proven experience of supporting vulnerable people to explore managing health, wellbeing and difficult life situations?

Do you believe people are experts in their own lives and with the right support people can tap into their own strengths and resilience to improve their lives?

Do you thrive working autonomously in the community setting with vulnerable people presenting with potentially high levels of distress?

Based within Thistle’s Wellbeing Team that serves people living in Midlothian, the Macmillan ICJ Practitioner will support people’s non-clinical needs following a cancer diagnosis, as part of a new Lothian-wide service called ‘Improving the Cancer Journey (ICJ), funded by Macmillan Cancer Support. The Macmillan ICJ Practitioner will help to promote self-management and address people’s holistic needs during and after cancer treatment and work across organisational boundaries with partners to ensure the best possible outcomes for people affected by cancer.

The post holder will:

• Provide self-management support to people affected by cancer, including family and carers.
• Carry out an initial Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA).
• The HNA will help the post holder to negotiate and agree with the person their personal outcomes (PO) and a Care and Support plan (CSP)
• The CSP will include actions the person is confident to do themselves alongside additional supports such as ongoing referrals, signposting to information, advice and supports including Welfare Benefits, local physical activity programmes and access to Thistle’s 1-1 and group based self-management support.
• The holistic needs assessment (HNA) will be continually monitored and reviewed to ensure the best outcomes for each individual are achieved
• Develop their competence and practice to support people to achieve their personal outcomes using person centred, solution focused and collaborative strengths based approaches.
• Support the eventual integration of HNA into the wellbeing service by sharing the approach across the wellbeing team.

Work normally takes place on the premises of community-based partner organisations, but at the current time, is most likely to be required to work virtually, e.g. from home where the use of telephone and on-line remote platforms including NHS Near Me options may constitute a significant portion of the working day.

Employee Benefits

• Fantastic training (on full pay)
• This includes enhanced learning in person-centred practice, leadership skills, IT and other bespoke training courses.
• Contributory pension scheme
• Non-contributory death in service benefit scheme
• 35 days of annual leave
• Free Thistle Gym membership
• Membership of the HSF Health Plan*
• Refer a Friend scheme, paying £250 for successfully referring someone to work with us

*This membership can be extended to cover immediate family members after completion of a satisfactory probationary period.

Thistle’s self-organised teams support individuals, families and communities to maximise their potential and achieve the best possible quality of life.

As part of a pioneering organisational change programme successful candidates will provide training and support for teams to learn how to use the tools, processes, and procedures required to do their job including: support planning, quality improvement, activity planning, and recruitment. You will model work practices consistent with a common set of person-centred behaviours and work with teams to develop and embed effective person-centred support practices. Alongside a team coach you will support teams to work autonomously and make decisions within a clear framework of accountability. You will be skilled in question driven coaching approaches, designing person-centred support strategies and have experience of supporting teams to build capacity to work autonomously.

The work you do to support teams will result in people with disabilities achieving the things that matter most to them in their lives.

Thistle’s self-organised teams support individuals, families and communities to maximise their potential and achieve the best possible quality of life.

As part of a pioneering organisational change programme successful candidates will provide training and support for teams to learn how to use the tools, processes, and procedures required to do their job including: support planning, quality improvement, activity planning, and recruitment. You will model work practices consistent with a common set of person-centred behaviours and work with teams to develop and embed effective person-centred support practices. Alongside a team coach you will support teams to work autonomously and make decisions within a clear framework of accountability. You will be skilled in question driven coaching approaches, designing person-centred support strategies and have experience of supporting teams to build capacity to work autonomously.

The work you do to support teams will result in people with disabilities achieving the things that matter most to them in their lives.

We are looking for a full time and part time Practitioner to join Thistle’s Wellbeing team on a fixed term basis until end October 2023 (*with the potential for extension, subject to funding). These post are located in Midlothian GP Practices.

• Are you a health and social care practitioner with experience of supporting people living with Long Term physical and mental Health Conditions to self-manage?
• Do you cope well supporting vulnerable people who experience significant psychosocial barriers and health inequalities?
• Do you believe people have strengths, are resilient and are experts in their own lives?
• Do you thrive working autonomously in the community setting?
• Do you have good solution focused coaching and group facilitation skills?
• Do you possess the self-belief and courage to influence change in the world around you?

If you do, then we would like to hear from you!

The post holders will:

• Deliver holistic one-to-one and group based self-management support to people living with long term health condition(s) across Midlothian
• Work with a team of practitioners to deliver our Midlothian GP contract
• Practice persistent engagement to help people who struggle to receive support
• Support volunteers/paid peer supporters who have lived experience of long-term conditions and are supporting the Health and Wellbeing team.
• Use a monitoring, evaluation and reporting framework to learn and develop practice
• Develop and maintain links with referrers and services and supports we signpost people

At Thistle, we value our people. As a Thistle Academy trainee you’ll receive first class learning and development opportunities, on the job training, excellent benefits and full pay from day one.

