PLUS was founded in 1988 by parents and carers, who wanted their children with disabilities to have access to the same social, leisure and recreational activities as their non disabled peers and siblings. These services were initially developed in Stirling, but are now taking place on a smaller scale in Clackmannanshire and Falkirk, supporting parents to have regular short breaks which help to increase the capacity and resilience of families in their caring roles.

PLUS currently engages with over 240 individuals between the ages of 0-35 with a range of disabilities and complex needs. Our services are bespoke and are designed around the needs of the individuals. Whilst a number of projects take place, the main focus for us is about ensuring that the activities are able to be planned and adapted where required to ensure we are able to meet the personalised outcomes for the young people and their families.

Through consultation and engagement with users and their families, we are able to ensure that our services and activities continue to offer variety and keep all attendees interested and engaged. Whilst we create formal opportunities for families to provide feedback to PLUS, we also appreciate families getting in touch with us on the phone, in person, by email, or through social media to share their ideas, provide feedback and support us constructively to improve our services. We have a variety of ways in which we engage with the young people we support to ensure their thoughts and opinions influence how the service develops for them.

As reported in our recent Care Inspection Report, undertaken in Winter 2022;  ‘The breadth and diversity of support offered people a range of experiences which met their identified needs. These included opportunities for planned social interaction and activities, support to access further education, support in the home or to be involved in social events in the community.’

PLUS is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. It is registered with the SCSWIS as a Support Service and a second registration is currently underway to more suitably reflect the increased support we are now offering to adults.

Overall responsibility for PLUS lies with the Board of Directors – all are volunteers and as always, we continue to ensure that parents of children, young people and adults who use PLUS services are represented at Board level. Click here to find out more about the members of the board.