Addaction Argyll and Bute Recovery Service supports individuals in their recovery from problematic alcohol or other substance misuse. The service is for people who need support around their own or someone else’s drug or alcohol use. 

Person-centred assessment and action planning; goal planning to meet your needs and aspirations; motivation to change.

The service offers: 

• 1:1 work 

• Group work 

• Needle Exchange (Dunoon) 

• Drug Treatment and Testing Orders 

• Support for Recovery Communities Advice and support to families and concerned others.

Addictions Counselling Inverness is a voluntary organisation based in Inverness, which offers free one-to-one counselling for adults who are affected by all types of addiction or substance misuse issues. 

The organisation supports clients with a range of issues including alcohol, drugs and gambling. They also provide information and advice on substance misuse and addictions to the public and to professional colleagues. 

As a service Addictions Counselling Inverness make every effort to ensure that their service is client centred, respectful and non-judgmental. They approach their clients care in a holistic & individualistic manner and client confidentiality is of paramount importance.

Advocacy Highland is an independent voluntary organisation which provides free and confidential independent advocacy in the Highland region for individuals of all ages, including young people over the age of 16, who need to be supported to speak up about specific issues. 

This, whilst not exclusive, focuses on key priority groups including those with mental ill health, learning disabilities, Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and those groups who are frail and elderly.

Alcohol Counselling Services for Ross and Sutherland provide a range of services including free confidential one to one counselling, recovery plans, support for families and practical advice and information available from their office base in Tain. In addition, counsellors and staff provide an outreach service in various venues across Ross and Sutherland. The service works alongside other agencies to raise awareness of alcohol and drug related issues with the aim of influencing lifestyle choices.

The Argyll and Bute Addiction Team (ABAT) is an integrated team comprising of staff from NHS Highland and Argyll and Bute Council. Staff include Social Workers, Nurses and a Psychiatrist all of whom are specialists in Addiction work. 

ABAT provides services across Argyll and Bute from bases in Dunoon, Rothesay, Helensburgh, Oban (outreach to Mull and Tiree), Lochgilphead and Campbeltown (outreach to Islay). Services include Assessment, Recovery Planning, Harm Reduction, Sexual Health Information, Blood Borne Virus Information and Testing, Opioid Replacement Therapy and Naloxone Training and Supply.

There are four Carers Centres in Argyll and Bute run by the Princes Trust for Scotland. These are based in Oban, Dunoon, Helensburgh and Lochgilphead.

In the Highlands Carrgomm provide respite support to children and adults, Carrgomm also provide home care support.

Argyll and Bute Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) provides a free, impartial and confidential advice and information service throughout Argyll & Bute on a wide variety of issues; from benefits and debt, housing and employment, consumer and utilities to patient advice. They have offices in Lochgilphead and Helensburgh, and regular outreach sessions in Campbeltown, Dunoon and Oban. 

The Lochgilphead office is open to the public for drop-in on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and the Helensburgh office on an appointment basis on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. Telephone advice is provided Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm.

East and Central Sutherland Citizen’s Advice Bureau offers free, confidential, impartial and independent advice to anyone who needs it, on a wide range of subjects. These include employment, consumer problems, family and relationship difficulties, children, housing, rent arrears, debts and many more. 

The help CAB provides varies from giving information and advice, helping with letters and forms, benefit checks and appeal representation. 

East and Central Sutherland Citizen’s Advice Bureau run outreach clinics in: 

• Helmsdale

• Brora

• Dornoch 

• Bonar Bridge 

• Laig 

They also cover the Edderton and Ardgay areas, and can arrange home visits.

Citizen’s Advice Inverness, Badenoch and Strathspey offer various services across the region including outreach services in Charleston, Culloden, Dalneigh, Granton-on-Spey, Hilton, Kingussie, Laggan, Aviemore, Merkinch and Ragmore. 

In addition, the organisation also has an outreach service with MacMillan Partnership for people and families affected by cancer in the Highland Region. 