To join this course and become one of our highly skilled Personal Assistants, no previous experience of social care is required. We’re looking for compassionate and empathetic people who are committed to making a difference by supporting others.

Find out more about Thistle Academy

Thistle aims to support individuals, families and communities to maximise their potential and achieve the best possible quality of life.

Contributing to the design and development of support for people with disabilities whose behaviour is labelled “difficult” or “challenging”, successful candidates will be skilled in delivering excellent person-centred support, collaborative working across multi-disciplinary teams and supporting the development of excellent person-centred practice within Supported Living teams.

Working within Thistle’s newly established Service Development Team your role will be to intensively support new and established Supported Living teams to embed excellent person centred practice, to be responsive in a rapidly changing environment, and to support people with disabilities to achieving the things that matter most to them in their lives.

To arrange an informal discussion about this post, in the first instance please contact Carrie Newland, Service Development Lead, at caroline.newland@thistle.org.uk.

A fantastic opportunity to join a pioneering Health and Wellbeing charity, Thistle, to lead our small, professional, friendly in-house HR team and support our charity with our exciting development and growth plans.

We are an Edinburgh-based charity with national ambitions and our support for people living with long-term conditions, including long-covid, has earned us recognition and support from communities and healthcare professionals alike. We have a strong Supported Living service which is going through a period of exciting change as we move towards Self-Organised Teams to deliver person-centred support so that people living with disabilities and/or long-term health conditions can live life their way.

We are an organisation of strong values and collaborative working and it’s an exciting time to join us as we drive forward with our Self-Organised Teams strategy. This role will be key in leading, developing, and managing the HR function to support the delivery of Thistle’s strategic objectives and provide a professional, supportive and cohesive HR support service across the organisation. It will involve working closely with the operational teams in Supported Living and Health & Wellbeing, as well as colleagues right across the organisation including others in our ‘back-office’, known collectively as Thistle Hub.

This is an opportunity for someone who enjoys coaching and mentoring to contribute to the future success of a dynamic organisation where two days are never the same.

Head of HR Job Purpose

• To work closely with the Director of Resources to ensure HR supports organisational priorities
• To lead, coach, manage and develop the HR service, and HR team members
• To provide advice to managers and staff on all aspects of HR management, employment law, and policies and procedures
• To manage case work as and when required
• To oversee the management and maintenance of employee data in the cloud-based HR system, and lead on the development of the HR and Recruit systems
• To contribute effectively as a member of the Extended Leadership Team (ELT)

Who we’re looking for

We’re looking for a flexible team-player with at least 3 years’ experience of working in a generalist senior HR role, and experience of leading and managing a team. Strong HR technical knowledge, and a solid understanding of UK employment law is essential. You will also have a genuine desire to learn and develop yourself; to coach, mentor and develop others; a positive and pro-active approach; and the ability to contribute effectively as a member of the Extended Leadership Team (ELT) in delivering Thistle’s strategic objectives.

If you are passionate about providing an excellent customer-focussed HR service, developing both others and yourself, and enjoy working closely with colleagues in all areas of the organisation then you will find Thistle an exciting and rewarding place to work. If you’re someone who is friendly, fun and approachable, who is comfortable working alongside both operational & Thistle Hub colleagues and teams, and is happy with hybrid working then we’d love you to join our team.

At Thistle we believe in a world of inclusion, free of isolation and loneliness, where a health crisis doesn’t mean a life crisis. Our charity supports people with disabilities and long-term health conditions to see life differently.

The Communications Team at Thistle is responsible for: brand, marketing, digital communications, design, PR and internal communications. At Thistle we live and breathe our vision and values and the team is passionate about delivering quality, creative communications.

We’re looking for someone to take our branding to the next level. This role will be pivotal in developing a clear brand identity for Thistle by delivering engaging and impactful graphic and multimedia design content that will help us to tell the story of who we are and what we do.

Who we’re looking for

We’re looking for someone with 2+ years’ experience of graphic design and multi-media content production. You’ll be proficient in using Creative Cloud, particularly InDesign and After Effects, with experience of producing short-form animated content, infographics and design for e.g. Impact/Annual Reports, flyers, pop up banners.

Read the full job description here.

What we offer

• The opportunity to work with a fun and friendly team focused on making a difference in the lives of people living in communities across Scotland;
• Learning and development opportunities;
• A competitive salary - £29,849 pro rata (£10,715 per annum based on 14 hours per week);
• Hybrid working between home and our offices in Craigmillar;
• Contributory pension scheme;
• Non-contributory death in service benefit scheme;
• 35 days of annual leave;
• Free Thistle Gym membership;
• Membership of the HSF Health Plan;
• A £500 welcome payment.

At Thistle we believe in a world of inclusion, free of isolation and loneliness, where a health crisis doesn’t mean a life crisis. Our charity supports people with disabilities and long-term health conditions.

