Webwatch – Life Changes Trust

The Life Changes Trust (LCT) has been founded to transform the life chances of:

?    young people leaving care
?    people newly diagnosed with dementia and their carers.

In Scotland, £50 million investment is being made by the BIG Lottery Fund (BIG) over ten years in these two target beneficiary groups. This investment will provide long-term help, and build on valuable work already underway. LCT will test, develop and spread new approaches, transform how support is designed and delivered, and provide insight and learning. It aims to engage with organisations, individuals and communities to make grants, award contracts and influence policy and practice across the country.

There is evidence that people with dementia are often admitted prematurely to long-term care, resulting in a loss of independence and increased demand on resources. LCT will aim to develop supports to help people with dementia and their carers enjoy an improved quality of life. Over the ten-year life of LCT, the Trust will also raise awareness, increase understanding and influence policy and practice regarding how best to support people with dementia and their carers to keep well within their communities.

Scotland currently has 16,248 looked after children, of which 5,153 live at home and 4,076 live with friends and family. The remainder are in some form of residential care. This is the highest number of looked-after children in Scotland since 1981. The Trust’s initiatives will help young people acquire the building blocks they need to live safe, fulfilling lives. This will result in significant benefits for the young people themselves, and for the wider communities in which they live and work.

Details of infrastructure, initiatives and innovations are available on the website. It includes video stories and BBC radio accounts of the issues that are being addressed.

Visit Life Changes Trust: http://www.lifechangestrust.org.uk/