Our new research finds that 72% of carers have not had any breaks from their caring role during the pandemic
Our report Breaks or breakdown, released for Carers Week, found that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on carers’ ability to access breaks. More than a third (35%) of people caring unpaid for family members or friends feel unable to manage their caring role, and three quarters (74%) reported being exhausted as a result of caring during the pandemic.
The report also found that carers lost, on average, 25 hours of support a month they previously had from services or family and friends before the pandemic and that fewer than one in five (14%) are confident that the support they relied on before the pandemic will continue in the future.
This Carers Week, we’re campaigning to increase funding for carers’ breaks. Nearly 900 people have now written to their MP asking them to raise the need for better breaks support in Parliament.
If you’ve not yet joined our campaign, click the button below:
Shop Here This Year campaign encourages shoppers to support local Edinburgh businesses by shining a spotlight on 11 neighbourhoods and town centres across the city
The campaign continues with a new series of free workshops hosted by Edinburgh-based influencers to help businesses maximise their digital marketing offering and encourage residents to shop local
The Shop Here This Year campaign continues to spread support to local businesses in Edinburgh with a new series of free digital marketing workshops, hosted by Edinburgh based influencers.
Delivered by the City of Edinburgh Council under Forever Edinburgh, Shop Here This Year has adapted the campaign in the wake of the global pandemic to ensure continued support for businesses across the city who have been impacted by the pandemic.
The campaign continues to shine citizens a spotlight on 11 neighbourhoods and town centres across the Capital and the businesses that bring them to life, showcasing the independent retailers, eateries, and personal shopping experiences that make them great places to visit.
Oddly enough, Drylaw, Pilton, Muirhouse and Granton are not among those ‘local’ neigbourhoods and town centres … Ed.
The next phase of the campaign sees three virtual workshops hosted by local influencers. The new series has been created to support businesses in making the most of their digital marketing platforms in continuing to promote their businesses to existing and new customers.
Taking place on Zoom throughout the coming months, these workshops will each target a different sector of Edinburgh’s diverse and vibrant retail scene: Lifestyle, Fashion & Interiors, Food & Drink and Attractions, Heritage & Tours.
The workshops will focus on developing key skills that will empower business to grow and maximise their digital presence, following, and engagement.
Each workshop will be tailored to specific sectors and will cover essential digital marketing skills; how to increase brand awareness, take impactful imagery, build a following and share engaging copy.
Although aimed at certain types of business, be they food, lifestyle or attraction focused, businesses from across Edinburgh’s varied retail sectors are encouraged to sign up to one, or all three workshops, in accordance with relevance and their own availability.
To kick things off Gemma Armit of Everything Edinburgh and Two Scots Abroad will host the first influencer workshop aimed at businesses with links to Attractions, Heritage & Tours, on Tuesday 15 June from 5.30pm.
Then on Tuesday 29 June, again from 5.30pm, Emma Bathgate of Vegan Edinburgh will host her own workshop focused on Food & Drink retailers.
Finally, at 5.30pm on Tuesday 6 July, Lauren Dall of The Luxe List will host the third and final workshop focused Lifestyle, Fashion & Interiors.
Workshops are FREE to attend and open to all Edinburgh businesses. To sign up businesses should register via Eventbrite, links below:
A new local business champion network, created by the Councils Business Growth and Inclusion Team, has been instrumental in shaping the campaign.
The network includes a range of businesses from all 11 neighbourhoods and include: Cove, Action Porty, Fabhatrix, Reddoor Gallery, Walker Slater, Leith Police Box, Cranachan and Crowdie, Scottish Textiles, Ragamuffin, 181 Deli, Bakery Andante, Specsavers, Herbie of Edinburgh, Seakist and Leith, Stockbridge and Grassmarket Outdoor Markets.
The Business Champion Network, said:“We are delighted to be involved in the Shop Here This Year campaign, which allows local businesses like ours to engage with Edinburgh’s citizens in a way that has never been more important.
