There will be an exhibition of art work by service users from the Viewpoint and Access Art services. This will feature new original art work and an exhibition showing the process of creating costumes to take part in the West End Festival opening event at the Botanical Gardens on the 3rd of June.

In addition there will be a return of the popular music and art workshops which will run throughout the week. During the music workshops people will have the opportunity to try a vast array of different instruments from around the world. Everyone, no matter their level of musical ability, will be able to take part and enjoy these sessions with professional musicians from Bridgeman Arts and Luminous Music. The Art workshops will be working on making festival hats with artist Rob Lowe.

If anyone would like to take part in these workshops you can drop in but we would advise booking as some days are booked up already.

To book, please contact Noel Bridgeman on 07801848545.

Find out more details from our advert

The independent Commission, chaired by Dame Elish Angiolini QC, revealed their recommendations today after an eight month review.

The number of women offenders in Scotland has doubled in the last decade.

Cabinet Secretary for Justice Kenny MacAskill announced the creation of the independent Commission in June last year to look at ways to stem the rise and reduce reoffending. The Commission met for the first time on 24 August 2011.

Publishing their report today, the Commission made 37 key recommendations including:

Creating local multi-disciplinary Community Justice Centres to enable women offenders to access a consistent range of services and programmes including mental health support to reduce reoffending.

Establishing a national Community Justice Service to commission, provide and manage adult offender services in the community

Setting up a national Community Justice and Prison Delivery Board to lead and support better collaboration between the Community Justice Service and the Scottish Prison Service

Demolishing HMP Cornton Vale and replacing it with a smaller specialist prison for long term and high risk prisoners and regional units to hold short-term and remand prisoners

Giving police new powers to issue conditional cautions directing women offenders to attend local Community Justice Centres

Providing additional powers for Procurators Fiscal to impose composite diversion orders which combine unpaid work and a rehabilitative programme as an alternative to prosecution

Giving new powers to judges to impose combined custodial /community sentences and suspended sentences

Establishing a problem solving court and providing opportunities for enhanced training for judges

Dame Elish Angiolini QC said:  “We no longer can ignore the significant cost to society of locking up women, the majority of whom have committed offences while suffering from addiction, trauma or mental health problems.

“In my 28 years as a prosecutor, I saw at first hand the tragic impact of women offending and re-offending on their victims, the local community, their families and themselves. Undoubtedly, some women must be in prison to protect the public and to mark the seriousness of their crime. But for women who are repeatedly committing lower level offences, we need to get better at tackling the root cause of their problems in the community, and allowing the community to benefit from the punishments imposed.

“We recognise the tough economic climate, significant financial constraints and increasing demands on services, therefore our recommendations are designed to be largely achieved through reconfiguration of existing funding, rather than significant new investment.

“This report focuses on practical measures that can be commenced during this Parliament to reduce reoffending, reverse the increase in the female prisoner population and ultimately, and most importantly, keep the public safe from crime.”

Commission members Dame Elish Angiolini QC, Dr Linda de Caestecker, Director of Public Health at NHS Greater Glasgow Health Board and Sheriff Daniel Scullion met with a wide range of stakeholders and groups including criminal justice social work, prison, the judiciary, police, victims representatives as well as focus groups with victims and ex-offenders. Evidence was also heard from practitioners in England, Northern Ireland, the Netherlands and Denmark.

Their recommendations have now been presented to Kenny MacAskill, Cabinet Secretary for Justice.

Victim support groups, those working with women offenders and the Scottish Prison Service have welcomed the report.

Brigadier Hugh Monro, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, said:  “The work of the Commission on Women Offenders is both thoughtful and profound.  Women offenders can so often be victims as well and it is heartening to see such a radical approach being taken, across the criminal justice system, to deal with the issues surrounding female offending.

“For my part I am delighted to see such positive recommendations to improve the treatment and conditions of women prisoners.  Now, at last, I feel hopeful that conditions for female prisoners can be improved and I urge speedy and determined implementation of the Commission’s recommendations.”

Martin Cawley, Chief Executive at Turning Point Scotland, whose 218 service is highlighted as a role model for dealing with offenders in the community, said:  “We are very pleased to support the work of the Commission to look at more effective ways to address issues around female offending.

“218 is designed to break the cycle of offending which results in the ‘revolving door’ syndrome that characterises many female offenders relationships with prison, by addressing the cause of their offending behaviour.

“By offering support for addiction, mental or physical health issues, and family trauma, we believe it is a more effective route out of reoffending than a short term custodial sentence.

“This type of intervention works best when agencies from health, social work, criminal justice and police work in partnership with the charitable and voluntary sector.

“We firmly believe that communities across the country could benefit hugely if programmes like 218 were made available to them and this type of joint working can lead to a safe Scotland.”

Both are also members of the business network ‘the best of Aberdeen’ which showcase only the best businesses Aberdeen has to offer. Why not pop into the Glencraft showroom at 132 Wellington RoadAberdeenwhere you can buy a hand-made mattress or bed and the perfect piece of art work to enhance your bedroom! More art work and hand-made craft items are on display at Rosie’s Framers & Crafts which is situated at45-49 Holburn StreetAberdeen.

Rosie’s Wedding Stationery is applying for the Life with Style Award 2012 for the best new business and are looking for support to put us in the line-up for such an award.

If you could take a minute to fill out the nomination – it is so quick to do. All you need is your name, email address and nomination.

In the nomination box the title is ‘Rosie’s Wedding Stationery’.

Click here to vote.

See our latest leaflet.

Recently an inspiring lady moved on to independence after having support from SHAPE in Aberdeen.

