Quarriers believes that the people we support should have their say on issues that affect their lives and help to shape the services they receive. Our Inclusion Policy aims to increase the ways that the organisation directly engages with the people who use our services.
Quarriers Discovery Group is a peer-led network for adults who use Quarriers disability services. The group provides people we support with a platform to raise issues which affect their lives, affect policy and have their say both on an organisational and national level.
Quarriers Discovery Group is a peer-led advocacy group for adults supported by Quarriers disability services. The group originally had 12 members, and now has six satellite groups who represent the views of people we support across the west of Scotland.
Members of the groups participate in staff training and conferences, as well as meetings with various policy making forums within the organisation. The group has also conducted its own survey using questionnaires to discover what people who use Quarriers’ services think about Quarriers.
Quarriers New Horizons Group was established in 2003 to help people we support become involved in recruiting staff. The group receives support from a Staff Development Officer, HRD Manager, Inclusion Worker and Project Manager and meets regularly to examine ways to establish a range of training opportunities that help people understand more about becoming involved in staff recruitment.
The group has also developed a three day training event that equips people with the necessary skills to participate in advertising, selection and recruitment of candidates.
In February 2005, Quarriers organised the Q in the Park conference to give young people who use housing support services the opportunity to have their say about the services they receive. As a result of this conference, a group of young people decided to meet together regularly to represent the views of others, inform the organisation and share their experiences. The group has selected office bearers and present their views to the Quarriers Executive.
Quarriers Inclusion Team supports children and young people to actively engage in issues which affect them through encouraging participation. This includes consultations, one-to-one meetings and taking part in groups. Staff, children and families have worked closely with the Inclusion Team to create a participation toolkit called the iFive, which encourages children and families to work in partnership with staff at every stage of decisions affecting them.