Practice Leader

Work Location: Hybrid - Lochside House

Hours: 37 hours per week

Salary: £35,772.53 per annum

Ark has been successfully supporting people with Learning Disabilities, Autism, Mental Health, and Complex Support needs to live good lives and make their home in their communities for 49 years. Providing over 16,000 hours of support a week, we currently support over 400 people across Scotland in 12 Local Authority areas.

Ark has a long history of supporting people using Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) approaches. We are building on this by strengthening how we develop staff knowledge, skills and confidence by placing Capable Environments, Practice Leadership and PBS at the heart of service delivery.

We have an exciting opportunity to join Ark’s Practice Development Team as a Practice Leader. Reporting to the Practice Development Manager, Practice Leaders promote a learning culture within our services through the delivery of training in Capable Environments, Practice Leadership and PBS. They help staff translate this learning into practice through hands-on coaching and mentoring while supporting managers to enhance their own skills in practice leadership.

The team has national reach across Ark’s services in Scotland and this role will mainly be based within our services, where you will spend dedicated time with staff and supported people. Alongside coaching and mentoring staff, you will lead face-to-face practice workshops to share evidence-based approaches as well as being involved in supporting the wider induction of new Support Practitioners at an organisational level.

There is a real emphasis on regularly reviewing, adapting and improving our processes to ensure that Practice Leaders provide the right support to managers, team members and the people we support. We are committed to the professional development of the successful candidate, providing a structured induction with training as well as dedicated coaching and mentoring in a supportive learning environment.

This role offers an excellent opportunity for those who have experience of supporting people with complex support needs and a passion for developing others. Whether your background is in providing direct support, operational management, training or practice development, you will be confident building relationships, coaching individuals and teams as well as driving practice improvement.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Experience of working with people who have a wide range of support needs and personal goals in a person-centred way.
• Experience of working with people who have experienced trauma and may have been marginalised as well as with people who have displayed behaviours of concern, supporting them in an empathetic way that improves their quality of life.
• Experience of taking a lead role within a team to develop practice and team culture.
• Demonstratable experience of applying evidence and knowledge to decision making processes.
• Strong report writing skills.
• Demonstratable experience that shows the ability to coach and mentor others in order to embed knowledge and best practice.
• Excellent interpersonal skills when communicating with supported people and colleagues at all levels.
• Be able to demonstrate an accomplished level of skill used when directly supporting people.
• Willingness to travel to Ark’s Services throughout Scotland.

Why Ark?

• Hybrid Working: While mainly based in Ark's services across Scotland there will be some flexibility for Hybrid working.
• Flexible Working Times: Not a 9am - 5pm person? Ark allows you to flex your start & finish time in agreement with your line manager.
• Employee Assistance Program: Ark's Employee Assistance program (EAP) gives all employees access to counselling sessions. There is also support available through weekly webinars and the EAP Website & App.
• Employee Discounts: Employee Discounts Portal with 1000s of discounts on your favourite brands including Supermarkets, Cinema Tickets, Gym Membership and Holidays.

In return for your valuable contribution, Ark will also offer you:

• Up to 36 days paid holiday per year pro rata
• 4% Contributory pension scheme
• Cycle to Work Scheme

Ark is a major provider of Care and Support to people with long term and enduring conditions including learning disability, mental health issues, dementia and autism. As a Housing Association, we provide a range of accommodation much of which has been designed or adapted to meet the needs of people with disabilities.

Our aim is to create the best possible customer outcomes through our highly skilled people, the provision of high-quality affordable homes and excellent care.

Scottish Charity No. SCO15694