Health & Social Care 2008

Improving the quality of peoples lives

Sponsored by Age Concern England

Winner

Penny Halliday

Kinship Care, You Are Not Alone Family Support Group

Penny is campaigning for kinship carers and for children who are looked after by them, to be equally valued and financially supported like other children with carers. After founding the You Are Not Alone Family Support Group in Scotland over ten years ago, Penny joined-up with other kinship carers to develop the campaign. She is keen to ensure that kinship carers are supported both practically and financially and that they are valued as a serious alternative to institutional care.

Finalists

Margaret Kennedy

Called to Account, Minister & Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors

Margaret is a volunteer for Minister & Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors (MACSAS) campaigning to install policies and procedures to safeguard men and women within the church. MACSAS is lobbying for the introduction of statutory regulations to address the challenging issues that can emerge. The campaign aims to engage with churches of all denominations and with the Government to raise awareness of the sensitive issues that the campaign raises.

Noreen Taylor

Bodyproject, The Body Project Foundation

Noreen is the founding member of the Body Project Foundation that campaigns for medical research into the illness Body Dismorphic Disorder (BDD). BDD is an anxiety disorder that affects thousands of individuals although very few people have an awareness or understanding of this illness. The campaign aims to establish research into the disease and to create an organisation that provides support for sufferers and families. Noreen hopes that this campaign will encourage the delivery of an adequate medical response to the illness that has affected her personal family life and that of thousands of others.