Tag: Poverty

Nice LIFT: local project secures funding to tackle child poverty

Vulnerable families are set to benefit from new funding to support households in financial hardship – and North Edinburgh’s L.I.F.T is one of seven projects aimed at tackling child poverty to receive a share of the new £450,000 fund.

LIFT (Low Income Families Together), based in Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre, will receive over £70,000.

The money is a part of the Every Child, Every Chance Innovation Fund, which is jointly supported by the Scottish Government and The Hunter Foundation.

The fund aims to support innovative approaches which could have an impact on reducing child poverty by 2030. The projects range from job training and a befriending service, to school-based mentoring and support for lone parents.

One of the successful projects is Stepwell, a social business based in Inverclyde, which provides support to people in the local community with health and finance issues as well as training and employment opportunities.

At a visit to meet staff and service users, Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “We are committed to tackling child poverty and are always looking for new ways to support households and families in financial hardship. No child or adult should have their chances limited by poverty.

“It has been great to hear about the approach being taken by Stepwell to tackle child poverty in Inverclyde. Their method aims to get to the root cause of any hardship and through encouragement, support and training, families can begin to change their lives.”

Steven Watson Chief Executive Officer at Stepwell, said:  “Stepwell is absolutely committed to tackling child poverty in Inverclyde.  Through our Whole Life approach, we focus on providing person-centred support, offering vocational and accredited training and ‘real’ business work placements within our social businesses.

“We are so grateful to The Hunter Foundation and Scottish Government for partnering with us.”

The Innovation Fund is a joint fund between the Scottish Government and The Hunter Foundation, each contributing £5 million and £2.5 million respectively over the life of Every Child, Every Chance.

The below table details the organisations awarded funding for 2018/19

New organisations via application Award – 2018/19
Clyde Gateway £9,900
Covey Befriending £11,994
L.I.F.T £70,177
MCR Pathways – Scottish Mentoring Programme £97,000
Midlothian Sure Start £121,914
North Lanarkshire Council £41,000
Stepwell £99,900

 
Total £451,885

An update on all actions committed to within the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan will be published by the end of June 2019.

 

 

 

Deprivation has a negative impact on the health of people with Type 1 diabetes

  • People with Type 1 diabetes living in more deprived areas of Scotland have higher blood sugar levels, putting them at greater risk of diabetes complications
  • Researchers looked at the health records of everyone living with Type 1 diabetes in Scotland over 12 years
  • Findings highlight the persistent and significant health inequalities disadvantaged people with Type 1 diabetes face

Continue reading Deprivation has a negative impact on the health of people with Type 1 diabetes

People in poverty must not pay the price for Brexit, say charities

poverty family JRF

A coalition of charities have urged the Government to take urgent steps to protect people and places in poverty from the financial consequences of Brexit, including no-deal. Continue reading People in poverty must not pay the price for Brexit, say charities

“Unravelling”: Stalling life expectancy is a warning light for public health in Scotland

Two reports out today show that the increase in life expectancy that has shown steady progress in Scotland since the Second World War, has now stalled and that health inequalities have worsened.

In the past seven years, Scotland has seen the slowest growth in life expectancy, since at least the late 1970s and death rates have now begun to rise for people living in our poorest areas. Continue reading “Unravelling”: Stalling life expectancy is a warning light for public health in Scotland

New report sets out lessons for a Scottish Basic Income pilot

“an unconditional, automatic and nonwithdrawable payment to each individual as a right of citizenship”

IS IT TIME FOR A BASIC INCOME?

A new report published today by the Carnegie UK Trust sets out the key questions to be addressed to pave the way for a successful basic income pilot in Scotland. Continue reading New report sets out lessons for a Scottish Basic Income pilot

Austerity: Council spending has fallen by half since 2010

  • People living in cities shouldered the equivalent of £386 worth of cuts per head since 2009/10, compared to £172 per person elsewhere
  • Liverpool and Barnsley worst hit by cuts to local government budgets
  • 50% of cities spend more than half their budget on social care
  • The Spending Review must mark the end of local government austerity

Cities have borne nearly three-quarters (74%) of all real-terms local government funding cuts in the last decade despite being home to just 54% of the population, according to Centre for Cities’ annual Cities Outlook 2019 report – the Centre’s annual health check on UK city economies. Continue reading Austerity: Council spending has fallen by half since 2010

Record number of students from deprived areas at university

Positive progress on equal access to higher education

A record number of full time first degree students at Scottish universities were from the most deprived areas in Scotland last year. 

New figures show that, in 2017/18, 15.6% of students entering university were from the 20% most deprived areas. This is 0.4% short of the Government’s target for 2021.

Last year also saw an increase in the total number of Scottish students enrolling in Scottish universities.

The statistics, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), show the latest progress in the drive to widen access to higher education.

Higher Education Minister Richard Lochhead said: “These statistics highlight the good progress being made on widening access to higher education. I’m pleased to see more Scots going to university here and a record increase in entrants from our most deprived areas.

“Combined with recent UCAS statistics, this shows demonstrable progress towards giving every young person in Scotland an equal chance of success, no matter their background or circumstance.

“It is also great to see a record number of enrolments and an increased number of qualifications achieved in 2017/18. All of this speaks to the level of excellence found across our higher education institutions.”

Between 2016/17 and 2017/18:

  • Total Scottish domiciled students (undergraduate and postgraduate) at Scottish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) increased by 1.2% to 160,875
  • The number of students (undergraduate and postgraduate) at Scottish HEIs increased by 2.1% to 247,110
  • Entrants (undergraduate and postgraduate) to Scottish HEIs increased by 3.2% to 104,520
  • EU and non-EU domiciled enrolments to Scottish HEIs increased by 1.7% and 5.1% respectively
  • Qualifiers from Scottish HEIs increased by 2.4% to 76,595

Following the Commission on Widening Access, a target was set that, by 2021, 16% of students entering university will be from Scotland’s most deprived backgrounds, increasing to 20% by 2030. At 15.6% for 2017/18, this is just 0.4 percentage points off the 2021 target.

The latest UCAS statistics from the 2018 End of Cycle Report showed an increase in acceptances for 18 year old students from deprived backgrounds.

The full set of information on 2017/18 enrolments published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency is available as an interactive publication.

 

 

GIC’s pioneering work celebrated at Holyrood

A reception to mark Granton Information Centre’s pioneering work in establishing advice provision in healthcare settings was held at the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday.  Continue reading GIC’s pioneering work celebrated at Holyrood