A pilot scheme aimed at giving young people in the East End of Glasgow life skills and reducing youth violence in the area has been hailed a success by those taking part.
Teenagers, aged between 13 and 16 years have been involved in a ‘10 week Create Your Own PAFS’ (Police, Ambulance, Fire Service) programme since July to build their confidence and develop the skills to make the best possible choices.
The event was co-ordinated by Constable Laura MacDonald who was inspired by a youth programme whilst serving in the fire service prior to joining Police Scotland. She also enlisted the help of colleagues from the Scottish Ambulance Service and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to make it as informative as possible.
Working together, the services developed mock scenarios of real-life emergency situations, such as road traffic collisions, search and rescue, trauma, first aid and the use of defibrillators, and young people were invited to take on the various roles of blue light personnel to learn more about how each service responds.
The young people also completed elements of the three services fitness tests familiarising them with the fitness entry requirements.
Also included in the programme were inputs surrounding valuing diversity and inclusion, drug awareness, road safety, water safety, online safety and group discussions on relevant up to date topics.
Constable MacDonald said: “Our main aim was to break down the barriers between the teenagers and emergency services as often the only contact people have with us is in moments of crisis or when something has gone wrong.
“The pilot scheme was designed as a Tri-Service programme and shows what each service does and encourages the young people to take part in various time critical challenges which helps them understand how important it is to remain calm in a crisis whilst building their communication skills.
“The feedback from the young people taking part and their parents or guardians has been so encouraging and positive. They’ve said they all enjoyed the experience and felt it was successful in testing their social skills in unfamiliar environments. Participants have really had a confidence boost and some have made plans to join other similar volunteer groups.”
Those who took part received a certificate acknowledging their hard work and commitment to the programme and also a further certificate for CPR, which was one of the focal points during the 10-week programme.
Constable MacDonald concluded: “This has been a tremendous experience for me and my emergency service colleagues and I am grateful for the support of management within Police Scotland, Scottish Ambulance Service and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
“I am so proud of everyone who took part and hope to be able to replicate this in the division again in the near future.”
Glasgow joins Dundee and Aberdeen in £1 million pilot scheme
A licence application has been submitted to the UK Government Home Office for a drug-checking pilot to be established in Glasgow.
The Glasgow health and social care partnership service would be based at a hub on the same site as the UK’s first Safer Drug Consumption Facility which is scheduled to open later this year.
The Glasgow drug-checking service would allow dependent drug users to submit a drug sample which will then be tested to identify the substance. HSCP staff at the site will then be able to provide specific health and harm-reduction information directly to people who have come in.
It follows applications from organisations in Aberdeen and Dundee for similar facilities earlier this year. Scottish Government funding of £1 million has been committed to establish the three sites.
Speaking during a visit to the site of the Glasgow hub, Drugs and Alcohol Policy Minister Christina McKelvie said: “Glasgow’s licence application is a welcome milestone.
“Drug-checking facilities would enable us to respond faster to emerging drug trends – which is particularly important given the presence of highly dangerous, super-strong synthetic opioids like nitazenes in an increasingly toxic and unpredictable drug supply. These increase the risk of overdose, hospitalisation and death, and are being found in a range of substances.
“We’re taking a wide range of measures to reduce harm and save lives – including the opening of a Safe Drug Consumption Facility pilot in Glasgow, supported by £2.3 million in ringfenced funding.
“I was pleased to see the progress that has been made and I’m grateful to everyone involved for their hard work. This facility is not a silver bullet. But we know from evidence from more than 100 facilities worldwide that they work.”
City Convener for Workforce, Homelessness and Addiction Services Councillor Allan Casey said: “Glasgow’s plans to open Scotland’s first safer drug consumption facility are progressing well and the submission of a Home Office licence application to operate a drug-checking service is another step towards providing comprehensive harm-reduction measures at our Hunter Street site.
“Being able to test drug samples on site will give staff the opportunity to engage with service users about what they’re using and provide harm-reduction advice and support.
“Engagement with local businesses, residents and community groups regarding the opening of our safer drug consumption facility is still ongoing. We recently completed a successful recruitment campaign, supported by volunteers with lived experience, and staff will be coming into post in the coming weeks, where they will undertake induction and training plans.”
Wester Hailes Library has been selected as one of the first in Scotland to host a ‘Lend and Mend Hub’, as part of a trailblazing pilot project helping to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.
Managed by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC), Wester Hailes Library will build on its current offering to introduce a ‘Lend and Mend Hub’, giving the community free access to repair, reuse, rent and upcycle everyday items, to help keep items in use for longer, rather than them being thrown away.
Funded by The John Lewis Partnership’s £1m Circular Future Fund, the Edinburgh library will join eight other services across Scotland in developing the country’s first circular community hubs, forming a ‘network’ of sustainable ‘Lend and Mend Hubs’ across Scotland:
Aberdeen Central Library, Aberdeen
Wester Hailes Library, Edinburgh
Forfar Library, Forfar
South West Library, Inverclyde
Kilbirnie Library, Kilbirnie
Gorebridge Library, Midlothian
Orkney Library & Archive, Orkney
A K Bell Library, Perth
Girvan Library, South Ayrshire
Five of the services selected to take part in the pilot scheme were announced late last year, and work to source equipment, upgrade the space and train staff to deliver this promising project in these areas is well underway.
It is expected these public libraries – in Aberdeen, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Perth and South Ayrshire – will open their ‘Lend and Mend Hubs’ for public use early this year, with the other four services expected to open later in 2023.
