by Katie Marson (Development Worker, EVOC)
Since coming into post as a Development Worker at EVOC in January 2025, the final stage of the delivery of the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund has been a major priority.
It has been a challenge, but I have been continually inspired by the work of the 103 community projects we awarded grants to, and the conversations I’ve had with community members.
One of the most impactful parts of this process has been organising the delivery of training to support funded groups and organisations. Part of our agreement with Scottish Government is the option to set aside a portion of the budget to capacity building for the sector. Based on feedback from funded organisations and aligning with established priorities for this year, we focused the training in three areas – suicide intervention, trauma informed practice, and impact evaluation for charities – providing eight days of training to over 60 staff members across the sector.
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) gave participants practical, evidence-based skills and techniques to intervene and support individuals contemplating suicide and also counted towards their CPD. Trauma Skilled Approach training focused on skills and techniques to develop safe and effective working relationships when working to support individuals who have experienced trauma.
“The trauma training helped me to recognise tips when dealing with clients experiencing trauma, especially when doing groupwork, [I] will definitely put these into practise.”
Trauma Skilled Approach training participant
Introduction to the Basics of Evaluation provided a practical overview of how to effectively evaluate project outcomes. Off the back of the announcement of significant cuts from the EIJB, we considered the importance of the sector’s ability to evidence its impact with strong evaluation skills and hope that this opportunity has helped organisations feel better equipped to evidence the value of their work.
As we make plans for the next year of the Communities Mental health and Wellbeing Fun, I am looking forward to continuing to work as part of the TSI Team. I believe in the fund’s community-based approach, and in EVOC’s commitment to fair funding which listens to the needs and asks of the community.
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