It’s an exciting time to join us as we look to grow our digital presence. Working alongside the Head of Communications, you will have a key role in developing, managing and reporting on the digital communications strategy including: Thistle’s social media accounts, the website and digital and social advertising including Google ad grants. You will work closely with the Communications Team and colleagues across the organisation to raise the profile of who we are and what we do including fundraising, recruitment and reaching people who are looking for support. The role will be responsible for the line management of a part-time Digital Communications Officer.

Who we’re looking for

We’re looking for someone with 3+ years’ experience of working in a social media and/or a digital communications role. You’ll be a creative team player with experience of planning, developing and delivering engaging, creative digital content.

Read the full job description here.

What we offer

• The opportunity to work with a fun and friendly team focused on making a difference in the lives of people living in communities across Scotland;
• Learning and development opportunities;
• A competitive salary - £27,000 - £29,849 pro rata, DOE;
• Hybrid working between home and our offices in Craigmillar;
• Contributory pension scheme;
• Non-contributory death in service benefit scheme;
• 35 days of annual leave;
• Free Thistle Gym membership;
• Membership of the HSF Health Plan;
• A £500 welcome payment.

We are looking for a full time and part time Practitioner to join Thistle’s Wellbeing and Midlothian ICJ teams on a fixed term basis until end October 2023 (*with the potential for extension, subject to funding). These post are located in Midlothian GP Practices.

• Are you a health and social care practitioner with experience of supporting people living with Long Term physical and mental Health Conditions to self-manage?

• Do you cope well supporting vulnerable people who experience significant psychosocial barriers and health inequalities?

• Do you believe people have strengths, are resilient and are experts in their own lives?

• Do you thrive working autonomously in the community setting?

• Do you have good solution focused coaching and group facilitation skills?

• Do you possess the self-belief and courage to influence change in the world around you?

If you do, then we would like to hear from you!

The post holders will:

• Deliver holistic one-to-one and group based self-management support to people living with long term health condition(s) across Midlothian

• Work with a team of practitioners to deliver our Midlothian GP contract

• Practice persistent engagement to help people who struggle to receive support

• Support volunteers/paid peer supporters who have lived experience of long-term conditions and are supporting the Health and Wellbeing team.

• Use a monitoring, evaluation and reporting framework to learn and develop practice

• Develop and maintain links with referrers and services and supports we signpost people

• Provide one day per week to the Improving the Cancer Journey Programme (ICJ) which is funded by Macmillan Cancer Support as part of the Lothian-wide ‘Improving the Cancer Journey’ Programme.

• Support people’s non-clinical needs following a cancer diagnosis and work across organisational boundaries with partners to ensure the best possible outcomes for people affected by cancer.

Thistle’s ambition is for a world of inclusion, free of isolation and loneliness - where a health crisis does not mean a life crisis. Working as part of Thistle’s Development team, the Fundraising Officer will play a crucial role in making this ambition a reality for people in Scotland living with the devastating diagnosis of a long-term health condition.

The main purpose of the role is to deliver high quality, responsive fundraising support across all fundraising income streams – including donor communications, data entry and analysis and reporting – to Thistle’s Development Team. Working as part of a team, you will have a dedicated workload including third party and supporter-led fundraising events alongside shared responsibilities.

If you feel you can be a positive contact point for Thistle, ensuring the provision of an effective, efficient and friendly service to those we support, staff and others who come into contact with Thistle, then we would love to hear from you.

Who we are

We are a pioneering Scottish charity supporting people with disabilities, long-term health conditions and those facing challenging life situations to live well – on their terms. We focus on the person, not their condition, and tailor our support to their unique hopes.

It is an exciting time to join Thistle as we expand our health and wellbeing service nationally, with fundraising being crucial to achieving this ambition.

About you

As Thistle’s Fundraising Officer, you will be responsible for ensuring the smooth running of our income streams. This will involve things like gift processing, making Gift Aid claims, reporting on fundraising data, managing existing fundraising relationships and sourcing new opportunities to generate income in the community.

You will also be responsible for Thistle’s community and third party fundraising, which will bring you into contact with our amazing supporters. This role also comes with the potential for future development opportunities in this area of fundraising.

At Thistle, we encourage people to follow their interests; we are a supportive bunch with a development and training budget to match, so even if you don’t yet hold all the skills we’re looking for we’d love for you to apply anyway. What’s most important to us is a passion for people and making a difference, excellent attention to detail, and the enthusiasm and ability to think innovatively and bring new and creative ideas.

