Love Is… Project Short-Listed For National Award

A training programme developed by The Highland Council’s Social Work Services, NHS Highland and other key partners has been short-listed for a national award at the Scottish Social Service Council’s 2008 Care Accolades. 

The project, entitled “Love Is … working with people with learning disabilities about relationships and sexuality is competing with two other Scottish projects under the category heading of Innovative and/or Imaginative Training Programme at these prestigious awards. Last week the team from the Highlands met the judging panel and answered a number of questions after giving a short presentation.  They will find out if they have been successful at an awards ceremony in Glasgow on 13 June.

The new training programme has been developed by The Highland Council in partnership with NHS Highland, Brook Highland, People First, Terence Higgins Trust, the Highland Learning Disabilities and Relationships Group, Service Users and Carers. 

“Love Is…” seeks to help staff to change their practice in a very important and significant way, by supporting people with learning disabilities to develop and sustain a range of relationships, including sexual relationships, in a healthy, informed and safe manner.  It switches the focus from the protection of people who may be vulnerable to the empowerment and education of people so that they become less vulnerable.

Chairman of the Council’s Housing and Social Work Committee, Councillor Margaret Davidson said:  “Given that people with learning disability are four times more vulnerable to being abused than the general population, care and protection are critical. Supporting staff to work sensitively and effectively with clients around their relationships and sexuality is a challenging task.  The Love Is… training programme has been devised after close working with our partners, and more importantly, service users themselves and their carers.  Staff now have good practice guidance to follow when helping service users stay safe and develop the relationships which many of us take for granted.”

The Love Is… training programme supports staff to work more effectively with service users, helping service users to:

Director of Community Care Jan Baird said: “This has been an excellent project which has given a meaningful voice to service users in the planning and delivery of training. I’m delighted to see the efforts of everyone who has worked on Love Is rewarded.”

Staff across the statutory, voluntary and independent sectors in Highland have taken part in 22 training programmes and have been given copies of the policy which clearly sets out their responsibilities.  They also have a Good Practice Guidance for Staff manual and an easy to read publication has been produced for service users which outlines their rights, and provides helpful information.

The Highland Council’s Director of Social Work, Harriet Dempster said:  “We have challenged staff thinking because of our approach and the programme content and most importantly, we have created the best possible environment for service users who will now work with staff who are confident to discuss, acknowledge and promote the relationship needs of service users.  It is a credit to the hard work of everyone involved that our entry has been short-listed and I wish the team well when the results are announced next month.