The organisation
Our vision
We want Scotland to be a country where people living with or affected by HIV receive and shape excellent services delivered by well-informed, empathetic workers in a society devoid of HIV-related stigma and discrimination.
Our mission
We work in partnership to equip professionals and volunteers with tools and information to develop evidence-informed policies and practice that meet the HIV-related needs of people in Scotland.
Aims and objectives
What we provide for professionals, affected individuals and organisations in Scotland
- Expert advice and advocacy
- Resources, information and training
- Signposting to evidence, expertise and links to specific community experience
- Opportunities to engage with others in shaping policy and practice.
Our guiding principles
- Human rights as outlined in the UN Declaration of Human Rights
- Engagement through the greater involvement of people living with or affected by HIV (GIPA)
- Individual and community empowerment, and holistic community and societal responses
- Integration of HIV prevention, treatment and care
- Harm reduction and pragmatic solutions to HIV-related needs
- Health promotion as represented in the “Ottawa Charter” (1986)
Our approach
- Evidence-informed: We support the development of policy, services and resources that are in line with current evidence and best practice.
- HIV focused: Our work is orientated by those living with and affected by HIV, and those most at risk of contracting HIV.
- Combined and intensified: To be effective, prevention, diagnosis and care need to be a combination of initiatives and of a scale and intensity that ensures equitable national coverage.
- Collaborative: To ensure effective, relevant and embedded interventions, we coordinate and contribute to multi-sectoral links, partnerships and networks.
- Relational: We are committed to building relationships with all who impact on and/or contribute to people’s HIV-related needs.
- Representative: We enable the views of those living with and affected by HIV to be heard at a strategic level.
Our values
HIV Scotland’s values are interdependent and at the centre of everything we do. We advocate the same values within all HIV-related work in Scotland.
- Respect: We communicate professionally, accept difference, reject abuse and acknowledge the rights, views and feelings of others.
- Holism: On a personal level we recognise diversity and respond with humanity. On a professional level we recognise diverse perspectives and expertise, and we promote closer working between agencies.
- Suitability: Advice, information and links will be fit for purpose, responsive to target audience needs, and will avoid duplication.
- Accuracy: We challenge, inform and empower by providing advice, information and links that are trustworthy and credible.