On Monday night, ILF Scotland won its first ever award, for its community engagement programme with stakeholders in developing the new ILF scheme, at the Scottish Public Services Awards, having only been in operation for nearly 18 months.
Following the key announcement made by Nicola Sturgeon that the Scottish Government would commit an additional £5 million a year to open up ILF for new recipients, ILF Scotland has undertaken a specific programme of direct community engagement with disabled people, their carers and representative organisations.
At the heart of this co-production process has been extensive engagement to hear the views of stakeholders across Scotland about how these funds could be used, ensuring the maximum impact for disabled people in Scotland.
Peter Scott, CEO of ILF Scotland, and Susan Douglas-Scott, Chair of the ILF Scotland Board, remarked,
“We are absolutely delighted to be named as the winner of the ‘Community Engagement Award’ at this year’s Scottish Public Service Awards. This is a great achievement for such a young organisation, and we are incredibly proud.
This award is a thanks to disabled people for not only ensuring the establishment of ILF Scotland, but also for their continued input in shaping our future development and the new ILF scheme.”
The Vice Chair of ILF Scotland’s Stakeholder Group and Chair of the Scottish Independent Living Coalition, Jim Elder-Woodward also commented,
“This award presented to ILF Scotland truly acknowledges its commitment to work alongside those disabled people they sustain, to legitimise their human rights to be equal citizens of Scotland. For those disabled people it supports, it turns mere existence from day to day, into living a full and exciting life.
This award recognises the work the Fund does, in working with all stakeholders, not only in setting up, but in developing a new scheme with the additional money from the Scottish Government. I wish the Fund well in its future endeavours and gaining even more awards!”
Currently, ILF Scotland is continuing to develop the new ILF scheme in co-production with disabled people, carers, representative organisations and local authorities, aiming to open the new scheme in the next year.
(Note: Image Credit: Andrew Cowen, Scottish Parliament)
