Thoughts From The Wee Room

  Short termism: A plague on all our (third sector) houses   The titular “Wee Room” is a safe haven at the bottom of our garden where friends gather, music is played, books are read and ideas flow. It certainly saved my sanity during lockdown, it was a place I could go, watch the birds, be close to nature and to just be .   The third sector in Scotland is, in so many ways a vibrant and creative space where people are met with acceptance, understanding and life-changing support.   I have been involved in many developments that demonstrably make a significant impact on the lives of people. These initiatives range from family support services, playschemes, mental health support services, One-stop shops and many more. Where are they now? Well, only the strong survive in a sector that is plagued by short-term thinking and short-term funding. The third sector has the capacity to build infrastructure and to bring stability to the lives of marginalised people. Ye...

  The titular “Wee Room” is a safe haven at the bottom of our garden where friends gather, music is played, books are read and ideas flow. It certainly saved my sanity during lockdown, it was a place I could go, watch the birds, be close to nature and to just be. “Everybody Counts or Nobody Counts”   Some of you may recognise the mantra of one of my favourite fictional cops, Harry Bosch. Created by author Michael Connolly, this is the value base that guides the actions, judgements, successes, and failings of the character. It is also a phrase I would dearly have loved to have coined, because it has such resonance for me in the professional space in which I operate. It speaks to the inherent inequalities so many people face because of the perception of value we, as a society, place on them. This has never been so evident as in the current crisis that is being faced in social care. To a large extent, we have been incubating this situation for years. Under investment, a...

The titular “Wee Room” is a safe haven at the bottom of our garden where friends gather, music is played, books are read and ideas flow. It certainly saved my sanity during lockdown, it was a place I could go, watch the birds, be close to nature and to just be .   Past, Present and Future. As someone who has always worked, starting with a Saturday job in Woolworths (sadly, no longer on our high streets), and then summer jobs, the most memorable being a stint in Butlins (don’t ask), the decision to retire early hasn’t been taken lightly, but it has been taken. I hope you will share this transition with me through a series of blogs as I contemplate the past, wax lyrical about the present, and look to the future and the different ways I might continue to make a contribution. I didn’t set out to work with autistic people. I had a few false starts to my career but always worked with people who would be considered marginalised or different in some way or who the system termed “...