Her story in her own words should give hope to people in similar very challenging situations:

“I was at my very lowest point in my life having recently lost my partner and been diagnosed with Huntington’s disease. Although I had my 2 sons I could not see any way my future could be normal again. I was on the brink of becoming homeless with no money or income. I was self medicating with over the counter painkillers and alcohol to make the pain go away, but it never did. I was admitted to hospital after an accident in a car park. The only thing wrecked was me.

In hospital I was given counselling and lots of nursing help. I was introduced to a Care manager who explained how my life would change over the next few months. My youngest son was being looked after by a relative and I couldn’t believe how I had got to this stage in my life.

I was introduced to the Shape workers and although I was reluctant at first they were very friendly and patient with me. They seemed to understand my feelings of failure and desperation. They visited most days and started to help me make changes with achieving small goals e.g. looking at my appearance and dealing with my feelings. I had no self esteem but together we worked on this.  Gradually I began to feel better about myself and ready to face the world again. We talked about moving from hospital into my own house and reuniting with my sons. The helped me apply for housing and benefits to set me on the path.

I found the staff very friendly and patient and as time went on managed to meet and engage with the whole team. All sorts of experience and skills came to my aid and every time I met with them I felt very comfortable and relaxed. I believe ‘they were my guardian angels with lots of fairy dust’.

I have found my independence again and enjoy my new home reunited with my children and friends.  Last year, I took on my voluntary position in a charity shop.  I found this challenging at first but now thoroughly enjoy it and have made lots of new friends.

My biggest fears have overcome with facing life everyday. I can now take my son to school, and I am driving my own car again.  I feel confident and am happy with the way I look. Friends and family accept me and I enjoy their company once again.

I have now decided to disengage from the service, but will keep in touch with the SHAPE team. I would like to go on holiday with my family and do all the things that were part of my life before. I missed out on part of my young son growing up and need to make up for this loss.  I would like to work full time again and earn my own money.”

Ann McMullen works with Turning Point Scotland’s SHAPE service said:

“This lady was very withdrawn, had no self esteem and was happy to be guided by staff at the hospital.  She had no motivation and could not or would not make decisions for herself. She was almost at the stage of giving up and had a near miss which brought her to the attention of medical and Social work professionals.

Slowly with patience and encouragement she started to look at her life again in a different way. She was not always happy to try things and presented as dishevelled and disinterested in how she looked and felt. She began to slowly improve her appearance and feel better about herself.  Her humour began to show and staff saw a different lady appearing so lots of praise and encouragement were given to help her move a little further every day.

We try to encourage people to take control of their own lives and keep their independence. We discussed change and how this can be achieved with small steps working towards the end result. We are there with the person to help through good and not so good times and to help them back on track.

This lady is an inspiration to all of us. At the beginning of her support we saw a long road stretching to recovery and the difference between then and now is quite amazing.  She took on the service reluctantly but was willing to help herself with support and guidance. She has made the transition from a sad and beaten attitude to glowing confidence in herself and her future.

The Shape team work hard to make a difference to people’s lives every day. Sometimes it can take a long time and a lot of effort to achieve this, but when we have a success story like this one it gives everyone a great lift and sense of achievement. It also helps on the days when things are not going so well and helps to keep the balance.  This is why we come to work.”

The emergency night shelter, in McAlpine Street in the city centre, closed on Sunday 26^th February after offering people a roof over their head and somewhere to bed down for the night for 12 weeks since early December.

Glasgow Winter Initiative was run by Glasgow City Mission, and supported by Glasgow Homelessness Network, Glasgow Housing Association, Turning Point Scotland, the Marie Trust, Blue Triangle Housing Association, Shelter, Gowrie Care, The Lodging House Mission and Impact Arts.

Glasgow Winter Initiative was aimed at people over the age of 18 who needed to get off the streets and out of the cold weather for the night.

On average, around 19 individuals used the vital refuge each night, which provided hot drinks, snacks, respite from the cold, and basic sleeping arrangements for some of the most vulnerable people within the community.

According to figures from Glasgow Homelessness Network, the level of need for the shelter increased compared to last year. This year, the shelter was accessed over 1500 times by over 250 people, with over 85% of people using the shelter between one and three times.

Andrew Low, Chief Executive of Glasgow City Mission said:

“For the second year running a number of organisations in Glasgow came together to provide the Glasgow Winter Initiative,  offering overnight accommodation for individuals that might otherwise find themselves sleeping rough in extreme winter conditions.

I’d like to thank all our staff who worked extremely hard, often in challenging circumstances, to give people a roof over their heads for the night and a brief respite from the winter cold. In particular, around 140 volunteers spent a night away from their loved ones in the run up to and through the holiday period to assist our staff to provide this vital service.

The figures show we have had the same urgent need for emergency shelter through the winter as last year. Although we had a milder festive and new year period, in terms of a lack of snow compared to last year, this didn’t make life any easier for the numbers of rough sleepers who needed to get into the warmth for the night. The fact we saw similar numbers in terms of those staying overnight as last year shows that milder weather is no barometer for how many rough sleepers require emergency shelter at night.

As organisations we exist to provide support to some of the most vulnerable individuals in the community and we would urge local and national governments to continue to address homelessness as an urgent priority in these tough economic times.”

ENDS

Notes for Editors:

Glasgow Homelessness Network also reports that

• the Winter Initiative was accessed by males in 72% of instances, and females in 27%
• the age of people accessing the shelter ranged from 18 to 83, with an average in the early thirties
• the maximum number of people accessing the Winter Initiative on a single night was 33
• in over 75% of instances, the shelter was used by aUKcitizen, with over two-thirds describing themselves as ‘white Scottish’
• in over 50% of instances, the shelter was accessed by someone who was not experiencing homelessness for the first time
• in over two-thirds of instances, the person accessing the shelter had not approached Glasgow City Council for assistance on that day
• in over 70% of instances, people using the shelter stated that they would be sleeping rough on the streets if the Winter Initiative did not exist

Media wishing to attend can interview Andrew Low, CEO Glasgow City Mission by contacting:

Iain McPhie

Marketing and Fundraising Manager

GlasgowCityMission|20 Crimea Street|Glasgow| G2 8PW

T 0141 221 2630    M 07766 311193

E iainm@glasgowcitymission.com

In this particular project the aim was to reduce the impact of drug related litter in the community by taking action to reduce the number of incidents of disposed injecting paraphernalia being found in public places. The beauty of this award winning initiative was although IV Drug users were the problem they were also at the heart of realising the solution to the problem.

