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Job Opportunity – Policy & Research Officer

Policy & Research Officer

£25,750 per annum – 35 hours per week

Scottish Care wishes to appoint a Policy & Research Officer to work as part of our national team.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), based from home with the regular requirement to attend meetings and events throughout Scotland.

Scottish Care is based in Ayr but works across Scotland as the representative body for the largest group of health and social care sector independent providers delivering residential care, day care, care at home and housing support. Working on behalf of a range of providers, Scottish Care speaks with a single unified voice for members and the wider independent care sector, at both a local and strategic level. Our aim is to shape the environment in which care services can deliver and develop the high-quality care that communities require and deserve.

This is a new post, and an exciting time to join the Scottish Care team with forthcoming significant changes in social care policy. The work of the successful candidate will be used to influence and make recommendations to those working to develop these, such as the National Care Service. In addition, Scottish Care has seen an increase in partnership opportunities with universities and research institutions, working at the forefront of new and innovative thinking in social care.

This post is key to the continued development and overall success of this high-profile organisation. The post holder will work with a complex variety of partners and stakeholders involved in the development and operation of the organisation. They must be able to communicate and maintain credibility at all levels; and have an understanding of partnership working.

Previous experience of working in policy or research roles with tangible evidence of impact is essential. Experience of working in the health and social care sector and a clear understanding of Scottish Care’s role and objectives is highly desirable.

The post holder must have excellent people skills. They must be able to communicate effectively, confidently, and clearly in a positive and open way with all stakeholders, demonstrating the ability to identify and understand internal and external audience needs and adapt style and language to meet them.

Recruitment packs are available on the Scottish Care website – www.scottishcare.org

To discuss the post further, please contact Becca Young (Policy & Research Manager) at [email protected]

Closing date 12 noon on Monday 25th July 2022. Interviews will be held virtually on Monday 1st August 2022.

Download Application Form
Download Information for Candidates: Policy & Research Officer
Download Equality & Diversity Monitoring From
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Save the Date – Care Home Conference & Awards 2022

SAVE THE DATE

CARE HOME CONFERENCE,
EXHIBITION AND AWARDS 2022

FRIDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2022

We are pleased to announce that our annual Care Home Conference, Exhibition and Awards will return this year on Friday 18 November 2022. These events will take place in-person at the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow (1 William Street, G3 8HT).  

Please get this date in your diary and share with your colleagues.

More details to follow.

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Job Opportunity – Care Technologist: Aberdeen City (Part Time)

SCOTTISH CARE REQUIRES A CARE TECHNOLOGIST

Do you have a passion for working with people and an enthusiasm for technology? Are you excited by the opportunity for technology to provide meaningful and personalised support? Do you consider it important to use technology within a human rights and ethical framework? Are you excited to learn about new technology and digital solutions, and confident that you could apply these in practice? Then this may be a great role for you.

An exciting opportunity has arisen within Scottish Care for a Care Technologist to join the Scottish Care team. The posts available is for 0.4FTE, 2 days/week. The post holder will be hosted by Specialist Resource Solutions in Aberdeen City and employed by Scottish Care. This post is for a fixed period of 11 months and is remunerated at £26,500 pro rata plus agreed expenses.

Scottish Care is funding this post as a result of funding from the Scottish Government Technology Enabled Care Programme.

Applicants should have qualifications and experience in health and social care and/or the technology and digital sector. Current knowledge of the social care sector in Scotland, and an ability to engage and innovate the positive use of technology to enable the delivery of a rights-based approach to support and care are desirable.

The Care Technologist role was conceived through work undertaken on the future of social care carried out with Glasgow School of Art School of Innovation and Design. The next phase of this project will involve working with homecare and care home service providers, people who access services and support, strategic designers, technology industry, academia, and wider stakeholders across health and social care. Some travel will be required to work in different service areas and geographical locations. The Care Technologist will work as part of a small team, with another Care Technologist role and the Care Technologist Lead. This is an excellent opportunity to be part of an innovative approach to delivering care and support services.

The post-holder will report to the Scottish Care Technology and Digital Innovation Lead, Nicola Cooper.

