Tag: support

Thousands of families can receive help towards Easter childcare costs

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is reminding working parents in Scotland to not miss out on the opportunity to get up to £2,000 a year to pay for regulated childcare, including holiday clubs and other out-of-school activities, during the Easter holidays. 

Tax-Free Childcare provides thousands of eligible working families with up to £500 every three months (or £1,000 if their child is disabled) towards the cost of holiday clubs, before and after-school clubs, childminders and nurseries, and other approved childcare schemes.

For every £8 deposited into a Tax-Free Childcare online account, families will receive an additional £2 in government top-up, and it is available for children aged up to 11, or 17 if the child has a disability.

More than 19,800 working families used the scheme in December 2021, in Scotland. Overall, HMRC paid out more than £34 million in top-up payments, which was shared between nearly 328,000 families across the UK.

With recent research estimating that around 1.3 million families could be taking up this government support, parents and carers can check their eligibility and register for Tax-Free Childcare via GOV.UK. 

This scheme can help working families including the self-employed and is one of many ways the UK Government is supporting households to reduce their costs and keep more of what they earn to help pay for other bills. 

Helen Whately, HM Treasury’s Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, said: “There are lots of brilliant holiday clubs and childcare providers to help working parents during the Easter holidays, and Tax-Free Childcare is a great offer that can help cut the childcare bills. 

“I urge families across the UK to take advantage of this support and put extra pounds in their pocket – sign up now and save on your childcare costs.” 

By depositing money into their accounts, families can benefit from the 20% top-up and use the money to pay for childcare costs when they need it. Accounts can be opened at any time of the year and can be used straight away.

For example, if parents and carers have school-aged children and use holiday clubs during school holidays, they could deposit money into their accounts throughout the year. This means they could spread the cost of childcare while also benefitting from the 20% government top-up. Any unused money that is deposited can be simply withdrawn at any time.

Tax-Free Childcare is also available for pre-school aged children attending nurseries, childminders, or other childcare providers. Families with younger children will often have higher childcare costs than families with older children, so the tax-free savings can really make a difference.

Childcare providers can also sign up for a childcare provider account via GOV.UK to receive payments from parents and carers via the scheme.

New research identifies need for better support for Service leavers

New research published today calls for more support for Services leavers who face challenges transitioning from military to civilian life.

The report, Understanding ‘Negative Transitioning’ in British Ex-Service Personnel, was conducted by a research team from the Senator George J Mitchell Institute at Queen’s University Belfast led by Professor John Brewer.

The study is one of the largest UK qualitative studies to examine the experiences of veterans who make a negative transition to civilian life.

The researchers explored three measures of negative transitioning in the 323 people they interviewed: homelessness, imprisonment, or mental ill-health. They found that overall, these individuals face the same challenges as other ex-Service personnel, but lack psychological resilience and the economic means to deal with them.

While the majority of Service leavers make a successful transition to civilian life, a minority are known to struggle. The study found the reasons for a negative transition are not limited to operational experiences whilst serving, but due to multiple factors including pre-service experiences, age of enrolment, rank, capability to make decisions, over-institutionalism in the military and the effectiveness of support services.

The study found that negative transitioning particularly affects low rank veterans who are more likely to join the military from difficult or disadvantaged backgrounds, with the career in the military providing an opportunity to improve their outcomes.

However, the research suggests that the Armed Forces can fail to adequately prepare Service leavers which can result in a lack of the emotional, cultural, and social skills needed to ensure that the life they ‘escaped’ from is not the one they return to.

The research also identified several local and regional services which support veterans who have a difficult transition, highlighting the importance of local knowledge, resources, and facilities in improving outcomes for veterans and their families.

The researchers recommend a greater focus on local support provision, whilst calling for more collaboration and cooperation between support providers on a national and regional scale to ensure no Service leaver’s needs are left unmet.

Professor Brewer said: “This is an outstanding study into a very hard-to-access group of veterans, and while they are untypical of the majority of veterans who transition successfully, they attract considerable media and public attention.

