Fostering Network produces new survey
You don’t have to be a good cook to foster, according to children and young people in foster care. Instead the overwhelming call was for foster carers who can provide them with security, support and love. Continue reading Can’t cook, could foster!
‘a hand up, not a hand out’
Edinburgh’s Young Carers project has received £2,000 from the STV Children’s Appeal.
The charity supports over 250 young carers every year, helping them maintain a balance between their responsibilities as a carer and their need for time and space for their own development throughout childhood and adolescence.
The donation from the STV Children’s Appeal will be used to support young carers aged 9 -13 years. Carers in this age group experience one of the highest burdens of caring and require specific support in order to meet the challenges they face, including moving from primary to secondary school and preparing for their first exams. One of the most significant and lasting impacts on young carers is poor educational attainment. Edinburgh’s Young Carers works with schools to raise awareness of the challenges faced by young carers and to help teachers identify and support young carers so that they are able to maintain their education.
Margaret Murphy, CEO of Edinburgh’s Young Carers, said: “Young carers may live in poorer families, have poorer physical and mental health and leave school with poor exam results compared with their peers. Being a young carer can benefit young people in a number of ways, including developing their maturity, life skills and independence. However, without access to appropriate support young carers can be very vulnerable and at risk of many challenges that can damage their development and long term life chances.”
Jack (13), an Edinburgh Young Carer, said: “I dreaded going to school as I found it hard. I just wanted to fall asleep in class and couldn’t concentrate as I was always worrying whether mum would be okay. Karen from EYCP met my teacher and I get extra help with my school work and I can phone home at break time. I feel a lot better about going to school and I am getting better marks – B instead of D!”
Since launch in 2011, the STV Children’s Appeal has raised over £11.1 million with 424 big and small grants distributed to projects across all 32 local authority areas in Scotland, providing much needed support to over 59,000 children. The money raised is distributed to provide practical help like food and warm clothes; create opportunities for training and employability; and enable social and emotional support for those who need it most.
Rob Woodward, STV CEO and trustee of the STV Children’s Appeal, said: “All the money donated to the STV Children’s Appeal remains in Scotland and will help bring about positive changes to the lives of vulnerable children and young people on our doorstep. With the help of the extraordinary fundraising efforts taking place in communities across the country we are able to support projects like Edinburgh’s Young Carers that help improve the lives of children in Scotland. We are extremely grateful to everyone who supports the STV Children’s Appeal.”
Sir Tom Hunter, trustee of the STV Children’s Appeal, said: “Through the Appeal our singular ambition is to deliver sustainable solutions to end child poverty. It is simply unacceptable in modern Scotland to still have young people debilitated by poverty through no fault of their own. Thanks to this project and many more, the people of Scotland are doing their level best to combat poverty.
“This is about communities coming together and, with a hand up not a hand out, from the STV Appeal, helping themselves deliver sustainable solutions to end child poverty.”
Sir Ian Wood, trustee of the STV Children’s Appeal, said: “The generosity of the people in Scotland who provide such great support to the STV Children’s Appeal is always incredibly encouraging and heart-warming. It is deeply concerning that there continues to be a significant requirement across Scotland for this financial support.
However, I do believe that the £2.9million raised this year will make a significant contribution to eradicating the issue of child poverty in Scotland. Throughout my working life I travelled a lot seeing an obvious divide between the haves and the have-nots around the world, and to know that this is also happening on our doorstep is deeply concerning. Everyone has a role to play in reducing the alarming child poverty statistics.”
If you’re an individual or group that would like to get involved with the STV Children’s Appeal and help raise funds for children and young people affected by poverty in Scotland, please get in touch with Natalie Wright at natalie.wright@stv.tv.
Craighall Centre Health & Social Care event
The three month public consultation on the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership’s draft Strategic Plan and Joint Strategic Needs Assessment ends on 31 October and the Strategic Planning Group, which is overseeing the consultation, is keen to hear from citizens, communities and stakeholders.
The city council is inviting local community groups, organisations and individuals to participate in and give their views on the integration of health and social care services and has organised a number of events across the city to enable you to find out what’s been proposed and have your say.
The local event takes place at Craighall Centre, 210 Ferry Road on Monday 28 September from 1 – 2.30pm (note change of time).
There is a web link included in the flier so people can access to view the plan:
https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/
https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/
https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/
https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/
The Scottish Government will provide £10.1 million to councils to raise kinship care allowances to the same level foster care families receive, Children’s Minister Aileen Campbell confirmed yesterday. Carers organisations have warmly welcomed the annoucement.
