The Scottish Recovery Network (SRN) was formally launched in 2004 as an initiative designed to raise awareness of recovery from mental health problems. Since then interest in the concept of recovery has increased greatly in Scotland. We now understand more about what recovery means to people and are thinking carefully about the implications for the way we support people with mental health issues.

SRN developed out of a loose affiliation of individuals and organisations with a common interest in recovery, and has been designed to share information and ideas as quickly as possible.

SRN has four overall goals:

Raise awareness of recovery.
Encourage empowerment.
Develop the evidence base.
Influence policy and practice.

As at 2012, SRN is core funded by the Scottish Government with additional project income provided by NHS Education for Scotland.

We operate as an autonomous and independent entity hosted by the voluntary sector organisation Penumbra. This has allowed some distance from Government for the translation and realisation of recovery concepts and values from ‘social movement to policy goal’[1]. This degree of independence has allowed SRN to act in a way that brings different interests together around a shared vision.

The work of SRN is informed and overseen by a Strategy Group that is representative of our main stakeholder groups.

[1] Recovery – From Social Movement to Policy Goal, Smith-Merry et al., 2010