Wellbeing Worker
Hours: 21 hours per week
Length of contract: Fixed term contract until 31st May 2028. Possible extension dependant on funding.
Pay scale: £26,390 pro rata
Dumfries and Galloway ME and Fibromyalgia Network SCIO (DGMEFM Network)
Dumfries and Galloway ME and Fibromyalgia Network (DGMEFM Network) is a member-led charity formed in September 2000 and renewed as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation in 2022 to support the needs of people in Dumfries and Galloway who have experience of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), Fibromyalgia (FM) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).
It is the only service of its kind in SW Scotland and (overseen by a group of committed volunteer Trustees) has been providing a vital range of services for people in Dumfries and Galloway affected by the conditions for over 20 years.
Our Vision:
All people with ME / CFS and FM can reach their full potential; supported by services and communities that understand, value, and respect them.
Our Mission:
To help make this future a reality, DGMEFM Network’s mission is to provide people with ME/ CFS and FM with a range of accessible and high-quality information, services and support that help them to effectively self-manage their conditions and achieve their individual goals.
Wellbeing Worker
Main Tasks:
– Co-ordinate Network wellbeing activities
– Support members to take advantage of the wellbeing opportunities that the Network offer
– Support befrienders / peer mentors
– Provide signposting to other services
– Be a point of contact for the most vulnerable and newly diagnosed members
– Be a single point of contact for health and social care professionals
– Undertake marketing and promotional activities to raise awareness of the Network with both health and social care professionals and people with the conditions.
– Undertake monitoring and evaluation.
How the work will be delivered:
The Wellbeing Worker will be line managed by our Network Development Manager, with ultimate accountability to our Board of Trustees. The Wellbeing Worker will also receive some administrative support from our Admin officer, to support them in their role.
The Wellbeing Worker will co-ordinate and deliver activities for our members both face-to-face and online. These sessions will have a focus on the participants developing supportive relationships across the Network and improving their own mental health and wellbeing, which, in turn, will help them to better manage their conditions and their own physical health.
Activities are likely to include things such as:
– Informal social meet-ups
– Online craft-focused activities such as mindful colouring and origami
– In person craft-focused activities such as pottery and weaving
– Online wellbeing-focused activities such as mindfulness and zen gardens
– In person wellbeing-focused activities such as chair yoga and sound baths
The wellbeing worker will ensure the Network’s befrienders and peer mentors are appropriately supervised in their roles.
They will make use of all of our communication channels to ensure effective signposting to other services available across the region.
They will build on the contacts that the Network have already developed with health and social care practitioners and will attend health and social care meetings and events to ensure that professionals across the region are fully aware of the wellbeing services on offer.
Who our activity is aimed at:
Through this project we will support people who have ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia and/or the post exertional malaise symptom of Long-Covid. People with these long-term conditions experience the full range of: poverty, as the vast majority of our members are unable to work due to their ill health and are therefore living on benefits; and disadvantage and discrimination, as they are often excluded from regular activities as a result of physical, attitudinal and systemic barriers within society.
What difference our activity will make:
People have better relationships, connections and physical or mental health. A Wellbeing Worker will be in a position to facilitate social activities that will enable people to connect with their peers in a relaxed and supportive environment.
They will act as a key point of contact and liaison between health and social care practitioners and the Network.
The Wellbeing Worker will also play a specific role in connecting with those members who are most vulnerable and/or newly diagnosed. This focus will lead to an improvement in their access to appropriate services, an increase in their understanding of their condition and an increased ability for them to self-manage their condition.
The Wellbeing Worker’s role as a key contact for the most vulnerable and/or newly diagnosed members will also mean that those individuals are receiving additional contact from a supportive person more often than they would have otherwise, which, in turn, will have a positive impact on their mental health.
Skills and qualities we are looking for
• Understanding and empathy
• Experience of effective project planning and delivery
• Communication skills, both written and spoken
• Understanding of the issues faced by people with ME / CFS, Fibromyalgia and Long Covid
• Experience of partnership working (especially in relation to health and social care settings)
• Experience of promoting / marketing activities to a wide range of audiences
• Ability to meet service targets
• Confident with Microsoft Office
• Experience of co-ordinating or supporting volunteers
• Driving licence and access to a vehicle
PVG scheme membership, in respect of Vulnerable Adults, is a necessity of the role due to the requirement of the role to line manage the volunteer befrienders and peer-mentors.
Reporting to: Network Development Manager
Application process
Please submit a CV and covering letter explaining your suitability for the role to:
admin@dgmefm.org.uk
Deadline for applications: 12 noon, 9th May 2025.
Interviews will be held in the week beginning 19th May 2025.
