Carer Involvement Officer

**Post**: Carer Involvement Officer

**Service Area**: Advice Services

**Salary**: £31,683 - £33,147.31 (pro rata, £15, 841- £16,574 per annum)

**Hours**: 19.5 Hours

**Location**: Edinburgh The Lothians and Falkirk

**The post will require travel across Edinburgh, The Lothians and Falkirk.**

THIS POST REQUIRES PVG CLEARANCE

Can you help empower carers to have their voices heard within the Action Group and beyond?

Can you help us achieve our mission ‘To value, listen to and involve people so that our every action is judged to be the best’.

We are seeking a motivated, organised person with great interpersonal skills, to develop and lead carer involvement at The Action Group.

You will:

- Engage directly with carers whose loved ones are supported by The Action Group.
- Learn what is important to them and how they wish to be involved.
- Develop and implement a strategic plan to improve carer involvement at all levels of the organisation and beyond
- Work with internal and external colleagues to run Carer groups and consultation events
- Develop online engagement and communications
- Work with colleagues at all levels and across departments to ensure carer involvement and empowerment are at the heart of all aspects of the organisation

You will be well supported and work closely with our involvement officer, communications team and carer advice team.

Interviews expected to take place w/b 15th July

Our Recruitment Process

Equal Opportunities Form for Applicants

**About The Role**

**1. Job Purpose**

To promote the engagement and participation of Carers whose children, young people and adults are supported by The Action Group. This is in line with The Action Group’s mission statement: ‘To value, listen to and involve people so that our every action is judged to be the best’.

This will include:
a) Engaging directly with carers to better understand what is important to them and how they wish to be involved.

b) Developing and implementing a strategic plan to improve carer involvement in all levels of the organisation

c) Working with internal and external colleagues to run Carer groups and other consultation events and meetings

d) Developing online engagement and communications as a further means of involvement, in conjunction with the Communications Officer

e) Working with Human Resources, Finance, The Senior Team and Board, as well as Carer Advice and Learning and Development colleagues, to ensure Carer/user involvement and empowerment are at the heart of all aspects of the organisation

**2. Group and individual work**

To begin Carer groups and forums, facilitating these as meaningful places of engagement and influence. In some instances, this may involve facilitating groups in partnership with carers, or other colleagues within TAG.

To develop new groups and forums (Both real time and on digital platforms) in order to increase the range of involvement across all parts of the organisation, in particular increasing representation and ‘voice’ of those who may find it difficult to engage and those carers living out with Edinburgh.

Using a range of approaches to ensure we hear from ‘lesser heard’ voices. (eg, use of interpreters and digital methods)

To create a systemic approach to consultation and Carer
- influence, which has a clear structure, ultimately feeding into the Board.

To assist carers connected to the Action Group, to attend networks and forums of interest across the sector and in wider society.

To use the information from the above activities, as well as through all relevant government policies, to strengthen The Action group services and consultation processes.

To provide digital information via TAG Facebook; an internal carers platform; and to upskill carers on engaging in a digital way, supported by the Comms team and other action group staff.

**3. Policies and Procedures**

To work alongside the Quality Team in ensuring all policies and paperwork consider carers and are accessible.

To lead on facilitating meaningful carer consultation and co-production across all Action Group systems.

To assist in the annual evaluation processes in all services, to maximise user and carer influence.

**4. Internal departments**

To work with the Human Resource team in building on carer involvement in recruitment processes.

To work with the Learning and Development team in extending carer involvement and input (real time or digitally) in training of staff at all levels.

To maximise opportunities for involvement and influence in every element of the organisation.

Brief Senior team and board on key issues related to carers

**5. Development**

To be involved in influencing carers strategies of the Scottish Government and Health and Social Care Partnership that TAG work with.

To work alongside service managers to involve carers in the design and co-production of new services, groups, and projects as appropriate.

To seek out opportunities to extend The Action Group’s