CAPS Independent Advocacy

29/05/2026

This new Collective Advocacy project is for people with neurological conditions who live in Edinburgh or the Lothians or access services there.

Collective Advocacy is about your right to a voice.
It addresses power imbalances.
You can give your views on services for people with neurological conditions and work with others to improve things for everyone.

In the past, Collective Advocacy groups have made films, created artwork, raised issues at meetings of decision-makers, written books and resources, written to councillors, attended meetings in parliament and lots more. The group decides what they want to work on and is facilitated by an advocacy worker.

Please share so that more people with neurological conditions can benefit from Collective Advocacy!

[Image description: An animation with the words: “New service…for people with neurological conditions”
“I very much appreciate the opportunities to have a say and make a difference”. With a graphic of a megaphone and a head with brain.]



The Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic

AdvoCard

21/05/2026

Call for new members! Come join our Collective Advocacy group for people with experience of Eating Disorder. The group decides what it wants to do and is facilitated by a CAPS worker.

Find out more: https://capsadvocacy.org/collective-advocacy/experiences-of-eating-disorders/



[Image descriptions: 1 ‘Seen But Not Heard - Experiences of Eating Disorders, Your voice matters.....have your say with our Collective Advocacy group!’

2 ‘Who? Who is the group for?
Our Collective Advocacy group is for adults with lived experience of an eating disorder, who live anywhere in Lothian. No formal diagnosis is necessary to join.’

3 ‘What? What is the group for?
CAPS Independent Advocacy can enable you to express your views and feelings. The group makes individual voices louder by working in solidarity with others.’

4 ‘How? The group’s recent work includes:
Research on Men and Eating Disorders. An article exploring ideas about recovery. Contributing to books on Eating Disorders. Workshops for professionals and students’

5 ‘Get involved! Please email [email protected] or call 07948 740 164 to find out more about the group and our work.
CAPS is a free and confidential service. You can choose how much to share with the group.’]

Beat

18/05/2026

❓Do you have a neurological condition?
❓Do you live in Edinburgh or the Lothians?
❓Do you have what you need to live well?

Come along to the first meeting of this new project!
✅Meet others with neurological conditions
✅Have your say
✅Work together to make a difference

Find out more about Collective Advocacy and meet Angharad and Steve, the workers on this project.

📅28th May 2026 11am to 12 noon
💻Online - contact us to get the link!

Contact [email protected]
or text or call Steve on 07929 751 911

[Image description: a poster for the event featuring the wording above plus the CAPS neurological conditions logo, a graphic of a brain, ‘neurological conditions collective advocacy’, ‘new group, first meeting’]

15/05/2026

🚨Announcing a new group for people with neurological conditions! 🚨

If you have a neurological condition and live in Edinburgh or the Lothians (or use services there) you can get involved in this Collective Advocacy project!

💛You’ll meet with others to have your voice heard. It’s important that people with neurological conditions have their say about the provision of social care services.
As a group, you’ll decide what’s most important and what needs improvement. Collective Advocacy can also help you to increase your own awareness and understanding of your rights and options. People who participate in Collective Advocacy at CAPS value the sense of community and shared purpose it creates. It helps to reduce isolation.

Please share and help us reach out to people with neurological conditions so that more people can benefit from this new free group facilitated by CAPS Independent Advocacy!

👀Find out more here: https://capsadvocacy.org/collective-advocacy/neurological-conditions-collective-advocacy/

[Image description: ‘New free project! Collective Advocacy for people with neurological conditions, Edinburgh and the Lothians’ with a graphic of head and brain with loud speaker and speech bubble]



AdvoCard
The Neuro Therapy Place
The Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic

13/05/2026

Do you live in East Lothian or Midlothian?

If you’ve been involved in Adult Support and Protection, we’d really like to hear from you.

We’re looking for people to join a group and tell us what it was like to go through this process. What worked well? What needs to change to improve the process for the future?

