Move comes after seven years with the charity

Alice Harper is to stand down as Quarriers’ chief executive after seven years at the helm of the social care organisation.

She will officially leave the charity in April next year.

After joining Quarriers in 2012 as deputy CEO, Harper took over as chief executive from Paul Moore and has been instrumental in driving forward the organisation which provides practical care and support for vulnerable children, adults and families.

This has included overseeing the Scottish Epilepsy Centre, the only independent hospital in Scotland and only one of two in the UK, which provides assessment, diagnosis and treatment for those with complex epilepsy. The Centre has achieved 5-star EFQM Recognition for Excellence status with Quality Scotland.

Harper also led the charity to become a Platinum certified member of Investors in People, one of the first health and social care charities in Scotland to achieve this status which put it amongst 0.005% of companies in the UK to enjoy this accolade.

She said: “I have found my role as CEO of Quarriers hugely rewarding and it has been both a pleasure and a privilege to lead this organisation for the past seven years. I am proud of our achievements and have been lucky to have worked with such a great team of staff and a Board of Trustees who are passionate and committed to the mission of Quarriers.”

Tom Scholes, chair of Quarriers, added: “On behalf of the board, we’d like to thank Alice for her years of hard work, dedication and commitment to Quarriers. Over her seven years as CEO she has spearheaded a number of key developments and proactive initiatives to take forward the organisation and to further improve our services to those who face extremely challenging circumstances.”