“The past 12 months have been hard on everyone and while we are excited at the prospect of things slowly opening up, we need to explore avenues that are open to us in the meantime.”
“Not only will these workshops give Edinburgh businesses an opportunity to develop vital skills needed to help promote our businesses via social media and connect to shoppers, they will also enable us to engage with other businesses in our area, building a the sense of community and hopefully providing us with a network of support that will continue long into the future.”
Councillor Kate Campbell, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener at City of Edinburgh Council, said:“Edinburgh’s local business community is incredibly important to everyone living in and around the city. Our town centres are diverse and vibrant, all offering something different from the very best in local food and drink, delicious coffees to elegant cocktails.
“We have so many shops offering locally made products, crafts, art, fashion, books and pretty much anything else you can imagine.
“By bringing these businesses together with digital marketing professionals who have had a front row seat to the struggles that retail and hospitality businesses are going through, we can create a community of support on the road to recovery.
“This campaign is run by Forever Edinburgh, the city’s visitor marketing brand, and works alongside its newest promotional activity of the Capital – The Story Never Ends.
“We hope these new skills will also help businesses build and tell their audiences more about their stories – be it their origins, about their products and suppliers or their customers experiences – and get involved by using the hashtag #ForeverEdinburgh.
“It’s another great opportunity to help both residents and visitors rediscover all the amazing unique experiences our Capital has to offer.”
The campaign continues s to engage with the local communities across the city and encourages people to share their Edinburgh shopping moments using #ShopHereThisYear and #ForeverEdinburgh on social media. Of course, while restrictions remain in place, those taking part are encouraged to do so in a Covid compliant way.
In addition to regular meetings with neighbourhood champions, the team have also prepared a digital toolkit for businesses looking to get involved.
• #neighbourhood (for spotlight weeks) #Grassmarket #Stockbridge etc.
Shop Here This YearCampaign Summary
Supported by funding from Scotland’s Towns Partnership, “Shop Here This Year” is a digital campaign led by the City of Edinburgh Council which aims to inspire people to shop local. It will promote local businesses across 11 ‘town centres’ in Edinburgh: Stockbridge, Gorgie & Dalry, Portobello, Southside, Leith, Morningside & Bruntsfield, Tollcross, Corstorphine, Queensferry, Royal Mile, and Grassmarket
Recognising the vital role of independent, local businesses for the city economy, the campaign seeks to showcase your business among EH postcode consumers, raising awareness and encouraging them to spend their money in the local community where it can have a huge impact on business resilience and local employment.
Shopping locally is a good thing, not just as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but in general. It has strong environmental credentials; it supports the places where we live in our city and it maintains the diverse and exciting mix of independent businesses which give each town centre its unique character.
The campaign will be featured across the City of Edinburgh Council’s various digital channels including:
A new ‘Football Rebooted’ campaign has been launched today by the UK’s leading smart energy supplier, Utilita, and former England and Premier League goalkeeper, David James MBE.
The campaign has been created to help the nation recycle at least one million pairs of ‘pre-played’ football boots and astro boots, saving families a small fortune, as well as 136,000 tonnes of carbon – the same as taking 7,000 cars off the road for a year, or turning the energy off in one million medium-sized houses for a week.
The ‘donate and claim’ campaign, enables anyone with spare football boots or astro boots to request a freepost ‘boot bag’ to donate their boots, after which their boots will appear at one of many claim stations that will pop up in parks, training grounds, and at some of the UK’s largest football clubs.
Premium pairs of the ‘most wanted’ retro boots and former and current players’ boots and other items will also be in the mix, giving anyone a chance to come along and grab a pair to be proud of.
The campaign is strategically designed to put an aspirational spin on a mechanic that will get good boots through to families struggling to afford new ones, after Utilita’s State of Play report revealed that out of the 74 percent of families who had been impacted financially by the pandemic, 18 percent won’t be able to send their kids back to grassroots football as they can’t afford boots and other items such as goalie gloves and shin pads.
