Euan Scott successfully completed his final year Occupational Therapy (OT) placement at bOunceT [from Queen Margaret University] in 2021, and now has secured a part-time role in the company as an Occupational Therapist.
"In my final year of studying OT, I was lucky enough to be introduced to bOunceT as an OT service operating in the third sector. After finishing the placement, I kept in touch with Callum and the team. I am now really excited to be working with them in a professional capacity.”
The funding to recruit Euan as a part-time Occupational Therapist has initially been made available from the Scottish Government's Mental Health Fund.
The £15 million Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund aims to support adult community-based initiatives across Scotland. It is hoped the funding will be used by community groups to help tackle the impact of social isolation, loneliness and the mental health inequalities made worse by the pandemic.
Euan is already getting involved in the delivery of some interventions agreed in the proposal bOunceT submitted to secure a £10,000 grant to support both adults with disabilities, and parents/carers of children with disabilities. The grant was awarded by both Stirling Voluntary Enterprise (SVE) and Clackmannanshire Third Sector Interface (CTSi).
SVE and CTSI, as part of the TSI Scotland Network, have distributed £412,015 to third sector groups locally to provide activities to help tackle the mental health and wellbeing issues that have arisen from the pandemic.
In total £345,800 of large grants have been given to 29 organisations and a further £66,215 small grants given to 21 smaller organisations, covering a wide range of needs and communities across Stirlingshire and Clackmannanshire.
Here, at bOunceT, we have been awarded a grant of £10,000 to provide mental health and wellbeing support to a range of adults with disabilities, and their parents & carers.
Consultation and meaningful participation with our stakeholders is a crucial part of the work we do at bOunceT.
The Occupational Therapy team have consulted both formally and informally with the people who access services to find out exactly what they want – and need – during these challenging times.
To learn more about the range of interventions we will offer as part of the grant funding, and to see our Outcomes & Activities [linked to these interventions] click here to read our blog "bOunceT to share in £400,000 Mental Health fund"
Euan's main focus when working with families will be delivering 1:1 Parents & Carers Coaching (both online and in-person when allowed). He was an integral part of implementing this intervention into our services at bOunceT whilst he was on placement with us last year, so he is definitely the right person to continue making this service 'business as usual' for us.
These Coaching sessions are based on theory and research from Occupational Performance Coaching [as a specialist Occupational Therapy intervention].
The potential for using Occupational Performance Coaching in practice was realised after the success of Andraya (OT Student from QMU) completed her final year research project in partnership with us. Andraya successfully created a referenced/evidence-based manual for bOunceT staff (and future students) to follow - it is a fantastic step-by-step guide!
Other students have blogged about their experience delivering Coaching on placement too -
Lois (Robert Gordon University)
Notes:
OPC is an evidence-based intervention for rehabilitation specialists to assist people with disabilities and their caregivers to realise their aspirations for themselves, their loved ones, and their families. OPC draws from core principles of occupational therapy that people learn, develop and grow from doing the things they value as fully as they wish and are able. OPC was originally developed for occupational therapists to assist parents of children with developmental disabilities, but OPC is now used by multiple rehabilitation professions to support people of all ages, and with diverse health conditions, to achieve personally valued change in life domains.
Research now indicates that OPC can be effective in improving participation in everyday life with children who have a wide range of health conditions and learning disabilities. Research continues to extend our understanding of who OPC is helpful to, to what extent and under what conditions.
