Over sixty adults with additional support needs have come together to tell support services what measures they would like to see taken to improve the support they receive through a Charter for Involvement. The group is now calling on organisations to commit to putting their recommendations into practice and has produced a special animated film to promote the Charter.
Known as the National Involvement Network (NIN), the group have been working for over two years to produce the Charter for Involvement, which to date has been signed by 32 support organisations.
Most of the adults involved have received support services their whole life and believe together they could have a stronger voice on how their services are delivered. Supported by independent charity ARC Scotland, The Charter not only gives these adults a voice but also a way for support services to involve the people they support more in the work of the organisation.
The newly launched animated film accompanying the Charter describes how the 12 Charter statements help to improve the lives of people who get support. It sets out how people want to be more involved in the services they receive. The film was launched today at the Thistle Foundation earlier this week to an audience of NIN members and support organisations.
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Chair of the National Involvement Network, Lynette Lynton said: “We all use support services in various ways and wanted to have more of a say in our services and be more involved in the way they are run. Who better to advise support services on how well they are doing than the people that use them day-to-day?
“The launch of the Charter film is a huge occasion for everyone involved. For those of you who have never seen it, it features an animated tiger to show how the Charter has helped make us feel strong and bold.
“The tiger also features on the cover of the Charter for Involvement and many people have now come to associate the tiger with our work.
“As chair of the National Involvement Network, I hope that the film will inspire people who receive care and support services to become more involved.
“The National Involvement Network and the Charter for Involvement have been made possible through the hard work and dedication of ARC Scotland. They have supported the NIN through this process and it is their policy of bringing organisations and people together to find solutions that has made this possible.
“I would like to think that our work with the Charter has improved services and the experiences of service users nationally and I would urge other organisations who would like to know more about the Charter or to receive a copy to get in touch with Association for Real Change Scotland for more information.”