Campaign ambassador and keen environmentalist, David James, and the Utilita team held focus groups with families, which revealed the barriers to boots finding new homes – the biggest being pride.
The donate and claim mechanic avoids families needing to accept charity from people they know, and makes claiming a new pair an aspirational activity, whereby people are impacting the environment, too.
Campaign ambassador, David James MBE, comments on why the campaign is so important: “Right now, there are millions of pairs of football boots that people have grown out of or replaced, and we need to make sure they don’t end up in landfill.
“Getting these boots replayed through Utilita’s Football Rebooted campaign will not only save players a few quid but will also act as an important reminder about the power of upcycling and reusing items that still have a lot of life left in them.”
https://twitter.com/i/status/1396005495866118144
Bill Bullen, founder of Utilita – the only energy company created to help households use and waste less energy – explained why Utilita has created the Football Rebooted campaign: “Most consumers are becoming more thoughtful about how their choices impact the environment, but sometimes life gets in the way of making the right choice. That’s why we have created Football Rebooted, which makes recycling football boots with plenty of life left in them, really easy.
“The campaign has been shaped by grassroots football players, coaches and parents, so uses carbon-saving examples that really resonate with this audience – home energy usage and taking cars off the road. It’s been incredibly encouraging to see football players as young as six years old talk passionately about the importance of protecting the environment.”
Premier League and EFL clubs across the UK, including Portsmouth, Southampton, Derby County and Leeds United, have already signed up to donate the football boots worn by their academy players, while first-team players have also donated their own boots in the interests of the environment.
As part of the new campaign, schools can request boots be sent to them for children who they identify as needing football boots to enable them to play in or outside of school.
English Schools’ FA (ESFA) Chairman, Phil Harding, said:“The last 12 months have been very difficult for families, teams, players and schools alike and, as the National Governing Body for Schools’ Football, the ESFA welcome any campaign to help ensure children have every opportunity to take part in a sport that they are passionate about, but that is also so beneficial for both their physical and mental health.
“The Football Rebooted campaign not only has a great environmental message but is also working towards helping children to be active, participate and enjoy school sport.”
The STV Children’s Appeal has launched a new fundraising campaign focused on supporting the mental health and wellbeing of Scotland’s children and young people, following research that suggests the Covid-19 pandemic will have a damaging long-term impact on young minds.
Glasgow-born Hollywood icon James McAvoy has joined other top Scottish talent – TV presenter Gail Porter, Booker Prize-winning author Douglas Stuart, comedian Janey Godley, Love Island star Laura Anderson and singer-songwriter Joesef – in recording video messages of support for the campaign.
A lockdown survey* highlighted that 67% of young people believe the pandemic will be harmful to their mental health in the long-term.
In response, the STV Children’s Appeal – which was first launched in 2011 – will today begin airing a new TV campaign voiced by long-time trustee Lorraine Kelly, which asks viewers to consider the impact of a year of lockdowns on youth mental health, and donate to support the recovery phase.
The campaign highlights the particularly detrimental impact of the pandemic on the one in four children currently living in poverty in Scotland. Most lifelong mental illness begins in childhood and those living in deprivation are three times more likely to experience it, according to the British Medical Association.
100% of the money raised will be quickly distributed by the STV Children’s Appeal to fund vital counselling sessions and peer support groups in communities right across Scotland. It will also support local projects which give children access to sports, art, music and other means of essential peer-to-peer connection, of which they might otherwise be deprived.
Lorraine Kelly, STV Children’s Appeal Trustee, said: “It’s so important we help to raise funds and awareness of our children’s mental health. They’ve been through such a lot and we need to make sure they are looked after with kindness and compassion.
“I’m always so inspired by the response of the Scottish public who are incredibly generous and I’m sure we will be able to make life so much better for all the children who need that extra support.”