The funding announcement follows the First Minister’s pledge last week to ensure that children looked after by relatives are entitled to the same support as those placed with foster care families. This meets a commitment to introduce parity of allowances for children in formal kinship care made in 2007.
This announcement goes further and extends support to those eligible children on the edge of care who are subject to a Section 11 order of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 which from April 2016 will be known as a Kinship Care Order.
The Scottish Government also reiterated its commitment to working with partners towards a unified national allowance in the long term.
Minister for Children and Young People Aileen Campbell said:
“Vulnerable children in kinship care families deserve to be treated the same as other children who can’t live at home. Often the circumstances that lead to a relative taking a child or young person into their home are heart-breaking, confusing and complex for all involved. Having a family relationship provides stability and support, but it can be a significant upheaval and one which needs proper support.
“The additional investment of £10.1 million will improve the lives of around 5,200 children, delivering practical improvements for those who have had to struggle in the past as they strive to provide security and stability for some of Scotland’s most vulnerable children and young people. Today’s announcement is also recognition of the incredible commitment and dedication that all kinship carers make every day and we want to show our appreciation and gratitude.
“We will continue to work with local authorities, kinship carers, and other partners to let kinship care families know what they are now entitled to and how to access it.”
This announcement is the result of close working between the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (CoSLA) to establish how best to fund councils to expand the support.
Anne Swartz, Chair of the Scottish Kinship Care Alliance, said:
“We are delighted that the Scottish Government has finally recognised the comparable needs of children in kinship and foster care, which kinship carers have campaigned tirelessly for. This will make a huge difference to the 5,200 children who will be entitled to further support.
“However, the Buttle UK comprehensive 2013 report ‘The Poor Relations’ claims there are at least 20,000 kinship carers in Scotland (or 1 in 71 children) and most of these placements are informal, and will therefore be left out. We must not let the majority of children in kinship care become more marginalised and vulnerable. We will continue to work with the Scottish Government and kinship carers across Scotland to get all kinship care families recognised and supported. ”
Councillor Stephanie Primrose, CoSLA Education, Children and Young People Spokesperson said:
“I’m pleased to see that we have reached an agreement with Scottish Government which will ensure that kinship carers who look after children on behalf of local authorities will receive the same amount of money as local foster carers.
“This agreement has been the fruit of over a year’s work with Scottish Government and local authorities. It means that a kinship carer will receive an allowance from the local authority which will equal the value of the allowance paid to local foster carers. We have also agreed as part of this deal that councils will now pay allowance to carers of eligible children that have secured parental rights through a court order.
“This agreement has been reached with the help of new money from Scottish Government, but also comes about because of a massive commitment from local government. With budgets under pressure at the local level, this was not an easy commitment for local government to make, but I feel that it exemplifies the support of local government for vulnerable children and shows what can be achieved by local and Scottish Government working together at the national level.”
Chris Oswald of the Equality and Human Rights Commission Scotland said:
“The EHRC welcomes this announcement as we believe that there is no reason why looked after children who are living in kinship care should receive less financial support that those living in foster care. Our own research into the issue demonstrated that whilst many Local Authorities were making comparable payments, unfortunately the majority were not.
“At a time when there is pressure on public sector budgets we are pleased that the Government and CoSLA have responded positively to these concerns and worked to provide a package which recognises that the costs of childcare are the same whether the child is being fostered or is in kinship care arrangement.”
PASDA training for family carers of adults with autism
There are still some places left on this training – it has been run previously and there has been very positive feedback from the families who went through the training – but deadline for applications is THIS SUNDAY.
Applications have opened for Positive Pathways; positive behaviour training for family carers of adults with Autism (with or without a learning disability) who are living in Edinburgh and East Lothian.
This training will consist of 4 half-day training sessions held at Number 6 which will run every 2 weeks during an 8 week period. As well as the training sessions, carers will also receive 4 intensive 1:1 sessions. There will also be follow up sessions in October 2016.
A copy of the application form is attached – carers should complete this electronically and email to Pasda, but if this is an issue for carers Pasda will also accept handwritten applications.
The closing date for applications is Sunday 6 September and training starts the w/beginning Monday 5 October.
Anyone interested should contact PASDA directly: telephone 0131 475 2416 or email info@pasda.org.uk.
Visit www.pasda.org.uk to complete an application form.
Good luck, Norman – May the Forth be with you!