Your main responsibilities

• Processing donations, counting cash income, recording gifts, regular income reporting
• Data entry of accurate, up-to-date supporter information, tracking and recording all contact with donors, and ensuring that data protection regulations and standards are met
• Producing financial and statistical analysis for team members and senior leadership
• Being a positive point of contact for people engaging with Thistle, including supporters, staff, and people we support via email and phone (or in-person)
• Acknowledging donations promptly and keeping supporters engaged and informed through friendly and professional stewardship, including letters, cards, emails and phone calls
• Working to improve donor retention and understand attrition rates e.g. delivering supporter surveys and speaking with donors to understand their motivations for support
• Identifying and securing opportunities for income generation including third party events, supporter-led activity and relationships with community and corporate groups
• Supporting fundraising activity through digital channels, including virtual and in-person events
• Working with and supporting Thistle fundraisers with their fundraising activity
• Responsible for fundraising materials such as t-shirts, collection cans and other materials, liaising with supporters, volunteers and suppliers as necessary
• Supporting fundraising appeals, campaigns and other tasks as required

Why work at Thistle?

• Covid-19 has changed how we live and work. Consequently, our team is moving to a hybrid working arrangement between home and in-person at our Centre of Wellbeing in Edinburgh
• A lively and supportive culture where you know you are making a difference every day
• Flexibility to shape your hours in a way that works best for you and the team, working around interests and commitments like childcare, hobbies etc.
• 35 days of annual leave, inclusive of bank holiday allowance (flexibility to take bank holidays or not)
• Fantastic paid for training opportunities
• Award-winning office space in Edinburgh and support for hybrid working

Thistle’s ambition is for a world of inclusion, free of isolation and loneliness - where a health crisis does not mean a life crisis. Working alongside the Head of Fundraising, the Trusts and Foundations Manager will play a crucial role in making this ambition a reality for people in Scotland living with the devastating diagnosis of a long-term health condition.

The main purpose of the role is to secure transformational income from charitable Grants, Trusts, Foundations and statutory bodies to sustain and grow Thistle’s Health and Wellbeing service. You will lead on and develop a funding pipeline, the writing of applications, co-ordinate reporting requirements in addition to liaising with funding partners and other key stakeholders.

If you are an experienced, creative and passionate person who wants to make a positive difference to those we support, staff and others who come into contact with Thistle, then we would love to hear from you.

Who we are

Thistle is a pioneering Scottish charity supporting people with disabilities, long-term health conditions and those facing challenging life situations to live well – on their terms. We focus on the person, not their condition, and tailor our support to their unique hopes.

It is an exciting time to join Thistle as we expand our health and wellbeing service nationally, with fundraising being crucial to achieving this ambition.

About you

Are you passionate about writing impactful funding applications, developing meaningful relationships and making a positive difference to the lives of others?

As Thistle’s Trusts and Foundations Fundraising Manager, you will be responsible for securing ambitious funding targets that will provide vital support to people living with long-term health conditions in Scotland. You will work closely with our service delivery teams, people we support and a variety of stakeholders.

What is most important to us is a passion for people and making a difference, excellent attention to detail, and the enthusiasm and ability to think innovatively and bring new and creative ideas.

If this is something that excites you, then we want to hear from you.

Your main responsibilities

• Growing income by executing Thistle’s Trusts and Foundations strategy
• Managing Thistle’s funding pipeline by identifying income generation prospects, securing ambitious funding targets and stewarding existing funders
• Identifying, researching prospective funders and writing high-level and compelling funding applications
• Co-ordinating and delivering report submissions
• Working closely with key stakeholders to deliver successful applications and provide comprehensive reports
• Working closely with Thistle’s Strategic Leaders, Development team and Health and Wellbeing service to identify and determine funding priorities
• Attending networking and sector events to generate new opportunities
• To perform an Ambassadorial role and be the primary contact for stakeholders including Thistle staff, funders and partner organisations
• Maintaining accurate records on Thistle’s fundraising database

Why work at Thistle?

• Covid-19 has changed how we live and work. Consequently, our team is moving to a hybrid working arrangement between home and in-person at our Centre of Wellbeing in Edinburgh
• A lively and supportive culture where you know you are making a difference every day
• Flexibility to shape your hours in a way that works best for you and the team, working around interests and commitments like childcare, hobbies etc.
• 35 days of annual leave, inclusive of bank holiday allowance (flexibility to take bank holidays or not)
• Fantastic paid for training opportunities
• Award-winning office space in Edinburgh and support for hybrid working

If you’re interested in starting (or re-starting) your career in social care, this is for you!

This spring, we’re excited to be launching Thistle Academy. Based on our years of experience successfully training and developing people in how best to support people living with disabilities and long-term health conditions, we are offering a fantastic 10-week introduction and training programme (in Edinburgh) for new joiners.

You will receive great training on full pay from day one. You’ll also receive a £500 welcome payment and a guaranteed job on successful completion of the course.

Thistle’s self-organised teams support individuals, families and communities to maximise their potential and achieve the best possible quality of life.

