The Addaction service in Dumfries and Galloway provides support to anyone over the age of 18 with drug and/or alcohol addiction issues. They work in partnership with the Specialist Drug and Alcohol Service and the local social work department as part of a hub specifically supporting people with alcohol and/or drug related issues.

Services are offered across a range of community and office based settings as well as in service users’ homes. They include:

• Individual face-to-face assessments.

• Group sessions using Mutual Aid Partnership (MAP) meetings as our key approach.

• Tools and techniques from MAP forming the basis of much of our one-to-one and other group sessions.

• Comprehensive and confidential assessments which include personal recovery plans.

• Using Outcome Star we can enable each service user to achieve their own specific recovery goals.

• A recovery plan, completed with each service user, specifically tailored to their needs and reviewed on a regular basis.

• Out-of-hours appts available on request and to suit service user needs.

Addaction Borders provides support for people misusing alcohol, drugs and other substances and works with them to develop a plan for their recovery. Addaction Borders provide all the necessary support and encouragement to assist them through their recovery journey, enabling them to achieve a successful reintegration into as normal a life as possible. The service is delivered by a team of specialist project workers, nurses and recovery champions who provide a holistic approach and aim to put service users at the heart of what they do.

Borders Carers Centre supports unpaid carers aged over 18 with their caring role. Carers are offered a Carer's Support Plan to help them think about five areas of their life to not only support their caring role but also to help them maintain their own healthy, happy lives: Health and well-being. Managing their caring role. How they are valued by services. Planning for the future. Finances and benefits. They also offer training and workshops to support carers and professionals. Referrals by post, email, phone or in person, can be made by: Carers themselves. NHS and social care staff. Voluntary agencies. Friends and family. The centre is open from 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.

BIAS provide a free confidential service for people in the Scottish Borders. Independent advocacy is a way to help people have a stronger voice and to have as much control as possible over their lives. BIAS can help you to get the information you need to make choices and support you to put your views across to others. They will: Listen to you Help you choose what is best for you. Support you at important meetings. Be on your side. Safeguard your rights. BIAS take referrals from a range of organisations, including social work, health services and voluntary organisations. Individuals can refer themselves, as can families and friends.

Buddies offer safe sessions for its members at the Castle Street premises. These include, but are not limited to: activities of choice, life skills, lifelong learning, cycling. Everything is offered with a person-centered and fun focus. Buddies has developed its bike project as an all ability community cycle hub and now has over 30 assorted bikes available for member use and public hire. Visitors are very welcome: use of Buddies is individual and cannot be categorized. Potential members are invited to try us out first. Buddies’ core outcomes for members are: Reinforcement of life skills, making and maintaining of friendships, building confidence and learning autonomy.

Capability Scotland Dumfries & Galloway

• Community support in employment, education, leisure activities for people with physical disabilities between 16 and 64 years old;

• Adult Support Service for people with acquired brain injuries (ABI);

• Day Opportunities Service four days a week for adults with ABI;

• Self-Directed Support Personal Assistant brokerage service.

Physical Disability Service

Our Physical Disability Service for the people of Dumfries and Galloway has been a fundamental part of   Capability Scotland for a number of years. We provide support to around 120 people with a physical disability who are experiencing social isolation. We support people throughout the Dumfries and Galloway area, either in the form of one-to-one support or in the form of group support.

We offer various forms of support, tailored to your needs. Whether you want to take part in sporting   activities, recreational activities, or social activities, we are there to help. We can also enable you to engage in volunteering or in returning to   employment.

ABI service

We offer excellent support, information, and advice to adults, and their families with acquired brain injuries (ABI). We know how vital it is that people have a good understanding of the effects of ABI, and we work with you on strategies that enable you to move forward in life and meet positive outcomes. Whether we are working with schools, agencies, or allied health professionals, our service delivers a   person-centred, holistic approach to improving your life.

