Hourglass have delivered an open letter to PM Rishi Sunak calling on the Government to urgently provide funding parity for older victim survivors and fund their unique 24/7 helpline
Hourglass have submitted an open letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak signed by politicians from across the political spectrum. The letter calls for the government to provide urgent financial support for the Hourglass helpline which provides 24/7 support and casework for older victim-survivors of abuse.
The open letter has been signed by MPs, Peers, MLAs, MSPs, MSs, academics, third sector leaders and other community supporters. Members of every major political party in the UK have supported this campaign, either by signing this letter or by contacting the Prime Minister directly asking the Government to support the Hourglass helpline.
Hourglass not only provides a 24/7 helpline, the only one of its kind in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland but also creates tailored care plans for older victim survivors using caseworkers across the UK. The charity income plummeted in 2022 whilst cases have dramatically risen.
In 2022 the Hourglass helpline has seen a 96% increase in calls. Many of these calls are referrals from government and third sector agencies who rely on Hourglass as specialists in supporting older victims.
Despite this, government support for the helpline and casework service provided by Hourglass has declined. The charity is now bidding for funds from a Violence Against Women and Girls tender, which misses a significant swathe of its work.
Richard Robinson, Chief Executive of Hourglass, said:“The Hourglass helpline and case work service plays a critical role in supporting older people who have experienced abuse. This is a truly unique service and ensures older people can have hope during their darkest times.
“During the Conservative Party leadership campaign, the Ready for Rishi campaign promised that if elected a Rishi-led government would engage with organisations supporting victims, such as Hourglass. There has been no engagement, a string of cancelled meetings and limited understanding of challenge older people face, especially now during this financial crisis.
“The Prime Minister now needs to honour his campaign promise by working with Hourglass to ensure the only UK helpline supporting older victims of abuse can continue to provide a 24/7 service and doesn’t downsize drastically.”
Baroness Ritchie, Hourglass Patron, said:“The Government need to support older victims of abuse. In an ageing society, services like the Hourglass Helpline play a vital role.
“I urge the Prime Minister to answer the call of this open letter and provide adequate funding for the Hourglass Helpline.”
The city council’s Transport and Environment Convener has condemned anti-social behaviour towards Lothian Buses employees.
Councillor Scott Arthur’s comments follow an open letter from Sarah Boyd, managing director of Lothian Buses, which acknowledges an increase in abusive behaviour towards drivers and other customer-facing people, as well as frontline workers around the city.
Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, responded to Sarah Boyd’s letter, saying: “It’s extremely disappointing to hear that Lothian Buses’ employees are having to endure abusive and anti-social behaviour.
“These keyworkers work hard to provide a trusted, essential service for the city and it’s appalling that they’re having to put up with this kind of treatment.
“We’ve pulled through an exceptionally challenging few years together, as a city, and I’m grateful for the indispensable role Lothian Buses played during the pandemic. We should not forget that drivers faced unknown risks everyday getting keyworkers to work.
“The current Europe-wide driver shortage means all bus companies face huge challenges in maintaining their network, but I know the vast majority of people in Edinburgh understand this and will continue to support Lothian Buses by reinforcing a zero tolerance stance on anti-social behaviour.”
Child abuse image offences recorded by Police Scotland up 13% last year and reach over 3,100 in just five years
‘Social media being used as a conveyor belt to produce child abuse images on an industrial scale’
NSPCC sets out five-point plan to strengthen Online Safety Bill so it decisively disrupts the production and spread of child abuse material on social media
More than 3,000 child abuse image crimes were recorded by Police Scotland over the last five years, the NSPCC has revealed today.
Data obtained from Police Scotland shows the number of offences relating to possessing, taking, making, and distributing child abuse material peaked at 660 last year (2020/21) – up 13% from 2019/20.
The NSPCC previously warned the pandemic had created a ‘perfect storm’ for grooming and abuse online.
The charity said social media is being used by groomers as a conveyor belt to produce and share child abuse images on an industrial scale. It added that the issue of young people being groomed into sharing images of their own abuse has become pervasive.
The NSPCC is urging the UK Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries to seize the opportunity to strengthen the Online Safety Bill, so it results in decisive action that disrupts the production and spread of child abuse material on social media.
The child protection charity said that behind every offence could be multiple victims and images, and children will continue to be at risk of an unprecedented scale of abuse unless the draft legislation is significantly strengthened.
