Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities

“My name is John. I grew up in the Royal Scottish National Hospital (RSNH) when I was a wee tot. I don’t remember my life before that. I went in there when I was about two or three years old. They put me in the hospital because they said I had epilepsy and I was having fits, but I don’t …

In June ARC Scotland launched Principles into Practice and a digital application, Compass, with the aim of transforming experiences of young people with additional support needs and their families as they make the transition to adulthood. Tracey Francis, Policy and Development Worker at ARC Scotland, tells us more. Ask anyone – becoming an adult is one of the most complex …

To celebrate the launch of the Scottish Government’s report on the Independent Strategic Review of Funding and Commissioning of Violence Against Women and Girls Services, SCLD invited the Chair of the review, Lesley Irving, to reflect on the recommendations of the report to ensure women with learning disabilities can realise their rights. Lesley is also the former Head of the …

SCLD is delighted to share our Annual Review from 2022–23. What a year it has been – full of challenges and opportunities! We have worked hard to ensure that everything we do is based on the experiences, hopes and concerns of people with learning disabilities. We hope you enjoy the review and would really welcome your feedback. An audio version …

Having taken the time to consider the final report of the Scottish Mental Health Law Review (SMHLR), SCLD has significant concerns about its failure to address the core issue of the ongoing inclusion of people with learning disabilities within Scottish mental health legislation. This is despite our concerns and alternatives being highlighted with the SMHLR team on numerous occasions and …

The Scottish Government is trying different ways to make sure that as many people as possible can contribute to the development of the National Care Service. So it has planned a series of events over the summer, starting in June.  These events will take place in different places in Scotland, from Dumfries and Galloway to Shetland.  They want to hear …

This year’s Scottish Learning Disability Week focused on all aspects of  leadership with the theme ‘Lead to Change’. Every year Scottish Learning Disability goes from strength to strength. Thank you to everyone who supported Scottish Learning Disability Week 2023 whether you organised an event, attended an online or face-to-face event, engaged with the Get Involved Pack or shared what you …

Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) has long been considered the best practice approach for supporting people with learning disabilities and complex needs. Despite being written about in some high-level government strategies, such as the Coming Home report, we recognised that there isn’t a one stop shop for people who support individuals with learning disabilities to learn about PBS in Scotland, so …