For our customers, we offer a day opportunities rehabilitation centre four days a week. We have a fully equipped joinery workshop, beautiful gardens to work in and enjoy, a great gym, and safe spaces to meet visitors like physiotherapists, speech and   language therapists, or occupational therapists.

Self-Directed Support Service

In Dumfries and Galloway, we offer a leading brokerage service linking you with personal assistants who can support you with your care needs, using your own self-directed support budget. We will assist you in finding staff who you will employ directly, so you are in control of who provides you with the people providing your care. We will help you with employer’s insurances, recruitment, referencing, and   paying your staff.

CTC is a training company that was set up 14 years ago. They have charitable status and are also a social enterprise and a third sector organisation. 

CTC is registered with SQA/Rehis and Stirling University and provides training predominately to all Health and Social Care Sectors. Bespoke training to companies can be offered. CTC delivers Social Services and Healthcare SVQ’s from Level 2-Leadership and Management. They can also deliver some professional Development Awards within the Health and Social Care framework. 

CTC is SQA registered to deliver SVQ’s in Management Level 2-4 and also offers a suite of Professional Development Awards in Management. They can also deliver First Aid, Moving and Handling and Food Hygiene to any sector. CTC cover the whole of Dumfries and Galloway but will also travel to the Central belt, the Borders, Ayrshire and Edinburgh.

The following advice services are provided in each of the Citizens Advice Bureau: Benefits - questions about entitlements, support with applications and appeals against unfair decisions. Consumer issues - everything from broken kettles to difficulties with gas and electricity suppliers. Debt & money advice - how to manage debts, improve your financial situation and maximise your income. Housing - your rights, including potential or actual homelessness. Relationships - issues relating to splitting up, children, families and bereavement. Projects include: Homelessness. In Court Advice. Kinship Care. Minority Communities. Money Advice (Debt). Money Advice Service. Patient Advice & Support Service.

Social Work provides support to people who are currently experiencing areas of difficulty in their life. Individuals are supported to be involved in shaping and choosing their care and support and taking more control in their own lives. 

Staff work with individuals to look at what’s important to them and the goals they would like to achieve. Together they will agree the things that social work can provide support with as well as signposting to other agencies and services who may also be able to provide assistance. There is no cost for any advice or information provided.

DG Voice are an organisation run by disabled people to represent their interests at every level. 

They act as a conduit between policy makers, both regional and national, and disabled people. 

DG Voice campaign on issues identified as important to disabled people. They work in partnership with the council to enable them to fulfil their statutory duties towards people with protected characteristics. They act as a signposting service and assist people with queries related to disability.

D.I.C.E (Direct Inclusive Collaborative Enterprise) help you to take control of your care and support. Their vision is that everyone who wants to, will be able to direct the support they need, so they can live the life of their choice with dignity and as equal citizens. 

All of the above will be done through the Self-directed Support Act.

Digby Brown is Scotland's largest personal injury practice. From our seven offices throughout Scotland, we cover the length and breadth of the country. Our expertise in personal injury law, particularly in the fields of serious head and spinal injury is widely acknowledged. Digby Brown is ranked Band 1 for Personal Injury in Scotland by Chambers Guide to the UK Legal Profession and Legal 500. 

In cases of traumatic brain injury a specialist solicitor is vital. Seeking rightful and fair compensation after the accident is just one aspect of the package of measures which needs to be considered and implemented to try and ensure that the process of rehabilitation and adjustment can start. 

We can immediately provide advice and support on statutory benefits and how to access local authority social services through our in-house welfare rights service. We can make a real difference by arranging private rehabilitation, by assessing housing needs and, most importantly, implementation of care and case management regimes where required.

Dumfries and Galloway Advocacy Service helps people to talk to services by listening to you and helping you to think through problems. They will find information for you to help you make an informed choice and help you find out what choices you have. The service will protect your rights, help you take control of your circumstances, help you understand and make decisions about what might be happening in your life. They can attend meetings with you and will speak on your behalf if you do not feel able to and make sure that your thoughts, feelings and wishes are understood. 

