deprivation – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

SPACE: Social investment builds foundations for a brighter future

£500,000 from Foundation Scotland helped develop the state of the art Broomhouse Hub, transforming the lives of hundreds living in South West Edinburgh

For over 30 years, Space @ The Broomhouse Hub has delivered transformative personal, social and community development opportunities for local people in and around Broomhouse, Parkhead and Sighthill.

The charity offers training, volunteering and employment opportunities for those disadvantaged by poverty or other limiting factors, counselling and befriending support, community food initiatives including school holiday support, social groups for isolated older people, and a range of classes and groups designed to support mental health and wellbeing.

An important organisation for many people, Space @ The Broomhouse Hub successfully navigated the many challenges of the pandemic and they are now helping local people to manage the continuing cost of living crisis.

As one of the most deprived areas in Scotland, Broomhouse feels the impact of rising costs disproportionately. Over the past few years, the charity has delivered numerous events to support all parts of the community in coping with mental and economic challenges.

Key services now include dignified access to food. From their popular community café, they offer nutritious, good value food, providing over 1,500 community meals so far this year including free meals for struggling young carers who may barely be getting one meal each day, and free meals for all children (no registration, no other purchase needed) throughout the school summer holidays.

Thanks to their ambitious vision and support from funders, Space @ The Broomhouse Hub has undergone a massive period of growth, equipping them to support the growing numbers of people that need them.

Across the last few years, the charity has tripled their staff capacity and doubled the reach of their vital support services post-pandemic. The charity cites the development of their multi-purpose community hub as the catalyst for this expansion.

Foundation Scotland’s social investment played a pivotal role in this development.

The Foundation Scotland social investment relationship with Space @ Broomhouse began in 2018. The two organisations had already worked together on several grant awards, but with growing demand for their services and an ambitious strategy in place, the team at Space turned to Foundation Scotland for expert advice and growth funding.

The social investment support offered by Foundation Scotland is a unique form of blended grant and loan, designed to help organisations to open doors and grow effectively. Over the past 11 years, they have invested over £12.5 million in 72 organisations around Scotland.

The Foundation Scotland team works closely with applicants to offer more than just traditional funding, also providing unique insight, planning support and advice to help attract further investment.

Neil Hay, CEO of Space @ The Broomhouse Hub said: “Support for capital projects, and core funding, is critical to our work, yet unfortunately not so prevalent.

“As an organisation, we believe in connections and working together for the benefit of all. The partnership approach from Foundation Scotland has been so refreshing. Both the funding and relational support allowed us to get the build off the ground.

“Together they helped us to realise our vision, and along with our other funders they have enabled us to develop our spaces, grow our team and ultimately helped us to build the foundations for a brighter future for many.”

Ali Kennedy, Social Investment Executive at Foundation Scotland, said “Space @ Broomhouse is an important and inspiring place for everyone in the local community and we are extremely proud of our involvement in its development.

“Their fabulous new facilities support significant numbers of people in the area, families have an affordable safe and welcoming place to come to and enjoy, young people are provided with opportunities to develop skills, confidence and self-esteem, and older people and those living with dementia feel part of a connected community.

“We are thrilled to be here with the team today at the Broomhouse Street Party. We’ve worked together for many years and it’s great to get the chance to see the activities in action. The Hub is a space for the community to come together. It’s clear how much of a lifeline these services are for local people.

“We know there are other groups that urgently need support to get started or grow, and this is even more challenging in the current climate. We are encouraging all interested groups to visit our website or contact the Foundation Scotland team directly to discuss eligibility.”

Yousaf: “Nothing off the table” when anti-poverty summit meets today

Tackling poverty and inequality is the biggest challenge facing Scotland, First Minister Humza Yousaf will say at today’s anti-poverty summit.

Led by the First Minister, the summit offers a vital opportunity for the Scottish Government to listen to, and work with key partners, campaigners, cross-party representatives and those with direct experience of poverty, to help inform Scotland’s drive to tackle poverty and inequality.

Opening the anti-poverty summit, the First Minister is expected to say: “The Scottish Government recognises the cost of living crisis is putting a huge strain on households and no-one should have to make the choice between heating, eating or turning the lights on.

“Tackling poverty and inequality is the single biggest challenge facing Scotland and requires continued, urgent and sustained action.

“Today’s anti-poverty summit is an opportunity to get round the table with campaigners, businesses, the third sector, local government, representatives from Holyrood’s main political parties and, crucially, those with direct experience of poverty, to hear their views and insights.

“This is the collaborative approach that people across Scotland want to see their First Minister and political leaders take – to secure real action on the biggest issues facing our country.

