Local Area Co-ordination Practitioner - Craighall Centre

Local Area Coordination Team Practitioner
Craighall Centre

Salary: £30,188 - £34,452
Hours: 36 per week, 52 weeks

Provide short term preventative support for people with a learning disability to develop meaningful connections within their local community, ensuring they are included, valued, and able to access opportunities that enhance their quality of life, and reduce health, education or employment inequalities. The role is outcome-focused, working with people to build skills, confidence, independence, a strong network of local support, and ensuring reduced dependency of formal services.

THE WHAT - MAJOR TASKS/JOB ACTIVITIES

* Encourage and enable people with learning disabilities to live an active, more connected and purposeful life in their community through identifying their interests, aspirations and support needs.

* Hold initial discussions to determine people's needs, strengths and goals and develop plans with the person to support them best to achieve their goals.

* Support people to enhance their independence and experience improved quality of life, offering coaching and practical or emotional support in areas which may include but not limited to, employment, education, skills development, health, public transport, community access and relationships.

* Implement informal programmes of support, and monitor, review and evaluate outcomes, reporting to the Local Area Co-ordination Supervisor.

* Promote and embed inclusive practices within the local community, working with organisations to improve accessibility and participation.

* Encourage people to take control of their own health and wellbeing and promote health responsibility and self-care.

* Asist the Local Area Co-ordination Supervisor to develop and maintain strong local partnerships to expand opportunities for community engagement and skill building, including the creation of new opportunities where community gaps are recognised.

* Promote and model our organisational behaviours: Respect, Integrity, and Flexibility, to create a positive outcome focussed environment.

* Work in partnership with families, carers and professionals (including Community Learning Disability Teams and Social Work) to ensure a holistic approach.

* Uphold safeguarding principles, recognising and reporting concerns regarding peoples' health, well-being, or safety to the Local Area Co-ordination Supervisor, and escalating any concerns raised by colleagues in line with organisational and statutory procedures to promote safe working practices.

* Attend and contribute to meetings, offering feedback, sharing insights that improve people's support and identifying potential risks. Contribute to solutions that balance safety with independence.

THE HOW - KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS (E.G. CREATIVITY & INNOVATION, CONTACTS & RELATIONSHIPS, DECISION MAKING).

* Practice qualification - SVQ Social Services and Healthcare SCQF Level 7 and HNC Social Services (or equivalent).

* Good understanding of the challenges faced by people with learning disabilities and supporting people to achieve independence, applying the principles of inclusion, active support, effective communication and person-centred planning.

* Good understanding of safeguarding principles, regulatory requirements, and risk assessment processes to protect individuals from harm and an ability to assess and manage risks while ensuring individuals' rights and choices are respected.

* Ability to prioritise planning and preventative actions that lead to better life outcomes, such as increasing social and inclusive community participation and reducing dependency on services.

* Knowledge of local services and community resources and able to assist the Local Area Co-ordination Supervisor in demonstrating a good level of creative thinking and initiative to support the development of imaginative and meaningful engagement.

* Good problem-solving skills to pro-actively adapt support to changing needs and finding creative solutions to overcome barriers to participation.

* Good written and verbal communication to develop and maintain positive and close working relationships with supported people, families, colleagues, and external professionals, including healthcare, social work and social care providers.

* Make informed decisions, in collaboration with the Local Area Co-ordination Supervisor regarding supported people to ensure they align with best practices and organisational policies.

ENVIRONMENT (WORK DEMANDS, PHYSICAL DEMANDS, WORKING CONDITIONS, WORK CONTEXT)

* Unpredictable situations may arise daily regarding supported people, external partners, families, colleagues or members of the public and require quick thinking and adaptability with decisions needing to be made under pressure and escalated.

* The role involves responsibility for ensuring safe practices in supporting people with finances and personal property/ belongings, accessing the community and attending appointments.

* Work may take place in various locations and settings including people's own homes, outdoors and in public community spaces. Postholders will need to regularly travel across the city to meet with people. Lone working is a feature of the role.

* Flexibility is required, including occasional evening and weekend working to support community activities.

* Postholders may be expected to adapt to changing needs and situations, often at short notice (e.g., covering in another team or changing the days plans).

This post is regulated work with children and/or protected adults under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007. The preferred candidate will be required to join the PVG Scheme or undergo a PVG Scheme update check. Where an individual has spent a continuous period of 3 months or more out with the UK in the last 5 years, an Overseas Criminal Record Check will be required. You will be required to provide this check. An unconditional offer of employment and commencement in the post will be subject to the outcome of both these pre-employment checks being deemed satisfactory.

We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce where everyone feels valued and able to be their best. We particularly encourage applications from women for senior roles, as well as people from minority ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities or neurodivergent people, care experienced people, carers and LGBT+ people across all levels of the organisation, all of whom are currently underrepresented. All applicants will be considered fairly based on skills and experience. Disabled and care-experienced applicants who meet the minimum job criteria will be guaranteed an interview.

Find out more about our commitment to equalities https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/work-us/inclusive-edinburgh/4

As part of our goal to improve organisational culture and create a great place to work together for the people of Edinburgh, we want to make sure we're recruiting the best people. We're interested not only in your skills and experience but also in your approach to work. Therefore, part of our interview process will be an assessment of how you would bring Our Behaviours of Respect, Integrity and Flexibility into your ways of working.

You can find out more on Our Behaviours web page Our Behaviours - The City of Edinburgh Council

Our salary range typically reflects the initial starting salary and annually increases until it reaches the top of the range.

Happy to talk flexible working.

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