Service users of the Big River Project, in Galashiels, undertook a lead role in the designing of a publicity poster campaign promoting the safe disposal of injecting equipment and of the design of the promotional messages on needle exchange packs.

They also through peer education promoted the message it’s your needle exchange service, ‘abuse it = loose it’. As a result of the campaign the number of incidents of unsafe disposal of drug related litter fell considerably over a period of six months.
In involving representatives of the Lothian and Borders Police, Service users of the Big River project, Community pharmacies, Scottish Borders Council and the Borders Alcohol and Drug Partnership and The Big River Project itself  a truly integrative and inclusive way of working had a positive impact on the wider community.

It was part of an adult lifelong learning programme partly funded by Grundtvig which supports education and training across Europe.

Turning Point Scotland is taking part in the European exchange project over two years which looks at the homelessness strategies in different countries and how the Housing First model can fit into this context.

The visitors from Barcelona, Helsinki, Paris and Vienna heard presentations on housing and homelessness policy at The Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council level on the situation in Scotland, before hearing about Housing First itself from Emma Hamilton and Sharon Berrie. The visitors also made their own presentations about what attempts they had made to implement their own versions of Housing First. Among some of the interesting policy developments in Europe include a major review of homelessness policy in France with a new strategy, including aspects of the Housing First model, following a 25% rise in homelessness since 2008. While the Spanish national government currently have no national strategy on homelessness, so back in 2007 the Generalitat of Catalonia (autonomous community government) pioneered a Catalan ‘right to housing’ law, including a proper ‘definition’ of homelessness.

Our European colleagues also made personal visits to some of our services to see how the people are benefitting from supported accommodation at Housing First, Link Up, Garscube and Moving On.

Turning Point Scotland’s Operations Manager Iain Irvine said:

“This week has been very rewarding in terms of sharing our experiences of the Housing First model with our colleagues from Vienna, Paris, Barcelona and Helsinki. We can always benefit from the experience of others and the sharing from other countries helped us see that Turning Point Scotland can be confident of the progress it has made with its Housing First pilot service compared to some others. By participating in shared learning can help make further progress as we strive to develop our approach even further. I am in no doubt our visitors have found this a very useful and insightful few days.”

Turning Point Scotland’s Chief Executive Martin Cawley said:

“The last couple of days have been immensely enjoyable, as all the staff involved have worked extremely hard to make this learning and cultural exchange a success, and I’d like to thank them personally for this. Not only have we learnt about our European colleagues and the opportunities and challenges they are facing in their own countries, it is clear we can be proud of the knowledge and experience we can share with our European neighbours. Hopefully they also enjoyed receiving a wee taste of Scottish hospitality and the warm welcome that goes with that.”

If you would like to find out more about the organisations who visited Glasgow check out these websites:

FNARS

Name on the Door Project

Fonds Soziales Wien

Prohabitatge

Our services range from short-term crisis intervention to sustaining longer-term recovery and abstinence.  That means people taking many different paths and journeys during their involvement within Turning Point Scotland services.

However, one constant are the principles on which our services operate. Principles we believe are important for good recovery focused services.  Principles we aspire to achieve.

For more information on Our approach to drugs, alcohol and recovery? click here.

To find a service click here or if you are worried about someone please complete our enquiry form on-line by clicking here.

Despite the winter weather and lashing rain, the players enthusiastically took to the field at Hamilton Academical’s New Douglas Park on Sunday 11^th December to highlight issues of alcohol and substance misuse in Glasgow.

The match was played at a great tempo with some great individual performances with, with Sunday Mail and Clyde1 Superscoreboard pundit Mark Guidi making a string of fine saves in the GAP legends goal. The Scottish Rockettes and Hamilton under 8 youth teams provided half time entertainment.

The GAP legends, playing in Hamilton Accies’ colours, ran out 3-1 winners in a closely contested match with Sky Sports reporter Peter Martin showing everyone up with two fine strikes that would have graced any level of football, but Sean Lawrence got the Man of the Match award for his performance for Scotland’s Homeless World Cup squad.

Presenting the trophy at the end was Walter Hamilton from Hamilton Academical FC, Billy Purcell from the Second Chance Project, and Ian Irvine from Turning Point Scotland.

Alex Rae captained a team of ex-pros and media pundits including the likes of Gordon Durie, Tom Boyd, Bob Malcolm, Peter Martin, Chic Young, Andy Mclaren and Mark Guidi. Former Rangers midfielder Rae said:

“It was really good, great fun, well competed by everyone and a really good afternoon. Most of our boys’ legs are knackered now, there was a lot of bright boys for them and thankfully our goalkeeper saved the day for us.

The GAP partnership is close to our heart, ties in well with homelessness and the problems of addiction around that, it was a very worthwhile afternoon, and very pertinent at this time of year.

I think all the boys enjoyed it and it was played in the right spirit which is very pleasing.”

The former Ibrox star is chair of the trustees of the Second Chance Project in Glasgow and is hoping his profile and experience with football can help raise awareness to those in need to get help facing the challenges of addiction, and hopefully  find their own way on the road to recovery.