“We have a strong foundation to build on, with almost £3 billion allocated this year to support policies which tackle poverty and protect people as far as possible during the cost of living crisis, and we have announced details this week of how tens of thousands of households will be supported as a result of the Fuel Insecurity Fund being tripled.

“But, as we discuss what more can be done, nothing will be off the table and I look forward to hearing all contributions at the summit, which I hope will drive new momentum in the fight against poverty in Scotland.”

Humzah Yousaf announces another £1 million to tackle health inequalities

First Minister Humzah Yousaf has announced additional support for general practices in most deprived areas. People living in some of Scotland’s most deprived communities will benefit from an additional £1 million of funding to help tackle health inequalities.

The Inclusion Health Action in General Practice programme provides targeted funding for support to patients whose social circumstances have a negative impact on their health.

The funding is allocated directly to practices which are in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board area and feature on the list of 100 most deprived practices in Scotland.

First Minister Humza Yousaf made the announcement as he visited the New Gorbals Health Centre in Glasgow.

The First Minister said: “General practice is at the heart of our communities and is uniquely placed to deliver the care and support needed by patients who experience health inequalities.

“Of the one hundred poorest practices in the whole of Scotland, shockingly 81 currently sit within the Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board area – a statistic I am determined to change.

“This additional funding of £1 million will build on the foundations of previous funding. At a time when the cost of living crisis is widening health inequalities, this is an important step that supports our commitments to prevention and early intervention with patients at highest risk of poor health.”

Lorna Kelly, Chair of the Primary Care Health Inequalities Development Group said: “The NHS needs to be at its best where it is needed the most, or health inequalities will continue to worsen.

“This additional resource to general practices serving the most deprived communities in Scotland is therefore very welcome.”

Emergency service collaboration shows ‘ground-breaking’ results in disadvantaged community

Research suggests vanguard initiative helped people previously unreached by services

A study led by the Scottish Centre for Policing & Public Health at Edinburgh Napier University has found a collaborative initiative between emergency services in a disadvantaged community had a potentially ‘ground-breaking’ impact.

Researchers conducted an exploratory evaluation of a Strategic Delivery Partnership ‘vanguard initiative’, which saw public service agencies Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service establish a ‘team around the community’ model of cross-service response.

The report published today found the initiative transformed traditional practice and helped to address several problems faced by people who found it hard to engage with services. Officers worked full-time in a community hub in the area’s primary school and pro-actively established trusting relationships with people to identify problems, provide solutions and protect people in crisis.

The study made seventeen recommendations, such as the need for more robust evidence on the vanguard initiative, resolving tension between ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ operational working and carefully selecting the officers involved, while retaining the ones who helped to build trusting relationships.

Professor Nadine Dougall of Edinburgh Napier University’s School of Health and Social Care said: “This research could act as a model for providing crucial public services in disadvantaged communities across the country.

“Although more work needs to be done to establish the full effectiveness of the vanguard initiative, these findings suggest this model of connective working managed to reach people who were previously either unable or reluctant to get support from emergency services.

“Issues which are common in disadvantaged communities, like drug supply, anti-social behaviour, and personal safety, appear to be much better addressed by this public health and trauma-informed approach to reduce inequalities and enhance community resilience.”

The rapid research evaluation and case study assessment the vanguard initiative was based on a community in Scotland identified as being in the top 1% of most deprived Scottish areas.

It has the highest number of alcohol and other drugs admissions in the local authority area, a high prevalence of violence, and its most common crimes relate to substance use and vandalism.

The study, funded by the Scottish Institute for Policing Research, and supported by the Scottish Ambulance Service, Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, was conducted between March and June 2022, using in-depth interviews with the services involved.

ENU-SIPR-Cross-service-collaboration-Report-15112022-FINAL Download

University places for most deprived at record high

The number of 18-year-olds from the most deprived areas being offered a place at university is at a record high – up 32% since 2019, the last year there were exams.

The latest UCAS data also shows 29,630 Scottish domiciled students have been offered a place at a Scottish university on SQA results day – up 6% compared to 2019 and the second highest on record.

The number of students accepting places to study nursing at Scottish providers also increased, up 17% to 2,940 compared to 2019.

Separate statistics published yesterday by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) show that in the first quarter of 2022-2023, the number of Modern Apprenticeship starts is up 16% to 3,946 compared to last year.

Minister for Higher Education, Further Education, Youth Employment and Training Jamie Hepburn said: “Congratulations to everyone receiving results today after what has been another extremely challenging year. Whether you are now heading to university, college or taking part in a Modern Apprenticeship, I wish you the very best for the future.

