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What Shetland Community Connections is all about

Here at Shetland Community Connections we aim to promote inclusion for everyone in all communities. Whether that be Shetland as a whole, your local area/island, your hobbies and social life. Everyone should play an active role in their community, the benefits are enormous! 

What do we do?

Shetland Community Connections is all about working innovatively with individuals to form new relationships, raise aspirations, find work opportunities, build on their skills, and participate fully in activities and social life.

We work with individuals, organisations, schools and employers to enhance inclusion and bridge the gap. We work with young people and families who are going through transition and need some support to identify “what next?”

Shetland Community Connectors can support people to make decisions through facilitation of Person Centred Plans to share your hopes and dreams and find solutions to some of the challenges you face.

We encourage you to explore what a good life looks like for you, what is working well, what resources there are around you and then if we think you are needing a bit of extra support how you could get this. 

We also offer peer support so that people can help each other with some of the challenges that come along through all of this.

The freedom to be ordinary

We believe that every person should have the opportunity to be ordinary…..To live as active citizens in their local community and enjoy a fulfilled life that others have the opportunity to enjoy!”

We can offer support, advice, signposting and Connections to any person living in Shetland with additional support needs. Our aim is to support local people to maximize their Direct Payment and to encourage and support them to be creative in how they want to live their lives. We offer support and advice for arranging direct payment packages, giving information, helping people in becoming an employer and working with Personal Assistants’.

We are an independent organisation offering support to people of all ages, children, families, adults and older people. 

  • We work across ALL of Shetland including the Isles.
  • We work with individuals with or without an assessment and with or without a Direct Payment in place.
  • We can receive referrals from individuals themselves, families, carers, Social Work,Education, NHS, Housing, Criminal Justice and the Voluntary Sector.
  • Individuals can “self-refer” into the service 

Shetland Community Connections has a Service Manager who is responsible for the day-to-day management of the organisation and a Board of Trustees that manage the strategic development of the organisation. The Manager works with and oversees a team of “Connectors” who will provide independent information and support to access community life in Shetland.

In this video, psychologist Susan Pinker reveals the secrets to living a long and healthy life. Believe it or not, it's not a sunny disposition or a low-fat, gluten-free diet that keeps people healthy -- it's their emphasis on close personal relationships and face-to-face interactions.

I Need Support / I Know Someone Who Needs Support

Depending on the level of support, you may need to contact social work first, to have an assessment carried out to determine your budget.

You can follow this link to find out more: Self Directed Support

If you already have a Self Directed Support budget, we can help you figure out how to manage your budget in the best way to support you without relying too heavily on services.

Visit our page Manage my direct payments to find out how we can assist in finding the best support for you.