Are you a creative and motivated individual with the passion and drive to support people with a recent diagnosis of dementia to live well in their community?

If so, you can be part of a National Team of Post Diagnostic Support Link Workers (PDS Link Workers) providing high quality, person centered support to people living with dementia and their families for a minimum of a year following diagnosis in line the Scottish Government’s minimum guarantee.

The aim of the PDS National Service is to enable people to live well with dementia and is centered around Alzheimer Scotland's 5 pillar model so that people move on to a period of supported self- management.

The model includes understanding the illness and coming to terms with the diagnosis, peer support, connecting and maintaining links with their community along with planning for future care and decision making to develop an outcome focused plan to support their future hopes, desires and aspirations.

Supporting our Dumfries and Galloway locality, the post will be based within the Community Mental Health Teams. Alzheimer Scotland’s PDS Link Workers are required to be effective team workers and have the skills to build and maintain relationships with colleagues both within Alzheimer Scotland, the NHS and other stakeholders.

Skills in using digital platforms are essential as we use a blended approach to support people that involve some virtual meetings and on-line groups.

Applicants must hold a recognised relevant professional qualification to a minimum of SVQ level 4, have a good understanding of dementia and how it affects people and their families along with excellent communication skills, a warm flexible approach, combined with skills in empathy and relationship building.

In addition, you should have skills and knowledge at the Enhanced Level of the Promoting Excellence Framework or be able to evidence you are working towards its completion.

This post requires a full driving license and access to a car.

Since 1949, the Mental Health Foundation has been the UK’s leading charity for everyone’s mental health.

Our vision is for a world with good mental health for all. With prevention at the heart of what we do, we aim to find and address the sources of mental health problems so that people and communities can thrive.

We will drive change towards a mentally healthy society for all, and support communities, families and individuals to live mentally healthier lives, with a particular focus on those at greatest risk.

The Foundation is the home of Mental Health Awareness Week.

Our approach is:

• Tell the world
• We publish studies and reports on what protects mental health and the causes of poor mental health and how to tackle them.
• Find solutions
• We test and evaluate the best approaches to improving mental health in communities and then roll them out as widely as possible.
• Inform and empower
• We give advice to millions of people on mental health. We are most well-known for running Mental Health Awareness Week across the UK each year. We enable mentally healthier lives through public information and engagement.
• Change policy and practice
• We propose solutions and campaign for change to address the underlying cause of poor mental health.
• Build a strong foundation
• We aim to become an exemplar employer and aim to continue to build an organisation that is financially sustainable and thriving.

We have pioneered change for over 70 years and we are not afraid to challenge the status quo. Come join us!

The Mental Health Foundation is recruiting for a Senior Policy & Public Affairs Officer (Scotland) to support our Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland teams.

This exciting Senior Policy & Public Affairs Officer (Scotland) role will manage a portfolio of policy and influencing activities and play a significant role developing the Foundation’s policy and public affairs work in Scotland. This is an opportunity to join one of the UK’s leading charities and deliver social change by addressing the root causes of mental health problems and improving the mental health of people in Scotland.

What does the role involve?

• Developing and sustaining relationships with valuable decision-makers, influencers and allies
• Developing and implementing impactful influencing plans
• Providing policy intelligence and analysis and writing evidence-based submissions, policy reports, position papers, briefings and blogs
• Engaging with people with lived experience

Requirements

What skills, knowledge and experience are we looking for?

• Ability to shape and lead policy programmes professionally and strategically, working with others
• Skill in building strong relationships with relevant external stakeholders including senior officials, elected representatives, people with experience of mental health problems and people who experience inequity
• Experience of working in a public policy role, with experience of a range of policy and public affairs approaches and work

• Knowledge of public health and/or mental health policy or a 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.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Stigma Free Lanarkshire team based in Motherwell, Lanarkshire. Building on a history of vigorous campaigning against mental health stigma, and working in partnership with See Me Scotland and NHS Lanarkshire, the Stigma Free Lanarkshire programme is leading in the planning, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of an ambitious programme of change at local level here.

We are looking for an experienced, focused and motivated person who understands the issues surrounding mental health stigma and is passionate and serious about tackling it. As Stigma Free Lanarkshire Senior Development Officer you will develop, manage, and maintain key relationships with NHS Lanarkshire, See Me colleagues, and other key stakeholders, in the promotion and delivery of the project across four areas: health and social care, communities, the workplace, and education and young people.

In addition, embedding a rights-based approach, you will assist in achieving the project’s aims to create inclusive systems, culture, and practice as well as encouraging opportunities for contact between those who experience stigma and those who perpetrate it.

This project is funded by NHS Lanarkshire. It is hosted by the service user and carer organisation, Lanarkshire Links, whose purpose is to support mental health service users and carers to be involved in the process of planning services and provision.