“The research addresses their lived experiences in their own words, revealing remarkable testimony of their difficulties in transitioning back to civilian life. The research also captured the views from family members and support providers. No study before has dealt with these issues in such depth and scale.”

Mike Ellicock, Chief Executive of Forces in Mind Trust, said: “We know that most Service leavers transition successfully to civilian life, their lives enriched by their service.

“Forces in Mind Trust exists to improve transition for those who face additional challenges. This research is extremely helpful for us and those who support these individuals, in providing a greater understanding of why Service leavers might experience a negative transition. I would encourage anyone who is interested in this area to read the report in full.

“We acknowledge that significant progress has been made since this research was conducted, with the Office for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Transition Services becoming operational in that time. However, the research outlines some improvements which can be made to support those who are more likely to experience a negative transition, and we hope to see these taken forward.”

The report can be accessed at the following link:

https://www.fim-trust.org/wp-content/uploads/QUB-Negative-Transition-FINAL.pdf.

Scots charity ships thousands of donated items to Ukraine crisis

A SCOTTISH charity has shipped two tonnes of donations destined for Poland’s mobile clinics helping those escaping the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. 

Working in partnership with NHS Scotland Global Citizenship, Artmedis and K&N, Kids Operating Room (KidsOR) has secured the transportation of eight pallets worth of goods from its global logistics centre in Dundee to Krakow, Poland where it will be put to good use by the emergency medics caring for the influx of refugees.

KidsOR is a global organisation focused on providing dedicated operating rooms for children’s surgery with bases in Edinburgh and Dundee.

The donation includes medical products, clothing and footwear as well as items specific items to help in a conflict situation, such as air chambers to assist with ventilation.

Dave Tipping, Director of Global Operations at KidsOR heads up the Dundee logistics centre. He said: “As events continue to unfold in Ukraine, donations are playing a vital role in supporting those most impacted by the conflict.

“That’s why a shipment of medical items once destined for Northern Iraq and Syria, but delayed for two years and eventually unable to be processed due to lack of documentation was, has been redirected to Poland.

“Over the next week, the shipment including blankets, clothing, sheets and gloves – all urgently required – will begin its travel and is expected to reach the mobile clinics within the next week.

“Under such terrible circumstances, we are proud to be able to help in a small way and know these items will be life changing for many.”

The seven-strong team at KidsOR’s Dundee warehouse typically facilitates large shipments of medical equipment to completely fit our paediatric operating rooms. Recent shipments have reached Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Zambia and Nigeria.

Founded by Garreth and Nicola Wood, it is the only global organisation focused on the single task of providing dedicated operating rooms for children’s surgery. They work in more than 40 countries to provide world-class surgical facilities and won’t stop until every child has equal access to safe surgery.

For more information on KidsOR, please visit: www.KidsOR.org

TUC: Five ways the government can help mums this Mother’s Day

This Mother’s Day mums across the country will wake up to breakfast in bed and bouquets of flowers from their little ones. But although the recognition from family members is appreciated, the fact is many working mums are being pushed to the brink.

Juggling work with family life is not easy. And working mums are buckling under the strain of a combination of caring responsibilities and the added pressures of wages and bills crisis.

Last week the Chancellor delivered his spring statement – setting out spending commitments for the next six months. But there was nothing in the Chancellor’s mini-budget to support working mums, despite the fact that recent TUC research found that one in three parents of pre-school age children spend more than a third of their pay on childcare – a staggering amount when households across the country are struggling to cover soaring energy bills.

And there are other challenges facing women in the labour market. Nearly two in five (38%) key workers are paid less than £10 an hour, and most of them are women. Around 2.5 million women key workers earn under £10 an hour.  

One in 10 (1.4 million) women workers earn too little to get any sick pay. And TUC research shows that BME women are twice as likely to be on a zero hours contract than their white male counterparts.   

