About Us
Better Lives Partnership is a Scottish Registered Charity (SCO46597) supporting young people aged 16-25 who are autistic or face similar barriers.
We support our young people by providing a range of opportunities for them to enable them to live independent and fulfilling lives within their communities. Our Head Office is in Castle Douglas Community Centre and with sites in Dumfries and Stranraer we support young people from right across the Dumfries & Galloway Region.
Better Lives Partnership’s Charitable Aims:
Our vision is of a world where autistic people and those who experience additional barriers are understood and enabled to lead independent and fulfilled lives within their communities.
We do this through:
- Developing opportunities through our Bridge to Employment programme which is aimed at young people aged 16-25 who are unable to engage with further education or employment without support.
- The advancement of public awareness and understanding of autism and other disabilities, developing services and provision for people affected by autism and other disabilities, their families, parents and Carers and practitioners who support them, Promoting the awareness and understanding of autism and how it affects individuals and their families, providing information and advice to people affected by autism and other disabilities, their parents and Carers and practitioners who support them.
- Liaising with other organisations, statutory or non-statutory.
How does coming to BLP help our young people?
Young people who have attended our programme have gained accredited qualifications and have reported feeling that they have gained confidence and found a sense of purpose.
Many of our young people value having a place to go, meeting new people, and making friends. Each of our young people has their own personal goals they want to achieve by attending.
For some those positive outcomes are learning independent living skills, gaining a work placement, or getting into college. While for others it is learning new skills, becoming more confident at socialising, or seeing new places through travel training.
Our Programmes
In our locations, we run a variety of weekly sessions through our Bridge 2 Employment Programme. This includes support for young people in developing their own business and the opportunity to explore creative practices. The Programme helps our young people develop personal positive goals and achieve them!
Our Story
Our story began in 2016 when we became a registered SCIO with the express aim of delivering and improving the services available for children and young people who are autistic and those who face similar additional barriers in Dumfries and Galloway.
Our Team
We have an amazing, hard-working, and dedicated team!
We work together across the region to support our young people and provide them with a wide selection of opportunities. Find out more about our team, and what they do!
Our Board
As a registered SCIO we are governed by a Board of Trustees, who are dedicated to ensuring Better Lives Partnership focuses on its charitable aims, and continues to offer the best support to our young people. Find out more about how our Board is run and what they do!
