The ‘Beat Hunger’ Campaign is aimed at tackling food inequality and poverty in the North East of Edinburgh and has continued its drive to improve community wellbeing.
Over the last month, the North East Community Policing Team have distributed 112 ‘Beat Boxes’ to 28 identified vulnerable families and young adults referred to us by partners including Community Renewal Edinburgh, Dr Bell’s Family Centre, Castleview Primary School and Children 1st.
We’ve completed 23 recipient evaluation questionnaires and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
Here’s a sample of the feedback sent to us:
‘Great way of police being involved in community projects’ – Taylor.
‘This really got me back into cooking after losing the enjoyment for a while. My kids loved it and the recipes took me out my comfort zone’ – Rebecca.
‘It has been good for breaking the barrier between police and a young guy like me in a good way’ – James.
‘You made my family and I so happy, I don’t know how to thank you’ – Nora.
‘Thank you so much for the Beat the Hunger boxes for our families. The feedback has been amazing, all of these initiatives really do make a difference’ – Castleview Primary School.
Local community Sergeant Elaine McArthur-Kerr of Leith Police Station said: “This initiative is directly aligned to our purpose to improve the wellbeing of our people, places and communities and acknowledges the increasing shift within Police Scotland to adopt a public health, whole system approach to tackling many of the complex issues faced by a significant proportion of the people our officers & staff come into contact with.
“This fantastic and innovative opportunity to encourage positive lifestyle choices has generated considerable public support and has been recognised by Local Policing East ACC Tim Mairs.
“Plans to develop the initiative alongside local priorities are ongoing and we hope to circulate the community cook book to all in the city in the near future.”
Save The Children Scotland has launched “Dropped into a Cave”, a report telling the stories of how families with young children living on low income or experiencing low income for the first time fared in the last year:
‘We listened to parents across Scotland who had received one of the over 1500 Emergency Early Years Grants we issued since April 2020. We heard how the pandemic was a tipping point for many.
‘Now is the time for the newly elected members of the @ScotParl to ensure families on low incomes are prioritised, listened to and involved in decision making as we recover from the pandemic
‘We need commitments now to:
ensure holistic family support for all families, incl. financial, practical & emotional support
protect family incomes while working towards a minimum income standard
opportunities for children to play & build relationships.
Child poverty has risen in every Scottish local authority since 2015, according to new research published today by the End Child Poverty coalition. The new data shows the scale of the challenge faced by UK, Scottish and local government if commitments to end child poverty in Scotland are to be met.
The research by Loughborough University, on behalf of the End Child Poverty coalition, shows that, even before the pandemic*, levels of child poverty in Scotland ranged from nearly one in six children in the Shetland Islands and East Renfrewshire to nearly one in three in Glasgow – once housing costs are taken into account.
Across the UK the North East of England has seen the most dramatic rise in child poverty in the past five years with child poverty rising by over a third – from 26% of all children to 37% – over five years.
Scotland has lower levels of child poverty (24%) than England (30%) or Wales (31%). However, campaigners in Scotland say that there can be no room for complacency if statutory child poverty targets agreed by all the Holyrood parties are to be met.
The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act, passed unanimously by the last parliament, requires the new Scottish government to ensure fewer than 18% of children are living in poverty by 2023/24, on course to less than 10% by 2030. Councils and local health boards are also required to publish annual Local Child Poverty Action Reports setting out action being taken at local level to tackle child poverty. The End Child Poverty campaigners are urging that local powers, including over economic development, housing and welfare, are all used to maximise family incomes and reduce the costs parents face.
Responding to the latest figures Peter Kelly, Director of the Poverty Alliance, said: “In Scotland, we share a responsibility to care for all of our children. These statistics show the need for bold, far-reaching action to loosen the grip of poverty on people’s lives, and ensure each of us has what we need to live a decent and dignified life.
“Stemming this rising tide of hardship must be a priority for the new Scottish Government, and there are actions that can be taken right now to do just that – starting with doubling the Scottish Child Payment and accelerating its rollout for children over the age of 6. This would mean families who are struggling to stay afloat will receive the support they need to avoid being swept into poverty.”
Speaking on behalf of members of End Child Poverty John Dickie, director of the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, added: “Solid foundations have been laid in Scotland for future progress on child poverty, not least the introduction of the Scottish child payment and an increasing focus on action at local level.
“But this new data is a stark reminder that child poverty was still rising in every part of Scotland, even before the pandemic struck. The challenge now is for government at all levels to use every power they have to boost family incomes and reduce the costs that struggling parents face.