Carers’ Champion Councillor Norman Work is scaling new heights for charity as part of National Carers Week. The abseil from the side of the Forth Bridge tomorrow will raise funds for VOCAL (Voice of Carers Across Lothian), and will also mark the start of events taking place across Edinburgh to celebrate the awareness week.
Othere events include a city-wide art trail across the city featuring installations created by the Edinburgh Young Carers Project, wine tasting on a barge, song writing, arts therapy and a pamper session.
There are an estimated 65,000 unpaid carers in Edinburgh who play a crucial role in the provision of care to people who would not be able to remain at home and in their own communities safely, independently and with dignity without them.
The theme of this year’s Carers Week, which runs from June 8th until the14th, is focusing on building Carer Friendly Communities. These are communities which support carers to look after the person that they care for well, while recognising that they are individuals with needs of their own.
Councillor Work said: “This week is all about saying thanks to carers for their timeless and selfless work, and for providing an absolutely vital service to the community.
“Our job is to “care for the carers” by making sure they access much-needed help and support, whether it’s financial advice or respite for them.
“The Capital Coalition set up a Carers’ Champion to achieve this and will continue to help them through the implementation of the Joint Carers’ Strategy we developed with NHS Lothian and stakeholders.”
The Abseil has been organised by the Rotary Club of South Queensferry, and you can help support the event by sponsoring those who are taking part – visit the JustGiving website. In addition to the thrill of descending 165ft from the Forth Rail Bridge at South Queensferry, participants will receive a commemorative certificate and t-shirt.
You can sponsor Councillor Work by accessing his JustGiving page,
https://www.justgiving.com/Norman-Work5/
and details of this week’s events can be found on the VOCAL website.
PEOPLE throughout Scotland who are looking for quality-assured information about care are being reminded to use the improved Care Information Scotland service.
Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health Jamie Hepburn urged people to turn to the online and telephone resource for all their care information needs at Scottish Care’s National Care at Home and Housing Support Conference in Glasgow today.
He said: “Back in 2010, when Care Information Scotland was first launched, it was the first site of its kind in Scotland, offering a single point of contact for care information for older people.
“The service has now expanded to provide accessible, quality information to not just older people but to all carers, those being cared for and care support services across Scotland.
“This re-designed service provides a central point to help guide people through the maze of resources and to ensure they have access to comprehensive, accurate and up to date information, either for themselves, a relative or a friend. I would encourage everyone to visit this website to find out more.”
NHS 24 – which manages the service – has worked in partnership with the Scottish Government and a wide range of organisations including Age Scotland, the Carers Trust and Shared Care to ensure the re-designed website and telephone service meets the needs of carers and those being cared for.
NHS 24 Head of Health Information Services, Lynne Huckerby, said: “This fresh new service now offers features such as web chat, direct links to social care across local councils and the ability to share content and information.
“The service is designed to complement service provision in local areas and provides advice and signposting information a range of topics, allowing people to make informed decisions. This service will be a useful resource for those finding themselves in a caring role for the first time.”
Carers Trust Scotland has been one of many organisations involved in the expansion of the service.Florence Burke, Carers Trust Director for Scotland, said: “We were pleased to be involved in the development of Care Information Scotland, using our experience of supporting carers and carers’ services across the country.
“The website has a wealth of information for people who are starting out in a caring role, as well as being a good reference tool for people who have been caring for some time.
“For carers, having access to relevant information at a time that suits them can be valuable in helping them to navigate the demands of caring.”
The Care Information Scotland helpline is available on 0800 011 3200 between 8am and 10pm seven days a week.
The online service is available at www.careinfoscotland.scot and includes video content, webchat and BrowseAloud, a speech and reading support tool which can also translate material into different languages.
North West Carers are moving home next week. The local organisation won’t be moving too far, however – the Carers are ‘flitting’ from Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre down to the Prentice Centre in Granton Mains.
Manager Angela Dias said: “We are moving to new premises on Wednesday (18 March). Our new address is: The Prentice Centre, 1 Granton Mains Avenue,
EH4 4GA. Our email addresses and website address will remain the same as now, as will our telephone number.
“We would expect communications to be working as normal, however please bear with us if there are complications with our telephone and email systems within the first few days. We will put a mobile number on our website on Wednesday which will provide a default communication system in the unlikely case of any unforeseen difficulties.”
www.nwcarers.org.uk
angela@nwcarers.org.uk
GOOD LISTENERS SOUGHT BY EDINBURGH-BASED HELPLINE
An Edinburgh based helpline for stressed parents and carers is looking for volunteer call takers. ParentLine Scotland took more than 4000 calls from anxious mums, dads and carers from across the country last year.
