Social charity Turning Point Scotland has marked its 20th anniversary.
Nicola Sturgeon has praised a social care charity as it celebrated its 20th anniversary.
Turning Point Scotland was founded to replace UK charity Turning Point north of the border following the creation of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.
The charity now operates 37 frontline services from 180 locations across 22 local authority areas.
Visiting the organisation’s head office in Glasgow’s Govan area, the First Minister met staff and service users before unveiling a plaque to mark the milestone occasion.
She said: “Social care support is an investment in Scotland. That’s why we are engaging with charities, people who use services and all parts of the sector to develop a national programme to support local reform and improve outcomes for people and their communities.
“Turning Point Scotland play an invaluable role helping some of those in society who find they need support at any stage in their life, be it with housing, drug and alcohol dependency or a range of other factors.
“They do tremendous work and I offer them my warmest congratulations as they celebrate this milestone.”
Turning Point Scotland’s range of services include support for those struggling with drug and alcohol use, learning disabilities, mental health problems, homelessness, involvement in the justice system, autism, early onset dementia and Huntington’s disease.
During the event on Tuesday, chief executive Neil Richardson called for a bigger role for the third sector in delivering public services and Scotland’s social care challenges.
He said: “As a relative newcomer to this sector I would offer the observation that for whatever reason, as a third sector organisation our voice is often stifled, our influence is limited by virtue of our position in established hierarchies and we operate within a holistic system which very often leaves us subservient to others less able or experienced to drive effective and sustainable solutions to the pressing challenges within Scotland’s health and social care sector.
“I do recognise that there is review work underway aiming to make longer term change within Adult Social Care but these blockages need to be alleviated now.
“So, let me take this opportunity to lay down a polite but earnest challenge to yourself and your government First Minister – let us do more, help us break through the constraints of our existing commissioning environment to bring our experience to bear, draw on our creativity and agility to drive and test new approaches and ways of working that may just offer some relief to an over-pressurised sector.
“If we can do these this, I am confident that over the next 20 years Turning Point Scotland will continue to prosper and be the champion of world leading social care services.”