“The new Scottish parliament must act on election promises and make tackling child poverty its top priority. The cross party commitment to at least doubling the Scottish child payment needs to be implemented as a matter of utmost urgency in order to help meet the 2023/24 targets.
“But child poverty also needs to be a priority at local level. Local powers, including over economic development, housing and welfare, must be used to maximum effect to ensure all families have a disposable income fit for giving children a decent start in life.”
The End Child Poverty coalition is also calling on the UK government to recognise the scale of the problem and its impact on children’s lives.
They say a credible UK government plan is needed to end child poverty across the UK, including a commitment to increase UK child benefits. Given the extent to which families are already struggling, the £20 per week cut to Universal Credit planned in October should also be revoked they say, with the support also extended to those still receiving financial assistance from the old benefit system, referred to as ‘legacy benefits’, before they are switched to Universal Credit.
“The figures speak for themselves – the situation for children couldn’t be starker. We all want to live in a society where children are supported to be the best they can be, but the reality is very different for too many.
“The UK Government can be in no doubt about the challenge it faces if it is serious about ‘levelling up’ parts of the country hardest hit by poverty. After the year we’ve all had, they owe it to our children to come up with a plan to tackle child poverty that includes a boost to children’s benefits. And they need to scrap plans to cut Universal Credit given parents and children are having a tough enough time as it is.”
A school feels ‘under attack’ when put at the bottom of a narrow-focused league table, says Craigroyston headteacher Shelley McLaren
Each year the release of newspaper school league tables for Scotland is a day I dread, and the publication of the 2021 results yesterday was no different. The language of the headlines – “Which school is the best in Scotland?” and “Scotland’s schools ranked best to worst” – is both incredibly damaging and demoralising for staff, pupils, parents and school communities across the country, not to mention the reputational harm it can cause for years to come (writes SHELLEY McLAREN).
The stories will continue today in the local news, where it feels like we need to put on our armour and prepare for attack. No matter how much we’ve done in all other parts of school life throughout the year, the focus to determine our worth and whether we are a “good” school seems to rest singlehandedly on the one measure of how many young people achieve five Highers in one sitting.
As a school, we pick up the pieces from this for months to come – only for it to come around again next year. It is not, of course, that we do not focus on trying to improve by the measure of five Highers, but, because of context and, indeed, probably our own vision and values, we will always be near the “bottom”.
I congratulate those top-performing schools where up to 86 per cent of young people have achieved the “gold standard” of five Highers. It is an incredible achievement and should be celebrated – but everything is about context, and schools should and need to be measured on so much more.
I am not shirking accountability or responsibility as a headteacher – the measure of five Highers is important – but if closing the attainment gap simply meant improving this one measure, and that determined whether we were a “good” or “bad” school, we would have used our Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) and Scottish Attainment Challenge funding very differently – and probably not made that many gains.
I could concentrate on the fact that 70 per cent of our young people live in SIMD (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation) 1 and 2 or that 20 per cent of each cohort arrive at us with a reading age of 8 or below, or that nearly 40 per cent of our students are on free school meals. This would make it easy to excuse why we are one of the “worst” schools in the league table – but I won’t, because that is not what we base our views of children on.
What I will focus on is that, in 2020, nearly 95 per cent of our young people left school to go into a positive destination – above the national average of 93.3 per cent – and that last session 100 per cent of our young people in S4 achieved five or more national qualifications (nobody was “left behind”, regardless of any barrier) and that this year 23 of our young people (almost a third of the cohort) are heading off to universities across the country – the same group of young people who didn’t achieve five Highers in one sitting.
I implore you, please don’t judge our incredible young people or our amazing school, filled with dedicated, passionate staff, on this one measure of five Highers – know that we are doing everything possible to ensure that our students are given a gold-star service to prepare them to have the best life possible after school, with or without the achievement of the “gold standard”.
Are we one of the “worst” schools in the country? Of course we’re not – and I would vehemently challenge anyone who considers this to be the case.
Shelley McLaren is headteacher at Craigroyston Community High School
– Morrisons will be donating 50,000 books to help families in need –
– Customers can also bring unwanted books to Morrisons Little Libraries where children and families can pick up a book for free –
Morrisons has launched a book donation and exchange station for children – the Morrisons Little Library – in its stores across the UK which aims to promote reading and literacy in children, particularly those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Morrisons Little Library was inspired by Canterbury-based children’s author, Rebecca Smith, who approached Morrisons asking for help to tackle the issues surrounding children’s literacy and the lack of availability of books at home.
