IN BRIEF:

The Action Group, a registered Scottish charity, was established in 1976.

Our origins lay with a group of parents who lived in the north east of Edinburgh.

They started a charity called the Area 5 Action Group. It was a membership organisation with the twin aims of campaigning for, and providing, good community care services.

The Action Group, a limited company with charitable status, was established in 1976. Its origins lay with a group of parents of children and adults with a learning disability (i.e. what was then described as 'mental handicap', a permanent intellectual impairment which is present at birth or arises in the first few years of infancy).

The parents lived in North East Edinburgh and received valuable support in setting up The Group from the local Social Work Office. This office was known as Area 5 and the first name of the organisation was The Area 5 Action Group.

It was, and continues to be, a membership organisation with the twin aims of campaigning for, and providing, good community care services. In 1976, services and supports in the community were few and far between. On the other hand, mental handicap hospitals were the main service for children and adults. There was already an international movement to develop 'ordinary life' services and close institutions. British hospitals were hit by a series of scandals in the 60s and 70s. The new, local authority Social Work Departments began to take an interest in developing community services and organisations led by parents began to develop a campaigning voice.

Locally, The Area 5 Action Group ran a high profile political and media campaign to get 'mental handicap' on the agenda. It also explored ways to develop service-provision. Using an approach that has become standard, there was a participative workshop held in 1977 to set out the strategic aims of the organisation. These were identified as:

• developing forms of housing in the community with staff support (as an alternative to hospital
• developing meaningful day activities and employment schemes (as an alternative to Adult Training Centres)
• identifying, and getting advice and support to, younger families
• raising the political and media profile

The organisation made progress on all these fronts, for example opening its first housing project in 1981. Although focused on Area 5 and looking to locate its services within the North East, the Action Group had a growing membership and service-users came from all over Edinburgh and the Lothians.

1986 saw the start of a major development programme. The prospects of growth persuaded the Management Committee that limited company status would provide a much stronger framework for management and accountability.