Jacqueline Cassidy, Director (Scotland) at children’s mental health charity and STV Children’s Appeal partner organisation Place2Be, said: “For some young people, this pandemic has been a nightmare. We are seeing increased levels of anxiety and emotional worry within the schools and wider communities in which we work.
“Our evidence shows when young people get the right support at the right time, their school performance improves and so do their life chances. And that stays with them as they grow.
“Thanks to the STV Children’s Appeal, we have been able to provide specialist support for parents and carers in Glasgow, as well as training for youth workers across Scotland to build their skills and confidence in responding to the mental health needs of children and young people.
“We are hugely grateful for STV’s support which means we can reach many more young people across Scotland before it’s too late.”
To donate £10 to the STV Children’s Appeal, text TEN to 70607 (standard network rates apply).
A team of amateur footballers from an east Edinburgh neighbourhood are seeking a permanent place to call home and are asking the council for help.
Bingham Athletic Football Club has submitted a bid to The City of Edinburgh Council to take over the lease of the Bingham Pavilion, and are crossing their fingers for a positive result next week.
The Pavillion’s lease is currently held by a private club who have refused to share the facility with the local Bingham lads. But the Bingham team believe that people from the local area should have access to and ownership of this local resource.
Team manager Reece Taylor explained: “The team currently has no access to the Pavilion as the lease is exclusively held by a private football club which charges fees to join. That means we have had to lead quite a nomadic and precarious existence, practising in places that just aren’t fit for purpose.
“As most people know, Bingham is one of the most deprived areas in Scotland, so it isn’t an option for most of these lads to pay membership fees or travel further afield to other areas. By gaining permanent access to the Pavillion, the group will have the opportunity to practice in a proper area and play games which friends, family and the local community can actually attend.”
The club is being supported by the Scottish charity Community Renewal who have been active in the area since 2016.
Community Renewal’s Cris Thacker said: “Everything we do in the neighbourhood starts with listening to what the community of Bingham, Magdalene and The Hays want for their area and then supporting them to achieve those aspirations themselves.
“We have been working closely with the football club and have assisted them in writing the bid. We will also provide ongoing support should their bid be successful.”
The bid has also received a massive show of support from Scottish international footballer, local lad Marc McNulty.
Marc said: “As a budding footballer growing up in Bingham, I know how important it is to have something that is accessible, so I fully support the bid.
“I hope that maybe some of these young guys can go on to have the career I have enjoyed.”
Reece, Cris and all the team now have their fingers crossed that the tender will be awarded in their favour: “It would mean the world to us to have this great resource for the local club. But they won’t be the only ones who benefit.
“This will be a place for the whole community to meet socially and come and support their local team. Plus, we will work with other local clubs and organisations in the hope that they too can make use of the premises.
“We really believe that we can make this a real asset for the community of Bingham.”
Over 100 organisations from across Scotland have today written to the leaders of Scotland’s political parties, urging them to commit to a radical extension of free bus travel, in a move that they say would have a transformative impact on the lives of people across Scotland’s communities.
The call has been made as part of the Poverty Alliance’s Everyone Aboard campaign, which asks for their support in extending fre bus travel to under 25s and people on Universal Credit and other low-income benefits.
The coalition of organisations – coordinated by the Poverty Alliance and including Friends of the Earth Scotland, the Scottish Youth Parliament and Barnardo’s Scotland – are making the call at a time of growing poverty in Scotland, with recent Scottish Government statistics showing over 1 million people in Scotland are now living in the grip of poverty.
Bus travel will, the letter states, be critical in stemming the rising tide of pandemic-related youth unemployment, with bus travel particularly important for young people and people on low incomes to help them access the labour market. Without this action, the organisations have warned, they “risk being left behind in our economic and social recovery.”
Peter Kelly, Director of the Poverty Alliance, said: “We are calling on the leaders of Scotland’s political parties to take the bold, far-reaching action to help loosen the grip of poverty on people’s lives. Removing the barrier to transport would be a significant step towards building a Scotland where everyone is included, no matter their income.
