Community Integrated Care signs up to Scottish Care and ARC Scotland commitments

Community Integrated Care is proud to have signed up to ARC (Association for Real Change) Scotland’s Charter for Involvement and Scottish Care’s Convention on the Rights of Residents in Care Homes for Adults and Older People.

The pledges were signed by Karen Sheridan, Managing Director for Community Integrated Care in Scotland, at the charity’s Scotland Conference, which took place at the Glasgow Hilton Hotel on 13th June. She was joined by ARC Scotland’s Director, James Fletcher, and Scottish Care’s CEO, Dr Donald Macaskil.

The ARC Charter, which was produced by people who receive support, describes the fundamental rights that people who access social care services should have respected.  It was written by members of the ARC National Involvement Network, a group of over 80 people with learning disabilities, and other support needs, who have been meeting since 2006. It sets out in the words of people who access support their fundamental rights to receive personalised services and to be fully involved in the community.

The Scottish Care Convention affirms that a person’s human rights do not diminish when they enter residential care, regardless of their mental or physical condition. This means care that guarantees dignity and worth; that promotes autonomy, equality and participation, and assures freedom from discrimination.

Committing to these standards supports Community Integrated Care’s ‘Golden Thread’ campaign, a long-term programme that has seen the charity embed leading person-centred planning tools, pursue an ambitious involvement strategy that gives the people it supports direct input into its organisational strategy, and advance its use of Peer Reviewers – people they support who are employed as experts by experience.

Karen Sheridan, Managing Director of Community Integrated Care in Scotland, says: “I was delighted to sign up to both of these important standards, in the company of colleagues from across our charity. Community Integrated Care is dedicated to providing services that give people full choice and control over their support, and fulfilling their individual aspirations. Signing the Charter and Convention is our public commitment to ensuring that the people we support receive truly personalised services and have all their rights respected.”

James Fletcher, Director of ARC Scotland, says: “I’m thrilled that Community Integrated Care have decided to formally commit to putting the Charter for Involvement into practice. We know that the Charter helps supported people to have a greater awareness of their rights and feel more confident. We also know that it helps organisations to make practical changes to better support the people they support.  I’m very much looking forward to working with Community Integrated Care to help them pit the Charter into practice. “

Dr Donald Macaskill, CEO of Scottish Care, says: “We are delighted that Community Integrated Care has signed up to the Convention on the Rights of Residents in Care Homes for Adults and Older People. This demonstrates that Community Integrated Care is an organisation that is committed to ensuring that people have choice; that they have as much control over their lives, and the decisions made about their lives, as possible. It also highlights that here in Scotland human rights are important.”