Morrisons Little Library exchanges will be set up in stores across the UK from this week. Customers can bring along unwanted books to donate and all children, teenagers and parents can pick up a book for free. Books will also be donated through the initiative to local schools and community groups, via Morrisons Community Champions.
David Potts, Morrisons CEO, said: “The past year has been extremely difficult for everyone and we want to help as much as we can. We know that our younger customers love reading but some may not have access to books of their own. That’s why we’re launching the Morrisons Little Library – so every child has the chance to enjoy reading and brighten their future.”
Rebecca Smith said:“To think that there are children who have never enjoyed a bedtime story is heart-breaking. Stories change lives. Every child and every parent should have access to that experience. The Morrisons Little Library provides that potentially life-changing access.”
Research from The Open University, which has been involved in shaping the initiative, shows that reading books helps children to start conversations, spark imagination and support emotional wellbeing.
The National Literacy Trust recently reported that children who own books are six times more likely to read above the level expected for their age but that one in 11 disadvantaged children don’t own a single book.
Teresa Cremin, Professor of Education Literacy at The Open University, added, “It’s been great working with Morrisons to help make the Little Library idea a reality. Reading benefits children and young people in so many ways and is especially vital after such a difficult and disruptive year, as it creates a safe space to escape and learn.”
To continue to support children’s literacy, Morrisons has created a new book – Cedric The Seed – and will be publishing 50,000 copies. The book will be distributed nationwide by Morrisons Community Champions to local community groups and schools to ensure they are reaching those who need them most.
Cedric the Seed has been written for Morrisons by Danielle Corrigan from Saddleworth, who began writing children’s books last year whilst she was homeschooling her own children. Danielle began writing positive stories for children to read last year to help them cope with the mental health effects of lockdown.
Inspired by the pandemic and how lives were changed in an instant, the book follows Cedric, a small sunflower seed as he is separated from his family and friends. His journey is full of unexpected adventure, friendship and fun as when Cedric begins to grow, he realises his friends and family were there all along.
The initiative is the latest from Morrisons which aims to make good things happen and bring hope to the nation. Last month, Morrisons gave away over 2.5 million packets of sunflower seeds to customers to grow at home and half a million postcards for people to send messages to their loved ones who they haven’t been able to see due to lockdown.
Morrisons Community Champions have also launched the “Little Sunshine” awards which aim to recognise those who have gone above and beyond to help their community during the pandemic.
Over 100 organisations from across Scotland have today written to the leaders of Scotland’s political parties, urging them to commit to a radical extension of free bus travel, in a move that they say would have a transformative impact on the lives of people across Scotland’s communities.
The call has been made as part of the Poverty Alliance’s Everyone Aboard campaign, which asks for their support in extending fre bus travel to under 25s and people on Universal Credit and other low-income benefits.
The coalition of organisations – coordinated by the Poverty Alliance and including Friends of the Earth Scotland, the Scottish Youth Parliament and Barnardo’s Scotland – are making the call at a time of growing poverty in Scotland, with recent Scottish Government statistics showing over 1 million people in Scotland are now living in the grip of poverty.
Bus travel will, the letter states, be critical in stemming the rising tide of pandemic-related youth unemployment, with bus travel particularly important for young people and people on low incomes to help them access the labour market. Without this action, the organisations have warned, they “risk being left behind in our economic and social recovery.”
Peter Kelly, Director of the Poverty Alliance, said: “We are calling on the leaders of Scotland’s political parties to take the bold, far-reaching action to help loosen the grip of poverty on people’s lives. Removing the barrier to transport would be a significant step towards building a Scotland where everyone is included, no matter their income.
“This move would also help advance gender equality, as women disproportionately rely on public transport to access jobs, healthcare and activities to boost their wellbeing.
“Lone parents, who are predominantly women, would particularly benefit. Expanding the use of public transport will play an important role in reducing Scotland’s emissions and responding to the climate emergency.
“Extending free bus travel is a key way the next Scottish Government can help make Scotland a greener and more just place for us all to live.”
Mollie McGoran MSYP, Trustee of the Scottish Youth Parliament, said: “Young people and people on low incomes have been some of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and so must be put at the heart of the recovery.
“That’s why we support the aims of the Poverty Alliance’s Everyone Aboard campaign to provide free bus travel for young people and people on low incomes in Scotland.
“We believe that Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government should provide funding to support initiatives which make it easier, cheaper, and safer for young people to use active and sustainable travel options.