Application forms

An Application Form and Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form is available to download below and completed forms should be returned to [email protected]  no later than 12 noon on Friday 15th July 2022.

For further information on the post please contact [email protected]

Interviews will be held virtually.

Download Application Form
Download Information for Candidates: Care Technologist
Download Equality & Diversity Monitoring Form
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‘The Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry and the care sector’ webinar – 23 June

We are hosting webinar with Brodies LLP Solicitors on ‘The Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry and the care sector‘ on Thursday 23 June at 2:00 pm.

Speakers at this webinar includes:

  • Christine O’Neill – Partner, Brodies
  • Kirstyn Burke – Associate, Brodies

Brodies intend to give a short presentation which will cover:

  • the role of the Inquiry;
  • the issues that will be investigated that are of relevance to the care sector; and
  • the powers that the Inquiry has including those in relation to obtaining evidence.

Brodies will also touch upon their role in supporting Scottish Care’s engagement with the Inquiry in order to represent the wider interests of the sector. They are also happy to answer any questions that members may have.

Details to join this session are now available on the Members Area.

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Scottish Care Media Statement: Removal of funding to support infection prevention and control

Scottish Care issues statement on the removal of funding to support infection prevention and control in social care

Scottish Care would like to raise concern that Scottish Government funding for infection prevention and control and PPE is being removed at a time when community rates of Covid-19 are back on the rise. The funding has to date been essential in supporting the sector and its workforce to continue providing safe, quality care and support to people living at home and in care homes across the country.

Over the last 2 years, we have seen social care staff and families working tirelessly to keep loved ones safe. The shift to remove this funding is at complete odds with what is happening on the ground, where we are seeing Covid-19 rates increase, and the necessity to continue to safely implement Scottish Government issued guidance which clearly recommends infection prevention control measures and PPE use remain in place alongside the successful vaccination programme.

The way that social care is paid for seems complicated, but in most cases, each year local authorities or Health and Social Care Partnerships set a rate for providers which is significantly cheaper than if the council were to deliver it themselves. Funding for this financial year does not cover the guidance outlining the new way of working, which has kept people safe from Covid-19 as this money had been coming from the Scottish Government. There is no capacity in the system to change this, leaving care providers wondering how they will be able to fill the funding gap. We have all felt the effects of this pandemic and for Ministers to remove funding with 2 weeks’ notice is short-sighted and potentially dangerous to those who work in and access care and support.

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Concerts for Carers Webinar – 9 June

We are excited to share a fantastic and brand new benefit with all of our Scottish Care members which we think you will love!

First of all a few questions? Do you love live music? Do you love going to concerts? Would you like to go for FREE?

If the answer to any of these questions is YES then we have the best new benefit for you to sign up for TODAY!

Concerts for Carers is an amazing charity that provides FREE tickets to carers across the country!  All you have to do is register, pick the concert you want to go to, your name will be put in the digital “hat” and if you win, you get to go to the concert of your choice for FREE! The only cost to you is £4.50 for a booking fee and this all goes to fund this incredible charity and gives it the ability to offer this amazing benefit to carers everywhere!

So sign up today!  And make sure to come along and meet Harry from Concerts for Carers on our webinar this Thursday 9 June at 2pm and ask him as many questions as you like!

Please register for this webinar in advance, details of which are available on the Members Area of this website.

Register for Concerts for Carer on: https://www.concertsforcarers.org.uk/register/

Concerts for Carers (Scotland)
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Help us create “A Scotland that Cares”

From today (26 May 22) Scottish Care and partner organisations are calling on organisations to support the next phase of the campaign for a new National Outcome to fully value and invest in those experiencing care and all those providing it.

This is a campaign created by Oxfam Scotland, Carers Scotland, Scottish Care, One Parent Families Scotland, the Scottish Women’s Budget Group, with support from the University of the West of Scotland. Together, we are calling for the Scottish Government to add a dedicated National Outcome on care to their existing set, in recognition that care – and all those provide it – are currently invisible within them.

People who care for others, whether paid or unpaid, are under-valued and under-rewarded, creating significant personal and financial costs for many, particularly for women who provide most care.