Ahead of a report by Parliamentarians who scrutinised the draft Online Safety Bill expected next week, the NSPCC, which has been at the forefront of campaigning for social media regulation, set out a five-point plan to strengthen the legislation so it effectively prevents online abuse.
The charity’s online safety experts said the Bill currently fails to address how offenders organise across social media, doesn’t effectively tackle abuse in private messaging and fails to hold top managers liable for harm or give children a voice to balance the power of industry.
The NSPCC is critical of the industry response to child abuse material. A Facebook whistle-blower recently revealed Meta apply a return-on-investment principle to combatting child abuse material and don’t know the true scale of the problem as the company “doesn’t track it”.
NSPCC Chief Executive, Sir Peter Wanless, said: “The staggering amount of child sexual abuse image offences is being fuelled by the ease with which offenders are able to groom children across social media to produce and share images on an industrial scale.
“The UK Government recognises the problem and has created a landmark opportunity with the Online Safety Bill. We admire Nadine Dorries’ declared intent that child protection is her number one objective.
“But our assessment is that the legislation needs strengthening in clear and specific ways if it is to fundamentally address the complex nature of online abuse and prevent children from coming to avoidable harm.”
The NSPCC’s five-point plan lays out where the Online Safety Bill must be strengthened to:
Disrupt well-established grooming pathways: The Bill fails to tackle convincingly the ways groomers commit abuse across platforms to produce new child abuse images. Offenders exploit the design features of social media sites to contact multiple children before moving them to risky livestreaming or encrypted sites. The Bill needs to be strengthened to require platforms to explicitly risk assess for cross platform harms.
Tackle how offenders use social media to organise abuse: The Bill fails to address how abusers use social media as a shop window to advertise their sexual interest in children, make contact with other offenders and post digital breadcrumbs as a guide for them to find child abuse content. Recent whistle-blower testimony found Facebook groups were being used to facilitate child abuse and signpost to illegal material hosted on other sites.
Put a duty on every social media platform to have a named manager responsible for children’s safety: To focus minds on child abuse every platform should be required to appoint a named person liable for preventing child abuse, with the ultimate threat of criminal sanctions for product decisions that put children in harm’s way.
Give the regulator more effective powers to combat abuse in private messaging: Private messaging is the frontline of child abuse but the regulator needs clearer powers to take action against companies that don’t have a plan to tackle it. Companies should have to risk assess end-to-end encryption plans before they go ahead so the regulator is not left in the dark about abuse taking place in private messaging.
Give children a funded voice to fight for their interests: Under current proposals for regulation children who have been abused will get less statutory protections than bus passengers or Post Office users. There needs to be provision for a statutory body to represent the interests of children, funded by an industry levy, in the Bill.
The NSPCC is mobilising supporters to sign an open letter to Nadine Dorries asking the UK Culture Secretary to make sure children are at the heart of the Online Safety Bill.
The NSPCC’s full analysis of the draft Online Safety Bill is set out in their ‘Duty to Protect’ report.
More than 120 organisations from across Scotland are urging First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to double the Scottish Child Payment in this year’s Programme for Government.
The campaigners say the 1 in 4 children living in poverty in Scotland cannot wait.
In an open letter the End Child Poverty coalition is calling on The First Minister to “do the right thing” to help thousands of poverty-stricken children and families.
The letter in full:
Dear First Minister,
As a broad coalition of national organisations, community groups, academics, trade unions and faith groups, we are writing to you to urge you to use the upcoming Programme for Government to commit to doubling the Scottish Child Payment in this year’s budget.
We welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to tackling child poverty, evidenced in the setting of statutory child poverty targets, introducing the Scottish Child Payment and the upcoming incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. These steps have laid the foundation for tackling child poverty in Scotland and we have been delighted that they have been supported across Scotland’s political spectrum.
This cross-party agreement was also evident in May’s Holyrood elections, when all Scotland’s five main political parties committed to doubling the Scottish Child Payment. Such political consensus is welcome, and provides the opportunity for your government to act quickly and decisively in doubling the payment now.
To do so would provide a lifeline to families who are struggling to stay afloat. Even before Covid-19, people across Scotland were being swept up in a rising tide of poverty, with child poverty rising in every Scottish local authority. And the pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities in Scotland and pulled many more people – particularly women, disabled people, and Black and minority ethnic people – into hardship.