The charity offers a helpline, email and web-chat service, for anyone caring for or concerned about a child. It is run by CHILDREN 1ST which works to ensure every child and young person in Scotland has a happy, healthy, safe and secure childhood.
Helpline Manager Jill Cook said: “Our volunteers make an enormous difference to the lives of mums, dads, carers, and professionals just by being there to listen and reassure. It’s a vital service and we ensure they’re ready for the role with 40 hours of high quality training. They also have back-up from a supervisor.”
Volunteers at ParentLine Scotland give a minimum commitment to a year after training. The charity says it’s looking for caring, non-judgemental people who are interested in the wellbeing of children and young people. Calls can be about all sorts of issues from bullying to separating families, teenage behaviour and toddlers tantrums.
Volunteer Janin Pohl (40) said: “Whatever people call with we take it seriously, it’s not trivial. In that time they are valued. You don’t often find out how things go but at the time you have that sense that there is now a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.”
The next volunteer training course starts on 31 January. To find out more contact parentlinescotland@children1st.org.uk
ParentLine Scotland is open 365 days a year on 08000 28 22 33. You can also get in touch by web-chat at www.children1st.org.uk/parentlineor by email parentlinescotland@children1st.org.uk
Volunteer Profile
Janin Pohl (40) from Edinburgh has been a ParentLine Scotland volunteer for three and a half years. She was born in Germany and travelled before settling in Edinburgh seven years ago. She is trained in counselling and shiatsu massage. Janin is blind.
How did you get involved?
“When I saw the advert for ParentLine Scotland I came at it from the perspective of a child. There are so many things that aren’t talked about in families. They’re swept under the carpet or people never say how they are feeling and I thought maybe it’s like that for adults too. Plus I’d done counselling training and this was a way I could use my skills. I’d been volunteering from home and I thought it would be good to go to an office with a team and a supervisor and be with people.”
Why do you think ParentLine can help even when friends and family can’t?
“You can decide when you want to talk and the caller is in control. They can say things they would never say at home. Some people do have support but find it easier to talk to a stranger who will not judge them or their situation.”
How do you cope with calls that are upsetting?
“If I have a difficult call the most important thing is to acknowledge how it is making me feel. If I feel sad then I am sad. If I need to I can get support from the supervisor and we can talk about it.”
What would you say to someone considering volunteering?
“I’d say it’s always good to give something a try. You don’t need to have a family of your own. As someone from outside of the family you have perspective. It’s about being there with them accompanying the person in what they are going through.”
‘change is part of the provision of social care’
North West Carers Centre has had it’s share of difficulties over the last year: without a manager and facing a funding crisis, there were times when the voluntary board and staff must have thought about throwing in the towel. Thankfully they remained loyal to the project, however, and their recent annual general meeting heard that the Carers Centre is still very much alive and kicking!
Chairperson Ian Huggan told the meeting, held in Muirhouse Millennium Centre: “it has been a particularly difficult year for the Board and staff of North West Carers. We spent most of the year without a Manager while coping with a difficult financial position. We are especially grateful to our main funder, the City of Edinburgh Council, for their support not only financially but also from the commissioners during this time.”
During the course of the year the project has been strengthened by the addition of committed new directors, who have worked with the existing Board and staff team to keep the project afloat. The project also received a much-need boost with the arrival of experienced manager Angela Dias (pictured above with Ian) in July.
The North West Carers Centre is now moving forward again at last, but challenges remain: as always in the voluntary sector, funding is one concern and adapting to changing demands on your service – often with reduced budgets – is another.
“When the Scottish Government seeks cuts in expenditure from local authorities voluntary organisations feel the result of any cuts in the funding of our services,” Ian Huggan said. “I remember the chairperson of a voluntary organisation asking me ten years ago: ‘when will all this change stop?’ My answer then is the same as now: change is part of the provision of social care. Don’t expect things to be the same year in, year out.”
He went on: “North West Carers is acutely aware of some changes that will come from outside but we must also look at the way we work and deliver services. Looking for threats and opportunities is the name of the game”.
The Board continues to look for new funding streams and has developed a series of plans to address change, detailing clear outcomes and targets, but in a time of change one thing remains constant: the determination to provide a service that Carers want and need.
Mr Huggan, who stepped down as chairman at the meeting, concluded: “Carers are at the heart of our service and the Board and staff will be working hard in the coming year to improve communication with, and participation of, Carers in all that we do. We need to ask you what you want from us and endeavour to meet your needs.”