“Our 2018 national campaign All Aboard found young people feel bus fares are too high. The cost of public transport creates barriers to participation which are denying young people and those on low incomes access to opportunities, and this proposal would be a great step in the right direction.”
Gavin Thomson, Air Pollution Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “Transport is the biggest emitting sector in Scotland. To meet our climate change targets, bold action must be taken to promote cleaner forms of travel, like public transport, and lead a just transition away from fossil fuel private car use.
“Extending free bus travel to all young people under 25 and those on Universal Credit will form an important part of the solution and help ensure no one is left behind as we transform our transport system.
“The upcoming Scottish Parliament election provides political parties an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to tackling climate change. We must seize it.”
Tackling Scotland’s social deprivation and inequalities by investing in maternity services and staff must be at the heart of the next government’s policy. That’s the message from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) in a Blueprint for maternity services published this week.
In five areas for action, it also calls for an end to Scotland’s midwife shortage, saying some areas of the country struggle to attract enough midwives.
The pandemic has also exposed starkly existing inequalities hitting vulnerable women and those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. Maternity and other areas of healthcare have a key role to play in efforts to address these inequalities, says the RCM
The RCM’s five areas for action for the next Scottish Government are:
tackling social deprivation;
delivering the best maternity care for all the people of Scotland;
supporting NHS staff to recover from the pandemic;
ensuring Scotland has birthplaces that are fit for the future; and
ending Scotland’s midwife shortage for good.
Pulling no punches, the Blueprint says the pandemic ‘has been brutal’ on maternity and other NHS staff, who have worked throughout to ensure safe and high-quality care for women. This has hit their mental and physical health and they must be given the time and support to recover from it.
Jon Skewes, Executive Director for External Relations at the RCM, said: “There has been a monumental effort from midwives, maternity support workers, and maternity care assistants through the pandemic. It is time to step-up and really invest in them, in their pay and in their working conditions.
“Right now, we have a demoralised and exhausted workforce and women falling through the cracks and not getting the care they deserve. Staff are also often working in old, poorly designed buildings that are simply not fit for purpose. The pandemic has exposed the extent and the impact on care of this crumbling infrastructure.”
Additional training places for student midwives are also needed in more of Scotland’s universities. When they qualify new midwives generally stay within the regions they trained in leaving the chances of recruiting staff stacked against other areas without midwifery courses.
Jon Skewes added: “Tackling deprivation goes way beyond maternity and the wider NHS. Fixing it must be done through multiple channels including social care, education, and others.
“Maternity is a very good place to start improving the health of the nation, reduce inequalities and indeed, save lives that should not be lost. This has been a really tough year for the NHS and the people using it as it creaked under the weight of pandemic demands.
“It has also been a remarkable year because of how its staff and the service responded. Now is the time to invest to make it fit for the future.”
1.9 million meals distributed – and latest statistics DO NOT include pandemic period
Between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020, the Trussell Trust’s food bank network distributed 1.9 million three-day emergency food supplies to people in crisis, a 18% increase on the previous year. More than seven hundred thousand of these went to children.
Across Scotland, more than 237,000 were distributed – 80,000 of which were for children.
Food bank use has increased by 74% over the last five years, the charity reports. The top three reasons for referral to a food bank in the Trussell Trust network in 2019-20 were low income, benefit delays and benefit changes.
Releasing the charity’s latest annual statistics, Trussell Trust’s CEO Emma Revie said: “This year has been an extraordinarily difficult one, with many more people across the country facing destitution as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Food banks carry on, working as tirelessly as ever, to support people in crisis through the unprecedented challenge the pandemic continues to pose.
“The statistics in our 2019/2020 report show the situation in food banks up until the end of March, before the true economic impact of the pandemic had hit. Despite this, we see a rise in the number of people being forced to use a food bank yet again.
“This constant rise in food bank use, year after year, cannot continue. More and more people are struggling to eat because they simply cannot afford food – and when we look to the year ahead, it’s likely even more people will be forced into destitution. This is not right.”
“We know this situation can be turned around – that’s why we’re campaigning to create a future where no one needs a food bank. Our benefits system is supposed to protect us all from being swept into poverty and while additional government measures have helped some people stay afloat this year, clearly more needs to be done.
“That’s why we united with partners from across the charity sector in urging the UK government to make sure everyone can afford the essentials through the economic downturn.
“And we want to see governments at all levels doing everything in their power to protect people from financial hardship.