Another former Ibrox favourite Ally Dawson, who managed Hamilton Accies, now coaches the Scotland Homeless World Cup winners. He said all the players had a great time:

“It was a great afternoon, unfortunately the weather wasn’t very good but all the guys enjoyed it. A lot of them aren’t used to playing 11 a side, especially some of those guys, they keep the ball, which makes it a lot, lot harder for us to get on it, but it was good, really enjoyed the day and it was great seeing some old friends.

This is close to my heart and close to Alex’s heart so a lot of the things we’re going to be doing in the future are to see how we can take it forward.”

As many people who are homeless have issues with alcohol and drug misuse, bringing together Scotland’s Homeless World Cup winners and the GAP legends through football gave them a chance to have a bit of friendly competition and share experiences through their passion and love of the game.

The match was enjoyed by players and spectators alike and shows just how much talent, commitment and energy lies in our communities when they are given a chance to show it off.

The Second Chance Project and Turning Point Scotland’s South East Alternatives and the Milestone Project offer the GLASGOW ABSTINENCE PROVISION, now reaching most parts of the city.

END

Contact:

Keira J MacDougall,Second Chance Project,keira@kjmevents.com, 0141 336 7272, 07765867062

Andy Dewar, Turning Point Scotland, andydewar@turningpointscotland.com, 0141 427 9425, 07837765483

Additional notes to Editor:

The Glasgow Abstinence Partnership is a trio of Community Rehabilitation Services in the city who have banded together to increase recovery from addiction in the city by promoting abstinence based approaches more strongly. The GAP was launched in August 2011 at a mini abstinence summit in the Quaker meeting house. For the first time Recovery fellowships sat down with their counterparts in treatment services and talked Recovery from Addiction. The GAP work is funded by a grant of 150k from the Glasgow Alcohol and Drug Partnership.

The GAP has project bases in each area of the city.

Second Chance in the North West.

In the North East of The city, Turning PointScotland’s Milestone project will be focussing on getting people abstinent in preparation for a place  on a year long community based rehabilitation service that is run by them with funding fromGlasgowaddiction Service.

In the South of the City Turning Point Scotland’s South East Alternatives will be adding capacity to its busy year long recovery programme. They launched the Recovery For Men project on Nov 29^th. This will add a new recovery route for men in the city.

The GAP project also has city wide initiatives to promote continued abstinence in a community setting.

1. The All City Recovery Volunteer task force is currently training people who have graduated community rehabilitation programmes, the opportunity to train and work in the community rehabilitation services that help them.
2. The SUSTAIN programme is currently running evening recovery therapy groups to individuals who have completed the initial year of treatment.
3. In Each health and social care sector the GAP is pulling together all the major players in treatment for addiction into Conversation Café’s to begin working together on promoting greater abstinence and recovery in the city.

Scotland’s success inParisthis year was the second time that the Homeless World Cup had been won by a Scottish team; in 2007, inCopenhagen,Scotlandwon the competition for the first time.  This year was also the first time thatScotlandparticipated in the Women’s Homeless World Cup and the team finished in 5th place, the highest placed European side. Scotland’s Men’s team is now ranked 3rd in the world and the Women’s team is ranked 7th.

As well as selecting and managing Scotland’s Men’s and Women’s Homeless World Cup teams, Street Soccer Scotland provides a range of grassroots ‘street soccer’ sessions and events at local and national levels, focusing on engaging, coaching and supporting participants.  Through itsStreetSoccerAcademyit provides personal development programmes which are delivered in partnerships with relevant agencies.

A group of Glasgow charities providing homelessness services have opened an emergency shelter to alleviate the risks to rough sleepers in the city, as temperatures plummet and the winter weather really takes hold.

Persistent snow or icy conditions could increase the risk of hypothermia which can be fatal.

The Glasgow Winter Service at the Shieling building on McAlpine Street is open once again, providing some much needed warmth for those out on the streets with nowhere else to go.

The service is running for approximately 12 weeks, providing snacks and drinks, sofas and sleeping bags to some of the most vulnerable people within the community.

It is run by the Glasgow City Mission, Glasgow Homelessness Network, Glasgow Housing Association, Turning Point Scotland, the Marie Trust, Blue Triangle Housing Association, Shelter and Impact Arts.

Andrew Low, Chief Executive of Glasgow City Mission said:

“For the second year running a number of organisations in Glasgow have come together to provide the Glasgow Winter Service,  offering overnight accommodation for individuals that might otherwise find themselves rough sleeping in extreme winter conditions. The service will offer up to 50 spaces per night for our city’s rough sleepers.
If this winter was to be anything like the last, where we provided accommodation over 1,746 times to Glasgow’s most disadvantaged citizens, then there was no question that we had to make sure we could provide this vital cold weather refuge again.”

The Glasgow Winter Service is aimed at people over the age of 18 years who need to get off the streets and out of the cold weather for the night.

Having swept aside the competition from across the globe in Paris, Scotland’s Homeless World Cup winners are preparing to prove they can give some old pro’s a run for their money.

The newly-crowned world champions will take on former Scottish stars in a challenge match at New Douglas Park in Hamilton.

David Duke, Chief Executive at Street Soccer Scotland said:  “Scotland’s Men’s Homeless World Cup team and its players are used to, and enjoy, challenges so this is another one that they’ll relish.  Playing against footballers who have played at senior level in their careers will be another great test of our players’ skills and fitness and, like we did in Paris, we’ll be going for the win! Remember our lads are match fit so I hope the ex-pros have been keeping their fitness levels up or they might be in for a shock!’”

Alex Rae will captain a team of ex-pros hoping to prove they still have what it takes to beat a group of players who have done Scotland proud in the last few months.  Players signed up so far are Alex Rae, Bob Malcolm, Andy Walker, Peter Martin, Chic Young, Billy Dodds, Gordon Durie, Derek Ferguson  and many more.

