Promoting Recovery

In 2004, The National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Well-Being established the Scottish Recovery Network (SRN) aims to raise awareness and develop understanding of recovery. From the beginning, SDC has been an active chair of the SRN management group.

One of SRN’s tasks is to influence practice development, and SDC has worked closely with the network on this.

SDC endeavours to bring a recovery focus to all aspects of its development work, for example when working with local areas to develop local policies and protocols it is interested to explore how recovery principles can be put into practice.

Employability

Employment and recovery are closely linked, with many people who have mental health problems testifying to the vital role work, meaningful activity and employment have played in their journey of recovery.

SDC has a track record in working in the field of mental health, employment and working lives. From 2000-2003, SDC ran an employment programme (with funding from the Scottish Executive Public Health Division), which consulted with service users, practitioners and employers on improving services, and examined the evidence for change and what works. The knowledge developed through this programme has been drawn together in a document - With Work in Mind (unpublished, The National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Wellbeing). This document presents a vision of bringing together partners, local and national government strategies and interventions to support people with mental health problems into work and in work, and to foster mentally healthy workplaces.

Through its expertise in employment and mental health, SDC has become a stakeholder in the implementation of Workforce Plus, an Employability Framework for Scotland, which sets out the targets, plans and supports for helping people to move from welfare into work.

SDC leads an employment coalition of the key stakeholders in mental health and employment, such as SAMH, SRN, Healthy Working Lives and Forth Sector.

SDC is has developed training for managers around mental health, and has the skills and knowledge to provide training and awareness raising on promoting healthier working environments. For example, it can work in partnership with employers (or bodies like trade unions) to develop healthy workplaces, which enable employees to reach their potential and employees and businesses to flourish.

Contact details

Pippa Coutts
pippa@sdcmh.org.uk

0131 555 5959