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Scottish Government is seeking comments on the draft framework for Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Supports and Services by Monday 18th November 2019.
The Programme Board has asked all representatives on the board to circulate the draft framework to wider networks to secure feedback on the opportunities and key challenges associated with how this framework is interpreted locally. SCVO has set up a short response form for voluntary sector organisations to contribute their thoughts on the draft framework, which aims to set out a clear broad national approach for the support that children and young people should be able to access, as well as assist local partnerships with the commissioning and establishment of new local community mental health and wellbeing supports or services or the development of existing supports or services. All responses to our form received by Monday 18th November 2019 will feed into the evidence submitted in support of SCVO's representatives on the Programme Board.
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SCCR Conference 2020
The Faces of Transition Wednesday 29th January 2020 Radisson Blu, Edinburgh OPEN FOR BOOKINGS Inspired by the Roman God Janus, our FREE 2020 National Conference ‘The Faces of Transition’ explores the themes of beginnings, transitions, time, duality and how our past can impact our future but does not define us. To coincide with this event and to celebrate our work under Scottish Government’s Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention Fund, the SCCR will publish a new report detailing the impact of our work over the last four years plus the findings from new SCCR 2019 National Surveys. The conference will highlight the legacy of the SCCR and look to the future regarding our ambition, purpose and strategic work in relation to earlier intervention and prevention for young people and families across Scotland. We are honoured to welcome highly regarded professionals in their respective field. Speakers include:
Any group of volunteers can apply for Volunteering Matters Action Earth 2019 grants of between £50 - £250 to run environmental activities in Scotland’s green spaces. This includes enhancing local biodiversity by creating or improving habitats, community gardens, wildflower meadows, ponds, woodlands, urban greenspaces and other growing areas.
This year we also have a VERY limited number of Enhanced Health grants of up to £500 for environmental projects which can demonstrate a significant health impact through working with people who have defined health and social needs. Check our website for eligibility and availability of these enhanced grants. 50% of our grants are for projects in areas where there is substantial social or economic deprivation. We also prioritise applications from volunteer groups who do any of the following: • Improve and develop the health and wellbeing of their local community • Involve disabled people, vulnerable people or those at risk of exclusion • Encourage and involve people under 26 in practical outdoor conservation Projects should complete by December 2019. Grants are allocated on a first-come basis so don’t delay – register today at www.volunteeringmatters.org.uk/actionearth Volunteering Matters Action Earth grant funding is provided by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). For more information contact Volunteering Matters Action Earth on: E: robert.henderson@volunteeringmatters.org.uk T: 07808 860356 www.volunteeringmatters.org.uk/actionearth www.facebook.com/volunteeringmattersactionearth A charity working to ease loneliness among older people has issued an urgent appeal for volunteers to support its West Lothian groups.
Re-engage, formerly known as Contact the Elderly, tackles social isolation through regular Sunday afternoon tea parties and other activities. The monthly events are usually held in a local host’s home and guests are chauffeured to and from the gatherings by volunteer drivers – a crucial service that solves any transport worries for those who have difficulty getting out and about. The West Lothian groups are part of a network of more than 140 tea party groups in Scotland. More than 1000 guests lives are often transformed through this simple solution of some kindness and company over a cup of tea. There are 5 groups in West Lothian but there is also a waiting list of guests. They are currently experiencing a shortage of drivers. Lorna Dunbar, the charity’s support officer for the area says: “Social isolation is one of society’s biggest problems, especially among the older generation, but we see the huge difference social events like ours can make to someone who perhaps doesn’t have the chance to interact with others as much as they would like. “We believe everyone should have the opportunity of a social life, no matter how old they and we’d really love to hear from locals who can help us enrich the lives of the older generation in their communities.” Drivers are asked to devote just a few hours one Sunday afternoon a month to the charity. “It’s not a huge commitment if you’ve got a spare Sunday afternoon and for anyone new to volunteering it’s an ideal way to get involved,” said Lorna. “Guests are usually over 75 and our volunteers are generally much younger so it’s also a great way to bring the generations together. I’m confident locals will step forward to help us out and I can guarantee they’ll get as much out of it as the guests – it’s just so satisfying to see the difference you can make to the life of someone who is feeling isolated.” To find out more about becoming a volunteer or guest of Re-engage, please contact Lorna Dunbar at lorna.dunbar@reengage.org.uk or tel 01738 730249. Volunteer Scotland and the Scottish Volunteering Forum have launched a major new report ‘The Contribution of Volunteering to Scotland's Health and Wellbeing’. It reveals how volunteering can help Scottish society face some of its biggest challenges: an aging population, labour market skills shortages, mental and physical ill-health , social isolation and loneliness, and poor community engagement. Volunteering brings even greater benefits for volunteers who experience disadvantage and exclusion.