Alex Rae says: ‘A lot of hard word has gone in to getting the Project up and running – events like these raise awareness of the available services and are also really good fun on the day. A great family day out and I hope lots of people come along.’

The former SPL star is chair of the trustees of the Second Chance Project in Glasgow and believes hard work and determination can overcome many barriers on the road to success, and that football can be used as a great way to relieve the stress and strains of the many challenges that life can throw at you.

Substance misuse has a huge impact on the health and well being of the nation with 1 in 20 Scots deaths being attributed to alcohol and problematic drug use costing an estimated 2.6 billion pounds a year, according to The Scottish Government. People affected by alcohol or substance misuse across Glasgow can get help on their own road to recovery.

The Second Chance Project and Turning Point Scotland’s South East Alternatives and the Milestone Project offer the Glasgow Abstinence Provision, now reaching most parts of the city.

The Hamilton Youth Squad will also play a big part in the day – the match starts at 2pm with a cost of £5 for adults and £2 for children under 16 – tickets can be purchased at the gate.

Come along for a great family day out!

Date:  Sunday 11th December 2pm
Venue: New Douglas Park, Hamilton Academicals FC

The Glasgow Abstinence Partnership is a trio of Community Rehabilitation Services in the city who have banded together to increase recovery from addiction in the city by promoting abstinence based approaches more strongly. The GAP was launched in August 2011 at a mini abstinence summit in the Quaker meeting house. For the first time Recovery fellowships sat down with their counterparts in treatment services and talked Recovery from Addiction. The GAP work is funded by a grant of 150k from the Glasgow Alcohol and Drug Partnership.

The GAP has project bases in each area of the city.

Second Chance in the North West.

In the North East of The city, Turning Point Scotland’s Milestone project will be focussing on getting people abstinent in preparation for a place  on a year long community based rehabilitation service that is run by them with funding from Glasgow addiction Service.

In the South of the City Turning Point Scotland’s South East Alternatives will be adding capacity to its busy year long recovery programme. They launched the Recovery For Men project on Nov 29th. This will add a new recovery route for men in the city.
The GAP project also has city wide initiatives to promote continued abstinence in a community setting.

1. The All City Recovery Volunteer task force is currently training people who have graduated community rehabilitation programmes, the opportunity to train and work in the community rehabilitation services that help them.
2. The SUSTAIN programme is currently running evening recovery therapy groups to individuals who have completed the initial year of treatment.
3. In Each health and social care sector the GAP is pulling together all the major players in treatment for addiction into Conversation Café’s to begin working together on promoting greater abstinence and recovery in the city.

Scotland’s success in Paris this year was the second time that the Homeless World Cup had been won by a Scottish team; in 2007, in Copenhagen, Scotland won the competition for the first time.  This year was also the first time that Scotland participated in the Women’s Homeless World Cup and the team finished in 5th place, the highest placed European side.  Scotland’s Men’s team is now ranked 3rd in the world and the Women’s team is ranked 7th.

As well as selecting and managing Scotland’s Men’s and Women’s Homeless World Cup teams, Street Soccer Scotland provides a range of grassroots ‘street soccer’ sessions and events at local and national levels, focusing on engaging, coaching and supporting participants.  Through its Street Soccer Academy it provides personal development programmes which are delivered in partnerships with relevant agencies.

They were joined by staff from a top UK law firm who swapped their suits for overalls.

It’s all in support of a group of agencies who provide homelessness services in Glasgow, who are teaming up again to offer a life line to people who sleep rough in the city if the big freeze hits Scotland this winter. Following last year’s partnership, the Glasgow Winter Service will provide a vital refuge within the Shieling building on McAlpine Street.

Opening its doors in early December, the Glasgow Winter Service will run for approximately 12 weeks, providing snacks and drinks, sofas and sleeping bags to some of the most vulnerable people within the community.

Sponsored by Glasgow City Mission, Glasgow Homelessness Network, Glasgow Housing Association, the Simon Community, Quarriers, Turning Point Scotland, the Marie Trust and the Lodging House Mission, the Glasgow Winter Service has recruited Glasgow City Mission staff and a bank of volunteers to support those who require shelter.

GCM are delighted to have enlisted the support of Glasgow based law firm McGrigors who provided staff to paint the Shieling. McGrigors support a number of local charities including GCM. After hearing about the winter initiative, and seeing the great value in providing accommodation for homeless people, they volunteered staff time to get the Shieling ready to be used. A team of nine from McGrigors spent the day painting the building.

Funded by the organisations involved to get the project started, and looking for support to keep it going through the cold months, the Glasgow Winter Service is aimed at people over the age of 18 years who need to get off the streets and out of the cold weather for the night.

Notes to editor:

McGrigors is a leading law firm with offices in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, Aberdeen, Manchester, Doha and the Falkland Islands. With around 100 partners and a total of more than 700 staff across the UK and overseas, McGrigors is well placed to advise clients, including national and multinational organisations in the private and public sectors, on a wide
variety of commercial issues.

McGrigors is one of the UK’s top 50 law firms, and was named National Law Firm of the Year 2010 by The Lawyer magazine.

This Christmas, Turning Point Scotland is in with the chance of receiving £50,000 funding from People’s Postcode Trust – and it’s your vote that can make the difference!

Turning Point Scotland is one of 12 charities to be chosen as part of People’s Postcode Trust’s Vote That Counts campaign. Teaming up with the Sunday Mail, the Postcode Trust is giving 12 selected charities the chance to receive £50,000 funding.

We are over the moon to be nominated, especially with Christmas just around the corner. But we need your help to make sure we get the highest number of votes.

