Listen Well Scotland said the move would allow their services to continue.
A Highlands mental health group has joined forces with a national charity to ensure it can provide “continued delivery” of vital services.
Listen Well Scotland is set to become part of national mental health charity Change Mental Health to continue providing quality listening services to more communities across Scotland.
The charity asked Change Mental Health to provide a home for the continued delivery of its vital services.
To ensure continuity, sustainability and more visibility of our work, they reached out to Change Mental Health to incorporate their CPD accredited training and listening services, along with their personnel and registered volunteers.
The charity had switched to providing more services online after the financial pressures of the pandemic took their toll, leading to the charity struggle to operate sustainably.
Change Mental Health will continue the delivery of their work through their National services and upskill all of their staff in listening skills.
Linda Harding, chair of Listen Well Scotland, said: “We are so passionate about making sure the great work of Listen Well Scotland continues. Change Mental Health is the perfect home for this vitally important work.
“Their values of integrity, leadership and compassion are a perfect fit, along with their commitment of making sure that everyone gets the support they need, when they need and in a way which works best for them – which is exactly what Listen Well Scotland is all about.
“This new phase ensures that our work and services will live on within Change Mental Health.”
Both charities have worked hard to ensure that a challenge becomes an opportunity.
Listen Well has been a leading voice in stressing the importance of listening training and services since 2013 and it allows them to become part of a larger national charity.
The aim is that more people will benefit from listening training and have access to listening services to create a positive impact on Scotland’s mental resilience and wellbeing.
Nick Ward, CEO at Change Mental Health, said: “These are challenging times for charities of all sizes and we are pleased to be able to step in and offer a new home for Listen Well Scotland’s vital services. Together, I know we can do greater work than either of us could have done alone. In times like these, the third sector must work together to ensure a continuity of support where we can.
“We welcome Listen Well Scotland into the Change Mental Health family and reconfirm our commitment to making sure that no one needs to face mental illness alone.”
