Charities in talks on modern slavery

Charities and campaigners at the forefront of efforts to end modern slavery in the UK and overseas took part in a roundtable hosted by the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, and the UK’s Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Kevin Hyland on Monday.

The meeting, also attended by Minister for Vulnerability, Safeguarding and Countering Extremism, Sarah Newton, highlighted the UK’s commitment to ending slavery and to set out new measures and support announced by the Prime Minister including:

a new taskforce led by the Prime Minister to oversee government action to end slavery
a review by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) of the policing response to slavery
£33.5 million in official development assistance funding to tackle the issue in countries from which the UK sees a high number of victims

The new support comes one year on from the introduction of the Modern Slavery Act which increased penalties for offenders, protected victims from criminalisation, and created the role of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner.

As well as the new measures announced, an independent report by barrister Caroline Haughey highlights good progress in the first year of the act – 289 modern slavery offences were prosecuted in 2015 and there was a 40% rise in the number of victims referred for support – and identifies opportunities to do more.

Following the roundtable, the Home Secretary had the opportunity to meet a survivor of modern slavery: ‘J’ who was trafficked from Asia to the UK and held for 2 years by her captors.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: “While we can never truly understand the suffering experienced by victims of modern slavery, we will continue to take action to end this abhorrent crime.

I will work with the Prime Minister and all those campaigners and charities at the roundtable to ensure this government delivers for every victim both here and overseas. The harrowing experiences of victims like J will only intensify the government’s actions to end modern slavery.”

Those charities that attended the roundtable included Barnados, the Salvation Army, Medaille Trust, Human Trafficking Foundation, Anti-Slavery International, Hestia and End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT UK).

J’s story

J decided to come to the UK to study and to have a better future and was exploited by a woman from her own community.

Once in London, J wanted to improve her language skills and decided to do so by volunteering in a store-café owned by a woman from her own community within London. J had met this woman at the temple, and she trusted her dearly. For 2 years she was forced to work for 14 hours a day with only 2 toilet breaks and no lunch or dinner time. She was not paid and was forced to miss days at college in order to staff the store.

The owner of the store used to mistreat her and the other ‘employees’, threatening them and their families to ensure that they did not report it to the police. Furthermore, the lady withheld the use of heating during the winter and did not allow the ‘employees’ to eat or drink during ‘working’ hours.

In August 2014, a police officer from the British Transport Police managed to befriend J. The police referred the case to the Salvation Army, who then referred the case to Hestia. J was then welcomed into Hestia’s safe-house accommodation and feels she has finally found some peace.

Continue reading Charities in talks on modern slavery

Meet the Funders event next Thursday

MEET the FUNDERS EVENT

Thursday 12 May – Public Drop in from 5 – 8pm

Waverley Court Courtyard Coffee Bar/Restaurant area

‘Meet the Funders’ is a free marketplace event providing access to funding information for community projects. It is an opportunity for groups to discuss their ideas with potential funders and collect a range of information about possible sources of grant aid. The event also offers the groups an opportunity to meet and work together.

The following exhibitors have confirmed attendance with more expected:

Big Lottery
Edinburgh4Community
Community Grants Fund
PassIT On
Royal Bank of Scotland Foundation
Sportscotland
The Robertson Trust
Resourcing Scotland’s Heritage
Princes Trust Youth Business Scotland
Registered Tenants Grants
MyParkScotland – Greenspace Scotland
First Port
Edinburgh Business Gateway
Scotland’s Employment Recruitment Incentive Fund
Art and Business Scotland
MOD Covenant Fund
The Melting Pot
Edinburgh Community Food

Volunteering Matters

The Big Lunch Eden Project

Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland

Home Energy Scotland

Scotrail Community Fund

In Kind Direct

Turn2Us & The Edinburgh Fund

Greenspace Scotland Tesco Bags of Help

Waste Aware

The Charity Bank

Unity Bank Trust

Macmillan Cancer Care

20mph Speed Limits

Pilotlight

For more information, or if you would like to attend as an exhibitor, please contact Maureen Thompson on 0131 469 3595.

