Kincardine
As well as benefitting from the service that Pillar provides, members play an active part in the running of the organisation through elected user representatives on the Board of Directors.
The composition of the Board and its procedures are governed by Pillar's constitution which aims to achieve a balance between member representatives and suitably qualified volunteers. See below for more information about this role.
Senior staff including the Company Secretary and other non-voting professional advisers also attend Board meetings.
The current staff team of Moira Hurry (Service Manager), Gillian Grochla (Team Leader), Kirsty Greenhowe (Administration Officer) and Kirsty Towler (Senior Support Worker) share backgrounds in Occupational Therapy, Social Work, Health and Social Care, Nutrition, Community Education and Administration.
We encourage applications to our volunteer positions from people with lived experience of mental health problems. Suitably qualified persons who may wish to add to their professional, life or work experience by engaging with Pillar members, and/or by serving on the Board as volunteer Directors, will be warmly welcomed.
Membership of Pillar Kincardine is open to both service users and non service users, whether individuals or organisations. Members who wish to become service users need to meet certain criteria. Generally speaking when we refer to members in these pages we are talking about members who are service users.
Our aim is to facilitate the kind of social contact which positively enhances mental health, both within our own meeting places around Kincardine and the Mearns and elsewhere in the community. While it is not a treatment service, Pillar members are able to access advice, information and support when they are in crisis or in distress,
Members make positive choices about the groups or sessions they wish to use, in conjunction with other community resources and facilities. They are also encouraged to become actively involved in the running of the organisation either by making suggestions through the monthly Members' Forum or by standing for election to the Board of Directors.
Membership of Pillar is not necessarily for life. Pillar is there to be used as a stepping-stone into ordinary activities and services, and reviews of existing membership are undertaken on a rolling basis with regard to our membership criteria and individual circumstances.
Moving on can and should be a positive choice for members. The friendships that people form through Pillar can be maintained outside the organisation without any direct Pillar involvement.
But moving on is not a one-way process. Ex-members may return to Pillar at any point where their needs are compatible with the service we provide.
If you feel that membership of Pillar could be of benefit to you, contact us by telephone or email. A member of staff will return your call (normally within a few days at most) and arrange a time to meet with you, either at your home or in another suitable location.
The aim of meeting is to find out what help and support you need, and to give you some more detailed information about what Pillar can offer.
If you feel your situation is more urgent please follow the link below to open a Self Referral form which you can complete online and then either post it or email it to us as an attachment. And we promise to get back to you as quickly as possible.
Whichever method you choose you can be sure of finding a warm welcome at Pillar Kincardine.
Pillar could not function without help from volunteers. Most volunteers assist staff at member sessions and some serve (if elected) on the Board of Directors.
We work with our local Volunteer Centre to recruit suitable volunteers, but do feel free to get in touch directly by email or telephone to find out more about what volunteering with Pillar involves, and what it can offer.
As a prospective volunteer you are initially asked to visit Pillar to look round and have an informal interview. We then ask you to come along regularly for a few weeks so that we can get to know you, and you can get to know us.
At the end of this period we will discuss your role, before you make any firm commitment to being a regular volunteer.
Because volunteers are so important to the functioning of our organisation we have both a Volunteers policy and a formal Volunteers agreement in the form of a checklist of what is expected on both sides.
Have a look at the policy and checklist to make sure they meet your needs as well as ours. Then, if you are still interested, contact a member of staff at the Pillar Kincardine office. We look forward to hearing from you!
Our Board of Directors consists of member (ie service user) representatives and volunteers elected at each Annual General Meeting in accordance with the requirements of the Constitution, which states that there must be a balance of representation between the two groups.
Office bearers such as Chair, Vice-Chair and Honorary Treasurer are then elected or re-elected by the Board itself.
Directors must adhere to a Code of Conduct (including conduct at Board meetings) consistent with the Philosophy, Mission and Values which inform the work of Pillar.
The role of directors and their duties and responsibilities are set out here.
If you are interested in giving some of your time to help Pillar in this way and feel that you have the skills to properly fulfil the role of director, please contact us by telephone or email as shown below.
Feel free to ask about our services using the form below, or contact us by telephone or email. You should normally hear back within 3 working days.
Please download the appropriate referral form using the links below, then send your completed form to us by email or post. You should normally hear back within 5 working days.