With women’s poverty being inextricably linked to child poverty, the pandemic’s impact has pulled children across Scotland ever deeper into poverty. It has hit lone parents – the overwhelming majority of whom are women – particularly hard, a group already disproportionately affected by years of social security cuts.
Unlocking people from this poverty requires long-term work to tackle the structural inequalities around the labour market – particularly for women, disabled people and Black and minority ethnic people – and it will also require action like further expanding childcare provision. But we also need action now to boost incomes in the short term.
Every level of government has a duty to boost incomes where it can, and we are clear that the UK Government must scrap its planned and unjust £20 Universal Credit cut. But just as the UK Government has a moral responsibility to do the right thing, so too does the Scottish Government have a moral responsibility to use all of the powers at its disposal to loosen the grip of poverty on people’s lives.
We have the powers, we have the urgent need, and we have the cross-party consensus to double the Scottish Child Payment. If your government is to truly make ending child poverty a ‘national mission’, and if we are to ensure that a more just Scotland emerges from the pandemic, then we must not delay. Children growing up in the grip of poverty right now – as well as their parents and care-givers – simply cannot endure until the end of this Parliament to be unlocked from poverty. Their lives and life chances are too important for this action to wait.
The evidence is clear that if it is doubled now, it will represent the single most impactful action that could be taken to help meet the interim child poverty targets in 2023, and would signal that ending child poverty will be a defining priority for this Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament. If it is not, more and more children will be pulled into poverty and the opportunity to meet the interim child poverty targets will be missed. Under the current roll out plan and value, the Scottish Child Payment will reduce poverty in Scotland by between 2 and 3 percentage points. This could leave child poverty rates as high as 26% in 2023/24, when the interim target in legislation for that year is 18%. We cannot allow that to happen.
We therefore urge your government to do the right thing, to capitalise on the cross-party consensus that already exists, and to commit to doubling the Scottish Child Payment in this year’s budget. We look forward to your response.
Kind regards,
Peter Kelly, Director, Poverty Alliance
Claire Telfer, Head of Scotland, Save the Children
Paul Carberry, Director for Scotland, Action for Children
SallyAnn Kelly, Chief Executive Officer, Aberlour
John Dickie, Director, CPAG Scotland
Martin Crewe, Director, Barnardo’s Scotland
Jamie Livingstone, Head of Oxfam Scotland
Satwat Rehman, Director, One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS)
Amy Woodhouse, Joint Interim CEO, Children in Scotland
Christine Carlin, Scotland Director, Home-Start UK
Clare Simpson, Manager, Parenting Across Scotland
Anna Ritchie Allan, Executive Director, Close the Gap
Polly Jones, Head of Scotland, The Trussell Trust
Mary Glasgow, Chief Executive, Children 1st
Eilidh Dickson, Policy and Parliamentary Manager, Engender
Hugh Foy, Director, Xaverians UK Region
Russell Gunson, Director, IPPR Scotland
Dr Patrycja Kupiec, CEO, YWCA Scotland – The Young Women’s Movement
The Rt Hon Lord Wallace of Tankerness QC (Jim Wallace), Moderator of the General Assembly, The Church of Scotland
Emma Cormack, Chief Executive Officer, The Health Agency
Gillian Kirkwood, Chief Executive, Y sort it Youth Centre
Agnes Tolmie, Chair, Scottish Women’s Convention
Linda Tuthill, CEO, The Action Group
Steven McCluskey, CEO, Bikes for Refugees
Trishna Singh OBE, Director, Sikh Sanjog
Professor Adrian Sinfield, Emeritus Professor of Social Policy, University of Edinburgh
Jimmy Wilson, CEO, FARE Scotland
Ian Bruce, Chief Executive, Glasgow CVS
Revd Gary Noonan, Minister, Houston and Killellan Kirk
Jacqui Reid, Project Lead, EBI Unites
Innes McMinn, Manager, Independent Living Support
Suzanne Slavin, CEO, Ayr Housing Aid Centre
Fiona Rae, Interim Chief Executive, Community Food Initiatives North East
Mhairi Snowden, Director, Human Rights Consortium Scotland
Juliet Harris, Director, Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights
Tressa Burke, CEO, Glasgow Disability Alliance
Martin Wilkie-McFarlane, Director, Wellhouse Housing Association
Morna Simpkins, Scotland Director, MS Society
Kara Batchelor, Operations Manager, Alexander’s Community Development
Murray Dawson, Chief Executive, Station House Media Unit
Ashli Mullen, Creative Director, Friends of Romano Lav
Professor John McKendrick, Co-Director of the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit, Glasgow Caledonian University
Justina Murray, Chief Executive Officer, Scottish Families Affected by Drugs and Alcohol
Sir Lenny Henry has written an open letter to encourage Black Britons to take the COVID-19 vaccine, signed by some of the most high-profile names in the UK.
Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, actor Thandie Newton, radio personality Trevor Nelson, musician KSI and author Malorie Blackman, among the signatories on Sir Lenny Henry’s open letter
Short film based on the letter by BAFTA award-winning director Amma Asante stars Adrian Lester, David Harewood, and Bridgerton’s Adjoa Andoh, and will be aired across Sky, BT Sport, Viacom, Discovery, A&E and ROK and Channel 5 tonight from 8pm
Letter comes as 30 million people have had their first dose of the vaccine – over half the UK’s adult population
12 Years a Slave actor and Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor, author Malorie Blackman, actor Thandie Newton, football pundit Garth Crooks, performer George the Poet and musician KSI, radio personality Trevor Nelson and Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh are among those who have put their names to the letter which encourages Black adults in the UK to make informed decisions about the vaccine and protect themselves and the people they care for by getting vaccinated when their turn comes.
Sir Lenny’s letter, supported by the NHS, has also been turned into a powerful short film, directed by BAFTA award winner Amma Asante, which features Lenny alongside Adrian Lester, David Harewood, Naomie Ackie, Rt Rev Rose Hudson Wilkin, Bishop of Dover and Adjoa Andoh. The film will be aired across Sky, BT Sport, Viacom, Discovery, A&E and ROK between 8pm and 9.30pm.
Sir Lenny Henry said: “I felt it was important to do my bit and so I wrote this letter to Black Britain asking people not to get left behind, to not continue to be disproportionately impacted and to trust the facts from our doctors, professors and scientists, not just in the UK but across the world, including the Caribbean and Africa.
“I hear and understand the concerns which people of all backgrounds are wrestling with, but which are particularly concerning in Black communities. I want people to be safe, I don’t want people to die or end up in hospital because of COVID-19. So I’m saying, when your turn comes, take the jab.
“I want to thank everyone who has signed the letter and dear friends who took part in Amma’s beautiful film.”
More than 30 million people have now received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose, meaning over half of the UK’s adult population have been vaccinated and will soon develop strong protection from serious illness, saving lives and significantly reducing pressures on the NHS.
Television veteran Sir Lenny says he understands the concerns of many in the Black community but tells them he does not want their concerns about the jab to leave them disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
An Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey taken from 13 January to 7 February shows that less than half (49%) of Black or Black British adults reported that they were likely to have the vaccine and NHS data shows that only 466,000 Black of Black British adults have had a first dose of the vaccine so far.
Amma Asante, who directed the film, said: “Creating something for the community I come from was important to me, particularly on a health issue that is as life and death as coronavirus.
“I wanted to make a film that acknowledges the concerns of Black people while sharpening the lens on why the vaccine is so important, and why we deserve to have our lives and the lives of our loved ones protected.
“I hope the film can contribute to making a difference.”
Professor Kevin Fenton, London’s Regional Director for Public Health England, said: “We know our Black communities have been among the hardest hit during this pandemic, but we also know there are some among us who are less likely to come forward for the life-saving vaccine.
“We can all play a role in encouraging our friends and family to take it up when offered, whether that’s answering questions or concerns they may have, pointing them towards information and advice from trusted sources, sharing our own experiences of getting the vaccine or declining to pass on myths and misinformation circulating on social media.
“Getting back to normal life in the UK will mean every one of us joining the over 30 million people across the UK who have already taken up the vaccine. So I am fully behind Sir Lenny’s call to our Black communities. Let’s all do our bit, keep our loved ones safe and end this pandemic sooner rather than later.”
People who have received a letter inviting them for a jab can log on to the national booking service and choose from 1,700 vaccination sites. Anyone unable to book online can call 119 free of charge, anytime between 7am and 11pm 7 days a week.
Signatories to the letter have come from across the spectrum of British society. From the business world, signatories include Karen Blackett OBE, Ric Lewis, Sonita Alleyne OBE, Eric Collins, and Wilfred Jones.
