PLUS aims to overcome the obstacles that prevent children and young people who have additional support needs from having an ordinary social life. At the same time, it provides family carers with a natural break.

PLUS works across the Stirling Council area with 230 children and young people and their families. PLUS has a core staff of seven, with a large pool of sessional staff. There are three different PLUS services for different age groups, play PLUS, PLUS youth and the bank.

PLUS is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. It is registered with the Care Commission as a Support Service. Overall responsibility for PLUS lies with the Directors - all are volunteers and many are parents of children and young people who use PLUS services.

Roars not Whispers are working with a group of young people from the bank project (18-25 years old) to look at the issue of bullying. This is an issue that is close to all of their hearts, as many have experience of bullying within their lives, most who have first hand experience of being on the receiving end of the bullying.

The young people have created a DVD entitled “A Day in the Life of Sam”. The DVD was used as a tool to start discussion with young people in workshops that the Peer Leaders ran. The sessions were focussed on the emotion that bullying can create, both from the person being bullied, but also from the point of view of the bully.

The change in many of the young people has been great with one commenting “(I am) able to be myself here – couldn’t do that anywhere else”.