“These statistics are encouraging, particularly the fact we have a record number of 18-year-olds – the closest measure to school leavers – from the most deprived areas being offered a place at university. We want every young person in Scotland to have an equal chance of success, no matter their background or circumstances.

“The number of students accepting places to study nursing has also increased compared to 2019, demonstrating that Scotland continues to be a popular location to undertake medical education and training.

“EU students enrich our campuses, and make a vital contribution to our economy and society. It is bitterly disappointing to see another sharp drop in the number of EU students coming to study in Scotland – a direct result of Brexit.

“The SQA’s appeals process is now open for anyone who needs it. The clearing process is also now live and places are still available for those who want to study in Scotland.”

Scottish domiciled acceptances to Scottish providers increased by 6% to 29,630 (since 2019) This is the second highest at SQA results day. In 2021 there was a record 31,070 Scottish domiciled acceptances to Scottish providers
the number of 18-year-old acceptances from the most deprived areas has increased by 410 to 1,680, since 2019 (as at SQA results day)
the number of EU domiciled acceptances to Scottish providers decreased by 77% to 720 (as at SQA results day 2019)
the number of Non-EU domiciled acceptances to Scottish providers increased by 15% to 2,670 (since 2019) This is the second highest at SQA results day
Scottish domiciled acceptances to study nursing at Scottish providers increased by 17% to 2,940, since 2019 cycle (as at SQA results day)
Scottish domiciled acceptances to study medicine and dentistry at UK providers increased by 23% to 920, since 2019 (as at SQA results day)

UCAS statistics

SDS statistics

SDS Results Helpline

1 in 5 key worker households have children living in poverty

Around 1 million children with key worker parents are living below the breadline, research shows
In some parts of Britain more than two-fifths of kids in key worker households are living below the breadline
Poverty levels “likely to get worse” as ministers hold down pay
Key workers in the public sector facing another year of real-terms pay cuts

ONE in 5 (19%) key worker households have children living in poverty, new TUC research has revealed.

The research, which uses the government definition for key workers, shows that the number of kids growing up in poverty in key worker households has increased by 65,000 over the past two years to nearly 1 million (989,000) in 2022.

It forecasts that in 2023 that number will rise again to 1.1 million unless ministers take further action to support families.

North East hit hardest

The analysis – undertaken for the TUC by Landman Economics – highlights how in some regions of the UK more than two-fifths of children in key worker households are now living in poverty.

Key worker families in the North East (41%) have the highest rate of child poverty followed by the North West (29%) and London (29%) and the East of England (24%).

Scotland (8.3%) and Wales (8.9%) have the lowest rates.

Worse set to come

The TUC warned child poverty rates among key worker households are likely to get worse.

Ministers have announced another of year of real-terms pay cuts for key workers in the public sector.

The union body says this will have a devastating impact on frontline workers after a brutal decade of pay freezes and cuts:

Hospital porters’ real pay will be down by £200 this year
Maternity care assistants’ real pay will be down by £600 this year
Nurses’ real pay will be down by £1,100 this year
Paramedics’ real pay will be down by over £1,500 this year

And ministers are calling for wages to be held down for some key workers in the private sector too.

The TUC says the additional support announced by the Treasury this year to help families with energy bills will be offset by cuts to real-terms pay and other rising living costs.

Risk of recession

The TUC says government calls for widespread pay suppression will reduce household spending and demand as the UK teeters on the brink of recession.

The union body highlighted how at the same time key workers are being told to tighten their belts, city bonuses are rocketing.

TUC analysis published in June month revealed that bonuses in the financial and insurance sector grew by 27.9% over the last year, six times faster than average wages in the same period, which grew by 4.2%.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Our amazing key workers got us through the pandemic. The very least they deserve is to be able to provide for their families.

“But the government is locking too many key worker households into poverty.

“Ministers’ heartless decision to hold down pay will cause widespread hardship and put the UK at greater risk of recession.

“After the longest wage squeeze in 200 years we urgently need to get more money in the pockets of working families. This will help people get through this cost of living crisis and inject much-needed demand into our economy.

“It is particularly galling that as key workers are being told to tighten their belts, city executives are enjoying bumper bonuses. Once again ordinary working people are being forced to carry the can for a crisis made in Downing Street.”

Support needed for key worker families

The TUC is calling on the government to guarantee decent living standards by:

Raising the national minimum wage immediately.
Giving all key workers a fair pay rise that meets the cost of living
Funding the public sector so that all outsourced workers are paid at least the real Living Wage and get parity with directly employed staff.
Boosting universal credit to 80% of the real Living Wage
Significantly increasing benefit payments to children and removing the two-child limit within social security.