Mums took on the lion’s share of caring responsibilities during the pandemic when schools closed. Now they’re more likely to have to take time off work to care for their children when they get Covid-19. Many are being forced to sacrifice hours and pay to do so. 

And too many women are stuck in low-paid, insecure jobs with few rights and no sick pay. They deserve so much more. 

5 ways the government can help mums this Mothers Day

This Mother’s Day, the TUC wants the government to introduce five key measures to help mums stay in work and support their families: 

  • Increase the minimum wage to £10 an hour
  • Increase statutory sick pay to at least the level of the real Living Wage, for everyone in work.
  • Bring in an entitlement to 10 days parental leave per year for each child, on full pay. Currently parents have no legal right to paid leave to look after their children. 
  • Ban zero hours contracts.
  • Introduce a right to genuine flexible work, from the first day in a job. Flexible working includes having predictable or set hours, working from home, job-sharing, working compressed hours and term-time only working. 

Long-term reforms 

But ministers cannot stop there. The TUC says the gender pay gap opens when women become mothers, which then feeds into the gender pensions gap later in life.  

Government must look at fundamental reforms to equalise care between men and women. A striking omission from the spring statement was the lack of any mention of childcare.

Without access to affordable childcare many families will be forced into further hardship and many mums will be forced out of the labour market.

​And the Governments evaluation of shared parental leave is long overdue.

The TUC says ministers must:  

  • Tackle the gender pay and pensions gap. Government should require all employers to publish an action plan alongside their pay gap reporting, setting out the steps they will take to close their gender pay gaps.
  • Invest in the childcare sector and ensure everyone has access to good quality and affordable childcare and childcare workers are paid a living wage. TUC research found that one in three parents of pre-school age children spend more than a third of their pay on childcare. TUC research also found that over 170,000 childcare workers would benefit from a minimum wage increase to £10 per hour. 
  • Overhaul Shared Parental leave (SPL). Around only 1 per cent of eligible families take up shared parental leave. We need an individual right to SPL for both parents on a use it or lose it basis and paid at real living wage rate. 

Women have fought hard for their rights and progression in the world of work, but more than a decade of austerity, compounded by the pandemic and now the wages and bills crisis risks turning the clock back on progress towards women’s equality at work and in wider society.

If the government is serious about women’s equality then it must get serious about its policy interventions.

MSP welcomes increase in support for families across Edinburgh

Pentlands SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald has welcomed the package of measures announced yesterday by the Scottish Government to provide immediate support and break the cycle of child poverty for people across Edinburgh.

Shona Robison, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government, announced an increase of a further £5 to the ‘game-changing’ Scottish Child Payment – bringing the total payment to £25 per week per child at the end of the year, following the increase to £20 next week.

This move will see the SNP Government’s package of five family benefits for low income families, including the increased Scottish Child Payment, now totalling over £10,000 to low income families by the time a first child turns 6, and £9,700 for subsequent children.

It directly benefits 7,995 of children across Edinburgh already in receipt of the payment.

In contrast, families in England and Wales receive less than £1,800 for the first child and under £1,300 for subsequent children.

The SNP Cabinet Secretary also announced: 

·         an increase in employment services with the aim of supporting up to 12,000 parents into fair and sustainable work, backed by investment of up to £81 million in 2022-23

·         investment of up to £15 million in a new fund to tackle the financial barriers parents face when they enter the labour market

·         immediate steps to mitigate the Tories’ Benefit Cap, which is impacting many families already struggling to make ends meet, backed by up to £10m 

It is estimated that, through these and current Scottish Government actions, 60,000 fewer children will be living in relative poverty in 2023/24 compared with 2017.


Gordon MacDonald said: “This package of measures to tackle child poverty is hugely welcome and the impact it will have on households across Edinburgh cannot be underestimated – increasing the Scottish Child Payment even further, to £25 per week per child, will make such a difference to families struggling to cope with the Tory cost of living crisis right now.