Dumfries and Galloway Advocacy Service will make sure that you understand what may be said to you or about you. Advocacy is a one to one relationship. This service will help you to help yourself. The service is free and confidential.

Dumfries and Galloway Carers Centre provides support to anyone who cares for a relative or friend in Dumfries and Galloway. They also aim to raise awareness of the needs of carers. Many people do not see themselves as carers and may be missing out on vital services, benefits and information. The carers centre offers one-to-one support and resources that can enable a carer to relieve stress, have time out, relaxation, meet other carers, keep you informed, and meet with others who understand. 

In Dumfries & Galloway there are many children and young people who help to look after someone in their family. Young carers may miss out on things that other children have access to and often take on a level of increased responsibility within the home. The Project aims to provide young carers with a break from their caring role through activities and groups held on a regular basis throughout the region. Young carers can access the service between the ages of 7-18 and groups are divided into primary and secondary ages. One-to-one support is also available and can help to deal with problems that young carers can face such as feelings of isolation, frustration or problems at school.

The service provides cognitive and memory assessment for patients who have neurological disorders, including acquired brain injury. 

A cognitive assessment provides you with an indication of your strengths and weaknesses and may help to guide subsequent rehabilitation approaches. 

You will be informed of the results of your assessment and given advice, where appropriate, on steps you can take to manage any thinking or memory problems.

The NHS neuropsychology service does not provide long-term rehabilitation but it does have close links with other NHS services and with the local Headway group.

The Dumfries and Galloway Telecare Service works by providing a link between a person’s home and the monitoring centre, through a telephone line 24 hours a day, to allow people to remain in their own homes for as long as possible.

The group provides support and relief to those in need by reason of being hard of hearing. The group operates across Dumfries and Galloway offering FREE care and maintenance service of NHS hearing aids, through drop in clinics, giving advice and support regarding hearing aid maintenance and managing hearing loss in the local community. The group has 19 locations throughout the region. If you have an NHS hearing aid they should be maintained every 4-6 months, so drop into their volunteer run clinics to get your aid maintained.

Individuals attending the Brain Injury Service have their needs assessed and are allocated a level of supported rehabilitation which, based on an individual action plan, can include cognitive retraining, support groups, education and vocational exploration.

The service includes the following elements and can be tailored to suit specific needs:

• Assessment of each individual needs

• Support in managing the effects of  a brain injury

• One-to-one emotional support

• Advice and information

• Home visits

• Support to relearn everyday living and social skills

• Close working with families and carers

• Access to support groups (in Berwickshire, Central Borders and Peebles).

• Job retention

• Employment support

Euan’s Guide makes it easier for disabled people to find great places to go. Euansguide.com is the disabled access review website where disabled people, their family, friends and carers can find and share reviews on the accessibility of places around the UK and beyond. It’s an invaluable tool for everything from planning somewhere to take the kids at the weekend to picking a last minute place for lunch. 

We all want to get out there and enjoy life, and having good quality disabled access information inspires confidence and removes fear of the unknown. With good accessibility information being so hard to find, one review is often enough to encourage others to visit. Reviews are also sent to venue owners and this can be a positive and powerful opportunity for education and change. 

The charity was founded in 2013 by Euan MacDonald MBE, a powerchair user and his sister Kiki after Euan was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease and a lack of disabled access made everyday experiences stressful. By breaking down the barriers of exclusion with the help of other people in the same situation, Euan’s Guide hopes to make the world more accessible one review at a time.

Genesis OHS Ltd are a professional consultancy offering occupational and environmental health and safety services and associated training to a variety of clients of varying sizes throughout the UK and Europe. 

The company has expanded over the years and now employs several health and safety and occupational health professionals. The company provides services across most sectors including, construction, manufacturing, power generation, utilities, retail, leisure, design and local government. We offer health, safety and occupational health solutions to suit the specific requirements of each of our clients. 

The intimate nature of our company combined with our professional ethos enables us to provide a distinctive personal service to our clients.