Here’s how you can help make your Vote Count:

1. Simply visit Vote that Counts or copy and paste the following link into your browser: www.votethatcounts.org

2. Enter your name, date of birth, phone number, email address and postcode to register

3. Select Turning Point Scotland

4. Send this to all of your colleagues, friends and family, and ask them to make their Vote Count for Turning Point Scotland

The charity that gets the largest number of votes receives a fantastic £50,000; five runner-up charities are all awarded £2,000 each.

£50,000 would make such a difference to Turning Point Scotland. It would help to develop a social enterprise in Glasgow to support people with mental health issues to return to the workplace.  A similar successful social enterprise in Aberdeen, called Rosie’s Cafe has supported individuals for the last 12 years and Turning Point Scotland would like to replicate that success in the Central Belt.

Voting opens on 30th October and closes at midnight on 4th December. Please take just 2 minutes to make your Vote Count and vote for Turning Point Scotland.

Back in 2001 the service in Ayr had 16 service users and offered aday service from Monday to Friday. It now caters for over 40 service users and offers support at evenings and weekends as well as a whole range of activities to support independent living.

Photographs of the great days out, fantastic memories and events were displayed all around the hall as a reminder of what the service has offered through the years. The Gardening Group, Walking Group and Music Group were all on show, as well as events like the BBQ, Get Connected, Learning Disability Week and West End Festival 2011. Welcoming everyone to the day Martin Cawley, Chief Executive, Turning Point Scotland said:

“Trust, confidence, integrity and autonomy. That’s what you see in these photos, the very essence of the service, achieved by everyone in the room. You all have played an important part in the success.”

Many of the people receiving support got up on stage to tell their own stories about how they have benefited from being involved at Viewpoint.

Philip Deuchar told the audience about how he got help to enable him to travel independently by public transport which made a big improvement to his social life. In general he overcame his shyness and became more confident increasing his circle of friends.

Angela Warren is another service user that had benefited: “Life is great and busy. I live in my own house, and have two jobs.”

The allotment is a big hit and this year moved to a bigger plot. John Allan and Murray Gibson told the audience how the Gardening Group had helped them get out and about more and make friends.

There was a lot of work to be done as the new area was a bit of a jungle before they got to work. But thanks to the efforts of the staff and service users, weeding, putting in new plants and a bench they are now reaping the fruits of their labour. Vegetables and potatoes are among their home grown produce.

James Croke told the audience about the visit to Kelvingrove and how their work was displayed in the art exhibition.

Marie Quinn told everyone about how she enjoyed working at DebRA’s charity shop cleaning and tidying shelves, dusting, putting books away and hanging up clothes. Next she will be learning how to use the till and serving customers. Marie said:

“It’s fantastic, I’m going to work like everyone else. The staff in the shop make me feel part of the team. They have a good sense of
humour, we have a good laugh and a joke.”

Given the event was held so close to Prestwick Airport, it was only fitting that Elvis made an appearance. But on this occasion half a dozen Elvis impersonators from the services took to the stage to entertain the crowd. The service users were joined by the Pink Ladies and T-Birds for a Grease medley before theday was rounded off by a disco.

It provides a snapshot of some of the key areas of the work we have undertaken over the past year.  This report highlights:

• service user involvement and introduces TPS Connects
• details of services which have been re-designed including our services in Edinburgh, the Glasgow Drug Crisis Centre  and Rosie’s our social enterprise as well as Turnaround
• evaluation in our criminal justice services including 218 and Turnaround
• personalisation – preparing for the future

If you would prefer a hard copy please email communications@turningpointscotland.com

TPS Connects took place in Aberdeen, Clydebank and Glasgow throughout September.

They were created to give the people who use our services a chance to get together and share their views on the support they receive. As well as getting a say in many aspects of the services provided by Turning Point Scotland, there was a strong emphasis on bringing people together and having fun.

The first event was held in Aberdeen at the Citadel for services based mainly in the North on September the 1st. The learning disability event was held at the Beardmore hotel in Clydebank over two days on September 14th and 15th and the final event for service users was held at the Scottish Youth Theatre in Glasgow on the 29th of September.

Each event had a planning group with service users on them, involved in the main parts of the decision-making progress. So this put the service users firmly in the driving seat as the events were created for them, and by them.

Commenting on the learning disability event at the Beardmore, Roberto Pieraccini, from Mile End, said: “The conference went smoothly, the way the planning group wanted it to.”

Lorna Glen agrees: “It went really well and was really informative.” The events were very interactive and instead of a room full of people listening to speeches and presentations all day, service users got the chance to mix with their colleagues and friends, and try out a range of workshops and activities based around music, drama and IT.

Encouraging service users to have their say in a way they felt comfortable and confident with was a key element of each event, either by writing on the Talking Wall or recording a short interview as part of a Video Diary. The Question Time event was very popular and allowed service users the chance to discuss real issues that were important to them with a panel of key figures within the organisation and social care sector.

The events also gave board members and senior management a chance to catch up and chat to service users and staff in a relaxing environment, away from the usual day to day routines.  As the learning disability event was over two days there was also evening entertainment including karaoke.

All of the feedback and opinions about the events and the wider issues relating to Turning Point Scotland will be gathered in and considered.

Aileen Reid, Inclusion and Access Coordinator, said: “People really appreciate being given the opportunity to ‘have their say’ and to feel listened to.  We can improve the services we deliver if we listen to people who have received support from us”.

Turning Point Scotland Chief Executive Martin Cawley paid tribute to everyone involved:

“Involving people we support in decision making is a fundamental aspect of our activities. Our person centred and recovery focus approaches ensure that this is delivered to an extremely high standard on an individual basis and this underpins everything we do.  However these conferences have provided an ideal platform to achieve this at an organisational and collective level.

“I have been hugely impressed by these events. The level of engagement has been fantastic and they have generated a highly inclusive and exciting atmosphere. I very much hope that the people who have attended will take something away to help them on their own journey.

