Nice LIFT: local project secures funding to tackle child poverty

Vulnerable families are set to benefit from new funding to support households in financial hardship – and North Edinburgh’s L.I.F.T is one of seven projects aimed at tackling child poverty to receive a share of the new £450,000 fund.

LIFT (Low Income Families Together), based in Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre, will receive over £70,000.

The money is a part of the Every Child, Every Chance Innovation Fund, which is jointly supported by the Scottish Government and The Hunter Foundation.

The fund aims to support innovative approaches which could have an impact on reducing child poverty by 2030. The projects range from job training and a befriending service, to school-based mentoring and support for lone parents.

One of the successful projects is Stepwell, a social business based in Inverclyde, which provides support to people in the local community with health and finance issues as well as training and employment opportunities.

At a visit to meet staff and service users, Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “We are committed to tackling child poverty and are always looking for new ways to support households and families in financial hardship. No child or adult should have their chances limited by poverty.

“It has been great to hear about the approach being taken by Stepwell to tackle child poverty in Inverclyde. Their method aims to get to the root cause of any hardship and through encouragement, support and training, families can begin to change their lives.”

Steven Watson Chief Executive Officer at Stepwell, said:  “Stepwell is absolutely committed to tackling child poverty in Inverclyde.  Through our Whole Life approach, we focus on providing person-centred support, offering vocational and accredited training and ‘real’ business work placements within our social businesses.

“We are so grateful to The Hunter Foundation and Scottish Government for partnering with us.”

The Innovation Fund is a joint fund between the Scottish Government and The Hunter Foundation, each contributing £5 million and £2.5 million respectively over the life of Every Child, Every Chance.

The below table details the organisations awarded funding for 2018/19

New organisations via application Award – 2018/19
Clyde Gateway £9,900
Covey Befriending £11,994
L.I.F.T £70,177
MCR Pathways – Scottish Mentoring Programme £97,000
Midlothian Sure Start £121,914
North Lanarkshire Council £41,000
Stepwell £99,900

 
Total £451,885

An update on all actions committed to within the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan will be published by the end of June 2019.

 

 

 

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Funding to prepare for Brexit

Grants for Scottish businesses expanded

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced £2 million is now available to help even more businesses in Scotland prepare for Brexit.

The Brexit Support Grant, administered by Scottish Enterprise, will now be available to help small and medium sized businesses manage a wide range of Brexit impacts with funding of up to £4000 each. The grant, previously only open to exporters, is now available to SME’s in Scotland for a wider variety of Brexit preparation.

The grant can be accessed by businesses employing up to 250 staff and can be used for activities including consultancy support, professional fees, external training, and international market research.

The announcement was made during a visit to Allied Vehicles in Glasgow where the First Minister met with the company and one of their suppliers, the manufacturing firm William Johnston, to discuss concerns about Brexit and how the two businesses are preparing.

The First Minister said: “Businesses like Allied Vehicles and William Johnston are critical to Scotland’s economy and it is unacceptable that they are facing this level of uncertainty so close to the UK leaving the EU.

“The Scottish Government is firmly opposed to Brexit and we continue to hope that it can be avoided, but with every passing day, the UK Government is getting closer to taking our economy off the cliff.

“Scottish Government analysis shows that all Brexit outcomes will damage our economy so it is essential businesses prepare for a range of scenarios. This funding goes hand in hand with practical support and advice and I encourage business to take advantage of this assistance.

“We will continue to work with our partners in the coming weeks and months to do what we can to minimise the impact Brexit will have on our economy and communities.”

Sandy McEwan, Managing Director at William Johnston & Company, and one of the first businesses to apply for the grant, said: “Since Brexit was announced in 2016, we have been hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

“As a manufacturer we have found the Prepare for Brexit website a helpful tool for highlighting some of the issues Brexit may bring our business. Today, we are in the eye of the Brexit storm but, hopefully, this grant will help us to be in the best position possible to deal with the potential changes in the business environment.”

Allied Vehicles chairman Gerry Facenna said: “Exporting can be a real challenge for us, given currency differences and much higher transport costs than our continental competitors.

“Despite this, over the past couple of years we’ve started to gain significant traction selling our wheelchair accessible vehicles across Europe.

“We see huge potential to add another hundred or more jobs here in Glasgow through continued export growth – but the last thing we need is any form of trade barriers or tariffs, which would make it virtually impossible for us to compete effectively overseas.”

Steve Dunlop, CEO, Scottish Enterprise, said: “It is critical that Scottish businesses continue to assess the challenges presented by Brexit and take necessary action to safeguard their growth.

“Preparing your business for Brexit is about developing a flexible planning approach so you can adapt and be resilient across a range of potential Brexit outcomes. We are stepping up support with additional financial and people resource to make sure businesses have access to support that will help them meet challenges head on.”

Businesses can identify if they are eligible for the grant and find more information on how to prepare for Brexit on the Prepare for Brexit website.

The Brexit Support Grant, previously ‘International Project Support’, is now available to SMEs who do not export as well as exporters, and can be used for a much wider variety of Brexit preparation.

The Brexit Support Grant fund is £2 million – £500,000 in the 2018/19 financial year and £1.5 million in 2019/20.

An SME is an enterprise employing fewer than 250 persons with an annual turnover not exceeding 50 million euro, and/or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding 43 million euro and is independent.