Volunteering’s extraordinary contribution in helping to address Scotland’s health and wellbeing challenges, which it achieves through:
How we can enhance this contribution – ten recommendations for both policy makers and practitioners have been put forward, including:
Policy Makers A supporting document aimed at policy makers and stakeholders has been created to help integrate volunteering into a wide range of policy areas The Contribution of volunteering to a healthier and happier Scotland: how organisations can help to influence policy and practice in Scotland This document will be of interest to policy teams within the Scottish Government as well as local authorities, Health and Social Care Partnerships and organisations across the voluntary, public and private sectors. We would like your help to share this report and the influencing policy document with your colleagues and stakeholders including Local Authorities and Health and Social Care Partnerships. This report follows the publication of Scotland’s ‘Volunteering for All National Framework’ earlier this year. The 2019-20 Programme for Government highlights our commitment to developing and launching a delivery plan for the Outcomes Framework over the next year.
They are specifically looking for volunteers in the West Lothian area.
Volunteers must be over the age of 18. All training is provided. If you are interested, you can find more details about the role and apply here.
There are approximately 24,000 registered charities in Scotland with over 180,000 Trustees (ref: http://trusteesweek.org). Based on a rough calculation that volunteers spend a minimum of 10 hours per year in the role of Trustee (quarterly board meetings X 2.5 hours) when further multiplied by 180,000 Trustees results in a very conservative figure of 1,800,000 volunteering hours per year. Multiplying 1,800,000 hours by Scotland’s national minimal wage of £7.83 per hour serves to highlight the economic value of the volunteering role of Trustee as a staggering £14million plus. On average only 10% of the total number of trustees are under the age of 34 years, with the average age being 57 years. The latter figure may be down to several reasons i.e. the skills and experience that charities are looking for, the role of trustee itself and/or individual charities purpose being less attractive to younger people, but also accessibility when and where boards of trustees meet. Below are a few current trustee vacancies, a link to The Role of Trustees Video and a range of informative links Current trustee vacancies Armadale Shed Linlithgow Heritage Trust Livingston Art Association Tommy’s Honour
Inspiralba is a Social Enterprise based in Argyll. We have been funded by the Scottish Government to develop a Rural Social Enterprise Hub to learn from the rural experience to inform policy and better understand opportunities to use digital tools to connect rural social enterprises.
More info on the Rural Social Enterprise Hub here. This recognises the significance of social enterprise in the rural context - with 33% of all Scotland’s social enterprises in rural areas but only 17% of the population (2019 Social Enterprise Census) as well as the challenges of working across remote geographies. “Social enterprises are a vital part of our community and economy. They have a distinctive character and often play a role in preserving vital services such as community shops and transport, and creating employment opportunities.” - Aileen Campbell Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government. We are at the early stages and would welcome your feedback on specific needs and areas of interest as well as how digital tools could assist you to network and engage with other rural social enterprises. This will allow us to prioritise how we focus our resources. Support for third sector organisations delivering Scotland’s new benefits system.
A new £500,000 fund is being opened for organisations which help people accessing the benefits to be delivered by the Scottish Government. The Scottish Benefit Take-up Fund will support charities and third sector organisations in their work to address barriers which prevent people from applying for benefits. This includes tackling perceived stigma and supporting people through the application process. Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “We believe social security is an investment in the people of Scotland and it should help tackle poverty. “This new fund will help charities and third sector organisations get prepared for the new system we are creating. It will have a particular emphasis on helping those who are new to applying for benefits and assisting harder-to-reach people. “Encouraging individuals to claim the financial assistance they are entitled to is a duty of government and a social responsibility. “I have heard from far too many people who currently fear accessing welfare support. They know only of stigma, stress and anxiety. “I am determined we do not replicate these negative experiences with the benefits we deliver. “I want organisations to be equipped to provide information and promote the take-up of benefits. Whether it is training staff, getting information ready, or delivering promotional materials, we want to support organisations who support the people of Scotland.” Background The Scottish Benefit Take-up Fund will open for bids in November 2019. Social Security in Scotland The Social Security Charter Hours of work: Full time
