Self Management – our progress so far and looking to the future
- Written by: Grace Beaumont — Programme Manager, Self Management
- Published: 3rd September 2026
Kicking off September for the ALLIANCE's 20 year anniversary, Grace reflects on the Self Management Programme
2026 marks 20 years of the ALLIANCE and 17 years of the Self Management Fund, which was established in 2009 in response to Gaun Yersel, Scotland’s Self Management Strategy.
Self management means putting people ‘in the driving seat’ of their care, and this can look different for each person, condition, and family.
The fund has now granted over £31 million to 518 projects, and through this we’ve seen a plethora of amazing examples of self management, from supporting young people in Dumfries and Galloway to get active to providing self management courses in Shetland.
Over the years since the programme was established, the Self Management programme grew around learning from the fund, to include work such as the Self Management Network Scotland, Self Management Week and Awards and Self Management Reflective Practice, all of which shared and celebrated self management learning in a range of ways.
In recent months, we have pivoted to a stronger focus on sharing learning from the Self Management Fund. This will allow us to undertake additional analysis and report writing, which will provide the opportunity to share our work more widely, including with international audiences, through the IFIC Self Management and Social Prescribing SIG.
Throughout September, we’ll be looking back at the work of the Self Management Programme, with contributions from our network, funded projects and new learning to share.
All our work progresses our aim, within the programme and the wider ALLIANCE, of putting peoples voices and experiences at the centre of health and social care, and self management remains a vital component of this goal.
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