“I must also comment on how staff who have attended have supported people in an extremely respectful, dignified and discreet manner. I would like to thank you all in this respect. A special thanks must go to anyone involved in the planning groups. Their hard work and commitment have paid huge dividends. In particular Aileen Reid, Inclusion and Access Coordinator, has to be congratulated on coordinating everyone’s effort to make the events such a huge success.
We will continue to explore creative ways to meaningfully involve those who use our services in helping us deliver supports to help them fulfil their needs and aspirations.”

Turning Point Scotland has been working with local councils to make sure this new approach is easy for you to use.  Above all, personalisation allows you to be in control of your own life. It puts your future in your hands.

No matter what your needs and support choices are, you can speak to Turning Point Scotland and we will help.

We can:

• make sure you are aware of all the available support options
• assist you to develop your own personalised support plan
• help you identify how your support will be provided and by whom
• help you to arrange and manage your own budget

Contact Turning Point Scotland on freephone number 0800 652 3757 or email mysupport@turningpointscotland.com

Make sure your future is in your hands.

 Download a copy of TPS’s Guide to Personalisation here

The Heartstart – Naloxone Take Home Programme provides overdose awareness, basic life support and naloxone administration training. When people who are at risk of overdosing on heroin have successfully completed the training, they are given a kit with their personal supply of naloxone.

The programme is being delivered through organisations including Drugs Action, Turning Point Scotland Northern Horizons, Moray Drug and Alcohol Service, and is supported by designated community pharmacies.

To find out about the programme and where the training is available in their area, people should contact:

Drugs Action Tel: 01224 594700 or 01224 577120
Turning Point Scotland, Northern Horizons, Peterhead, Tel: 01779 470490
Moray Drug and Alcohol Service, Elgin, Tel: 01343 552211

The initiative, funded across Scotland by the Scottish Government, has been welcomed by local substance misuse groups, NHS Grampian and the North East’s Alcohol & Drug Partnerships (ADPs).  The move has also attracted support from drug users and their families – one drug user said: “I’d heard about the naloxone before, as I’d had to call for an ambulance.  I think it’s great that you’re doing it for us.  The more people that go through it [the training] the better.”.

“We all want to support people onto the path to recovery, but you can’t help someone if they’re not alive – this kit gives precious extra time, keeping that person alive until emergency help arrives,” said Fraser Hoggan, Alcohol & Drug Development Officer, Aberdeen City Alcohol & Drug Partnership.

Studies have shown that most drug-related deaths involve heroin, most overdoses are accidental, most happen while there are people present, and most untrained interventions are either ineffective, or too late.

“The training and naloxone kit are available for those directly at risk, as well as their family and friends.  This gives people the tools to help themselves in a life threatening situation and involves those close to them. But this also helps bust the many myths about how to tackle an overdose,” says Senga MacDonald, General Manager, Drugs Action.  “Some people have reported giving stimulant drugs, or trying to walk someone around, in the belief that this will prevent the overdose – neither are true and can make things worse.   Bearing in mind that most deaths from overdose occur before the ambulance arrives, having close family and friends trained in basic life support and having naloxone available can help to ensure that someone is kept alive until the ambulance comes.”

Naloxone is simple to use, safe and effective, and is routinely used by paramedics and A&E staff. The new programme and kit design mean lives can be saved at a much earlier, crucial stage.

Dr Bruce Davidson, Consultant Psychatrist, explains: “The major danger in an overdose is that breathing slows down and can stop completely – if the person isn’t breathing, you call 999, start CPR and administer naloxone.  If they are breathing, even faintly, you put them into the recovery position, administer naloxone, and dial 999.  It is essential that people call 999 as naloxone will only reverse the effects of opioids temporarily.  After this, the effects of the opioids, thus symptoms of overdose, may return.”

Every year, there are drug-related deaths in the North East, most of them involving heroin. “These statistics do not reflect the full human tragedy – the parents, children, partners and friends left behind, or the circumstances – but this practical, tried and tested programme provides real hope for recovery,” says Wayne Gault, Lead Officer, Aberdeenshire ADP.

The launch of the programme was held at Drugs Action, Hadden Street, in Aberdeen, with demonstrations of how to assess an overdose and how naloxone can be used to keep someone alive while emergency services are on their way.

So far, 20 people have been trained to deliver this new programme, and one of them is Drugs Worker Simon Pringle, in Aberdeen: “Given how many of our service users have either experienced overdose themselves or witnessed an overdose I think it’s fantastic that we are able to train users and their families and friends in Take Home Naloxone and basic life support.”

Sessions are open to those who want to increase their knowledge of Hep C including those affected by the illness, friends, family and professionals.

Infection rates in Scotland are thought to be double those in England, with an estimated 50 000 people affected by Hepatitis C alone.

SEASTAR’s friendly support staff and NHS community nurses will provide information on testing, results and treatment.

Information leaflets will also be available along with tea, coffee and snacks.

The events will run from 10am – 12.30 at 3 Killoch Place, Ayr KA7 2AE and from 1.30 – 3pm at 22 Portland Street, Kilmarnock KA1 2BT.

For further information please download our World Hepatitis Day Flyer.

‘Housing First Europe’ will assess how Housing First services are implemented, the differences and similarities between the projects and also the degree of
consensus regarding the Housing First model.
It will also assess the effectiveness of the approach for the resettlement of homeless people and develop the approach for possible use on a wider scale.

Housing First Europe is a 2 year project and places emphasis upon mutual learning, support and policy transfer between each of the ‘test’ and ‘peer’ sites.
The Glasgow Housing First site is one of several ‘test’ sites across Europe that will be evaluated.
The Housing First Europe steering group which will monitor and evaluate the project includes Sam Tsemberis, who is regarded as the founder of the Housing First
model which was established in the United States well over a decade ago.