Devastation: charities fear impact of slashed Lottery funding

‘A significant cut to lottery funding, coupled with increased demand from people affected by welfare cuts and unemployment would represent a perfect storm for many Scottish charities’ – SallyAnn Kelly, Aberlour Trust. Continue reading Devastation: charities fear impact of slashed Lottery funding

It’s in the bag: carrier bag charge raises £6.7m for good causes

‘Staggering’: Scotland’s single use carrier bag usage has dropped by 650 million – more than 80% – since charge was introduced

Scotland’s Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead has announced that retailers across Scotland have witnessed a staggering reduction in the number of single use carrier bags handed out since the 5p charge came into effect 12 months ago.

Data from major grocery retailers indicate a reduction in bag use of around 80 per cent since 20 October 2014 – equivalent to at least 650 million fewer bags being handed out annually compared to previous years – with funds of around £6.7 million being donated to good causes as a result of the charge.

Boots, one of Scotland’s Carrier Bag Commitment signatories, has reported an estimated 80 per cent reduction in carrier bag use in Scotland. The Cabinet Secretary was at its store in Aberdeen to speak to shoppers about their experiences of the change so far.

Mr Lochhead said: “The 5p charge has been a major success with the number of single use bags down by a staggering 650 million, and with nearly £7m raised for good causes.

“Previously statistics showed that people in Scotland used more than 800 million new single-use carrier bags every single year – more per head than anywhere else in the UK.

“I thank Scotland for embracing this policy and showing we’re serious about tackling litter, reducing waste and creating a cleaner, greener environment for everyone to enjoy.

“It’s now becoming second nature to shoppers to reuse their carrier bags and hopefully to think more about our impact on the environment. I am confident that Scotland is going to go from strength to strength in its bid to tidy up our streets and beaches, where litter has been a highly visible problem in the past.”

Iain Gulland, Chief Executive, Zero Waste Scotland, said: “With retailers in Scotland reporting a reduction of 80% in the use of single use carrier bags, it’s evident that Scottish shoppers have embraced a new shopping habit. It’s not always easy to change our habits, but Scotland is proving it has this in the bag.

“Many organisations have already agreed to donate money raised by the 5p charge to good causes, by signing up to Scotland’s Carrier Bag Commitment. Other retailers across the country are now being urged to follow suit.”

Nationwide retailers that signed up to Scotland’s Carrier Bag Commitment – an agreement to disclose information on the charge, and donations made, to a central publicly available portal – are reporting that various charities up and down the country have also benefited from funds raised by the charge, with at least £6.7 million being donated to good causes.

Morrisons, the Co-operative and Waitrose have indicated a reduction of 80 per cent, with Asda reporting a drop of 90 per cent. Sainsburys have seen 100 per cent reduction of single use carrier bags as they no longer offer them to shoppers.

Stephen Watkins, head of customer experience North & East Scotland at Boots UK, added: “We want to help our customers care for the environment while making a difference in their local communities. We’ve seen a really positive effect in our stores in Scotland since the introduction of the charge in 2014, with an estimated reduction of around 80 per cent in carrier bag usage. We’ve also been able to offer significant support to Macmillan Cancer Support and the important work that they do for those affected by cancer in Scotland.

“From 5 October 2015 we are donating the net proceeds of the sale of these bags to BBC Children In Need. Together with our customers we can help make a difference to our environment and support community projects across Scotland the rest of the UK.”

Student events raise £20,000 for charities

Edinburgh College Events students are commended at top industry awards

Edinburgh College students who raised thousands of pounds for charity have been honoured at the Scottish events industry’s top awards ceremony for showing they can stage events of professional standard.

Two teams each picked up commendations in the Best Student Event Award category at the Scottish Event Awards in Glasgow on Wednesday. The students received their commendations for the fundraising events they organised as part of their course work for BA (Hons) Events Management.

Along with other student groups from Edinburgh College’s Events Management courses, they helped raised a total of £20,000 for a range of charities last year.