“This stands in stark contrast to the Tory Chancellor’s spring statement which utterly failed to provide any meaningful lifeline support for people across Edinburgh who are facing soaring energy bills and a cost of living crisis now – and that was a political choice.

“I am glad that families across Edinburgh have an SNP Scottish Government taking serious, life-changing action to protect them where it can within limited powers and a fixed budget. The significant parental employment package also announced will help people across Edinburgh into fair and sustainable work.

“Other political parties must now recognise the reality that whilst the SNP is doing what it can to put money in people’s pockets in Scotland and tackle poverty, Westminster is consistently undermining Scotland’s efforts through their damaging policy agenda.

“These actions from the Scottish Government make it crystal clear that Edinburgh and the people that live here, would be better off with independence and all the levers to tackle poverty and hardship.”

UK to provide vital food supplies to encircled Ukrainian cities

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss confirmed that the UK will provide Ukraine with £2 million in essential food supplies for people trapped by Russian advances

The UK is set to provide £2 million in vital food supplies for areas of Ukraine encircled by Russian forces, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss confirmed today (26 March).

The announcement comes following a direct request from the government of Ukraine, with the UK funding a rapid donation of dried food, tinned goods and water.

Warehouses in Poland and Slovakia are being readied to supply these goods to the government of Ukraine from early next week. Around 25 truckloads will then be transported by road and rail to the local Ukrainian communities in greatest need.

It is estimated over 12 million people are currently in need of humanitarian assistance across Ukraine, with the actual figure likely to be much higher.

This rapid donation is essential, with the window to reach towns and cities already encircled, as well as those at high risk, closing.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “This vital donation of food and supplies will help support the Ukrainian people in the face of Russia’s barbaric invasion.

“Our teams are working day and night with our Polish and Slovakian friends and the government of Ukraine to ensure those at most risk get the essential supplies they so badly need.”

Alice Hooper, FCDO Humanitarian Adviser said: “The need on the ground in Ukraine is clear, with so many people in encircled areas trapped in basements without access to food or water. Nearly 6 million children remain in Ukraine, many sheltering inside buildings which are coming under attack.

“We are working with partners at the borders to ensure these vital UK supplies reach the places they are needed most as quickly as possible.”

Access to food, water and cooking facilities for those trapped by Russian advances is becoming increasingly difficult, with people taking refuge in basements from shelling.

This latest donation comes as part of the £400 million committed by the UK, with £220 million of this on humanitarian aid.

The Foreign Secretary today announced the allocation of the first tranche of this funding, which will be shared amongst trusted humanitarian delivery partners on the ground, including:

  • £25 million to the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR to support surrounding countries to receive and care for refugees from the conflict
  • £20 million to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the OCHA-managed Ukraine Humanitarian Fund (UHF), to provide coordinated lifesaving humanitarian assistance, protection and basic services to those remaining in Ukraine
  • £10 million to International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to deliver healthcare and water, sanitation and hygiene provision amongst other support

Scotland for Ukraine event at Spartans

SUNDAY 3rd APRIL from 12.00 – 4pm at AINSLIE PARK

The World Cup play-off between Scotland and Ukraine was meant to take place on the 24th of March. It was postponed due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Moved by the recent events, Spartans have decided to team up with the Edinburgh-based charity, Dnipro Kids Appeal, and host a five-a-side football tournament to raise money to support Ukrainian orphans forced away from their home.

Join us on the 3rd of April at Ainslie Park Stadium and support our cause.

Get your friends together and play football for those in need!!! ⚽️💛💙

Get your team tickets at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/…/scotland-for-ukraine…

Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scotlandforukraine/

No barriers to Scottish healthcare for fleeing Ukrainians

People who ordinarily live in Ukraine will be able to access NHS services at no charge on the same basis as people living in Scotland.

An amendment to current legislation will ensure that people who have fled Ukraine can access services such as maternity care, mental health services and treatment for specific conditions at no charge while they remain here.