“We have outlined what needs to be done – it’s in our power to protect one another, we’ve seen it during this health crisis, and we need it to continue during this economic one.”
While the pandemic has had an impact on all parents and families, the severity of that impact, and the potential long-term consequences, will vary significantly.
While there have been positives for some families in being able to spend more time together, emerging evidence suggests others are experiencing increasing mental ill health, poverty, domestic abuse and child neglect.
There are also concerns around the impact on children’s development, perhaps especially for those born in the last year.
The Committee has decided to conduct a short inquiry on this topic, and will begin by hearing from organisations working with more vulnerable and disadvantaged families about what they have observed over the last year and their concerns for the future.
Witnesses
Tuesday 20 April 2021
At 9.45am, the Committee will hear evidence from:
Jabeer Butt, Chief Executive, Race Equality Foundation
Sally Hogg, Head of Policy and Campaigning, Parent-Infant Foundation
David Holmes, Chief Executive, Family Action
Jaine Stannard, Chief Executive, School-Home Support
Jane Williams, CEO Founder, The Magpie Project
Themes for discussion
How the pandemic has affected more vulnerable and disadvantaged families.
What the long-term impact of the pandemic might be for parents and children.
What action is needed from Government to respond to these concerns.
Over £3 million for money advice services in GP surgeries
GP practices in some of the most deprived communities will receive £3.17 million to fund dedicated welfare rights advisors to address growing mental health concerns caused by money and housing insecurity.
The national roll out has been a long time coming: Granton Information Centre led the very first partnership when they introduced a pioneering new service at Muirhouse Medical Group over ten years ago!
Dr John Budd of The Access Practice, a member of The Deep End network of GP surgeries in Scotland which cover the 100 most deprived patient populations, explained the benefits of the service when he addressed a Holyrood event held to celebrate Granton Information Centre’s pioneering work in 2018.
Dr. Budd told guests: “Around six years ago we became increasingly aware of the crippling nature of the welfare changes being introduced by the Westminster government. We produced a report about people’s experience of welfare change which received national media attention.
“What came out if that was a real sense of hopelessness – we felt our patients, often vulnerable, were increasingly being defeated by a system that was supposed to be there to help them. GPs felt helpless: patients were coming to see them with issues they couldn’t address. Poverty, increasing levels of homelessness, complex benefits issues – they couldn’t do the job they were trained to do.
“However the embedding of welfare rights workers into this bleak landscape has been such a bright spot. As members of our primary care team they have made such a fantastic difference, enabling people to navigate through the incredibly complex benefits system.
“Michelle (GIC’s Michelle Lee – Ed.) was with us at the Access Practice for four years, and she generated around £800,000 a year extra in due benefits – around £1000 per patient, which can make a huge difference to people who are often destitute.
“It’s been a fantastic development: it’s tragic that we still need this service, but it’s been a great benefit to our patients and we are so fortunate to have it. It’s a hugely effective way of enabling people to gain greater control of their lives through addressing poverty.”
Launching in September 2021, 150 GP Practices will be able to refer patients directly to an in-house welfare rights officer for advice on increasing income, social security eligibility, debt resolution, housing, and employability issues as well as helping with representation at tribunals.
The Welfare Advice and Health Partnerships will reduce pressure on GPs and primary care services – allowing them to focus on clinical care and treatment for patients while a dedicated advisor supports them to address their social and economic needs.
Since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic GP practices have reported an increase in the number of patients citing money and housing worries for mental health issues. This funding will enable Welfare Advice and Health Partnerships to be formed as part of COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience plans.
The work will be delivered in collaboration with Public Health Scotland, The Scottish Public Health Network and the Improvement Service.
Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone differently and further highlighted how vital it is to ensure support is in place for those who need it, including access to advice to help people overcome issues which are having a negative impact their mental health.
“Evidence has shown that money and welfare advisors in health centres reach people who do not engage with traditional advice services. This is the first time this approach will be delivered at a national scale, and I am sure it will make a difference to households as we focus on our recovery from this crisis.”
Deep End GP and former chair of the Royal College of Practitioners Scotland Dr Carey Lunan said: “This pandemic has shone a spotlight on health and social inequalities for some of our most vulnerable citizens, with the economic impacts being felt most by disadvantaged groups, who already live in precarious financial circumstances.
“Poverty is a fundamental cause of persisting health inequality and as we plan our recovery from COVID-19 we must ensure an appropriate focus on those with the greatest health and social needs, or these inequalities will simply worsen further. More financial security offers more choice, more control – and more hope.”