Heads Together support adults in the Borders with brain injuries, offering day trips, entertainment evenings and advice. Meetings are held at 3 Dovemount Place, Hawick, TD9 8AZ. Heads Together also offer respite at their wheelchair friendly static caravan sited at Berwick-Upon-Tweed.

Headway Borders is a peer support group for those affected directly by acquired brain injury within the Scottish Borders whether the injury affects you personally, or you are a carer looking for assistance or a family member looking for information. 

The group meet the FIRST and THIRD Tuesday of the month between 10am and 4pm at The Focus Centre to chat, take part in activities, give information and offer contacts as well as arrange trips, visits, lunches and an annual Christmas Party. 

You can drop in, chat, take part or speak to people privately. It is a place to relax and get to know people, without pressure.

The ILF Scotland 2015 Fund is designed to support individuals who have complex disabilities to live independently. The funding makes a positive difference to the lives of recipients. 

The new ILF Scotland Transition Fund provides money, for up to one year, to support young people living with disabilities (as defined in the Equality Act 2010) to improve their lives. This includes autism, learning difficulty, physical disability, mental health (e.g. anxiety or depression) or hearing or visual impairments. 

The purpose of the Fund is to help young people, between the ages of 16 and 25 living with disabilities, with the transition after leaving school or children’s services to be more independent and to continue spending time with other people.

Independent Living Support (ILS) is a registered charity providing housing support to people within the Homeless Housing System in Dumfries, Upper Nithsdale and Stranraer. 

They also provide Youth Personal Development programmes for 16 to 25 years in Dumfries and Stranraer. 

Their mission is to move people from “simply surviving to actively thriving”.

Let’s Get Sporty is a not for profit social enterprise which provides young people with training, mentoring and employment opportunities through the delivery of sport & physical activity across the Dumfries and Galloway region. 

The service provides young people with an individualised training programme focussing on improving their social skills, employability skills and self-confidence. They pride themselves on getting young people to develop in a professional, inspiring environment delivering quality services in their local community. 

Let’s Get Sporty have many Partners from NHS, Loreburn Housing, Dumfries & Galloway Council, Project Scotland to Schools. They offer many services to families, organisations and communities and deliver over 40 classes a week to children from 18 months to older adults. They also deliver Holiday camps, Birthday Parties and a Hire a Coach service. 

Let’s Get Sporty ‘Inspire young people to inspire in their community’.

Murdostoun Brain Injury Rehabilitation and Neurological Care Centre provides rehabilitation, treatment, care and support for adults (18+ years) and adolescents (16-18 years) with a brain injury or other complex neurological conditions. 

There are two facilities within the grounds: 

• Murdostoun’s Brain Injury Rehabilitation Centre offers intense rehabilitation for adults in the post-acute phase following a brain injury through to transitional step-down independent supported living. 

• Murdostoun’s Neurological Care Centre offers long-term care for adults with complex neurological conditions.

The PASS service advises individuals on health-related issues that enable them to work effectively with health professionals, and empowers navigation through services and complex complaint procedures at a time when they are most vulnerable. Person-centered, co-ordinated advice and support is essential to improving patient outcomes and focusing on the specific needs of the person. 

The PASS service works to find local solutions to local needs and will: 

• Help you to understand your rights and responsibilities as a patient 

• Support you if you are going to a meeting 

• Help you write letters and make phone calls 

• Help you access your medical and clinical records 

• Help you find health services and social care 

• Help you access the treatment, care and support you need.

Relationships Scotland provide: 

• Relationship Counselling for individuals or couples 

• Family Mediation including Direct Consultation with Children

• Child Contact Centres and other Family Support Services

• Counselling for Carers

• Parenting Apart workshops.

The See Hear Project supports adults with sight and/or hearing loss and their carers living in Dumfries & Galloway. 

They provide a range of services including information on sensory loss, aids, equipment and services; training in accessible technology; early support for new hearing aid users; use of magnification to read more easily; and a number of opportunities to build up skills and confidence to live life to the full. 

