BACKGROUND:

The Discovery College is an inclusive service based on the principle that connection, community, peer support and learning can be a transformative experience. It is moving into its second year of operation. To date the work has been co-delivered and developed alongside those with lived experience and in collaboration with Spirit Advocacy, Scottish Recovery Network, NHS Highland, Caithness Mental Health Group and Habitus Collective all supporting in the planning, building, and envisioning of this new development for Highland. College courses are open for all to enrol. Our goal is to create an environment for people to come together – be it those who identify as experiencing or having experienced a mental health, or substance use issue, to those who want support in order to move on.

We tailor and target courses and drop-ins for men, Disabled people, LGBTQ+ folks, people who are neuro-divergent, young people and people from ethnic and cultural minorities. Currently the Discovery College operates across multiple hubs in Inverness, Caithness, and Lochaber which we intend to develop further in partnership with a variety of organisations.

The Role:

In the role the post holder will be responsible for a number of key pieces of work:

• Lead the Discovery College in offering the community a one stop shop for their recovery needs including social activity, courses, volunteering opportunities and access to employment.
• Development of the strategy across the organisation to ensures there is a clear programme of activity, training, and employment opportunities that meets the community need.
• Leading Discovery College Hubs across Highland. This will involve the maintenance and continual improvement of the model to include online learning and support as well as face to face, developing the processes and procedures that support this so that there is a coherence across all services as well as a clear set of performance and delivery standards which ensure a positive student and volunteer experience.
• Developing the peer support offer and courses so that students can flourish in their recovery journey. In doing this you will:
  • Execute the strategy for developing and growing the Discovery College and related services including finding ways to promote and communicate about activities so our community is aware of what the offer is for them.
  • Ensure that all the Discovery College operations are effectively managed and achieve outcomes which are in line with funder requirements and other agreed governance and KPIs.
  • Champion co-development, lived experience, involvement and peer support, working closely with staff, students and stakeholders.
  • Work closely with the other senior service delivery colleagues and managers across Centred Scotland as well as relevant external organisations to ensure that services are joined up and readily accessible by clients. If you feel you could deliver many of these roles, love working with people, have a passion for improving well-being and have a drive and determination to succeed then we would love to hear from you.

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU?

• Annual salary review
• Annual holiday allocation of 32 days including bank holidays, increasing with length of service
• Fully funded training and personal development
• Health and wellness support paid for by the company
• Access your money as you earn it via our partners Hastee after completion of probationary period.
• Provision of mobile phones and any other IT hardware you require • Life assurance
• Competitive pension scheme

About the Role:

We are looking for a skilled and empathic individual to join our Sutherland team in Golspie as a Resource Centre Project Worker.

Our Resource Centre in Golspie offers a safe and welcoming environment for people affected by mental illness to meet, socialise and take part in supported activities and outings. This helps to encourage people to feel more involved, included and empowered in their lives. Effective support also promote increased self-confidence and independence in people who use the service.

With experience of support work, organising group activities, completing reports and a sound understanding of Mental Illness; the project worker will also be actively involved in promoting and developing the service in

Who are we looking for?

You will be responsible for compiling and reviewing development plans for people using the service, and ensure that the agreed outcomes are being achieved.

You are someone comfortable working in a team as well as autonomously, and are proactive in your own personal development and learning. The successful candidate will be required to be a member of, or willing to join the PVG scheme membership.

If you are passionate about enabling Change Mental Health to deliver a valuable service to the Scottish community and feel your profile matches this role’s criteria, then we want to hear from you!

Why join us

Change Mental Health is a leading national mental health charity providing unique support to people with severe and enduring mental ill health. With 50 years’ experience across Scotland, we believe people affected by poor mental health and illness deserve the highest quality of support in the community and that every person has the right to be valued and to share in the opportunities, challenges, and joys of everyday life.

