Communities learn skills to help abuse victims

THE COMHAIRLE chamber in Stornoway was packed on Tuesday March 7 for a joint meeting of the Adult Protection Committee, the Child Protection Committee, Public Protection Chief Office Group and the Domestic Abuse Forum, along with the Speak Out Group.

Each of the committees is made up of people from various organisations who aim to oversee measures that are taken to protect people in the Western Isles from abuse.

Abuse covers neglect, sexual exploitation, physical violence, financial exploitation and many other ways in which the quality of lives can be affected.

The programme for the event was led by the Speak Out Group through the SMILE Project. The aim of the SMILE Project is entertainment with a serious message.

Malcolm Smith, chairman of the Western Isles Adult Protection Committee, said: ‘Although communication is a central part of our work, we are not as good as we should be.

‘We all need to engage more with people who have special support requirements, whether through learning disabilities or other vulnerability.

‘The central aims of the event were to help our communities to develop communication skills and methods, to bring service users and potential users more closely into the work we are engaged in, and to help draft information, whether by leaflet or online, in ways that reach out to a wider public.

‘This was a very beneficial event and I hope that everyone who attended gained a better understanding of the challenges of communication, and the work that we can take forward in the future.’