People First (Scotland) is the national self-advocacy organisation of people with learning difficulties. People First (Scotland) became a company in 1989 and we now have around 1000 members from across Scotland. We support local People First groups in the different areas of Scotland from the Borders up to the Highlands. People First is run by a Board of Directors elected from the members in the different areas, all of whom have learning difficulties. Members support each other in the groups to speak up, to gain confidence and to stand up for our rights. We take forward issues important to our members and campaign for changes in services, policies and laws so that people with learning difficulties can have better lives.
The People First Parents’ Group has been meeting for over 4 years and we now have 14 members. The group is for people who are parents and people who actively want to have children. We support each other with looking after our children and try to change attitudes, services and policies so that parents with learning difficulties get the right sort of support to look after our children ourselves. We speak at conferences, run training for students and professionals and give our views on government consultations. A representative of the group sits on the Scottish Parenting Network.
The User and Carer Forum think that Katrina is a good example of these Citizen Leadership principles
- 2. Development
- Being part of this group has given Katrina and other members the confidence, knowledge and information they need to influence others
- 3. Early Involvement
- This group sets its own agenda. This means it can be involved from the very start
- 5 & 8 Information & Wider Benefit
- The group has campaigned hard and worked with health agencies to get accessible information for parents with learning disabilities across Scotland