Pamela Tulloch, chief executive of SLIC, said: “The ‘Lend and Mend Hub’ library project has the potential to create a real impact – especially at a time when all of Scotland’s communities are experiencing economic and environmental challenges.
“The introduction of this network will build on the important role our public libraries play, giving people access to resources they might not otherwise have to support responsible consumption and learning – with the added benefit of it being local and free.
“With all nine public library partners now selected, we can’t wait to see these local library services transform and thrive for the long-term benefit of the communities around them. And with such wide geographical spread and diverse community reach, we believe this pilot project will provide valuable learnings in promoting the urgent need to adopt a more circular way of living and help develop a long-term model for libraries to be a hub of circular economy activities.”
The projects, led by SLIC, follow a co-design approach with all service teams bringing local knowledge and expertise to the delivery to ensure each hub is tailored to community needs.
Upon completion, each hub will also introduce an education programme to support new skills development, helping to reduce inequality through equitable access to resources.
Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Val Walker said: “I am delighted that Wester Hailes Library will be leading the way on the ‘Lend and Mend Hub’ pilot scheme. I am confident that this scheme will bring great benefits to the local community as we continue to grapple with an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis.
“This scheme also does excellent work on reinforcing the circular economy and sustainability in our communities by emphasising the importance of repairing, reusing and upcycling. One of our strategic approaches and principles within our 2030 Climate Strategy is supporting a circular economy across the city.
“I look forward to seeing how this scheme progresses here in Edinburgh and across Scotland.”
Minister for Women launches initiatives to level up employment opportunities for women
Minister for Women, Baroness Stedman-Scott, launches initiatives to level up employment opportunities for women
Participating employers will run pilots aimed at closing salary gaps by publishing salaries on all job adverts
New ‘returners’ programme to support women into STEM roles after taking time out to care for loved ones
Minister for Women, Baroness Stedman-Scott, is today (8 March) launching two new initiatives to level up employment opportunities for women as the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Announced on International Women’s Day, a new initiative will seek to improve pay transparency in the job application process and help businesses who want to go even further in attracting women to their positions. Evidence shows listing a salary range on a job advert and not asking applicants to disclose salary history provides a firm footing for women to negotiate pay on a fairer basis. This could have a significant impact in closing salary gaps and tackling pay inequality.
The government is therefore leading the way with a pilot scheme, where participating employers list salary details on job adverts and stop asking about salary history during recruitment.
Alongside this, the UK Government will launch a new returners programme to help women back into STEM (science, technology, engineering & maths) careers. Research and employee feedback shows that returning to STEM roles after taking time out to care for loved ones can present significant challenges.
This new programme will help organisations to recruit and retain talented staff who are often overlooked because of a gap on their CV, by providing training, development and employment support to those who have taken time out for caring.
Minister for Women, Baroness Stedman-Scott, said: “The UK can only grasp its full potential by championing its brightest and best, and ensuring everyone, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to succeed.
“We believe that increased pay transparency will build on positive evidence of the role information can play when it comes to empowering women in the workplace. It is essential that we keep women at the forefront of the levelling up agenda as we recover from the pandemic and rebuild together.
“Our second announcement, supporting skilled women to return to STEM careers after care leave, will keep talented minds in STEM and improve the representation of women and marginalised communities in those incredibly important roles.”
International data also shows that job seekers place a strong emphasis on salary when looking for their next career move. In a Glassdoor survey 68% of people say that a salary was the most important factor of a job advert, showing that, where possible, it makes good business sense to share salary details at the very beginning of the application process.
Additionally, a study from the Fawcett Society shows that a requirement to provide salary history makes everyone less confident when negotiating their pay. It has a particularly negative impact on women’s confidence, with 58% of women saying that they felt they had received a lower salary offer than they would have if the question had not been asked during the application process.
However, the Government recognises that many employers do not have agreed pay scales, and that ambiguous pay policies and historic pay decisions may make it challenging for them to include pay information on job adverts.
That is why the forthcoming pilot will see the Government work with employers to develop and pilot a methodology which others can adopt, so that all organisations can provide pay information at the recruitment stage and remove their reliance on questions about pay history if they choose.
Jemima Olchawski, Fawcett Society, Chief Executive said: “We are pleased that the government is encouraging employers to remove embedded bias from recruitment practices and supporting our call to End Salary History.
“Asking salary history questions keeps women on lower salaries and contributes to the UK’s gender pay gap – and can mean that past pay discrimination follows women and other groups throughout their career.
“Evidence from US states which have banned asking about past salary shows that is a simple, evidence-led way to improve pay equality for women, people of colour and disabled people. This is an important first step. We hope more employers will answer this call, and sign Fawcett’s pledge, as part of other actions to tackle their pay gaps.”
The UK Government has already run 25 returner programmes across the private and public sector and will use learning from these initiatives to design the new STEM programme.
Unpaid care work, including childcare and informal adult care, is disproportionately performed by women. This can have a big impact on pay and progression, with research showing that returners with degrees are, on average, paid 70% of the hourly wage of an equivalent colleague who has not taken time away from work.
By launching the new returners programme, the government is hoping to support those who are looking to step back into work, particularly in STEM sectors. The 2021 STEM Returners index survey revealed that 61% of returners found the process of returning to the industry difficult or very difficult. Those who did return commented on being overqualified for their role and had entered at levels below where they were prior to their break.
In line with the Government’s commitment to level up opportunities, the new programme will support returners across the UK – giving them the opportunity to refresh and grow their skills in sectors where their talents are most needed. It will run for a minimum of two years, and the evidence gathered will enable and provide a base for organisations to provide their own returner programmes.
