The Consultation & Advocacy Promotion Service

Collective Advocacy

One of the tasks of CAPS development workers is to involve groups of service users across in the planning of local services. Service users’ views are informing the development of local and Lothian-wide mental health strategies which underpin the development of services.

Midlothian

In Midlothian, the Service Users Midlothian (SUM) group is now well established. CAPS provides support for its meetings, in the production of a monthly newsletter, and to its representatives on the Joint Planning Group. Staff attend Midlothian’s Mental Health Forum and have represented service users’ interests at the Employment Action Network, Social Crisis Steering Group, Midlothian Wellbeing Intervention Network, Short Breaks Sub-Group and Midlothian Choose Life Steering Group.

East Lothian

On 1st October 2010, CAPS took on responsibility for providing collective advocacy for people who use mental health services in East Lothian. We will be carrying on the work and achievements of ELIG (East Lothian Involvement Group), which decided to wind up in September. The collective advocacy service will work alongside our already established individual advocacy project in East Lothian.

We will be working with people from East Lothian in both the community and the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. In the hospital, we already support people from Midlothian and work closely with the Patient’s Council.

We will carry on trying to keep in contact with people who were previously involved with ELIG as well as organising meetings and events which we hope will encourage more people to get involved and have a say in the way mental health services are provided in East Lothian.

Nikki Moran, CAPS Development Worker in East Lothian, will also be making sure that service user views are represented at the East Lothian Joint Mental Health Planning Group and the local Mental Health Forum.

One of the ways we hope to keep in touch with people is by publishing a regular East Lothian newsletter. The newsletter will explain and keep people informed about the way mental health services are planned and provided. We will include news and information, not just about local services but also about Lothian wide and national mental health policy and planning developments that will possibly affect people who live in East Lothian. It will also carry news of meetings, events and consultations and explain how you can get involved.

Pdf File Icon East Lothian Newsletter Winter 2011

Pdf File Icon East Lothian Newsletter October 2011

Pdf File Icon East Lothian Newsletter September 2011

Pdf File Icon East Lothian Newsletter August 2011

Pdf File Icon East Lothian Newsletter July 2011

Pdf File Icon East Lothian Newsletter June 2011

Pdf File Icon East Lothian Newsletter May 2011

Pdf File Icon East Lothian Newsletter April 2011

Pdf File Icon East Lothian Newsletter March 2011

Pdf File Icon East Lothian Newsletter February 2011

Pdf File Icon East Lothian Newsletter December 2010

If you would like to be added to the mailing list for the newsletter please contact Nikki on 0131 538 7177 or
e-mail Nikki

Edinburgh

From 1st December 2011, responsibility for supporting mental health service user advocacy groups in the community in Edinburgh and their engagement with strategic planning structures transferred from CAPS to Advocard. Advocard can be contacted on 0131 554 5307 or e-mail Advocard

Previously, part of CAPS collective advocacy work included the Edinburgh newsletter, reporting news and the views of people who use mental health services in Edinburgh.