Penumbra Mental Health will host See Me, Scotland’s programme to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination and its effects, from April 1.

Penumbra, one of Scotland’s largest mental health charities, will pick up the baton from SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health), who has hosted See Me since 2002. On a day-to-day basis, See Me will be managed by Penumbra in partnership with the Mental Health Foundation.

The Scottish Government has funded See Me since its inception in 2002 and will continue to support See Me with a further £1 million of funding in 26/27 as its operations transition to Penumbra. Over the next year See Me will:

• Provide a national leadership programme to reduce mental health stigma and discrimination focusing in key areas prioritised by people with lived experience.

• Develop research and evidence to ensure that we understand mental health stigma and discrimination across our nation, how it is changing, and what works to reduce it.

Since 2002, See Me has worked collaboratively with partners and communities to build and share knowledge around the nature, scale and impact of mental health stigma and discrimination – recognising that solutions are often led by the diverse lived and living experiences of people and communities. From its beginnings as a campaign movement, the programme has evolved to recognise the multiple levels that stigma operates at. An independent evaluation recently concluded that See Me’s progressive thinking in the anti-stigma space should be regarded as a roadmap for the policy vision of a Scotland free from mental health stigma and discrimination.

Mike Burns, Chief Executive Officer, Penumbra Mental Health said: 

“I can confirm that from Wednesday 1 April 2026, Penumbra Mental Health alongside the Mental Health Foundation will be the managing partners for See Me, Scotland’s national programme to end mental health stigma and discrimination. We welcome the Scottish Government’s continuing commitment to this programme. Our collective vision is for a fair and inclusive Scotland, free from mental health stigma and discrimination.

“Our understanding of mental health stigma and discrimination is grounded in the experience of our mental health peer workforce, the largest in Scotland, and the people with lived and living experience we support every day. See Me has a rich history and we’re looking forward to helping to shape the future of the programme and playing our part in substantially reducing mental health stigma and discrimination and its effects in the months ahead.

“We are currently working with SAMH and the Mental Health Foundation to ensure a smooth transition for the programme, its staff, volunteers, partners, stakeholders, and suppliers.”

Lee Knifton, Director of Research and Lived Experience at Mental Health Foundation, said: 

“For two decades, See Me has helped shift public attitudes and driven real progress in tackling mental health stigma in Scotland. That success has been shaped by strong partnership working between the See Me team, the Mental Health Foundation, and SAMH, whose long involvement has been central to the programme’s impact.

“We are focused on the opportunities ahead to drive further significant change, and The Foundation will continue to provide the research and evidence that underpin the programme. We welcome the expertise Penumbra brings and look forward to working together to strengthen Scotland’s efforts to end mental health stigma and discrimination.”

Billy Watson, Chief Executive of SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health), said: 

“Despite some progress in recent years, mental health stigma remains a significant problem. We have considered our own role in anti-stigma work, and we know we can and must make a greater contribution to the ending of mental health stigma in Scotland.

“In particular, our next major campaign will focus on stigma and discrimination and will run for three years. However, we have decided that we are no longer best placed to be the host managing partner for See Me, and I’m thrilled we’re able to pass the baton on to our colleagues at Penumbra.

“Wendy and the team have done really important work on the stigma agenda through the years. We look forward to continuing to support the work of See Me as the national anti-stigma programme and to collaborating with See Me, Penumbra, and partners across the country to help create a stigma-free Scotland.”

Wendy Halliday, Director of See Me, said: 

“We’re grateful to the Scottish Government for this continued funding allowing us to build on the extensive programme of anti-stigma work over the last 24 years. We’re also very grateful to our friends and colleagues from SAMH who have partnered with us during this time.

“Together, we have achieved so much in advancing the anti-stigma agenda in Scotland – work that has always been shaped by the lived and living experiences of supporters, volunteers, youth consultants, and the communities we work alongside. We thank them for their allyship and expertise.

“We’re looking forward to this exciting next phase of work with our new partner, Penumbra, with continued support from the Mental Health Foundation, and the people and communities who have been so vital in shaping our progressive approach to anti-stigma work in Scotland.”

Mental Wellbeing Minister Tom Arthur said: 

“I warmly welcome the continuation of the See Me programme under its new partnership with Penumbra and alongside continued support from the Mental Health Foundation.

“For more than 20 years, See Me has led the way in tackling mental health stigma and discrimination across Scotland, and we are proud that the Scottish Government has continued to support this important work throughout that time, including £1m per annum in the last 5 years.

“Our ongoing commitment to See Me recognises that challenging stigma remains a priority for this Government as we aim to achieve our vision of a Scotland free of mental health stigma and inequality.”