Salary: £30,000 Location: Based in West Lothian Closing date: 15th November 2019 at 5pm Role Community Enterprise is looking for someone to join our development team to meet the increasing demand for our services. The post involves delivering business, capacity building and development support to a wide range of third sector clients and projects across Scotland. Community Enterprise operates largely as a social enterprise consultancy agency – much of the role is that of a consultant undertaking specific pieces of work. Our core work includes Feasibility Studies, Options Appraisals, Community Action Plans, Research Papers, Marketing Plans, Funding Strategies and Business Plans. We are looking for people who share our values, have a strong work ethic, real life experience and a sensitivity to and knowledge of the enterprising third sector. This post needs someone who can combine analytical skills with a practical and sensitive approach to a range of people and situations. Excellent and quick written skills are also essential. An application pack is available for download from the Community Enterprise website at communityenterprise.co.uk/were-hiring-4 Proposed interview date Thursday 21 November 2019 Hours of Work: Full time - 35 hours
Salary: £26,977 – £31,576 Location: Bathgate Closing Date: 1st November 2019 at noon Role This is an exciting opportunity to join our established Children 1st Service in West Lothian. As part of our Family Group Decision Making Team, you will be involved in empowering families to support children and young people currently accommodated to return to their community and enable families to create plans that support children at risk of accommodation. Family group conferencing draws on the strengths of the wider family and friends in deciding how best to care for a child, giving families the opportunity to participate in the decision making processes and find their own solutions to difficulties. We are looking from someone with the experience and skills that are able to get alongside families and their children at really difficult times to support them in creating positive plans that ensure the safe care of the children. We are looking for someone with experience in Family Group Conferencing, or who has relevant experience working collaboratively with families, alongside a range of professionals and with a sound understanding of child protection. You should be an experienced professional with a Social Work, Community work or other appropriate qualification. This is a fixed term, full time, 35 hour post, funded initially until 31 March 2021. Hours to be worked flexibly to suit the needs of the service, evenings and weekends as required. It is anticipated that interviews will take place on either the 14 or 15 November 2019. For further information and to apply, please visit children1st.org.uk/jobs The selection process will include seeking PVG Scheme information. Guide Dogs are currently looking to recruit a volunteer for their client in Livingston to help them get out and about. The role is called My Guide and takes around two to three hours per week at flexible times to suit you. More Information can be found on the leaflet below.  
SCVO will be opening another round of Cyber Essentials Grant Funding on 4th November 2019. This will run as an open call until March 2020, with applications being graded over the course of the period. (see https://scvo.org.uk/digital/evolution/cyber-resilience for pre-reg details)
They have £100,00.00 available to support organisations gain this valuable accreditation and hope the timing of the new round will help organisations who are using the Scottish Cyber Assessment Service, as well as other who are generally interested in improving their cyber resilience. As part of Enterprise Week, KPMG and Business Gateway West Lothian are hosting an event targeted at growing businesses on Wed 30 Oct at Howden Park from 9-12.30. Attendees will be able to hear about all the support available to local businesses, find out about local grant schemes, meet the teams in an exhibition area and learn from expert consultants at workshops on HR, GDPR, Marketing, fundraising etc.  From today applications for the Young Carers Grant open. If you're between 16-18 yrs old, looking after someone for more than 16 hours a week & they receive a qualifying benefit you can apply for the £300 grant.
More Information at: https://carersuk.org/scotland/help-and-advice/social-security/young-carers-grant The RAF are looking for people to either volunteer during this event or to go along and tell their story. Please see the poster below for more information.  The Help to Save scheme is open to people who are on Working Tax credits or Universal Credits, and the scheme pays a potential 50% bonus on savings over a 4 year period.
It has now been a year since HM Government launched the scheme, and to date over 140,000 people have signed up, saving a combined total of over £36,000,000. This means estimated figures show a total of over £18,000,000 will already be getting paid out to customers when the first bonus is due. LIMITED CAPACITY for referrals -The Bridge Community Projects Financial Wellbeing Service18/10/2019 The Bridge Community Projects Financial Wellbeing Service has limited capacity to receive referrals. Referrals can be made via phone or website. See poster below for more information.  In recognition of the invaluable contribution that young carers make to society the Cabinet Secretary for Social Security, Ms Somerville MSP, has announced that Social Security Scotland will start to deliver the new Young Carer Grant from 8 am on Monday 21 October 2019.
The Young Carer Grant is a new yearly cash payment of £300 for 16-18 year olds which carers can spend as they choose. Young carers can claim if they are at school, in further education, employed or unemployed and may be eligible if they meet all of the following criteria:
People will be able to apply from 21 October online at https://www.mygov.scot/benefits/ or through the Freephone helpline at 0800 182 2222. The helpline is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm. A paper application will also be available and can be requested via the helpline or downloaded direct from www.mygov.scot website. |
