Covid-19 & 3rd Sector Update 27/05/2021

Training & Events
Written By Gordon Scott

  • LOCAL & NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

  • VOLUNTEERING

  • SERVICE UPDATES

  • PREMISES & TECHNOLOGY

  • FORUMS & NETWORKS

  • FUNDING

  • TRAINING & LEARNING

  • RESEARCH & BLOGS

 

LOCAL & NATIONAL GOVERNMENT 


Scottish Government: The First Minister has set out priorities for Government to aid the recovery from Covid. Actions to be taken in the first 100 days include:

  • completing the vaccination of all adults, subject to supply

  • establishing a cross-party steering group on COVID recovery to bring people together in pursuit of the strongest possible recovery

  • implementing a 4% average pay rise for NHS workers, including full back pay

  • opening three fast track cancer diagnostic centres in Ayrshire & Arran, Fife, and Dumfries & Galloway

  • publishing an NHS Recovery plan to meet the Government's ambition of increasing inpatient, day case, and outpatient activity by 10%

  • investing £45 million through local partnerships to provide training and employer recruitment incentives

  • funding colleges to deliver around 5,000 more short, industry-focussed courses to help young people train for jobs in key industries

  • launching the £10 million ‘Scotland Loves Local’ programme to support local businesses and back Scotland Loves Local loyalty card schemes

  • funding councils to increase teacher numbers by 1,000 and classroom assistants by 500 - as part of a commitment to 3,500 additional teachers and classroom assistants over the Parliamentary term

  • completing the roll-out of 1,140 hours of free, high quality early learning and childcare, and beginning work on extending wrap around childcare

  • publishing Scotland’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) towards the global goal of delivering the Paris Agreement

  • paying £100 as part of the £520 support for low-income families - the equivalent of the Scottish Child Payment

  • legislating to give carers an extra Coronavirus payment of £460 - a double payment of their Carer’s Allowance Supplement in December 2021

FULL STATEMENT

Scottish Parliament: The Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) is the Parliament’s internal research centre. Whilst the Parliament will undoubtedly engage with a broad range of issues during the next five years, SPICe has identified three broad themes which are likely to feature heavily in the work of MSPs during Session 6. These themes are:

  • COVID-19 - The road to recovery.

  • The climate and ecological emergency and green recovery.

  • The devolution settlement post EU exit and UK relations.

 
You can find out more about each of these themes in this briefing: SPICe Key Issues Briefing
 

 

VOLUNTEERING

Volunteers Week 1-7 June: It’s the 37th year of Volunteers’ Week and this year it’s time to say ‘Thank You Volunteers!’ Join us in celebrating and thanking all Scotlands volunteers! #VolunteersWeekScot Find out more here: https://www.volunteersweek.scot

 

 

SERVICE UPDATES 


MYPAS: Counsellor Vacancy - 18 hour post - For an application pack please download the documents from Goodmoves:https://goodmoves.com/vacancy/a4s3z00000xnZWzAAM/Counsellor-Young-People

Closing date for applications is 12 noon Monday 7thJune 2021

Macmillan Cancer Support: Voices of people affected by cancer are at the centre of everything we do. We are looking for people with lived experience of cancer who would like to be part of a regional forum for Edinburgh and the Lothians. The forum will meet four times a year to help inform, advise, and support the development of the newImproving the CancerJourneyservice.If you would like to get involved or find out more, contact us:Tel: 07977 307 286 / 07929 784 315 Email:loth.icj@nhslothian.scot.nhs.ukInformation session: 1stJune at 12pm (online via Microsoft Teams)

Changeworks: Our in-person services are returning to where they’re needed as restrictions ease. If you or your client has problems with heating and electricity bills or supply, you’re interested in taking part of a local energy efficiency scheme, or you want to find out more about renewables, our friendly team is here to keep everyone warm, well and safe. You can get free expert advice from one of our specialists, in your home or over the phone.
Contact Changeworks Affordable Warmth Services for help with heating and electricity bill payment or supply issues:


PREMISES & TECHNOLOGY
 

Are you interested in sharing premises with third sector partners?

At the Children & Young People Forum meeting on 25th May a number of charities shared that they didn’t have premises in East Lothian. A conversation followed how it would be good to look at whether we could work together long-term to identify a building we could share. Please get in touch / drop me an email if you’re interested in joining this conversation to look at what we require and how we could work together:

Glenn Liddall, Chief Executive, People Know How www.peopleknowhow.org – glenn.liddall@peopleknowhow.org
 


FORUMS & NETWORKS

  • Poverty & Communities – 8th June 2021 1400-1500: Register

  • Adult Health, Wellbeing, Care & Caring – 10th June 1600-1700: Register

  • Mental Health & Substance Misuse – 15th June 1400-1500: Register

  • Volunteering, Workforce Training and Development – 17th June 1600-1700: Register

  • Criminal Justice – 21st June 1500-1600: Register

  • East Lothian's Third Sector Forum - 24th June 1500-1600: Register



FUNDING


Hate Crime Security Fund:A £500,000 fund will help places of worship to take security measures against hate crime.HATE CRIME SECURITY FUND

 

Care-full Closures Fund: Stewarding Loss have announced a new pilot fund: The Care-full Closures Fund. This fund will deliver ground-breaking support to four organisations to support them to consider and design an organisational closure or merger.

This fund is open to nonprofit organisations of any size who are considering closure and are wanting to explore their options carefully, intentionally and with a design-led approach. This means an organisation in its current form is considering coming to an end, either through merging with another or closing and handing over services.

Four organisations will receive paid for time with experienced consultants, along with up to £4,000 to fund staff time and associated costs.

If you think your organisation would benefit from dedicated support to consider closure, read the full guidance and complete the online form. The closing date for expressions of interest is 14 June 2021 for work to begin in September 2021.
 

Funding to tackle local housing issues: Nationwide, the world’s largest building society, has announced that applications for its 2021 Community Grants Programme are now open.

After a challenging year for everyone, but especially for those who are most vulnerable in our society, having a place fit to call home is more important than ever before. The programme forms part of Nationwide’s commitment to supporting communities by giving at least one per cent of its pre-tax profits to good causes.

The Community Grants Programme tackles local housing issues by giving charities, community land trusts and housing co-operatives access to grants between £10,000 and £50,000. Applications are open to any organisations that provide solutions to help:

  1. Prevent people from losing their home

  2. Help people into a home

  3. Support people to thrive within the home environment

Nationwide’s Community Boards, made up of community-minded colleagues working at the building society and it’s members, come together to decide which projects should be awarded a grant, and in doing so are supporting their own communities to find solutions to the housing crisis.

There are currently 11 local Community Boards across the UK. Since 2018 Nationwide has funded 350 projects and awarded £14 million in total through the programme and in 2020/21, just under £4 million in grants were awarded to 99 projects. By 2023, £22 million will have been awarded in total.

This year Nationwide is capping the amount of Community Grant applications it will accept, meaning approximately one in four applicants will be successful. If the cap isn’t reached, applications will close at 11pm on Monday 21 June.

For more information about the scheme and to apply, visit: www.nationwidecommunitygrants.co.uk.
 

 

TRAINING & LEARNING


Social Enterprise Scotlandhas a range of upcoming free webinars:

Gordon Scott
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