One of the commended teams organised a fashion show featuring people with dementia as models to raise funds for Alzheimer Scotland. Service users, carers, staff and volunteers at the charity’s Fife Dementia Resource Centre in Kirkcaldy took to the catwalk as models at the event, which raised more than £700 for the charity.

The second team organised a sell-out mini fringe festival at the Voodoo Rooms, featuring musical acts and a magician. The team raised £2,200 for Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland.

The students learned of their success at the Scottish Event Awards ceremony at Glasgow’s Grand Central Hotel.

Edinburgh College principal Annette Bruton said: “The students on our Events Management courses make a fantastic contribution to charities and raised more than £20,000 altogether last year. These commendations are testament to the hard work and professionalism the students put into organising their events, as well as the support they receive from their lecturers. I’m sure that this recognition is just the first step towards successful careers in the events industry.”

The Edinburgh College Events team and College Community department were also shortlisted in the Best Educational Event category for an event held to engage local schools, particularly head teachers, and increase opportunities for young people.

The college won in this category last year for its Graphic Design Industry Night, a one-night event that showcased graduates’ award winning design work, and celebrated the college’s close ties with industry.

The Scottish Event Awards honour the best events of various types across a range of sectors. They are run by magazine and marketing website The Drum.

Scotland responds to humanitarian crisis

‘we as a nation have to step up and respond in a way that matches the scale of this tragedy’ – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon

An operational taskforce is to be established to co-ordinate Scotland’s practical response to the humanitarian refugee crisis following yesterday’s Edinburgh summit convened by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

The First Minister said Scotland stands ready to welcome refugees, as she confirmed that the task force would urgently engage organisations across Scotland to establish capacity in a range of matters such as housing, health services, language support, transport and social services.

The First Minister announced that Europe and International Development Minister Humza Yousaf will chair the group, which will also examine how Scotland can harness the goodwill of the public in Scotland with many of the humanitarian organisations already reporting a huge number of offers of practical help from individuals and groups across the country.

Ms Sturgeon said that yesterday’s summit had been positive and productive with people who have sought sanctuary in Scotland invited to give their own personal testimonies about the practicalities of settling in a new country.

She also confirmed that the discussions would be summarised and sent to the Prime Minister as part of a positive offer of support from Scotland as the UK responds to the migration crisis.

The First Minister said: “I want, as First Minister, to ensure that Scotland is playing its part in dealing with this humanitarian crisis. Today’s summit was a positive and productive first step with a sense that we as a nation have to step up and respond in a way that matches the scale of this tragedy.

“Scotland already has well established structures in place for integrating those who come here seeking asylum and we stand ready to welcome our fair share of people fleeing persecution. However, if we are to do this, there is no doubt that we do require a proper, co-ordinated approach.

“Today’s summit was focused on looking at some of the practical issues involved and I have now established a task force to co-ordinate Scotland’s response, working with local authorities, public agencies and third sector organisations to ensure that any refugees that come to Scotland will be able to integrate successfully. As a first step, I expect the task force to examine capacity in a range of services in Scotland, including housing, health and social services.

“The task force will also have a hugely important role in harnessing the many, many expressions of goodwill and offers of help from the public in Scotland, providing a focal point for that activity and ensuring that the wider Scottish community is able to play its part in welcoming people to our country.”

Ms Sturgeon went on: “During the talks today there was real clarity expressed around the UK Government’s need to play a part in a co-ordinated European response to the problem and agree to take a fair and proportionate share of refugees.

“We want to work constructively with the UK government and I welcome the additional steps that the Prime Minister has set out but there has to be much more detail given – for example we still don’t know how many refugees he is talking about or whether these are just refugees from Syrian camps or those in Europe.

“There are not any easy solutions to this, but all of us have a responsibility as human beings to recognise the extent of this humanitarian crisis and resolve together to do something about it. If we all play our part then the totality of that response might just have a chance of dealing effectively with the problem.”

Circle website’s ‘scot’ to change!

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What?

Our website will change from www.circlescotland.org to www.circle.scot and emails will change to firstname.lastname@circle.scot

Why?