Names from the arts and entertainment include Malorie Blackman, Lemn Sissay, Roy Williams, Reni Eddo-Lodge, George The Poet and KSI and from sport – Garth Crooks and Chris Hughton. Names from science and medicine have also supported the campaign, including Professor Kevin Fenton and Dame Donna Kinnair.
Baroness Valerie Amos, Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Trevor Phillips have also added their names.
The government is working with the NHS, local authorities, charities and faith leaders to provide advice and public health information in over 13 languages to people from all communities and backgrounds to ensure they come forward for the vaccine.
Sir Lenny Henry’s letter in full
Dear mums, dads, grandparents, uncles, aunties, brothers, sisters, nephew, nieces, daughters, sons and cousins,
We love you!
We know we don’t say it often enough and sometimes we have our disagreements, like all families do, but wherever you are we love you from the bottom of our hearts and we know you love us.
And we want to see you again. COVID-19 has kept us apart for far too long. We want to hug you, we want to celebrate with you, we want to go out for dinner with you, we want to worship with you, we want to go and watch football and cricket with you, we want to beat you at video games – in the same room so we can see the look on your face when we do.
But in order to do all that – we all need to take the COVID-19 jab. It’s all of us in this together.
Things will slowly get back to normal. Well what people are calling the new normal. The reality is the new normal may mean needing a vaccine to do many of the things we now take for granted.
Because we love you – we want you to be safe and we don’t want you to be left out or left behind. While other communities are rushing to get the vaccine and millions have already been vaccinated, some Black people in our community are being more cautious.
You have legitimate worries and concerns, we hear that. We know change needs to happen and that it’s hard to trust some institutions and authorities.
But we’re asking you to trust the facts about the vaccine from our own professors, doctors, scientists involved in the vaccine’s development, GPs, not just in the UK but across the world including the Caribbean and Africa. Many of whom are our relatives, many of whom have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the people of this country from this pandemic.
And the thousands who volunteered to be part of the vaccine trials so that we know it’s safe and works for people of all ethnicities.
Don’t let their sacrifice be in vain. Don’t let your understandable fears be what holds you back. Don’t let your concerns be the thing that widens racial inequality in our society. Don’t let Black people continue to be disproportionately impacted by this terrible disease. Many in our community say they do not want to take the vaccine, much more than other groups. But the fact is we have been disproportionately affected by the virus, many of our loved ones have died. Don’t let coronavirus cost even more Black lives.
We love you. We don’t want you to get sick. We don’t want you to die.
We know you love us too so please hear us and when your turn comes, take the jab.
And once you do, tell cousin Mo to do the same (is he really my cousin?)
In our efforts to make as much noise as possible ahead of the Budget, we’ve drafted an open letter to send to the Chancellor urging him to do the right thing and provide support to those who have thus far been excluded from support through no fault of their own.
Please help us and sign this letter and share! The letter can be found at this link:
You can simply add your name to the end of the letter by typing directly into it.
Please keep your signature to one line with your name and if you wish you can add profession/ organisation/ affiliation/ business name/ category for exclusion.
The letter will be published tomorrow evening.
Thank you!
Best wishes from the ExcludedUK Team.
#relentless #wearenotgoingaway #franticfebruary
PS: This is for anyone excluded from UK Government Covid-19 support OR wishing to show support … please sign!
2200 paediatricians sign open letter to Prime Minister urging Government to extend free school meals to cover holidays
Thousands of health professionals have signed an open letter urging the UK Government to change course on free school meals during the holidays. They praise footballer Marcus Rashford’s campaign tackling food poverty and call for the Prime Minister to follow the lead of the devolved administrations.
In 24 hours, 2200 Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) members have signed an open letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, calling for the UK Government to match the pledge made by the Welsh and Scottish Governments, and the Northern Ireland Executive to provide food vouchers to cover school holidays for children from low-income backgrounds.
More than 800 paediatricians signed the letter within an hour of circulation.
The letter argues that childhood hunger is an issue that should transcend politics, and that good nutrition is at the heart of health, wellbeing and development for children and young people. It notes that without it, children’s health outcomes worsen, and with that, so do their life chances.
With over four million children in the UK living in poverty and the current pandemic entrenching this reality, children desperately need government support.
The letter says that while food vouchers will not solve the problem of child poverty, they do offer a short-term remedy for children that don’t have enough to eat.
Professor Russell Viner, President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said: “I’ve rarely seen such anger among our members. We care for children who don’t have enough to eat. We see far too many of them. It is heartbreaking that it has become a normal part of our jobs and hunger is all too common for millions of families in the UK.