Children in poverty in key worker households by UK nation and region in 2022

Region	Total number of children in key worker families	Number of children in poverty in key worker families	Percentage of children in poverty in key worker families
North East	170,586	70,311	41.2%
North West	600,325	174,495	29.1%
Yorks & the Humber	434,335	47,659	11.0%
East Midlands	426,335	49,150	11.5%
West Midlands	396,756	93,156	23.5%
East of England	490,577	115,563	23.6%
London	661,487	189,691	28.7%
South East	811,614	125,848	15.5%
South West	362,539	43,287	11.9%
Wales	249,789	22,285	8.9%
Scotland	445,826	37,005	8.3%
Northern Ireland	146,353	20,787	14.2%
Total	5,196,522	989,237	19.0%

New plan calls for urban wetlands to help ‘level up’ wellbeing inequalities

Creating wildlife-rich wetlands like ponds, streams, wetland parks and rain gardens in deprived urban communities could help level up inequalities in wellbeing across the UK, according to a new report.

Currently, people in the poorest urban and ethnic communities are twice as likely as those in more affluent groups to live in neighbourhoods without good quality blue or green spaces. Some research suggests this differing access to nature-rich areas could be associated with health inequalities.

The Wildfowl & Wetland Trust’s (WWT) Creating Urban Wetlands for Wellbeing. A Route Map’ outlines how high-quality wetlands could help tackle these inequalities, often more effectively than other forms of nature.

The report highlights how wetlands can help low-income urban communities, which are frequently most at risk from the harmful impacts of poor mental health and the climate crisis, through relieving stress, cooling cities, reducing air and water pollution, alleviating flooding and boosting biodiversity.

In addition, the report outlines how blue spaces (environments that feature open water, such as wetlands) directly reduce stress more than green spaces alone. This could be due to the particularly wide range of stimuli .wetland nature provides which engage all the senses The light, soundscapes, changing patterns on water, and meaningful personal associations associated with aquatic settings may all reduce stress.

The powerful calming effect of blue space is further demonstrated by a study of 16,000 people across 18 countries, which found that frequently visiting ‘watery’ nature decreased mental distress. Just 10 minutes spent in urban wetlands can be enough to improve a person’s mood.

People also socialise more in blue spaces, helping to build community cohesion and reduce social isolation. And restored linear wetlands, such as rivers, provide opportunities for physically active travel and leisure in space-limited towns and cities.

WWT is working with the Mental Health Foundation (MHF) and the NHS, prescribing wetlands in London for people experiencing poor mental health with limited resources.

Dr Ben Plimpton, Project Manager from the Foundation, commented: “Initiatives such as WWT and MHF’s Blue Prescribing at London Wetland Centre can be particularly effective at improving people’s mental health – and may sometimes prevent the need for crisis support.

“Initial assessment of social prescribing has shown that the average wellbeing value of wetland social prescribing was £4,848 per person, compared to £1,084 and £1,127 per person for arts engagement and sports participation respectively.

“Increasing structured access to city wetlands for those with limited resources, as our scheme does, could be one of the simplest ways to lift people’s wellbeing in urban areas.”

The route map details how nature-rich wetlands can be created in a range of urban settings at a variety of scales, allowing them to fit in any urban space, including:

installing simple drainpipe wetlands in backyards and gardens
building new rain gardens during street repair work and neighbourhood improvements
restoring streams and rivers flowing through neighbourhoods
creating parks centred on wetlands that provide a wellbeing resource for whole communities

It recommends creating and restoring wetlands where they can best reduce health inequalities, such as in areas without access to nature, where deprived communities and neighbourhoods are at risk of flooding and overheating as the climate crisis escalates.

The report urges governments, businesses and civil society to play their part in creating and restoring urban wetlands that can help to level up wellbeing.

In particular, restoring wetland nature to urban areas should be a major part of the Government’s plans to level up opportunity across the country, with a new legal duty on councils and developers to provide access to nature.

Dr James Robinson, Director of Conservation at WWT, said: “Most human settlements grew around a water source and wetlands long used to be an integral part of our great towns and cities.

“However, increasingly new developments have swallowed many of them up. Worryingly, there are no UK-wide plans to increase the amount of blue or green nature in urban areas, despite the huge value they provide. London’s natural spaces alone save the NHS £950M annually.

