About Us Ceartas was established in 2004. The Charity developed from Alzheimer Scotland which had operated an advocacy service in Strathkelvin and the North East of Glasgow between 1994 and 2004.
Scottish Executive guidance encouraged advocacy services managed by care providers to become independent and develop services free from any conflict of interest, locally managed and accountable to the area that it represents.
In 2003, the local advisory body for the advocacy project entered dialogue with Alzheimer Scotland’s management for the service to move to independence. Agreement was reached in September 2003 and the work to establish an independent charity began.
What's in a name?
After much debate the name Ceartas was chosen. Ceartas (pronounced Kier-tis) is a Gaelic word for equity, fairness and justice. The members of the steering group were keen to adopt a name that emphasised the aim of the organisation and not just a description of its duties. Fairness and justice was exactly what the group wanted to see achieved in the area.
Ceartas was registered as a company limited by guarantee in March 2004 and became fully operational a month later.
Service Developments
The immediate effect of independence was significant and long awaited. The service which had sat uneasily across local authorities was reconfigured to be a solely East Dunbartonshire service thereby providing an equal service for all residents. Two new members of staff arrived to augment service delivery as Ceartas developed to provide advocacy for older people and established an information service to enhance the quality of the information that we delivered.
Celebrating Success!
The official launch of Ceartas was held on Friday the 3rd of December 2004, in East Dunbartonshire's Council Chambers. There were over 80 people in attendance, including professionals from Health, Social Work, the Voluntary sector, and also service users.
The speakers provided both entertainment and food for thought in their speeches, which covered a variety of topics from the importance of advocacy for people with dementia to how the service is accepted by professionals.
Speakers for the event included: Jim Jackson, Chief Executive of Alzheimer Scotland, David Formstone, Community Care Manager for East Dunbartonshire Council, Marion Shawcross, Social Work Officer for the Mental Welfare Commission; Anne Ferguson, Elder Abuse Project Leader from Age Concern Scotland, and finally Mary Kenyon, Matron at local Care Home, Whitefield Lodge.
Ceartas was recognised as an Investors in People employer in January 2005. This award is given to organisations who demonstrate a commitment to the advancement and training of employees.
Ceartas decided to work towards this award in order to measure the effectiveness of the service and to be judged independently. Ceartas received an extremely positive evaluation, with the assessor highlighting 'good communication processes among the manager, board and staff themselves', the 'clarity of purpose that exists within the organisation' and the 'commitment within the organisation to ongoing development'.
1st Annual General Meeting
Wednesday 21st September 2005 was not only World Alzheimer Day but also the 1st Annual General Meeting of Ceartas. The AGM is of course a legal requirement but the day was also a recognition of what had been achieved. Ceartas was also delighted to have in attendance Isa McFarlane from the Scottish Dementia Working Group who gave a valuable and challenging insight into living with dementia.
2nd Annual General Meeting
Tuesday 19th September 2006 was the date for our second AGM and again it was an encouraging event which was well attended by members and professionals alike. David Douglas, a carer, spoke at the event and gave a personal account of his experiences as a carer which challenged all who attended.
3rd Annual General Meeting
Our third AGM was held on 12th December 2007. The Chairman highlighted that it had been a difficult year due to the anticipation of a tendering process for the development of a single local advocacy centre. If Ceartas was unsuccessful in its tender application the loss of funding would have a significant effect on its long term viability.
Is Ceartas making a difference? The CEO noted individual casework and the pressures faced by staff in meeting the tight timetable of legislative work as well as the work of De Café, and the user involvement addictions project. He concluded by stating that his aim was for Ceartas to continue to be pro-active and creative in trying to reach as many people as possible whose circumstances make them vulnerable.
4th Annual General Meeting
The fourth AGM was held on Friday 12th December 2008. The Chairman expressed his thanks to staff who had a difficult year due to the tender being advertised and submitted, with Ceartas being the successful bidder and taking up this new challenge in July 2008. He thanked East Dunbartonshire Council for their ongoing support & also other local voluntary organisations.
The CEO delivered a brief overview of the activities of Ceartas and thanked the staff and the board for their ongoing commitment.
More to follow...