As part of a pioneering organisational change programme successful candidates will provide coaching support to enable self-organised teams to plan and deliver effective person-centred support for people and their families. You will model work practices consistent with a common set of person-centred behaviours and work collaboratively to support teams to build highly effective relationships with people and their families. You will facilitate teams to self-organise and make decisions autonomously within a clear framework of accountability. You will be skilled in question driven coaching approaches, person-centred working and have experience of supporting teams to build capacity to work autonomously.

The work you do to support teams will result in people with disabilities achieving the things that matter most to them in their lives.

Thistle’s self-organised teams support individuals, families and communities to maximise their potential and achieve the best possible quality of life.

As part of a pioneering organisational change programme successful candidates will provide training and support for teams to learn how to use the tools, processes, and procedures required to do their job including: support planning, quality improvement, activity planning, and recruitment. You will model work practices consistent with a common set of person-centred behaviours and work with teams to develop and embed effective person-centred support practices. Alongside a team coach you will support teams to work autonomously and make decisions within a clear framework of accountability. You will be skilled in question driven coaching approaches, designing person-centred support strategies and have experience of supporting teams to build capacity to work autonomously.

The work you do to support teams will result in people with disabilities achieving the things that matter most to them in their lives.

We are recruiting an enthusiastic and skilled senior digital communications officer to join our hard-working, fun-loving Development Team.

This will be our first full-time, permanent, digital role and we’re looking for a creative thinker, strong planner and collaborative team-player who avidly stays up to date with the latest trends and developments.

You’ll be working with colleagues across our charity – from social care workers to wellbeing practitioners, our Young People’s team to our training consultants. We’re looking for someone who is comfortable working across teams and happy with hybrid working - though we can be flexible for the right candidate if you can’t make it to Edinburgh regularly.

If you’re a multi-channel content creator with big ideas and the confidence to deliver, we would love to hear from you!

The post holder will:

• Plan, manage, deliver and evaluate Thistle’s online marketing campaigns, both organic and paid, across search and social
• Support income generation by generating fundraising leads through digital channels
• Maintain, manage and develop Thistle’s website
• Grow and develop Thistle’s social media audiences
• Establish and manage Thistle’s relationships with online supporters and influencers
• Monitor and maintain Thistle’s presence across digital channels, platforms and noticeboard

Thistle are looking for full time and part time Practitioners to join the wellbeing team on a fixed term basis until Oct 2022 (*with the potential for extension, subject to funding). These posts are located at the Thistle Centre of Wellbeing in Craigmillar, Edinburgh.

Are you a health and social care practitioner with experience of supporting people living with Long Term physical and mental Health Conditions to self-manage?

Do you cope well supporting vulnerable people who experience significant psychosocial barriers and health inequalities?

Do you believe people have strengths, are resilient and are experts in their own lives?

Do you thrive working autonomously in the community setting?

Do you have good solution focused coaching and group facilitation skills?

Do you possess the self-belief and courage to influence change in the world around you?

If you do, then we would like to hear from you!

We are looking to recruit Practitioners to work within the Thistle Centre’s Health and Wellbeing Team. The post holders will:

Deliver holistic one-to-one and group based self-management support to young people and adults living with long term health condition(s) across Edinburgh, the Lothian’s and remotely to people living across Scotland.

Work with a team of practitioners to deliver a range of wellbeing activities within our centre.

Practice persistent engagement to help people who struggle to receive support.

Support volunteers/paid peer supporters who have lived experience of long-term conditions and are supporting the Health and Wellbeing team.

Use a monitoring, evaluation and reporting framework to learn and develop practice.

Develop and maintain links with referrers to our service and with supports we signpost people to.

We have a vacancy for a Facilities Manager, based in our award winning building in Edinburgh.

Thistle Foundation works alongside people to help them achieve their full potential, and our Facilities Team and buildings are essential supports to create an inclusive welcome and support our many ambitious projects. This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference to people’s lives at Thistle Foundation where no two days are the same. You will provide coaching style management to the Facilities Team and be responsible for areas such as:

• Oversee maintenance for Thistle buildings and grounds;

• Manage Health & Safety for all Thistle buildings and land, in conjunction with an external consultant;

• Contract management and procurement and support overall corporate compliance;

• Advise senior leadership team on building strategy and deliver building income generation strategy;

• Manage our Community Hub spaces, helping create a safe and supportive environment for everyone;

• Other duties, as appropriate to the role.

This role is an excellent opportunity for a motivated and enthusiastic team player, who has a willingness to learn and to support the Thistle team as well as everyone who uses our buildings.

In return we can offer you the following:

• A highly attractive work environment in our award winning offices.

• Structured support and supervision from your line manager and a supportive team of colleagues.

• A structured development programme including ongoing development with our internal leadership development programme.

Some of our other staff benefits include…

• £500 welcome payment for joining Thistle
• a contributory pension
• a non-contributory death in service benefit scheme
• The “Refer a Friend Scheme” which pays £250 for every successfully recruited person that a staff member recommends.
• Free access to the Thistle Gym.
• FREE membership* of the HSF Health Plan which gives, amongst other things,
  • money back for everyday healthcare costs,
  • a GP advice line,
  • shopping discounts.

