FOCUS has been shortlisted for the prestigious Care Accolades 2007, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) Award which celebrates and promotes good practice in workforce development in social services across Scotland.
Nominated in the category, 'Involvement of people who use services in any aspect of the organisation’s work', FOCUS personnel made a presentation to a panel of SSSC judges in April and an SSSC film crew then spent time filming a Challenging Stigma priority meeting, a Staff Training event and a Service Interview. Please click here to view the film.
At the awards ceremony at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh, nearly 200 guests including social service users, individual carers and public, private and voluntary social service providers were treated to stories of ground breaking research, heart-warming efforts and innovative professional practice.
Commenting on the award, Susan McEntee, FOCUS Manager said: "The competition was very steep and FOCUS was unsuccessful this time. An innovative young person’s project called FACE (Fighting Against Child Exploitation) won our category and really was a worthy winner. We intend to apply again next year by which time we hope to have even more successes under our belt! It was a great experience and a real celebration of the amazing work that is going on across Scotland in the Care Sector."
FOCUS (Freedom of Choice United Services) is a separate structure within The Richmond Fellowship Scotland which involves the people we support in key areas of the work of the organisation. It has been running for approximately three years and replaced the National Service Users Association (NSUA).
The Care Accolades was launched in 2004 to celebrate and promote good practice in workforce development in social services across Scotland. Open to statutory, voluntary and private sector social service organisations, the Care Accolades awards employers who have policies in place that retain and support staff, organisations that involve people who use services to ensure that their needs are at the centre of their work and provide examples of excellence in partnership working and innovative training programmes.