The See Hear Project also offers support to people living with sight loss as a result of stroke or head injury.

Sports Driving Unlimited provides children, young people and adults who have a disability, mental/behavioural disorder or terminal illness opportunities to enjoy the therapeutic benefits, fun and excitement of participation in sports carriage driving.

They believe their approach is unique - blending the exhilaration and excitement of pony driving with the development of personal confidence, core strength, self esteem and achievement. Their activities are provided to individuals and to groups and take place at Chariots of Fire Equestrian Centre CIC, Boreland near Lockerbie. Coaching is tailored to each person’s own abilities so they can enjoy the widely acknowledged therapeutic benefits that result from involvement with ponies and hopefully spark an ongoing interest. 

Each participant is taught to drive a pony and control its speed and direction by rein handling and voice commands. They also learn the practical aspects of caring for a pony, including grooming, leading, harnessing and feeding. This is the perfect activity for many with mental health and behaviour disorders requiring physical involvement as well as concentration, co-ordination and discipline. For those with limited physical ability it provides opportunities for exercise and movement in the open air and potentially the exhilaration of moving at perceived high speed in safety.

There are a number of Stroke Support Groups across the Borders, Dumfries and Galloway. They are as individual as the people who run them, reflecting local interests and diversity. The principle of Community Stroke Groups is to support their members to participate in and enjoy activities in their local community. 

These self-managed groups are affiliated to Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) though not provided directly by the charity. CHSS provides dedicated support to the community stroke groups, offering advice and guidance. Details of each group can be found on the CHSS website.

Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway are an organisation that exists to promote, support and develop a strong third sector; develop social enterprise; develop volunteers and volunteering; and connect the third sector to community planning. 

Third Sector, Dumfries and Galloway is a membership organisation with charitable status. Membership is open to all third sector organisations operating in Dumfries and Galloway. 

The members elect a Board of Trustees who are entrusted with governance; with setting our strategy; with ensuring that we are well managed and inclusive; and that we communicate effectively with all of our stakeholders. 

Services are delivered by a staff team with bases in Dumfries and Stranraer and an outreach location in Dalbeattie.

Turning Point Scotland provide ‘tailor made’ and ‘person centred’ services to suit every individual’s circumstance. Their aim is to enhance lifestyle experiences and provide independent living.

User and Carer Involvement (UCI) is a scottish charity operating across the Dumfries and Galloway Region. UCI’s mission is to ensure that people who have mental illness, dementia or learning disabilities, and their carers, have a representative voice, and as a result see positive changes in their service provision. 

This is achieved by: 

• Providing training and support to enable members and groups to express themselves effectively. 

• Encouraging statutory and non-statutory agencies which provide services to become more responsive to the needs and views of members and groups, by involving users, carers and their representatives in the planning, commissioning, monitoring and delivery of services which affect them. 

• Assisting members and groups to access information regarding services and legislation and other information necessary and appropriate to the support that they may require. 

• Maximising member and group representation in appropriate aspects of Mental Health, Learning Disability and Dementia care. 

• Creating safe forums where people can express their concerns and have their concerns taken forward, anonymously if necessary, to the appropriate agencies.

Veterans First Point (V1P) has been developed by veterans for veterans. The service provided is free at the point of access and provided as part of the NHS. V1P Borders provide veterans services throughout the Borders. The team consists of veterans peer support workers, clinicians, therapists and administration team. 

They provide: 

• Information and signposting 

• Understanding and listening 

• Support and social networking 

• Health and well-being.

Visibility Scotalnd is a charity working across Scotland, delivering a range of holistic services and support to people living with visual impairment. Visibility Scotland supports children and adults to make their own choices and live their lives fully, confidently and independently. At Visibility Scotland we believe that you don’t need sight to have vision! 

There are many ways that Visibility Scotland can help, support or advise you or your family member. If your vision has been affected by stroke or head injury, its “Neurosight” project might be able to help.