*This membership can be extended to cover immediate family members after completion of a satisfactory probationary period.

Thistle are looking to recruit an ICJ practitioner to join the Wellbeing Team on a 3.5 year fixed term period (up to end April 2025)

• Are you a health and social care practitioner with proven experience of supporting vulnerable people to explore managing health, wellbeing and difficult life situations?
• Do you believe people are experts in their own lives and with the right support people can tap into their own strengths and resilience to improve their lives?
• Do you thrive working autonomously in the community setting with vulnerable people presenting with potentially high levels of distress?

Based within Thistle’s Wellbeing Team that serves people living in Midlothian, the Macmillan ICJ Practitioner will support people’s non-clinical needs following a cancer diagnosis, as part of a new Lothian-wide service called ‘Improving the Cancer Journey (ICJ), funded by Macmillan Cancer Support. The Macmillan ICJ Practitioner will help to promote self-management and address people’s holistic needs during and after cancer treatment and work across organisational boundaries with partners to ensure the best possible outcomes for people affected by cancer.

The post holder will:

• Provide self-management support to people affected by cancer, including family and carers.
• Carry out an initial Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA).
• The HNA will help the post holder to negotiate and agree with the person their personal outcomes (PO) and a Care and Support plan (CSP)
• The CSP will include actions the person is confident to do themselves alongside additional supports such as ongoing referrals, signposting to information, advice and supports including Welfare Benefits, local physical activity programmes and access to Thistle’s 1-1 and group based self-management support.
• The holistic needs assessment (HNA) will be continually monitored and reviewed to ensure the best outcomes for each individual are achieved
• Develop their competence and practice to support people to achieve their personal outcomes using person centred, solution focused and collaborative strengths based approaches.
• Support the eventual integration of HNA into the wellbeing service by sharing the approach across the wellbeing team.

Work normally takes place on the premises of community-based partner organisations, but at the current time, is most likely to be required to work virtually, e.g. from home where the use of telephone and on-line remote platforms including NHS Near Me options may constitute a significant portion of the working day.

Our Wellbeing Practitioners support people to lead full, active and socially connected lives, supporting people to achieve the things that matter to them.

Applicants should have, or be willing to work towards, a qualification meeting the standards required for registration with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).

Job Details

We are looking for a female* Wellbeing Practitioner to support a young lady living in Edinburgh South. This position is for 18 hours per week, and has paid on call.

Please note that a full clean manual driving license is essential for this position.

*Exemption under Equality Act 2010

About this opportunity

Are you looking for a great job? Then we want to hear from you.

You will join a dedicated and committed self-organised team of four women (Wellbeing Practitioners) who work in shifts on a 24/7 basis to ensure that the lady in question receives the highest quality of support. The team also cover each other’s annual and sick leave as required.

The person you will support enjoys a full and fun-filled life which is busy and full of interesting opportunities for you to get involved in. A chance for you to try out new things alongside her while she shows you how to enjoy life to the full. Attributes for this post include:

• Willingness to get involved no matter what.
• Ability to plan ahead daily.
• A good sense of humour.
• The confidence to take responsibility on a day-to-day basis and help the person cope with regular seizures.

You will be responsible for cooking and routine daily tasks like dressing, showering and personal care. It is important for the person to be encouraged to do as much as possible for herself and for you to be her guide and mentor. You will provide motivation, emotional support and role modelling. As a result, you will get from this - a trusted person in your life who, once you have developed a relationship, will give you back so much more than you could ever expect.

You will be provided with the highest standard of training to support your development in this role. Thistle will support you to achieve the SVQ Level 3 in Health & Social Care, pay for your PVG and SSSC Registration and offer training to support your role as a Wellbeing Practitioner.

In the first six months of employment, you will complete a range of training and learning, including an introduction to Self-Organised Teams. Our ‘See Life Differently’ course will give you a good grounding in how to do your job using the person-centred Thistle Approach and provide you with an Individual Wellbeing Plan. Your wellbeing and personal development will remain a focus throughout your employment at Thistle. In the second six months, you will continue to develop your skills as a member of a Self-Organised Team, working closely with colleagues and family to make good decisions and shape the support the team offers to meet the needs and aspirations of the person you work alongside

Job Purpose

Our Personal Assistants support people to lead full, active and socially connected lives, supporting people to achieve the things that matter to them.

Applicants should have, or be willing to work towards, a qualification meeting the standards required for registration with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).

Job Details

Please note that a driving license is essential for this position.

We are looking for two Personal Assistants to support a 57-year old gentleman transitioning to independent living in his own home. He stays in Newington, Edinburgh.

The position is for up to 15 hours per week, but this can be flexible.

Experience working with individuals with neurological conditions is desirable but not essential.