“This move would also help advance gender equality, as women disproportionately rely on public transport to access jobs, healthcare and activities to boost their wellbeing.
“Lone parents, who are predominantly women, would particularly benefit. Expanding the use of public transport will play an important role in reducing Scotland’s emissions and responding to the climate emergency.
“Extending free bus travel is a key way the next Scottish Government can help make Scotland a greener and more just place for us all to live.”
Mollie McGoran MSYP, Trustee of the Scottish Youth Parliament, said: “Young people and people on low incomes have been some of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and so must be put at the heart of the recovery.
“That’s why we support the aims of the Poverty Alliance’s Everyone Aboard campaign to provide free bus travel for young people and people on low incomes in Scotland.
“We believe that Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government should provide funding to support initiatives which make it easier, cheaper, and safer for young people to use active and sustainable travel options.
“Our 2018 national campaign All Aboard found young people feel bus fares are too high. The cost of public transport creates barriers to participation which are denying young people and those on low incomes access to opportunities, and this proposal would be a great step in the right direction.”
Gavin Thomson, Air Pollution Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “Transport is the biggest emitting sector in Scotland. To meet our climate change targets, bold action must be taken to promote cleaner forms of travel, like public transport, and lead a just transition away from fossil fuel private car use.
“Extending free bus travel to all young people under 25 and those on Universal Credit will form an important part of the solution and help ensure no one is left behind as we transform our transport system.
“The upcoming Scottish Parliament election provides political parties an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to tackling climate change. We must seize it.”
Scotland is a beautiful country. Our roads are how we travel and explore it. So we know that as travel restrictions ease this Friday, individuals and families across Scotland will be excited about exploring our countryside, parks and beaches once again.
Over recent years our annual litter surveys have highlighted that our throw-away society has resulted in an increase in litter nationally and many of our roadsides are blighted by a jumble of cans, bottles, cups, crisp packets, and food wrappers, tubs and boxes, flung from the windows of passing vehicles.
As travel restrictions are lifted this weekend, it is more important than ever that we all play our part in looking after our country and our roadsides.
Catherine Gee, KSB’s Deputy Chief Executive said: “Prior to lockdown more than 50 tonnes of litter was thrown onto Scotland’s roadsides each month.
“This litter is difficult, dangerous and expensive to clean up and ruins the view for locals and visitors alike – with 91% of people believing roadside litter creates a negative impression of our country.
“During lockdown our polling indicated that 30% of people believed the overall condition of their local neighbourhoods had deteriorated.
“Over the last twelve months local authorities and road operating companies across the country have been under pressure to adapt services due to the health crisis and prioritise essential services to protect public health.
“Now, as we emerge from lockdown, we want to work with all of the main stakeholders – the road operating companies with responsibility for litter removal on the motorways about their deep cleans scheduled for this spring and summer, local authorities who have responsibility for all other roads, and retailers – about possible interventions we can support them with to raise awareness of the illegal behaviour of tossing litter from a vehicle and the impact it has on our environment.”
Litter ruins the view for locals and visitors alike. It is harmful to wildlife and environmental quality.
With our Summer Clean coming up between May 28 and June 20 we are asking people across Scotland to pledge to pick up litter, but cleaning up on the roadsides is dangerous – cleaning up is not the answer, prevention is.
People Know How have launched a nationwide campaign, Connectivity Now, calling for accessible and affordable connectivity in homes across Scotland to facilitate an end to data poverty.
Coronavirus highlighted digital exclusion across demographics, postcodes and sectors throughout Scotland. Organisations across sectors have now joined the battle against digital exclusion to continue offering their services, products or support.
The Connectivity Now manifesto is a call-to-action for organisations across sectors. It consists of 3 actions:
1. Regulate connectivity
2. Link connectivity to shared spaces
3. Zero-rate essential service websites
Read the full manifesto and pledge your support to #ConnectivityNow on People Know How’s website.