In the coming months, for the first time in five years, the Scottish Government will begin to review the existing National Outcomes – the legally required goals which it says describe the kind of Scotland it aims to create. We believe that care must be placed at the heart of the Scottish Government’s vision for Scotland.

Today we’re launching a new phase of our campaign for a new National Outcome on care – now called “A Scotland that Cares”. We’re asking organisations across Scotland to support the campaign. Find out how to show your support here: https://oxfamapps.org/scotland/2022/05/24/a-scotland-that-cares/ #ScotlandCares

An Invitation: “A Scotland that Cares” Partner Webinar: 8 June 2022

We understand that you may have questions about the Campaign. We therefore wish to invite you to a short, informal online webinar – 1000-1100 on Wednesday, 8 June 2022 – to find out more. The webinar will explain the background to the Campaign, with short contributions from existing partners, and input from the University of the West of Scotland on their blueprint for a National Outcome on care.

Please register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-scotland-that-cares-partner-briefing-tickets-348686991177

We very much hope organisations will consider supporting A Scotland that Cares.

 

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‘I feel, I see, I imagine’ Nursing Event Roundup – 12 May 2022

Huge thanks to all our speakers and attendees for coming along to our virtual nursing ‘I feel, I see, I imagine’ event on Thursday 12 May for International Nurses Day 2022.

The morning session focused on celebrating social care nursing, we heard from a number of keynote speakers raising awareness of nursing in the social care sector. We also heard from career nurses who shared their journey to becoming a care home nurse.

The afternoon session looked at highlighting the value of care homes as a practice learning environment. Attendees heard from care home providers and their experience of supporting pre-registration nursing students and using their care homes as a practice learning environment. Attendees also got the chance to ask questions during a Q & A session.

We are pleased to share the recordings and presentation slides from this event. We have also included the information collated from the jamboard in the afternoon session ‘Exploring your Care home as a practice learning environment’. These are available via the buttons below. If you have any issues accessing these files at all, please contact [email protected].

You can also catch up on the day on Twitter with the hashtag #IfeelIseeIimagine

Morning session recording available here
Afternoon session recording available here
Presentation slides available here
'Exploring your Care Home as a practice learning environment' jamboard information

During this event, we published a new insights report on nursing in social care.

The report titled ‘Hearing the nursing voice:  Listening to Independent Sector Social Care Nurses’ is a follow on from the 2016 report – ‘Voices from the Nursing Front Line’, capturing the experiences of frontline registered nurses working in the independent social care sector in Scotland. The report depicts the rewards and challenges of social care nursing, whilst highlighting the importance of nursing within the sector as well as the specialism of the role.

This report is now available on the Scottish Care website, please give it a read.

Read the insights report here
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Day Care Services Surgery – 1 June 2022

Over the past 2 years of the pandemic we have been very aware of the impact that Covid has had upon Care Homes and Home Care services.

One area that may have been overlooked and forgotten about are Day Services which are buildings based.  We at Scottish Care would like to meet with members of Scottish Care to discuss the issues and challenges you have faced over the past 2 years and also the resultant outcomes such as reduced funding and client referrals etc.

We have arranged a one off special surgery webinar session with ALL building based day services (including non-members) and it will take place on:

Wednesday 1st June at 2-3pm.

Please register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqdOqoqzIoHNMW_jwTBd26SA3FjxQ_0kEH 

After registering, you should receive an email from Zoom with details to join this session.

We would be grateful if you would consider attending this important surgery session. Your host for this session is the Scottish Care CEO Donald Macaskill.

If you are unable to attend please send your comments to Stefanie Callaghan: [email protected]

Looking forward to seeing you on the day.

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Care at Home & Housing Support Awards 2022 – Winners

Scottish Care’s National Care at Home & Housing Support Awards 2022 took place on the evening of Friday 13 May 2022 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow, hosted by Pop Idol Winner, Michelle McManus and Scottish Care CEO, Dr Donald Macaskill.

This was first in-person homecare awards ceremony that we have hosted in 3years, since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic! It was an amazing yet emotional night for everyone there.

Huge congratulations to all of our deserving finalists and winners, and thank you to all the Awards Sponsors.

Find out more about our finalists here on our Awards Programme.

#celebratecare #careawards22