About this opportunity

He says:

"Last year I moved from the south of England to be near family members here in Edinburgh. They have helped me find a place to live, adapted it to my needs, and supported me to date. I have a diagnosis of Epilepsy that is not fully controlled despite a lot of medication, but I am hoping this will not inhibit me from having the lifestyle to which I aspire.

My interests include reading, creative writing, crosswords, competitive Scrabble, and painting and drawing. I like good conversation on diverse topics and I listen to the radio a lot, especially to programmes on history, science and medicine. I am also a keen gardener, and I am interested in nature, particularly birds, flowers, butterflies and moths. I enjoy spending time with my family who are a big part of my life and live nearby.

I want to build on my day-to-day living skills within my new home, wherever possible and consistent with my safety. I need support with daily chores and my personal care but would like to be as independent as I can be. This will take patience and understanding from you.

As well as learning to cope on my own in the house and garden I would like to get out more and acquire new skills and interests. With your support I would also like to start doing other activities in and around Edinburgh, explore my local community and get involved in new pursuits, ventures and clubs. I would like to build up my confidence and develop relationships. I am hoping you will aid and encourage me in achieving all these goals. I do already have some plans but I am also open to suggestions as to what these new ventures could be. I want to embrace what life has to offer."

About you:

Do you believe you can be the supportive person to help me make that move to my new home and new life as well as helping me to live independently?

I need an adaptable person to support me, as my needs can and will vary, especially as I build my skill set and self assurance, extend my social circle and expand my list of activities.

You will require good communication and social skills to work effectively with family and other members of a small team dependant on the service. We are looking for someone with a warm and friendly personality, who can work professionally and use their own initiative.

Are you flexible and responsive? Do you have what it takes to support individuals to achieve and maintain a great life? Are you a unique person who wants to share their skills and gifts and make a difference to someone’s life? Can you help build friendships and find ways to contribute and connect to the local community?

Successful candidates will be subject to a PVG check which will be paid for by Thistle.

What we offer

We are committed to supporting you to develop your skills as a practitioner and creating career development opportunities. At Thistle, you will have access to sector-leading training courses and be supported to achieve your SVQ level 3 in Health & Social Care accreditation.

Employee Benefits

• A starting salary of £10.00 per hour (£20,280 FTE) rising to £10.50 per hour (£21,294 FTE)

• Fantastic training (on full pay)

This includes enhanced learning in person-centred practice, leadership skills, IT and other bespoke training courses.

• SSSC registration paid for by Thistle

• Support to achieve SVQ Level 3 in Health & Social Care

• Support from regular meetings with your team, Lead Practitioner or Coach

• Contributory pension scheme

• Non-contributory death in service benefit scheme

• 30 days of annual leave, increasing by 1 day/year up to 35 days

• Free Thistle Gym membership

• Membership of the HSF Health Plan

• Refer a Friend scheme, paying £250 for successfully referring someone to work with us

Lothian Macmillan Improving the Cancer Journey (ICJ) Practitioners

• Are you a health and social care practitioner with proven experience of supporting vulnerable people to explore managing health, wellbeing and difficult life situations?
• Do you believe people are experts in their own lives and with the right support people can tap into their own strengths and resilience to improve their lives?
• Do you thrive working autonomously in the community setting with vulnerable people presenting with potentially high levels of distress?

Based within Thistle’s Wellbeing Team that serves people living in Midlothian, the Macmillan ICJ Practitioner will support people’s non-clinical needs following a cancer diagnosis, as part of a new Lothian-wide service called ‘Improving the Cancer Journey (ICJ), funded by Macmillan Cancer Support. The Macmillan ICJ Practitioner will help to promote self-management and address people’s holistic needs during and after cancer treatment and work across organisational boundaries with partners to ensure the best possible outcomes for people affected by cancer.

This post is on a fixed term basis.

Work normally takes place on the premises of community-based partner organisations, but at the current time, is most likely to be required to work virtually , e.g. from home where the use of telephone and on-line remote platforms including NHS Near Me options may constitute a significant portion of the working day.

This post is transitional in its nature, in that following an initial phase where both ICJ and wellbeing work will co-exist in parallel within the service, it is anticipated that ICJ and wellbeing work will be shared across the practitioners within the whole service.

Phase 1

• The post holder will initially provide self-management support to people only affected by cancer, including family and carers.
• Support will be provided by carrying out an initial Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA). The HNA will help the post holder to negotiate and agree with the person their personal outcomes(PO) and a Care and Support plan (CSP)
• The CSP will include actions the person is confident to do themselves alongside additional supports such as ongoing referrals, signposting to information, advice and supports including Welfare Benefits, local physical activity programmes and access to Thistle’s 1-1 and group based self-management support
• The holistic needs assessment ( HNA) will be continually monitored and reviewed to ensure the best outcomes for each individual are achieved

Phase 2

• The post holder will support the integration of the service by sharing the delivery of HNA to people affected by cancer across the wider wellbeing team while imbedding the wellbeing team’s 1-1 and group based self-management support including supporting peer volunteers into their practice
• The post holder will develop their competence and practice to support people to achieve their personal outcomes using person centred, solution focused and collaborative strengths based approaches.