To make your pledge even more impactful, the charity is encouraging pledgers to record a short video clip, completing the following sentence: I support Connectivity Now because… Pledges including a video will be shared on People Know How’s social media channels, tagging and promoting your organisation as a supporter.
To spread the word and help get more pledges, People Know How have posts pinned for you to share on their Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn channels and don’t forget to use the #ConnectivityNow hashtag!
Let’s unite our experiences from this pandemic and do something about data poverty!
Ready to pledge? Visit the website to read the manifesto, pledge your support and move one step closer to #ConnectivityNow:
Sixteen frontline charities have formed a new partnership to encourage those with long-term health conditions and their carers to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Sixteen charities will work together to help save lives through the vaccine roll out
Those with underlying health conditions and adult carers in cohort 6 encouraged to take up the jab
Organisations will help promote access to important advice and information on vaccines
Organisations including The British Heart Foundation, Macmillan Cancer Support and Mencap are joining with the government and NHS to promote vaccine uptake among those the charities support every day.
Since 15 February those in cohort 6 – people with certain underlying health conditions and their carers – have been receiving invites from their GP practice to come forward for life saving vaccinations to protect them from COVID-19.
Working with the government on the UK’s largest ever medical deployment, the charities will use the combined strength of their networks to reassure people with long-term health conditions about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “The incredible success of our vaccination programme has only been possible by working in partnership with the NHS, health and care professionals, local partners and our volunteers.
“Having the support of the charities who work every day to support the very people we are reaching out to in cohort 6 is a great boost for the rollout which continues to show what we can achieve when we pull together as one.
“Their help, encouragement and links with communities next in line for the jab will help make sure everyone can get access to the life-saving protection the vaccine provides and help protect those with underlying conditions and their carers.”
The organisations which have signed up so far to become members of the coalition are:
African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT)
Asthma UK
British Heart Foundation
British Liver Trust
British Lung Foundation
Cancer Research UK
Carers UK
Diabetes UK
Epilepsy Action
Kidney Care UK
Lupus UK
MacMillan Cancer Support
Mencap
MS Society
Sickle Cell Society
Terrence Higgins Trust
These charities support those included in priority vaccination categories, including cohort 6 which covers individuals aged 16 to 64 with certain long-term conditions identified by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation as being at higher clinical risk from COVID-19.
These conditions include chronic respiratory, heart, kidney, liver disease and neurological conditions, including MS and epilepsy, vascular disease, diabetes mellitus, immunosuppression, asplenia or dysfunction of the spleen, morbid obesity, severe mental illness, as well as sickle cell, lupus and those on GP learning disability registers.
Following the government meeting its target of offering a first dose vaccine to the top four priority groups by 15 February, all those in cohort 6 are now eligible to get the jab and should be receiving their invitation for their first dose.
Minister for Vaccines, Nadhim Zahawi, said: “The vaccine is our way out of this pandemic and offers the chance to protect yourself and others – that’s why it’s vital that people get their jab when called to come forward.
“The rollout is a truly UK wide effort which is why having the support of these fantastic and trusted charities as we work to ensure everyone eligible gets their vaccine is so important.
“I would like to thank them all for backing this life-saving campaign and offering their expertise and assistance to support the largest medical deployment in British history.”
Cohort 6 also includes carers who are eligible for a carer’s allowance, or those who are the sole or primary carer of an elderly or disabled person who is at increased risk of COVID-19 mortality and therefore clinically vulnerable.
The charities will support the campaign by sharing content across their channels, including a new campaign video featuring people in cohort 6 getting their jab, and putting forward both those who represent the charities and those the charities work with to encourage others to take up the vaccine.
Chris Askew OBE, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK, said: “We are incredibly proud to be working with other leading voices in the charity sector to encourage people to get their COVID-19 vaccine.
“People with diabetes have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic and have a higher risk of becoming seriously ill if they develop coronavirus.
“For people living with diabetes, the best protection against coronavirus is to get the vaccine and take whichever vaccine you are offered.”