We know that there is sometimes confusion with regard to the name of our organisation, due to our website and email addresses. The name of our organisation is Circle (not Circle Scotland). By changing our website and email addresses to circle.scot, our branding will be more consistent and recognisable.

When?

The change will be made on Thursday 2 April. There may be some disruption to the website and emails over that weekend. Following that, there will be a changeover period whereby the current website address will be redirected to the new one. Similarly, emails will be redirected from the old email addresses for a period of time, after which the old email addresses will become obsolete.

Family matters: extensions for innovative family support projects

An extra £2.5 million in government funding to help charities and other groups support families going through relationship breakdown has been announced today (8 March 2015) by Steve Webb, Minister with responsibility for child maintenance.

Scotland’s Family Decision Making Service partnership is one of sixteen trial Innovation Fund projects to have been providing tailored support across the country helping separated parents work together for the benefit of their children since 2013. The new funding means they will now be extended until September.

Projects include specialist support to teenage parents working with their children’s grandparents, face-to-face services for separated parents caught up in long-term disputes, and tailored help for Muslim families who are experiencing relationship breakdown.

Minister for Child Maintenance Steve Webb said: “Family breakdown can be difficult for everyone involved, but the evidence shows that children stand a much better chance of getting on in life when their parents are working together.

“This funding will allow these projects to continue their excellent work by helping parents to put aside their differences for their children’s sake.

“We are starting to see some very encouraging results from these projects which will be invaluable when it comes to designing future services and are proving priceless for the families being helped.”

Children 1st’s Family Decision Making Service (Scotland) has worked with more than 1500 individuals since it’s launch.

This bespoke service provides support to parents 365 days a year over the telephone or through live webchat. It draws upon the expertise of three organisations: Children 1st, Scottish Child Law Centre and One Parent Families Scotland.

Assistant director Linda Jardine said: “This extra funding is good news for separated and separating families in Scotland.

“Children cope better with family break-up if their parents work together on the decisions which affect them, and through the Family Decision Making service parents are able to draw on the combined expertise of three partners to help them to do this.

“So far the service, which is unique in Scotland, has worked with more than 1,500 individuals to make sure that, whatever difficulties the adults may be experiencing, their children remain the focus.”

Part of the DWP’s work on relationship support, the projects were originally set up to work alongside the new Child Maintenance Service, which is taking a fresh approach to tackling the issue of family breakdown.

More than 6 out of 10 separated parents using the new Child Maintenance Service are now choosing to make their own financial arrangements rather than relying on the state to collect and pay maintenance on their behalf.

At the heart of the reforms lies the principle that children have a much better start in life when both parents work together across a range of issues including contact, schooling and finances – even if they have separated.

The third party organisations delivering the projects were encouraged to come up with new and innovative ways of delivering the support.

Each of the projects is unique in the type of support that they offer, which can be delivered through face-to-face sessions, over the telephone and online.

Some of the projects target specific groups, such as teenage parents, people on low incomes and families with diverse cultural background. Practical guidance is also offered on a range of matters including legal advice.

A total of £10 million was set aside to fund the various projects when they were introduced in 2013. The results from the projects will be used to design future government services.

The Innovation fund projects are:

Howells: Working Together for Children (South Yorkshire)

Family Lives (Leicester, Waltham Forest, Gloucestershire)

Resolution: Family Matters (Doncaster, Wakefield, Scunthorpe, Grimsby, Retford)

Sills and Betteridge: Moving Forward (Lincolnshire)

Mediation Now: Changing Lives (Hampshire and Portsmouth)

Spurgeons: Supporting separated teenagers (West Midlands and Warwickshire)

Changing Futures North East: Moving On (Teeside, Sunderland and County Durham)

Tavistock Centre for Couple Relationships: Parents In Dispute (London)

Children 1st: Family Decision Making Service (Scotland)

Pinnacle People: Families Together (Bristol)

Malachi Family Support Services (Birmingham and West Midlands)

One plus One: Splitting Up? Put Kids First (nationwide)

National Family Mediation: At Court Mediation (Hereford and Worcester, West Yorkshire and Berkshire)

Family Matters Mediate: Listening to Children Matters (Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire)

Clear out those unwanted clothes

A Spring clean could support charities

£2.4 billion worth of unworn and unwanted clothing is lining Scotland’s wardrobes and could instead be used to help vulnerable people across the country, according to housing charity Shelter.

