Our work to support the health and wellbeing of children and young people with long-term health conditions was honoured yesterday (20 September 2023) at the annual Self Management Awards, organised by the ALLIANCE.
We were presented with the Empowering Self Management Project of the Year Trophy for our SMS:HUB – a monthly online HUB that fosters camaraderie and self-management among young people aged 9-17 living with health conditions across Scotland.
Commenting on the award, Michelle Wilson, Head of our CYP Health and Wellbeing Service said: “It is such an honour, both for the team and the children and young people we support, to receive this award. The Self Management Awards celebrate good practice and promote a wide range of self-management work, so it is a privilege to be recognised as one of the charities who are leading the way for self-management in Scotland. The SMS:HUB was started through funding from the ALLIANCE so a big thank you for enabling us to develop this award-winning project. We will, of course, be celebrating this success with the children and young people who attend our monthly SMS:HUB and I know they will be over the moon. We can’t wait to share the news. ”
The ceremony was held at the iconic Radisson Blu Hotel in Edinburgh and hosted by Laura Boyd. It was attended by Gillian Mackay MSP and Jenni Minto MSP, Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health, and included speeches from the MSPs along with Darren Crocker, Winner of Self Management Champion of the Year 2022, and Sara Redmond, Chief Officer of Development at the ALLIANCE.
The Self-Management Skills (SMS) online HUB connects young people from across Scotland who are living with a health condition. It brings them together for fun activities around health and wellbeing, whilst promoting friendships and social inclusion. Young people aged 9 – 17 come together for fun, self-management, and community – meeting online once a month. The team at Children’s Health Scotland work hard on developing themes and packs filled with goodies and learning, working in partnership with others such as the Glasgow Science Centre, Village Story Telling and Relax Kids to deliver the SMS:HUBs and keep them exciting and engaging. Joining together in the SMS:HUB allows the young people to build a wider community and a great support network.
The Self Management Awards are the centrepiece of the ALLIANCE’s annual Self Management Celebration, a national awareness raising initiative highlighting self-management activity across Scotland.