“WWT are experts at protecting, restoring and building new wetlands but to do this at scale, including in urban areas, more support and funding from the public and private sectors is needed.

“The opportunities that wetlands offer to enhance and extend our lives are established – but they are not being grasped. WWT’s route map released today provides a clear plan of how this can be achieved.”

David Lindo, ‘the Urban Birder’, who supports WWT’s call for more urban wetlands, said: “I grew up in London and the River Brent was a lifeline for me as a child. I became absorbed in its wildlife and it sparked my lifelong love of birds and boosted my mental wellbeing.

“Everyone should have access to that and it’s imperative that decision-makers consider how to incorporate wetlands into our urban spaces – sooner rather than later. Wetlands could offer national and local government a win-win situation helping them reach their levelling up, climate change, nature and health targets all at the same time. It’s time to start thinking smart.”

WWT’s call for more urban wetlands is part of their wider Wetlands Can! Campaign, which is urging the public to pledge their support for a “blue recovery” by creating and restoring 100,000 hectares of wetlands throughout the UK to help combat the climate, nature and wellbeing crises.

wwt-creating-urban-wetlands-for-wellbeing Download

Ten years of success for Scotland’s Family Nurse Partnerships

More than 10,000 young mothers and their children have been helped by a decade-long programme since it began as a pilot in NHS Lothian.

An analysis report on the Family Nurse Partnership shows positive results for mothers and babies in areas such as breastfeeding rates and stopping smoking, with most children meeting all their milestones, and 95% receiving all their immunisations.

The Family Nurse Partnership supports young, first-time mothers to prepare for motherhood and throughout the first two years of their child’s life.

Women’s Health Minister Maree Todd met mothers and staff who have taken part. She said: “Over 10,000 young women have now received support through this programme since it started, which is a fantastic milestone.

“Family nurses help mothers to think about the future, what kind of parent they want to be and their goals and aspirations for other areas of their lives like education and employment.

“Earlier this year we committed to expanding the programme to all young first time mothers aged 21 and under by the end of 2024. Where possible, we will also target first time mothers under the age of 25 who are care experienced or from the most deprived communities. This expansion will mean we can support up to an additional 500 families per year by 2025.”

Val Alexander, service manager of the Family Nurse Partnership, who has been with the programme since it began, said: “We are so proud of the Family Nurse Partnership and everything our clients have achieved.

“The Family Nurse Partnership programme works to support young, first-time mothers to prepare for motherhood and continues that support for them and their child through the first two years.

“FNP was first delivered in NHS Lothian and to see it extended across Scotland to reach thousands more families is something very special for all of us.

“This 10-year analysis of the delivery of the service across Scotland will help us to see how far we have come and map out our goals and ambitions for the future of the programme and young families.”

Record number of students from deprived areas attend university

The number of Scots from the most deprived areas enrolling at Scottish universities is at a new record high.

Higher Education Student Statistics, published today, show a new overall record number of students enrolling in Scottish institutions – an increase of 8.6% compared to last year. This includes a new record high of Scottish domiciled students enrolling at university.

There has also been a large increase in the number of non-EU domiciled students – up 17% on last year.

Commenting on the figures, Higher and Further Education Minister Jamie Hepburn said: “Every young person should have an equal chance of success no matter their background or circumstance, so it is great to see the number and proportion of Scots from the most deprived areas at university hit a record high.

“By 2030, we want 20% of students entering higher education to come from Scotland’s most deprived backgrounds and the Commissioner for Fair Access has previously said that Scotland is ‘setting the pace’ in the UK in widening participation.

“Today’s data also shows the number of students enrolling at Scottish universities hit a new record high and we have seen a large increase in international students. This highlights the fact that Scotland, along with our world class higher education institutions, remains an attractive place to study and live for prospective students.

“However, we have seen a continued drop in EU students coming to study in Scotland following Brexit. EU students enrich our campus life and I hope we can still welcome many of them to our world-leading institutions.”

Higher Education Student Statistics UK 2020-21 show:

A record number of students enrolled at Scottish HEIs in 2020-21: an increase from last year of 8.6% (+22,385) to 282,875

Scottish domiciled 180,170 (+7.9%, +13,120 since 2019-20)

rUK domiciled 34,520 (+8.4%, +2,685 since 2019-20)

Non-EU domiciled 47,630 (+17.0%, +6,935 since 2019-20)

EU domiciled 20,550 (-1.7%, -345 since 2019-20)

16.7% of Scottish domiciled full time first degree entrants to Scottish HEIs are from the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland. This is an increase of 0.3 percentage points, or 545 entrants, from 16.4% in 2019-20.