OUR VALUES

Relationships Scotland Tayside and Fife was established in 1986. We are an independent charity and a member of Relationships Scotland. Our services conform to their Standards and Code of Practice.

Professionalism

Our services are provided by trained, accredited professionals. We take good care to select our practitioners and staff, to meet the expectations of our clients and the highest of regulatory standards. We also provide on-going development opportunities, to ensure our staff deliver an excellent service.

Respect

We support every family and individual with respect and empathy. We show equal respect to our employees, practitioners, staff members and volunteers.

Impartiality

It is not our job to take sides and decide who is wrong and who is right. Rather, we help our clients deal with their difficulties themselves. We do not judge. Our services are offered with fairness and neutrality in mind.

Diversity

Families come in all shapes and sizes, and are from a wide variety of backgrounds. We support all who need it, irrespective of the type of family they live in, their age, ethnic background, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, language or disability.

Empowerment

We enable families and individuals to make decisions about their lives as much as possible, and to take responsibility for their decision-making. We ensure the children and young people develop a voice of their own and are included in decisions affecting them. We support them to make informed choices, and move on from conflict. We enable change to happen - whatever 'change' may mean to the family. We create opportunity, but we don't create dependency.

OUR AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

• To promote for the public benefit, predominantly but not exclusively, the provision of services directed towards mediation, conciliation, reconciliation and counselling with the object of assisting any persons concerned in matrimonial and family disputes of any kind whatever, whether or not involved in any Court proceedings.To assist divorcing and separating parents to reach agreement about future arrangements, especially for their children.
• To offer support and counselling to children and young people who are experiencing changes in their lives due to parental separation, divorce or moving into a step family.
• To help children maintain a meaningful relationship with both their parents and their extended families.
• To offer support and counselling to couples and individuals with regards to relationship difficulties and issues around separation.
• To assist extended and step-families with negotiating arrangements around children, overcoming relationship breakdown and re-establishing communication.
• To provide a holistic service to individuals and families experiencing relationship difficulties, separation or divorce.
• To work and campaign for the understanding and improvement of the rights and interests of families.

OUR TRAUMA-INFORMED COMMITMENTS

1. I will take time, as much as my capacity allows, with each person I engage with in my role, to keep them informed, give them choice wherever possible, and to develop their trust in me as a representative of our Service, and as such, their trust in the Service.
2. I will give choices but also keep boundaries at the same time, for a sense of safety and trust to grow.
3. I will always do what I say I will do, when I say I'd do it, and keep the person updated on progress, or at key stages. I will be as transparent as our pledge of confidentiality allows.
4. I will look beyond the "surface" in addressing barriers to the engagement of children and young people, and offer support flexibly, wherever possible.
5. I will communicate within and between the teams - about key stages and next steps for a client. I will share relevant information about them with my colleagues so they are aware and prepared, and so there is consistency across workers.
6. I will reiterate key messages around our pledge of confidentiality, and of voluntary participation when speaking to people about services, to reassure them.
7. I will always keep in mind that what I do or don't do, even the smallest of things, may have an impact on someone, or trigger something for them.
8. I will respond to individual needs and circumstances and give appropriate information and reassurance; I will go at the person's pace as much as possible.
9. I will be mindful of my language used with clients and avoid jargon.
10. We will keep having conversations around good practice, and review current processes and paperwork, as an ongoing commitment.