This will also apply to people from Ukraine who were in Scotland on short-term visas when the conflict began and who apply to extend or switch visas because they cannot return home. 

Anyone in Scotland, regardless of their nationality, residence status or length of time they will be in the country, is already entitled to receive emergency treatment at an A&E or casualty department, and can register with a GP Practice to receive general medical services, at no charge.

In addition, emergency legislation which came into force on Tuesday 22 March will allow people coming to Scotland from Ukraine to meet residency conditions for Scottish social security benefits.

This means that those fleeing war in Ukraine, and who are eligible, will have immediate access to benefits such as Scottish Child Payment and Child Disability Payment.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “We are determined to do everything in our power to give displaced people from Ukraine the warmest welcome possible when they arrive and this includes offering healthcare to those who need it.

“We fully recognise that they may have been through very traumatic experiences and could require specialist treatment and care. Removing charges for healthcare and providing access to benefits is a practical step in ensuring those who have been forced to flee their homes and country can live safely and comfortably in Scotland for as long as they need to.”

Grassroots football facilities across Scotland to be regenerated

Grassroots football facilities across Scotland will benefit from an initial £2 million of UK government funding to improve grassroots football facilities, as part of a major commitment to levelling up access to physical activity across the nation.

  • Beneficiaries of an initial £2 million direct investment in grassroots football facilities across Scotland this year announced
  • Spartans is one of 18 projects to benefit from first tranche of £230 million investment in football facilities across the UK to level up access to quality sport provision
  • Improvements to be made in partnership with the Scottish Football Association

SPARTANS Community Football Academy is one of eighteen projects across Scotland to receive funding to create and improve pitches, changing rooms and pavilions, so that more local communities can access high-quality facilities.

Projects have been chosen for their ability to deliver improved facilities in deprived areas, support multi-sport use and increase participation among currently under-represented groups, including women, girls and disabled players.

As well as North Edinburgh social enterprise Spartans Community Football Academy, other examples include:

  • Drumchapel United in Glasgow – a community club powered by volunteer coaches, which keeps the local community active at all ages from nursery to walking to football, who will use this £150,000 grant to regenerate their pitch;
  • Kilwinning Community Football Academy in Kilwinning, North Ayrshire – who have just signed the community asset transfer of the pitch and pavilion and are using this funding to regenerate the pitch as part of wider plans to improve the site. The pitch will support everything from school PE to mental health programmes for the local community. The £120,000 grant will be combined with the club’s own funds and funding from North Ayrshire Council.
  • Buckie Thistle High School where, combined with funding from the council, the renewed 3G pitch will support year round use for the ladies team there.

A full list of funded projects can be found here.

The funding, combined with contributions from clubs and other local partners, will improve the quality of community facilities, bring people together to enjoy playing sport in their local area, regenerate communities and enhance social cohesion.

It forms part of a £25 million UK-wide investment in grassroots facilities during this financial year, out of a total of £230 million set to be invested to help to build or upgrade up to 8,000 quality pitches across the UK over the next four years. The funding will also support the construction or refurbishment of clubhouses, changing facilities and community buildings.

The Scottish Football Association is delivering the programme on behalf of the UK government in Scotland.

UK Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said: “We are committed to improving access to high quality sports facilities for the underprivileged and underrepresented in Scotland.

“From Almswall Park in Kilwinning, to pitches in Buckie and Stenhousemuir, this will ensure more people can enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of sport at top class facilities in their local community.”

Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack said: From the Borders to Moray and from Inverclyde to Dundee, this £2million UK government funding will breathe new life into grassroots football facilities right across Scotland.

“The investment will help communities all over Scotland become winners on and off the pitch by inspiring people from all walks of life to get active and enjoy the physical and mental health benefits that playing the beautiful game can bring.”

Chief Executive Officer of the Scottish Football Association Ian Maxwell said: “Our goal in Scotland is to harness the power of football, with the positive physical and mental wellbeing benefits that football offers being perfect examples of this.