“There is an opportunity to put this right. It is pointless to talk about levelling up the country, an ambition which we support, while refusing to offer temporary relief to children and families.
Dr Max Davie, Officer for Health Improvement at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said: “We’re a rich country. This isn’t about money, it’s about making sure people have food to eat, and it’s about doing the right thing for children who need a hand up.
“We shouldn’t have to fight for food vouchers when we’re in the middle of a pandemic.”
Dr Liz Whittaker, Consultant Paediatrician at St. Marys Hospital, London said:“Household food insecurity is linked to long-term negative consequences for health, educational outcomes and future income.
“Missing meals isn’t just about going hungry on an individual day, it has a lasting impact on a young person’s life. Aside from the fact that it is wrong to see children go hungry, it is impossible to justify any argument that this saves the state money.”
The open letter pays tribute to Marcus Rashford for his influential and inspiring advocacy on behalf of children and young people. RCPCH is proud to support his campaign.
Letter text:
As paediatricians we are shocked by the refusal of the UK Government to extend the provision of free school meals in England to children from low-income backgrounds during the school holidays.
Childhood hunger is an issue that should transcend politics. Few would disagree that one of our most basic human responsibilities is to ensure children have enough to eat.
Every day, we see the impact of hunger and malnutrition in our work as paediatricians. It is not unusual for us to care for children who don’t have enough to eat or who don’t have access to a substantial meal outside of what is provided in school. Good nutrition is at the heart of health, wellbeing and development for children and young people. Without it, children’s health outcomes worsen, and with that, so do their life chances
More than 4 million children in the UK live in poverty and around one third of those are reliant on free school meals. The pandemic has entrenched and exacerbated this reality; families who were previously managing are now struggling to make ends meet because of the impact of COVID-19. It is not good enough to send them into the holiday period hoping for the best, while knowing that many will simply go hungry. Food vouchers will not solve this problem, but they offer a short-term remedy.
We call on the UK Government to match the pledges of the Welsh and Scottish Governments and the Northern Ireland Executive, to continue to provide children from low-income backgrounds with free meals over the coming weeks and to then extend this at least until the Easter school holiday, as they have done in Wales and Scotland.
We pay tribute to Marcus Rashford and his powerful campaigning. His advocacy for children and young people has been a source of inspiration in difficult times. We are proud to stand with him on this issue.
Marcus Rashford MBE said: “If you can do one thing for me, sign the petition:
This open letter, signed by the Presidents of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons, Nursing, Physicians, and GPs,appears in today’s British Medical Journal.
It comes the day after Boris Johnson announced a major relaxation to lockdown measures in England.
Dear leaders of UK political parties,
Several countries are now experiencing covid-19 flare-ups. While the future shape of the pandemic in the UK is hard to predict, the available evidence indicates that local flare-ups are increasingly likely and a second wave a real risk.
Many elements of the infrastructure needed to contain the virus are beginning to be put in place, but substantial challenges remain. The job now is not only to deal urgently with the wide ranging impacts of the first phase of the pandemic, but to ensure that the country is adequately prepared to contain a second phase.
You may have seen the recent editorial in The BMJ calling for a transparent rapid review of where we are and what needs to be done to prevent and prepare for a second wave.1 We believe that such a review is crucial and needs to happen soon if the public is to have confidence that the virus can be contained.
The review should not be about looking back or attributing blame. Rather it should be a rapid and forward looking assessment of national preparedness, based on an examination of the complex and inter-related policy areas listed below. These are too broad for any one of the existing select committees.
That is why a cross party commission was suggested, establishing a constructive, non-partisan, four nations approach that could rapidly produce practical recommendations for action, based on what we have all learnt, and without itself becoming a distraction for those at the front line or in government.
These recommendations should not require primary legislation or major organisational change. The approach would also help the public understand how and by whom they will be implemented. We believe this will be essential if the UK is to get ahead of the curve.
We are aware of YouGov polls showing that a majority of the public now support an “inquiry.” We also know that the prime minister and secretary of state for health and social care have received a petition from the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group, requesting a full public inquiry.
The group has also called for an urgent interim inquiry, which shares the same fundamental approach and objective as our suggested rapid review: that it should be forward looking, practical, responsive to what the public at large want to see happen, and focused on evaluating national preparedness in the lead up to winter, with the aim of saving lives.