Thistle are looking for a Lead Practitioner to support a team of Practitioners located within Midlothian GP practices.

The post is for 33 hours and initially on a fixed term basis until October 2022.

• Are you a health and social care Practitioner with extensive experience of supporting people to self-manage living with long term physical and mental health conditions?
• Can you support a team to cope with supporting vulnerable people who experience significant psychosocial barriers and health inequalities
• Do you believe people have strengths, are resilient and are experts in their own lives?
• Do you thrive working autonomously in the community setting?
• Do you have excellent solution focused coaching and group facilitation skills?
• Do you possess the self-belief and courage to influence change in the world around you?

If you do, then we would like to hear from you!

We are looking to recruit a Lead Practitioner to support one of Thistle’s Midlothian Health and Wellbeing cluster Teams. The post holder will:

• Support a team of Practitioners to deliver our Midlothian GP contract
• Deliver holistic one-to-one and group based self-management support to people living with long term health condition(s) across Midlothian
• Practice persistent engagement to help people who struggle to receive support
• Support volunteers/paid peer supporters who have lived experience of long-term conditions and are supporting the Health and Wellbeing team.
• Use a monitoring, evaluation and reporting framework to learn and develop practice
• Develop and maintain links with referrers and services and supports we signpost people

Thistle are looking for a Lead Practitioner to support a team of Practitioners located within Midlothian GP practices.

• Are you a health and social care Practitioner with extensive experience of supporting people to self-manage living with long term physical and mental health conditions?
• Can you support a team to cope with supporting vulnerable people who experience significant psychosocial barriers and health inequalities?
• Do you believe people have strengths, are resilient and are experts in their own lives?
• Do you thrive working autonomously in the community setting?
• Do you have excellent solution focused coaching and group facilitation skills?
• Do you possess the self-belief and courage to influence change in the world around you?

If you do, then we would like to hear from you!

We are looking to recruit a Lead Practitioner to support one of Thistle’s Midlothian Health and Wellbeing cluster Teams. The post holder will:

• Support a team of Practitioners to deliver our Midlothian GP contract
• Deliver holistic one-to-one and group based self-management support to people living with long term health condition(s) across Midlothian
• Practice persistent engagement to help people who struggle to receive support
• Support volunteers/paid peer supporters who have lived experience of long-term conditions and are supporting the Health and Wellbeing team.
• Use a monitoring, evaluation and reporting framework to learn and develop practice
• Develop and maintain links with referrers and services and supports we signpost people

Thistle are looking for several Practitioners to join our team on initially a fixed term basis (until October 2022). These posts are available on a full time and part time basis, and are located within Midlothian GP Practices.

• Are you a health and social care practitioner with experience of supporting people to self-manage living with Long Term physical and mental Health Conditions?
• Do you cope well supporting vulnerable people who experience significant psychosocial barriers and health inequalities?
• Do you believe people have strengths, are resilient and are experts in their own lives?
• Do you thrive working autonomously in the community setting?
• Do you have good solution focused coaching and group facilitation skills
• Do you possess the self-belief and courage to influence change in the world around you?

If you do, then we would like to hear from you!

We are looking to recruit Practitioners to work within Thistle’s Midlothian Health and Wellbeing Team. The post holders will:

• Deliver holistic one-to-one and group based self-management support to people living with long term health condition(s) across Midlothian and remotely to people living across Scotland
• Work with a team of practitioners to deliver our Midlothian GP contract
• Practice persistent engagement to help people who struggle to receive support
• Support volunteers/paid peer supporters who have lived experience of long-term conditions and are supporting the Health and Wellbeing team.
• Use a monitoring, evaluation and reporting framework to learn and develop practice
• Develop and maintain links with referrers and services and supports we signpost people

We are looking for a Lead Practitioner to join our Supported Living team on a full-time permanent basis.

This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference to people’s lives.

You will:

• Lead a small number of teams delivering person centred support to a wide range of people living in their own homes.

• Work alongside people we support to plan and create great support plans focused on what really matters to them.

• Support teams to think creatively about all aspects of working with the people we work alongside so they have great lives.

• Be able to provide teams with strong leadership, which motivates and delivers your passion for really high standards of support. You will be able to provide effective coaching and to give strong direction when required.

• Set up new services and support the creative use of personal budgets to support people to have great lives.

• Provide individual supervision to your staff, facilitate regular Practice Development Group meetings, and set clear objectives for all your staff.

• Have 3 years’ experience in supporting people with disabilities, working in a person centred way, facilitating groups and ideally managing teams, together with excellent organisational and IT skills.