Treasurer

VOCAL is the Voice of Carers Across Lothian, a dynamic and enterprising charity which provides support to over 10,000 unpaid family carers each year in Edinburgh and Midlothian.

We recently lost our Treasurer in sad circumstances and seek a successor to support our team of six trustees with the competent stewardship of VOCAL’s finances.

Trustees ideally combine professional skills with caring experience in the family. The position is not remunerated.  The Treasurer may be in employment or retired. Her/his professional experience as an accountant will preferably include some understanding of SAGE accounting software which is used by our organisation and maintained by a finance officer.

VOCAL receives funding from a diverse range of sources and undertakes many fundraising initiatives each year. We strive continuously to  improve our systems to provide greater clarity and transparency of our finances for the benefit of the Board, staff, volunteers and all stakeholders.

• For a summary of VOCAL’s work, annual accounts and turnover and priorities for the future, please see our most recent report of work here: vocal.org.uk/about/annual-reports
• For further information, expressions of interest or an informal chat about VOCAL, please contact Sebastian Fischer, Chief Executive, at sfischer@vocal.org.uk, or Bill Aitken, Convenor of the Board, at convenor@vocal.org.uk.
• You can also apply via Good Moves

Consultant Opportunity – Feasibility Study

VOCAL is seeking approaches from qualified consultants to deliver a feasibility study to inform the purchase and operation of a holiday home facility providing breaks for unpaid carers.

With support from philanthropic funders, VOCAL seeks to purchase and operate holiday home facilities providing suitable breaks to improve the wellbeing and resilience of unpaid carers and those they care for who may have intensive or complex care needs. The facility should be accessible, welcoming and secure for carers and the person receiving care, throughout the year.

Download the full job description and person specification.

Sessional Counsellor

• Terms: 3 volunteer client sessions plus up to 9 paid client sessions per week
• Salary: £20 per counselling session (individual clinical supervision is provided)
• Location: Based at Edinburgh Carers’ Hub, 60 Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5HB

VOCAL is the leading carer organisation in Edinburgh and Midlothian. We are seeking a qualified and experienced counsellor to provide counselling to adult carers aged 18 years and over. The counselling service is on the COSCA Register of Recognised Organisations. Sessional counsellors receive individual clinical supervision from a supervisor employed by VOCAL and will report to the Counselling Service Manager who will line manage the work.

Download the full job description and person specification.

Please complete the application form and equal opportunities form and return to agenetti@vocal.org.uk or by post to Counselling Service Manager, c/o VOCAL Carers’ Hub, 60 Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5HB. For further information please contact Angela on 0131 4668082.

VOCAL Trustees

• Salary: Unpaid
• Status: Management Board
• Location: Edinburgh

VOCAL is the Voice of Carers Across Lothian, and this is our 25th year of operation. We support unpaid – family – carers with advice, general support and training. We employ some 35 professional staff and benefit from the support of over 70 volunteers. We manage two carer centres at 60 Leith Walk, Edinburgh and at Hardengreen Estate, Dalkeith and support staff based in many Edinburgh communities, in line with Edinburgh Council’s policy of making services available in the four quarters of the City. We currently support over 9,000 carers each year and aim to support more than 10,000 by 2021.

We are a medium sized charity, constituted as a company limited by guarantee, with an annual turnover of about £1.5m, and are now seeking to recruit more trustees to our board. (We have 10 trustees at present.)

Trustees will be able directly to influence the development of our policies, both generally and by using any particular expertise they may have. We have committees focussing on specific aspects of our administration, as well as opportunities to represent VOCAL in Edinburgh and Midlothian. At present, we are particularly interested in recruiting more trustees from

Midlothian, where we are heavily involved in Midlothian Council’s implementation of the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016.
The majority of the current board have direct caring experience, but that is not an essential requirement for appointment as a trustee. Applicants should however have a serious interest in improving the situation of carers, and relevant skills.

Relevant skills are those customarily expected of trustees. Experience in administration, finance, HR, health and social care, or of other boards of third sector organisations, will all be useful.
There is a formal induction process for new trustees. In addition, further training can be provided in specific aspects of the trustee role.

We aim to be an inclusive organisation. All trustees are entitled to be paid the reasonable expenses connected with their membership.

Are you interested in finding out more? Then contact the Convenor or Vice-Convenor (Convenor@vocal.org.uk; vice-convenor@vocal.org.uk) . They will arrange an interview at which they will provide a further description of what VOCAL does, and what being a trustee will involve. Thereafter, if both parties decide to proceed with the application, applicants will be invited to a board meeting, following which they may be co-opted on to the board.