Our Values in Action
Our core values shape everything we do, and you can read more about them on our Who We Are page. But this page is about what that really looks like in everyday life at Bennachie Horizon CIC.
We focus on creating a safe, supportive space where trainees feel seen, heard, and valued.
That means:
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Treating people with kindness and patience
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Creating calm, structured days with clear expectations
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Giving everyone the chance to take part, contribute, and grow
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Respecting different needs, routines, and ways of communicating
These principles come from our values, but they live through our actions. It's how we speak to one another. It’s how we handle problems. It’s how we make people feel.
Keeping People Safe
Safety isn’t just a checklist, it’s something we build into every part of the day. Whether we’re out in the community, doing activities, or just having a chat, every trainee has the right to feel safe, supported, and respected.
All staff are trained in safeguarding, and we follow clear steps if we’re ever worried about someone’s wellbeing. We don’t wait to act. If something doesn’t feel right, we speak up and we take it seriously.
We also work closely with families, carers, and professionals to make sure support is joined-up and nothing is missed. Everyone’s safety is a shared responsibility, and we’re always open to a conversation.
We're Trained
We Listen
We Speak Up
Our Team and Training
Every member of our team is chosen with care, not just for their skills, but for their attitude. We look for people who are calm, kind, and able to support others with patience and respect.
All staff are interviewed, reference-checked, and approved through Disclosure Scotland. But it doesn’t stop there. Ongoing training is part of the job, including first aid, safeguarding, and practical knowledge about working with adults with learning disabilities.
We also support each other. Mentors meet regularly, reflect on what’s going well, and help one another grow. No one’s left to figure it out alone.
“Hi. My name is Michael, and I founded Bennachie Horizon CIC to offer something genuine, something people could trust. I’ve worked in learning disability support and provided personal development for over two decades. I’ve seen how much difference kindness, structure, and honest relationships can make.
Over the years, I’ve supported people across residential care, day services, mental health and elderly care; with adults, children, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, dementia, and palliative needs.
My interests in working with people include vocational learning, psychology, sociology, childhood development, anthropology, and communication.
Bennachie Horizon CIC is personal to me. It’s all about doing things properly, collaborating with others, and providing holistic support.”
Listening and Learning
No one knows everything and that includes us. We believe the best way to grow is to listen: to families, to professionals, to each other, and most importantly, to the trainees themselves.
We’re always open to feedback. Whether it’s a concern, a suggestion, or something small you’ve noticed, we want to hear it. We don’t take it personally, we take it seriously.
Every voice matters, and every comment helps us shape a service that feels safe, respectful, and genuinely helpful.
Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference; a change in how we plan the day, a quiet moment someone needed, or a better way to explain something. We don’t wait for formal reviews to make improvements. If something’s not working, we talk about it and we adapt.
When We Get it Wrong
We don’t always get everything right and we don’t pretend to. What matters is how we respond when something goes wrong.
If a mistake happens, we’ll talk about it openly, involve the people affected, and do our best to put things right quickly and fairly. That could mean reviewing how something was handled, apologising where needed, or changing a way of working that didn’t help. We don’t believe in brushing things aside.
We also keep a record of things that go wrong, even if they seem small. Not to point fingers, but to learn. By looking at patterns over time, we can improve how we work and prevent issues before they grow. By looking at the whole we can protect the singular.
Honesty means taking responsibility, not just when it’s easy, but when it matters most. That’s how trust is built and how trust is kept.
You can Contact Us anytime, we'll do our best to reply as quickly as possible.
Privacy and Respect
Trust matters and that includes how we handle personal information. We follow UK data protection laws and take confidentiality seriously at every level of the service.
Trainees and their families share things with us that are private, sensitive, or personal and we treat that trust with care. We only share information when there’s a clear reason to do so, such as safety, legal obligation, or professional need.
Respect isn’t just about privacy, it’s about dignity. That means asking before assuming, explaining before acting, and listening before deciding.
We offer a Privacy Notice on our website for you to read at your leisure. This explains the the kind of information that might be stored, for what reason and by who. For example, when emailing Bennachie Horizon, we'll hold on to the sender's email address and name so we can reply and converse, however, this information is stored securely and not given out to others.