He will be joined by Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick of Herriot Watt University, who is currently involved in the 3 year evaluation of TPS Housing First.

For further information on this project contact Ian Irvine on ianirvine@turningpointscotland.com

If you are interesting in attending contact Dave Bleasdale on 01387 247 123
Or you can confirm your attendance by downloading the flyer below and returning it to:

Dave Bleasdale
Turning Point Scotland
Newall House
22 Newall Terrace
Dumfries
DG1 1LW
E-mail: davebleasdale@turningpointscotland.com

Partners In Autism Drop-In Flyer

The event will be held at DG1 on Thursday 28 July from 2-5pm and you are welcome to bring someone along.

Rosie’s Café is a social enterprise run by Turning Point Scotland which provides real work experience in a bustling café to people within a supportive environment.   Now more people can access the service and hopefully go onto gain paid employment.

Kevin McCann from Kincorth in Aberdeen is nearing the end of his time at Rosie’s Café and is now looking at a volunteering role in his local community centre, he said:

“Rosie’s Café has been a lifeline for me.  Working in the café has been fantastic and has helped me to get some of my confidence back.  At Rosie’s they see the person, not the illness and they are very patient with you.”

News of the funding means that more people can benefit from the service provided at Rosie’s and service manager, Patsy Telford, is absolutely delighted. 

She said, “The new Big Lottery grant which has been awarded to Rosie’s for the next five years is really excellent news, we are all absolutely delighted. It will enable us to continue to support people who are recovering from mental illness to increase their employability by practicing their work skills in a real – yet supportive working environment.

“The brilliant team at Rosie’s Café has worked hard in the last four years of funding from the Big Lottery to continually improve both the service in terms of outcomes for the service users, working in partnership with others and improving the business and increasing turnover. The Rosie’s social enterprise model is a proven success and this is endorsed by the continuation of funding from the Big Lottery, a big thank you to them for their continued support to us’.

Chief Executive of Turning Point Scotland, Martin Cawley knows that Rosie’s is an excellent example of successful social enterprise, he said:  “Each year more people who are distant from the labour market benefit from gaining real work experience in a very supportive setting.  The team at Rosie’s are extremely dedicated and committed and I am delighted that Rosie’s has been awarded a Big Lottery Fund grant to continue creating employability opportunities in Aberdeen.”

Pop along for a chat and coffee anytime between 10am and 4pm.

Turning Point began in 1993 when were were invited to create a new form of day service for individuals with severe and enduring mental health issues in Aberdeen.

In 1994, we set up the Glasgow Drug Crisis Centre, By 1998 we had expanded in Scotland with a turnover of £4.5m, providing substance misuse services, mental health, learning disabilities and homelessness services.

In April 1999, Turning Point Scotland became a separate entity from Turning Point.  It registered as a charity and a company limited by guarantee within Scotland.

Turning Point Scotland works in a person centred way.  We don’t exclude people from services and aims. We make services fit people.

In 2003 Turning Point Scotland Services Ltd (TPSS Ltd) was created.  All money earned by TPSS Ltd is covenanted back to Turning Point Scotland.

Part of Scottish charity Turning Point Scotland, Rosie’s Café is well known in Aberdeen for its fantastic food and friendly atmosphere as well as adding value by being a social enterprise supporting people recovering from mental health issues to gain valuable work experience.

And for the first time, on Friday, 14 January, Rosie’s will be hosting a musical fundraising event entitled ‘A New Year Medley of Music and Art’.  Organised by four girls from Albyn School in Aberdeen, the evening is bursting with local talent including performances by singer/songwriter Oliver Richards and all girl group AB15.

As well as musical entertainment, the audience can enjoy a selection of artwork which will be on display and available to buy, and a raffle with proceeds going to Rosie’s.  The prices are spectacular including donations from Malmaison, SAKS, Aberdeen Watersports and many, many more!

Doors open at 7pm and tickets are available at the door on the night. Tickets are limited so if you want to make sure you don’t miss out – pop along to Rosie’s today to grab yourself ticket for a night to remember.

The SDRC is a new national membership organisation and independent charity funded by the Scottish Government to support the delivery of the national drugs strategy ‘The Road to Recovery’. It brings together key partners from the voluntary, statutory, policy and academic fields – and individuals in recovery – who share the belief that people can and do recover from drug problems and addiction.  The SDRC will drive and promote recovery for individuals, family members and communities affected by drugs across Scotland.

Turning Point Scotland helped to facilitate the set up of the SDRC.

Minister for Community Safety Fergus Ewing said:

“I am pleased to formally launch the Scottish Drugs Recovery Consortium. This is another commitment delivered from the national drugs strategy, ‘The Road to Recovery’, and one which will ensure that the ethos of recovery is embedded in the minds of all of those affected by problem drug use including individuals, families and communities, as well as those involved in treatment and other services.

“Recovery is an approach designed to help people overcome serious drug use by building on the strengths of individuals and communities and helping people to move on and become active and contributing members of society.”

Dougie Paterson, SDRC Director said:

“The recovery movement in Scotland is growing stronger every day with more people moving on from drug problems and addiction to lead active, fulfilling lives. The Scottish Government has outlined a strong commitment to recovery in the national drugs strategy ‘The Road to Recovery’ and we welcome the vision for change within it. The Scottish Drugs Recovery Consortium (SDRC) has been created to support the incredible work that is already taking place by working with groups and organisations across the country to share experiences, celebrate achievements and promote recovery.

“This is a hugely exciting time to launch the SDRC and we look forward to working with our members, key partners and people across Scotland to promote the belief that people can and do recover from drug problems and addiction.”

The SDRC will also hold its first AGM on Tuesday 1 June where new Board members will be elected.