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Nominations sought for Principles into Practice Awards

The principles into Practice network is looking for nominations for the 2012/13 Principles into Practice Awards to celebrate projects and services that put the principles of mental health and incapacity law into practice. The closing date for nominations is the 5th of November.

The awards include categories for work with young people, people with dementia and people with long term mental illness as well as for including service users, carers and encouraging respect for diversity.

 The nomination form is available from the Principles into Practice Network website www.principlesintopractice.net or by contacting Ben Lukins on 0131 313 8777.

Ben Lukins of the Mental Welfare Commission, which facilitates the network said: “We know from visiting services that there are some brilliant examples of people receiving really good care and treatment. So much is said about negative experiences. This is a chance to celebrate what’s being done well and to inspire others to do the same. We’re saying ‘don’t keep it to yourself. Tell the world about it’.”

Past winners of the awards have included a wide range of projects, from health, social work and voluntary sector providers.

Jan Cameron from the Redhall Walled Garden service, which won an award in 2011, said: “Winning the PIP award has given us credibility when approaching funders and other agencies and helped to reinforce our arguments for working the way we do. It has given the staff a real boost and I think it gives the people using our service a bit more confidence that we know what we are doing and there is a plan!”

And one of the project’s service users, who chose to remain anonymous, said: “The award was a huge boost for those of us who attend Redhall. People come here to start to recover from often serious illness – and we receive really healing therapeutic input  on so many levels, as well as being encouraged to give as much back as we are able.  We are incredibly proud of, and grateful for, the work of Redhall and to have that officially recognised by the PIP awards was a cause of great celebration.”

This year’s winners will receive their awards at a ceremony at the Scottish Youth Theatre in Glasgow on March 1 2013. The winners will have a short film made about their project and will receive copies.