The Richmond Fellowship Scotland

FOCUS Wins Praise from Care Accolades Judge

FOCUS has won praise for its nomination in this year's prestigious Care Accolades, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) Award which celebrates and promotes good practice in workforce development in social services across Scotland.

FOCUS was nominated in the category, 'Involvement of people who use services in any aspect of the organisation’s work'.  In the autumn edition of Care News, the Care Commission magazine, the Care Accolades judge, commented:

"FOCUS is an innovative, ground-breaking initiative that proves that the people who use services can make a major contribution to the work of any organisation."

Also quoted is Neil Talbot, FOCUS Regional Coordinator:

“The Richmond Fellowship Scotland turned my world around. They made me realise that my experience of mental illness could be used to help others."

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.

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