“This funding will open opportunities for increased participation across many different demographics, including boys’ and girls’ football and para-football disciplines, some of which will be in areas that currently suffer from severe deprivation.

The announcement follows a joint ‘Expression of Interest’ submitted to UEFA by the Football Associations of England, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales on Wednesday (23 March).

The governments of the UK, Ireland, Scotland and Wales have confirmed their support for the EOI submission and, given the Northern Ireland Executive is currently not meeting formally, officials there continue to observe the process closely.

Formal discussions on the technical specifications for the tournament are expected to take place with European football’s governing body over the coming weeks, before a final decision is made on submitting a formal bid.

On the prospects of hosting UEFA EURO 2028, Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston added: “This is welcome news from the FAs, and the government remains committed to working closely with them and our partners in the government of Ireland and the Devolved Administrations to bring UEFA’s flagship festival of international football to the UK and Ireland.

“Our unprecedented partnership creates the potential for the best EUROs ever, and we are passionate about bringing another world-leading sporting event here, creating a real celebration of football for people across the UK and Ireland.

“The government continues to demonstrate its commitment to sport and recreation, recently announcing that it is also investing £30 million to refurbish more than 4,500 tennis courts across the UK.”

PM Boris Johnson: The people of Ukraine will prevail

“UKRAINE IS NOT ALONE”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave a statement at the NATO Summit in Brussels yesterday:

It is scarcely believable as we stand here today that just a month ago, the Ukrainian people were living ordinary, peaceful lives. Now, they are locked in an extraordinary battle for survival against an unprovoked onslaught from their neighbours.

Ukrainians have taken up the fight and taught the world the meaning of bravery. Against the odds, they have snarled up Russia’s invading army, inflicting defeat after defeat. The heroism of Ukraine has changed the geopolitics of Europe.

Vladimir Putin has badly miscalculated in Ukraine, and I believe he knows it. But now that Putin’s Plan A has foundered, he is already escalating by intensifying his attacks on civilians.

Maternity wards, schools and homes and have been bombed without any regard for civilian life. Families are being starved out in freezing basement shelters, and targeted as they flee.

The United Kingdom – and our allies in NATO and the G7 here today – are clear: we will not stand by while Putin vents his fury on Ukraine.

I have rarely seen our nations more united in recent years than we are now. Putin’s failure in Ukraine is vital for the peace and prosperity of all of us, and his barbaric invasion has galvanised the international community into collective action.

We will work with likeminded allies to ramp up lethal aid to Ukraine at scale, providing kit to President Zelenskyy in the quantity and with the quality and quantity that he needs to defend his country from its bullying neighbour.

Today, I have announced we in the UK will send an additional 6,000 missiles and provide £25 million in unrestricted funding for Ukraine’s armed forces, more than doubling the lethal aid we have provided to date.

We are bolstering our support for the NATO countries on the frontline, sending a new deployment of UK troops to Bulgaria on top of the doubling our troops both in Poland and in Estonia.

This is just the beginning. We must support a free and democratic Ukraine in the long term. This is a fellow European democracy fighting a war of national defence.

NATO and G7 leaders were also united today in our determination to continue turning the screws on the Kremlin’s war machine, including by weaning ourselves off Russian oil and gas and reshaping global energy security.

The UK has already hit over 1,000 Russian individuals and entities in our toughest-ever sanctions, and the Foreign Secretary has announced 65 new sanctions against Russian banks, weapons manufacturers and oligarchs just this morning.

I also discussed the humanitarian response with our allies and partners today, as we continue to see huge numbers of Ukrainians flee their homes.

And the message that President Putin can take from today’s extraordinary meeting of NATO and the G7 is this: Ukraine is not alone.

We stand with the people of Kyiv, of Mairupol, of Lviv and Donetsk. And as President Zelenskyy has said himself – the people of Ukraine will prevail and Putin must fail and he will fail.