We are not wedded to any particular design of inquiry or review, but as outlined in the editorial, we believe it should be quick, broad, ambitious, able to command widespread public and stakeholder trust, and needs to happen now.
It should focus on those areas of weakness where action is needed urgently to prevent further loss of life and restore the economy as fully and as quickly as possible. We believe the list below includes those areas.
As stakeholders and leaders of the UK’s medical, nursing, and public health professions, we urge you to establish such a review.
We think there’s a strong case for an immediate assessment of national preparedness, with the first results available no later than August, and that all its work should be completed by the end of October.
We don’t underestimate the complexities of establishing this in the required timeframe. We stand by ready to help in whatever way we can.
Policy areas needing rapid attention:
Governance including parliamentary scrutiny and involvement of regional and local structures and leaders
Procurement of goods and services
Coordination of existing structures, in a way designed to optimise the establishment of effective public health and communicable disease control infrastructure, the resilience of the NHS as a whole, and the shielding of vulnerable individuals and communities
The disproportionate burden on black, Asian, and minority ethnic individuals and communities
International collaboration, especially to mitigate any new difficulties in pandemic management due to Brexit.
‘Families that were already more likely to experience poverty – such as lone parent families – are being particularly impacted, and are being pulled deeper into poverty.’
Dear First Minister,
As a broad coalition of national organisations, community groups, academics, trade unions and faith groups who share a concern for the wellbeing of families across the country, we are writing to you today to express our grave concern.
The coronavirus crisis is putting low income families under financial strain which risks long term consequences for Scotland’s children.
We have all welcomed your government’s commitment to ending child poverty, the leadership that you have shown in setting the 2030 child poverty targets, and the continued prioritisation of the Scottish Child Payment as a key policy supporting these ambitions.
It is vital that the coronavirus crisis does not undermine these goals. That is why we have also warmly welcomed the significant support already provided by the Scottish Government in response to the crisis, including through the Wellbeing Fund and additional investment in the Scottish Welfare Fund.
We have appreciated the opportunities many of us have had to engage with your Ministers and officials to help inform your government’s response.
However, despite this support, and uplifts to UK benefits, families across Scotland are struggling to stay afloat.
Families that were already more likely to experience poverty – such as lone parent families – are being particularly impacted, and are being pulled deeper into poverty.
This is particularly true as women are more likely to be experiencing poverty, have disproportionate responsibility for caring for children and account for 91% of lone parents. Women’s poverty is inextricably interlinked with child poverty.
It is clear that progress on tackling child poverty is being put at huge risk.
An out of work family with two children is still being left with an income 20% below the poverty line, a poverty line that in itself is well below the income the general public believe is needed for a minimum socially acceptable standard of living.
The families that many of our organisations work with are reporting increased financial stress and associated anxiety, loneliness, and more complex mental health problems. The charitable hardship funds many of us operate have come under massively increased pressure, with, for example, a 1400% increase in demand for Aberlour’s Urgent Assistance Fund.
In the face of this increased hardship our organisations continue to call for the UK Government to take action to ensure that UK social security system protects people from poverty.
However, we believe that where any level of government can do more to loosen the grip of poverty then it must.
We therefore believe that the time has come to build on the existing investments made by your government and the emergency provision provided by children’s charities and others, and provide a direct financial boost to all low income families. The £10 per week Scottish Child Payment will be a vital lifeline, but will not start to be delivered until next year. Families need a lifeline now to help them weather this storm.
We call on you to use every tool at your government’s disposal to deliver an emergency package of financial support to all low income families – a package we believe should amount to at least the equivalent of £10 per week per child.
Options for delivering such an emergency package that we have identified include the following:
Using Best Start legislation and payment systems to introduce new or increased payments of Best Start Grants.
Investing further in the Scottish Welfare Fund to provide a new coronavirus crisis grant for all low income families, whilst retaining and boosting the capacity of the existing Fund to support all those facing income crisis.
Increasing School Clothing Grant payments.
Topping up benefits that go to families to help with the costs of raising children – many organisations have called on the UK Government to increase child benefit, the child element of Universal Credit, and child tax credit in response to the crisis. The Scottish Government also has the powers to top up UK benefits.
Using local government powers to provide payments to advance the wellbeing of children, for example under s22 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 or via financial support under the power in s20 of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003. These could be used to provide equivalent financial support, particularly to families with no recourse to public funds.