They say the average household has up to £1,000 worth of clothes that have not been worn for at least a year, most often because they no longer fit.

Shelter is encouraging people across Scotland to rummage through wardrobes, drawers, cupboards and attics and donate any unwanted items to one of their shops to help support the fight against bad housing and homelessness.

Last year 36,457 households made homeless applications to their local council in Scotland. Meanwhile, 150,500 households are currently on waiting lists for a home of their own.

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said: “The total cost of unworn clothes is a staggering £2.4 billion in Scotland. Even a very small fraction of that could help Shelter Scotland to continue our fight against bad housing and homelessness.

“It costs just £10 for one of our expert advisors to help a family or individual at risk of losing their home – we can raise that money by selling an unwanted jumper or pair shoes. £45 is enough to train an advisor to protect children at risk, and that money could be raised from selling an unwanted winter coat that’s taking up space in someone’s wardrobe.

“We hope that the people of Scotland will continue to support us, because without their help and generosity our fight to end bad housing and homelessness would be so much harder.”

Research by WRAP shows that the annual footprints of a household’s new and existing clothing are equivalent to the weight of over 100 pairs of jeans or the water needed to fill over 1,000 bathtubs.

WRAP says that extending the average life of clothes by just three months, such as donating them to charity, would lead to a 5-10% reduction in each of the carbon, water and waste footprints.

It is estimated that £140 million worth (350,000 tonnes) of used clothing goes to landfill in the UK every year – clothes which Shelter Scotland says could be donated to charity.

Graeme Brown added: “We’ve all got clothes we no longer wear or need. If every person in Scotland donated just one item to a Shelter Scotland shop it would make a world of difference. Shelter Scotland believes that everybody deserves a home. Our work won’t stop until there’s a home for everyone.”

STV Appeal cash for Young Carers

Edinburgh Young Carers Project receives £2,000 from STV Appeal 2014.

Edinburgh Young Carers Project (EYCP) was established in 1994 and is the main provider of services to assist young carers to cope with the stress and complexities of their family situation. The project aims to increase awareness of young carers and ensure they get support through EYCP, schools or in their local communities.

EYCP supports around 150 young carers annually between the ages of five and 20. The project aims to improve the quality of life of a young carer through helping them maintain a balance between the responsibilities of being a carer and their own needs for time and space for their own personal development through their childhood and adolescence.

The STV Appeal is committed to making a difference in the lives of children and young people living in poverty in Scotland. Across the country, 220,000 children live in poverty and figures from the Campaign to End Child Poverty show that in Edinburgh it’s actually 21.1% of children – more than one in five. Edinburgh Young Carers is one of the projects the STV Appeal is supporting in Edinburgh.

Margaret Murphy, CEO of Edinburgh Young Carers, said: “Young carers often give up a lot through taking on roles and responsibilities caring for a family member and we seek to provide them with understanding, time off and a chance to be the children they are to develop their social skills and to have fun.

“The generous donation from the STV Appeal will be used to support the 1:1 work EYCP provides for young carers who have difficult caring situations, or who are experiencing a particularly difficult period in their lives. We have found that providing this individual support makes a big difference in helping them to cope.”

Since launch in 2011, the STV Appeal has raised over £8.2 million with 297 big and small grants distributed to projects across all 32 local authority areas in Scotland, providing much needed support to over 37,000 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 Appeal, said: “The money donated to the STV Appeal remains in Scotland and will help bring about a positive change 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 have raised an incredible £2.6m in 2014 allowing us to make grants to 297 projects. We are extremely grateful to everyone who supported this year’s Appeal.”

The STV Appeal 2015 is now well underway with an exciting line-up of fundraising activities planned for the year ahead.