Please use their website to find links for your local area.

Moray CAB is an independent local charity providing advice, assistance and training for local people. 

Moray CAB provides advice, information and practical assistance on a range of issues which include: 

• Benefits 

• Consumer debt 

• Employment 

• Housing 

• Legal 

• Tax 

• Utilities.

Nairn Citizens Advice Bureau are a local, independent charity that provides free and confidential advice and information to anyone and everyone. 

Because they are managed and used by people within the community, they deliver services that meet the needs of local people. They provide practical advice, negotiate on behalf of clients and even represent them formally, such as at tribunal hearings. 

Common areas of inquiry include: 

Benefits - entitlements, support with applications and appealing decisions 

Debt and money advice - how to manage debts, improve your financial situation and maximise your income

Consumer issues - from used cars to difficulties with gas and electricity suppliers 

Work-related problems - terms and conditions, dismissal, redundancy and intimidation 

Housing - from renting through to homelessness

Relationships - splitting up, children and bereavement.

The Citizen’s Advice Bureau provides free impartial, independent and confidential advice to anyone in the local community. 

CAB specialise in the following areas of advice: 

• Benefits 

• Money Advice 

• Health 

• Housing 

• Employment 

• Consumer Rights 

• Family and Personal issues.

Connecting Carers provide support to unpaid carers in the Highlands. The organisation also provide carer support plans/training/group support and short break funds.

Digby Brown is Scotland’s largest personal injury practice. From our seven offices in Inverness,Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Kirkcaldy, Aberdeen, and Ayr, we cover the length and breadth of the country. Our expertise in personal injury law, particularly in the fields of catastrophic 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, implementing of care and case management regimes where required.

Epilepsy Scottish Highlands Support Group is an informal group made up of sufferers, family, friends and carers plus some people who just think it’s a good idea and want to learn more. The group have meetings once a month in Thurso and once a month in Wick. 

The Group also has a Facebook page which has been set up to offer help and advice to sufferers, their families and friends. It is also hoped that access to this “Open Group” will help to promote awareness of this condition. Sufferers are also invited to give feedback and share their experiences to help others. The group is supported by Epilepsy Scotland and has members from all over the Highlands.

This group provides support for young people and adults in Shetland.

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.

Headway Highland offer free support, advice and information to individuals, families and carers affected by acquired brain injury. Our services throughout the Highlands provide an opportunity to talk to others in a similar situation. 

A weekly social group meet in Inverness and a walking group meets at various locations around Inverness. 

Monthly social groups meet in Inverness, Fort William, Nairn, Dingwall, Dornoch and Caithness (alternate months between Wick and Thurso). 

The groups are all members led and the activities vary based on the requirements and wishes of the people attending but often include the attendance of speakers, games nights or arts and crafts. 

Headway Highland also offer a number of social events and outings including bowling, boat trips, lunches, family events or trips to the cinema or theatre.

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.

Jobcentre Plus supports people to move from benefits into waged employment.

Key Community Supports provides flexible, high quality support to people with disabilities, including acquired brain injury, throughout the Highlands. Key can provide anything from a few hours support a week to 24 hour care, we can also offer assistance with housing through our sister organisation Key Housing.

Lochaber Council on Alcohol is a registered charity providing voluntary one to one alcohol and drugs counselling within Fort William and surrounding areas. The service is available for anyone over the age of 16 years who is worried about the effects of alcohol or drugs on themselves or someone they care about. 

Counselling sessions are conducted during the day as well as evenings, however, all sessions should be made by appointment, either by telephone, email or by calling into the office and speaking to the manager. If you would like to obtain information about the effects of alcohol or drugs, the resources within the centre are available to the public and can be utilised within opening hours which are Monday to Friday between 11am and 5pm.

Lochaber Hope provide support for Lochaber people by providing a wide range of services relating to sensitive and personal issues. 

Lochaber Hope provide four main services: 

• Mentor provision 

• Counselling service 

• Personal development training 

• Employability division.