Additional targeted support could include:
Increase the value of Best Start Foods.
Providing a crisis grant for families awaiting their first Universal Credit payment.
To support families impacted by the two-child limit, by making additional direct payments to families affected. Larger families were at increased risk of poverty even before the current COVID-19 crisis.
To further increase the Discretionary Housing Payment budget, and direct local authorities to target additional funds towards those affected by the benefit cap. By increasing the DHP budget, those households impacted by the benefit cap can receive the additional support they need.
We understand that to identify the most effective delivery option, judgements will need to be made based on organisational capacity within local authorities and Social Security Scotland, and the ability to engage and work with UK agencies. It may well be that a combination of the options is needed to deliver this quickly.
Whatever approach is taken the overriding priority must be to use the powers and structures available in Scotland to give an immediate cash boost to all low income families to support them through the current crisis.
This will be an essential foundation on which to build the full package of financial, practical and emotional support needed to protect children’s wellbeing as we transition from the crisis to recovery, in line with the principles in your government’s Covid-19 Framework for Decision Making.
We are keen to work with you constructively to find practical and effective ways of achieving this, and look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
SallyAnn Kelly, CEO Aberlour
Paul Carberry, Director for Scotland, Action for Children
Martin Crewe, Director, Barnardo’s Scotland
John Dickie, Director of Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland
Jackie Brock, Chief Executive, Children in Scotland
Mary Glasgow, Chief Executive, Children 1st
Satwat Rehman, Chief Executive, OPFS
Jamie Livingstone, Head of Oxfam Scotland
Peter Kelly, Director, The Poverty Alliance
Claire Telfer, Head of Scotland, Save the Children
Tracey McFall, CEO, Partners in Advocacy
Dr Neil Henery, Director, Camphill Scotland
Clare Cable, Chief Executive and Nurse Director, Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland
Alistair Brown, National Director, Scottish Association of Social Work
Justina Murray, CEO, Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol & Drugs
Ewan Aitken, Chief Executive, Cyrenians
Martin Dorchester, Chief Executive, Includem
Janis McDonald, Chief Officer, deafscotland
Professor Ian Welsh OBE, Chief Executive, Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE)
Prof Morag Treanor, Heriot-Watt University
Nancy Loucks, CEO, Families Outside
Matt Forde, National Head of Service, NSPCC Scotland
Ella Simpson, Chief Executive, EVOC
Duncan Dunlop, CEO, Who Cares? Scotland
Jimmy Wilson, CEO, FARE Scotland
Dr Anne Mullin, Chair, the Deep End Group Scotland
Craig Samuel, NAWRA representative Scotland
Jo Derrick, CEO, Staf
Dr Hayley Bennett, Social Policy Research Fellow, University of Edinburgh
Prof Adrian Sinfield, University of Edinburgh
Claire Burns, Director, CELCIS
David Thomson, Destiny Church
Dr Hartwig Pautz, Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences at the University of the West of Scotland and co-lead of the UWS-Oxfam Partnership
Mike J Kirby, Scottish Secretary, UNISON
Professor Mhairi Mackenzie, Professor of Public Policy, University of Glasgow
Nick Bailey, Professor of Urban Studies, University of Glasgow
Graeme McAlister, Chief Executive, Scottish Childminding Association
Colin Flinn, Chief Executive, Royal Caledonian Education Trust
Mark O’Donnell, Chief Executive, Royal Blind
Douglas Guest, Acting Director for Scotland, Home-Start UK Scotland
Billy Watson, Chief Executive, Scottish Association for Mental Health
Alan Thornburrow, Director, Business in the Community Scotland
Juliet Harris, Director, Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights)
Bernard Harris, Professor of Social Policy, University of Strathclyde
Janet Haugh, Chief Executive, Ypeople
Cath Morrison, Chief Executive, The Lilias Graham Trust
Dr Mhairi Crawford, Chief Executive, LGBT Youth Scotland
Pat Rafferty, Scottish Secretary, Unite the Union
Professor Stephen Sinclair, Co-Director, Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit, Glasgow Caledonian University
Professor John McKendrick, Co-Director, Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit, Glasgow Caledonian University
Professor Sharon Wright, Professor of Social Policy, University of Glasgow
Hugh Foy, Director of Programmes and Partnerships, UK Region Xaverian Missionaries
Professor Chik Collins, Rector (Vice Chancellor) of the University of the Faroe Islands