People in group 6 who are at higher clinical risk from coronavirus and have not already been contacted will be invited for a vaccine by their local GP team.
Co-Founder and Chief Executive of ACLT, Orin Lewis, said: “The ACLT feels compelled to ensure we do all we can to guarantee any decisions made regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, is done with knowledge of the verified facts and the science behind the vaccine.
“Far too many lives have already been lost, however now there is a real opportunity for positive change especially on behalf of patients with immunosuppression systems linked to stem cell, blood and organ related disorders.
“We feel extremely passionately people should seriously consider protecting themselves, their loved ones and society at large.
When they do make that decision, they need to ensure it’s an informed one based upon verified facts and not myths, fears and taboos.”
Sixteen charities have already joined the campaign and more are welcome to help boost the vaccine drive and save lives.
ENABLE Scotland, National Autistic Society Scotland and Scottish Autism have today launched the ‘Our Voice Our Rights’ Campaign calling on the major political parties to commit to a Commissioner for autistic people and people with a learning disability at the forthcoming Holyrood election.
The ‘Our Voice Our Rights’ campaign aims to make Scotland the best country in the world for the 56,000 autistic people, the 120,000 people with a learning disability and their families in Scotland. A country where human rights are respected and upheld; everyone has equal access to the services and support they need throughout their lives; and where autistic people and people with a learning disability are active citizens and fully supported to fulfil their potential.
While there have been many ambitious and well-intentioned strategies over the years from Government and partners, and an extensive regulatory framework, the charities hear day in day out how too many people are struggling to access their human rights to education, work, a family life, healthcare, to high quality social care services, and to be free from discrimination in their communities.
Many individuals and their families are exhausted from fighting tooth and nail to get the much-needed support and status as equal citizens. A fight that sadly, they often lose, leaving many in crisis, something brought into sharp focus by the pandemic and the pressures on the system.
In the lead up to the Scottish Parliamentary Elections in May 2021 the three charities are standing together with autistic people and people who have a learning disability to say ‘enough is enough’ and calling on all the major political parties in Scotland to commit to a Commissioner to ensure real change.
The Commissioner would be the first of its kind in the world, established in law to champion the human rights of autistic people and people with a learning disability.
They would be a powerful voice, improving access to services and advocating on people’s behalf when they cannot and importantly helping people have the choice and control to live a good life, free from discrimination.
They would close the current gap – between what the law says and what actually happens in reality. They would lead improvements and importantly people would also have recourse when the system falls short and fails to deliver for them.
The charities have launched the campaign alongside autistic people, people with a learning disability and families including the broadcaster Stuart Cosgrove.
A website is now live with a series of videos featuring people from across Scotland making the case for change. People are also being encouraged to get involved and to contact the party leaders to call for a Commissioner for autistic people and people with a learning disability to be included in their election manifestos.
Peter McMahon who has a learning disability and is a member of ENABLE Scotland said: “We need a Commissioner for Learning Disability and Autism so that people who have a learning disability like me aren’t put on the back burner or forgotten about.
“With a Commissioner working with us we can improve access to services and speak up for people when they cannot. Most importantly we can help people live good lives with choice and control and free from discrimination. People with learning disabilities feel invisible, we don’t want to be the invisible people any more and feel a Commissioner would help us.”
Broadcaster Stuart Cosgrove who has an autistic son said: “This campaign has the capacity for real positive change – As a family we’ve been lucky in that Jack got his autism diagnosis early on as a child but like all parents I worry about what happens when he grows up and leaves school.
“We of course want him to be independent, have his own place, a relationship, a job, all the usual things that parents hope for, but we also know those are likely to be challenging for him – he’s going to need that bit extra help and support.
“I believe by and large Scotland has a caring culture but establishing a Commissioner at a national level with a legal obligation to look into the different aspects of public life would make a huge difference. It would help Scotland lead the way to creating a society that fully includes and values autistic people.”