Our person-centred approach puts the people we work with at the heart of what we do ensuring they have greater opportunity, can build confidence and social skills, and become more integrated into their communities. By building connections and support around individual needs, our team of nearly 200 staff and 800 members value the lived experience which informs the services we deliver. We look beyond illness by taking a holistic approach that ensures no one has to face mental ill health alone.

Benefits:

• Professional development including funded opportunities.

• A generous 37 days’ holiday.

• A 35-hour working week, enhanced sick pay & season ticket loan.

• A great work life balance with flexible and blended working environment.

• 24/7 access to an award-winning Employee Assistance Programme providing free legal, financial and medical advice as well as support with life’s challenges.

• Enhanced sick pay and leave entitlements

• Paid Mental Wellbeing Days

• Cycle to Work Scheme

• Blue Light discount card

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to join Sustrans as part of the Strategic Partnerships team, working in partnership with one of five local councils to facilitate a strategic approach to active travel infrastructure development and delivery in the council area, as well as providing support with active travel policies and proposals for the council's planning and pipeline projects.

As Senior Project Officer, your time will be split between working on council projects and Sustrans specific tasks related to the Strategic Partnerships Team objectives.

We have 5 positions working with one of the following councils:

West Dunbartonshire Council

West Lothian Council

East Ayrshire

Aberdeen City Council

Clackmannanshire Council

Each council will have a different approach to active travel, and you will be working across services within the council structure.

This role will involve regular travel most weeks. The focus of this role are the above Council areas; we may occasionally need you travel further during the course of your work including occasional visits to Sustrans Offices and overnights stays.

About you

You should have experience in (at least) one of the following: transport planning, land use planning, urban design, traffic engineering, sustainable transport project delivery. You will also be experienced in working with partners across various teams, and able to build strong working relationships.

You should have the ability to work independently and be able to make decisions with minimal supervision, as well as have excellent report writing skills.

We ask you demonstrate knowledge of the funding context for active travel in Scotland.

Sustrans has a long-term commitment to being a charity for everyone - reducing inequality, valuing diversity, enabling inclusion and ensuring all people are treated with dignity and respect. We aim to be a truly inclusive employer and welcome applications from people from all parts of the community, in particular from under-represented groups.

Base: West Dunbartonshire Council (x1), West Lothian Council (x1), East Ayrshire (x1), Aberdeen City Council (x1), Clackmannanshire Council (x1). Offices based within the local authorities, Sustrans hubs and with flexibility to work from home a proportion of the time.

What we offer

In return we can offer true hybrid working to suit individual circumstances and a flexible, supportive and rewarding working environment.

Wellbeing

28 days’ leave per annum plus bank holidays for full-time working

Ability to buy an extra week of annual leave (pro-rata for part-time staff)

Staff volunteer days

24/7 free, impartial and confidential support service

We are members of the Green Commute Initiative and Cycle Scheme who both offer cycle to work schemes

Financial

Group Personal Pension scheme with a 6% or 7% of basic salary contribution being matched by Sustrans

Bike, computer and season ticket loans

Discount benefits

London Weighting Allowance of £4,530 for all those living within a London Borough (32 local authority districts plus the City of London)

Death in Service benefit – 3 x annual Salary

Family Friendly

Enhanced maternity and paternity pay

Flexible Working practices (full time hours are 37.5 per week, Monday - Friday)

About Sustrans

At Sustrans you'll be part of a movement to make it easier for people to walk and cycle.

We're all here to change things! You’ll be part of an incredible community of talented, passionate, creative, problem solvers all working together to change things for the better. We act locally and think big - we have a vision of a society where the way we travel creates healthier places and happier lives for everyone.

You'll be questioning the status quo and daring to imagine a different world. You'll work on exciting, impactful projects that will stretch and empower you and you'll be rewarded by seeing the difference you make to people, communities and the planet.

We believe including everyone is central to who we are and what we want to achieve, we welcome difference and pride ourselves on creating a culture where you can be yourself and where your wellness is supported.

You'll be guaranteed to make friends for life and work with a team that is incredibly flexible, supportive, ethical and fun.