LIFESTYLE
YOU SAID, WE How our members’ views are shaping Who Cares? Scotland
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e’ve got an exciting update about how your views are helping improve Who Cares? Scotland! You may remember that, in our last issue, we shared some of the fantastic feedback we received in our 2020 Membership Survey. As part of this, you asked for Who Cares? Scotland to discuss
mental health issues in more detail; you asked for extra supports to help you attend our groups; and to include more opportunities for younger members to influence our organisation. Here’s a summary of what we’ve been working on!
Mental Health “In response to our Membership Survey, Mental Health is now one of the key themes this year in the Annual Participation Programme. This will give Care Experienced people the opportunity to directly influence the Scottish Government’s approach to mental health, as well as inform Corporate Parents and The Promise” - Shannon Boston, NRB member from Shetland
Mental health is a significant issue for our members, and already Care Experienced people have done fantastic campaigning towards in this area. We know how difficult it can be for our members to access mental health services, and many of the supports available need to consider the requirements of Care Experienced people in order to provide the best service possible. To address this, Who Cares? Scotland ran an eight-week campaign across July and August to gather your views on mental health as part of our Annual Participation Programme. Through our surveys and focus groups, we listened to your thoughts and are now getting ready to use these to influence specific policy areas, including Scotland’s post-COVID recovery plans! We will share our progress as soon as we can, but for now, keep your eyes peeled on our social media!
Support attending groups “You told us that one of the main barriers to attending national events was low selfconfidence, we all know that feeling of pure dread as we walk into a room full of people we don’t know. We ask ourselves loads of questions, and we can easily get nervous!” – Lynda Greig, NRB Member from Paisley
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We want all our members to feel confident, supported and excited to attend our groups! To help support this, we’re creating a brand-new buddying system. This will allow a staff member, volunteer, or member that you already know to come to a group to help introduce you. If you’re new to Who Cares? Scotland, we’ll be delighted to get you in touch with a staff member or volunteer beforehand.