Come along to one of our drop-in sessions to find out
more:

Tuesday 26th May 11am to 1pm in The Fraser Centre foyer, 3a Winton Place, Tranent, EH33 1AF

Wednesday 27th May 11.30am to 1pm in front of the Pavilion of Mayfield and Easthouses Development Trust, Mayfield, Midlothian, EH22 5DG

Contact us for more details: [email protected]
or call or message Elli on 07948 740 164

[Image description: 'Safe and Protected - Do you live in East Lothian or Midlothian?
If you’ve been involved in Adult Support and Protection, we’d really like to hear from you.
Come along to one of our drop-in sessions to find out more:
Tuesday 26th May 11am to 1pm in The Fraser Centre foyer, 3a Winton Place, Tranent, EH33 1AF
Wednesday 27th May 11.30am to 1pm in front of the Pavilion of Mayfield and Easthouses Development Trust, Mayfield, Midlothian, EH22 5DG' with the CAPS logo and an illustration of a group of people under an umbrella]

The Fraser Centre
Mayfield & Easthouses Development Trust

12/05/2026

11/05/2026

Collective Advocacy brings people with mental health issues together – to take action and improve services!

People with mental health issues in Collective Advocacy groups have:
• designed workshops;
• set up exhibitions;
• written letters to MSPs;
• organised conferences;
• represented themselves in parliament;
• carried our research - and more!

runs 11 to 17 May 2026 and it’s all about taking action!

What does action for good mental health mean to you?

[Image description: ‘Collective Advocacy groups take action on mental health services!’ with photos of people meeting around a table and one person speaking into a microphone. Followed by the Mental Health Awareness Week logo]

Mental Health Foundation

06/05/2026

The Oor Mad History group at CAPS are excited to be having a stall at Figments: Madness, Health and Creativity conference in Glasgow on 15th June.

If you’re attending the conference and you want to find out more about Oor Mad History and meet the group come along to their stall – conference tickets are on sale until 17th May.

The group will be choosing some materials from the Oor Mad History community archive to bring along for conference attendees to explore!

Find out more about the conference here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/figments-madness-health-and-creativity-registration-1985740229481



[Image description: From the Oor Mad History archive a cover of the Beyond Diagnosis journal which was created by people with experience of mental health issues. The cover features a person wearing sunglasses and the words 'Beyond Diagnosis, the Voice in Scotland of the Mentally Ill'.]

Lothian Health Services Archive

28/04/2026

We are very pleased to have received new funding from the Henry Smith Foundation from April 2026, to provide independent individual advocacy to young people aged 14-25 who identify as LGBTQIA+. This expands our existing service for adults 18+.

If you identify as LGBTQIA+ you may feel that services don’t always listen to you. You may feel that they don’t understand you or treat you fairly because of your identity. This is where advocacy can help. An individual advocacy worker works one-to-one with you. They are there to be by your side to support you to say how you feel and what you want to happen. They can help you to have a stronger voice with other services.

Find out more about our expanded advocacy service for LGBTQIA+ young people on our website.

[Image description: The words: ‘Your advocacy worker will:
Be on your side and no-one else’s
Help you to say what you want
Be independent from everyone else and only work for you’, emojis with two pride flags and graphics of megaphones]

13/04/2026

This concludes the campaign...

A huge THANK YOU to all who donated, shared and cheered it on! At the time of posting, the total raised from your efforts is £4278.

The GoFundMe will stay live for as long as possible, so it can still be shared and people can donate.

https://gofund.me/2e41e474e

Watch this space to find out what the Planning Group organise with this and with any other funds they raise in the next few months.

Every penny will be used to create an opportunity for people with mental health issues, using art, in 2026.

Thank you to and from everyone in the community that make OOSOOM happen.

‘it allows the invisible to become visible and gives a voice to the unheard’

Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival
Summerhall
CAPS Independent Advocacy



[Image description: the OOSOOM planning group wearing their orange OOSOOM t-shirts at Summerhall.]