Jock Welsh heads Margaret Blackwood Housing Association’s support services

Margaret Blackwood Housing Association has appointed Jock Welsh as Support Services Director. Jock, who previously managed the Accessible Homes Service at the City of Edinburgh Council, will lead the Association’s extensive care and support activities at a particularly exciting time.

Jock told us: “My arrival coincides with the start of an extensive programme for redeveloping our sheltered housing – which tends to be amongst the oldest properties we have. At the same time, we
are also working with the tenants of these developments to redefine the way in which we provide
support to make it more empowering, enabling and person-centred. There is a real challenge for us to support our tenants through this period of change.

“Longer term, we are looking to further develop our care and support model within our Supported
Housing developments, finding new ways of providing services and making personal choice and independent, ordinary living a reality for all our service users.  We want to be ambitious for people
who use our services and challenge our staff to play their role in this closer partnership.

“People don’t realise just what an important role support services play in the overall scheme of things within MBHA but over 80% of our staff are involved in supporting people in our housing developments
and in the wider community.

“We see support provision as an area which presents many opportunities to grow our business over the coming years.

“All in all, there couldn’t be a better time to be joining a housing association that is determined to be the best at what it does.”

For further information, contact Paul Leighton, Publicity & Communication Officer, telephone: 0131 317 0117, email PaulL@mbha.org.uk at Margaret Blackwood Housing Association.

7th February 2007

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