Lomond & Argyll Advocacy Service aims to provide independent advocacy to adults 16 and over with learning difficulties, mental health problems or elderly people.

Maggie's offers free practical, emotional and social support to people with cancer and their families and friends. Help is offered freely to anyone with any type of cancer.

The Manor Care Centre is situated in the town of Nairn in the Highlands of Scotland. The centre is divided into three distinct units, each catering for various needs such as long-term and short-term respite care and rehabilitation. Some of the conditions with which their clients are affected include: 

• Acquired brain injury 

• Young physically disabled

• Chronic degenerative conditions 

• Multiple sclerosis 

• Huntington’s Disease 

• Learning disability 

• Day care 

The Manor is provides 24-hour nursing support, fully qualified NVQ/SVQ social care staff members, plus a physiotherapist and podiatrist. There is full medical backup from local General Practitioners and also Consultant support from Raigmore Hospital, Inverness.

The meeting place provides IT, multimedia and digital inclusion for adults age 16+ with learning disability, complex learning needs and /or adults age 16+ on the autistic spectrum. We pride ourselves on our intergenerational model of working as we engage young people who are in transition or have left school to utilise their skills and develop new skills working alongside our learners. If you would like to visit or learn more about what we do please contact us at either of our projects above.

The neuro physiotherapists at NeuroPhysio Scotland provide a service in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness and the surrounding areas. NeuroPhysio Scotland visit patients in their own homes or arrange visits to specialist clinics. 

NeuroPhysio Scotland treatments can help people who have a neurological condition achieve their personal goals of maximum fitness, function and quality of life: 

• mobility in walking, climbing stairs and physical transfers

• hand and arm movement such as grip strength, dexterity, eating and drinking 

• balance and co-ordination to prevent falls

• stiffness and tightness in muscles 

• pain control.

The North Argyll Stroke Support Group is a peer support group affiliated to Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS). These groups enable individuals to develop lifelong friendships and support of others who have had a stroke whilst engaging in their hobbies and interests.

Oban Epilepsy Support Group is an informal support group covering the Oban area.

Self directed support is a way of receiving social care and support services using an individual budget in order to give the person control, flexibility and choice on the services they receive.

The Shirlie Project are a supported employment agency. They represent people who need support looking for employment in their chosen field. Some of the challenges their clients face when seeing work might include: 

• Autism, acquired brain injury, mental ill health, physical and sensory impairments or learning difficulties. 

• Young people with emotional and behavioural issues or those who have been out of employment for some time.

• Young people facing social isolation on leaving school. 

The Shirlie Project are a Highland wide organisation with a head office in Inverness, satellite offices in Lochaber, Skye and Ross-shire and an outreach worker in Caithness and Sutherland.

Skye Stroke friends is a peer support group affiliated to Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS). These groups enable individuals to develop lifelong friendships and support of others who have had a stroke whilst engaging in their hobbies and interests.

Skye and Lochalsh Council on Alcohol (SLCA ) offers a free counselling service to those who have substance misuse issues. This service is also available to those people in the area who are living with someone who is misusing alcohol and/or drugs. They have counsellors trained to offer this service to youngsters under the age of 18 and have an alcohol awareness project with the twenty-two schools in the area starting at Primary 7. They also offer training courses under the Servewise banner for licensees, bar staff and shop workers as a requirement of the Licensing Scotland Act.

Strokeness is a new organisation with the aim of providing support to stroke survivors and carers across the Inverness region. Through a combination of social gatherings, support meetings, education and representation, Strokeness want to improve the lives of stroke survivors who often feel isolated by their condition. All members of Strokeness are themselves stroke survivors. The members' meetings, which are usually held at the Dunbar Centre, are available to all stroke patients to attend as well as their carers and members of their families. People can attend two meetings before they take out membership.

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 Highland in partnership with Poppyscotland provide a one stop shop for veterans and their families living in the Highlands of Scotland. 

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.