Tag: Winter Plan for Social Protection

Tackling social isolation and loneliness

Funding promotes inclusion and wellbeing

Almost £6 million in funding will provide friendship and human connection to people at risk of social isolation and loneliness over the winter months.

Part of the Scottish Government’s £100 million winter package to support people, the funding will ensure services such as wellbeing calls, befriending support, advice and volunteering are maintained and extended over winter.

Through the Connecting Scotland programme, an extra £4.3 million will help 5,000 older people to get online, and around 200 families to maintain contact with a loved one in prison custody, through digital devices and internet access.

More than £1.6 million will go to organisations providing key helplines, for groups such as older people and victims of domestic abuse. Over £900,000 will go to various other projects across Scotland supporting people of all ages affected by social isolation and loneliness.

Equalities Minister Christina McKelvie said: “Living through an extended period of not spending time with our friends and loved ones has been painful for everyone, but extremely damaging for some and we know that many people will find the upcoming festive period particularly hard.

“The events of this year have reaffirmed our commitment to tackling social isolation and loneliness as a serious public health issue.

“That’s why part of our Winter Plan for Social Protection will have a specific focus on addressing this across society. In particular among older people, disabled people, the young LGBTI community, care-leavers, and women and girls at risk from violence and abuse.

The charity Generations Working Together will receive £76,200 to continue connecting care home residents with their families and younger people in the community.

Chief Executive Officer Alison Clyde said: “We provide support and training to care home staff to ensure residents are connected with loved ones, as well as young people from the local community.

“Participants share their skills and life experiences, learn together whilst making new friends and most importantly have fun. This also helps to break down intergenerational barriers – vital in tackling ageism and reducing loneliness and isolation.”

Shared Care Scotland will receive £80,000 for its Time to Live grant scheme for unpaid carers.

Chief Executive Don Williamson said: “Ongoing restrictions continue to have a significant impact on carers, many of whom are unable to access their usual forms of support.

“Accessing a short break through a Time to Live grant can make a huge difference to a carer’s health and wellbeing, helping them recharge their batteries and sustaining them through the winter months.”

YouthLink Scotland will receive £150,000 to allocate small grants to local grassroots youth work.

Chief Executive Officer Tim Frew said: “Some young adults face uncertainty around their future job prospects and struggle to cope with the restrictions. This funding will enable us to direct youth work support to where it is needed the most, boosting young people’s interaction with others and promoting positive mental wellbeing.”

In addition to the £5.91 million from the winter support package, the Scottish Government has also provided £1.16 million funding over the course of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to organisations who tackle isolation and loneliness through local projects, intergenerational learning and phone helplines.

Our National Assistance Helpline, connected to all Local Authorities, remains in place to support people and provide advice when they need it.

In addition to those mentioned above, organisations to receive funding include: Befriending Networks (£100,000), BEMIS/Ethnic Minority Resilience Network (£100,00), Scottish Mens’ Sheds Association (£100,000), Chest Heart Stroke Scotland (£75,000), Glasgow Disability Alliance and other national disability organisations (£120,000).

Bridging the Gap: Winter support fund for children and families

£100 million package will help communities at risk

Funding to help people pay for food, heating, warm clothing and shelter during the winter is part of a new £100m support package.

The fund will help those on low incomes, children and people at risk of homelessness or social isolation cope with winter weather and the economic impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) and Brexit.

The Winter Plan for Social Protection, announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, will also address domestic abuse and digital exclusion.

COVID-19 has had a significant negative effect on Scotland’s economy hitting jobs and living standards hard – and Brexit will exacerbate the situation.

With winter approaching, some of Scotland’s most at-risk communities are facing rising costs for food, fuel and other essentials.

Key elements of the plan include:

  • £22m for low income families including £16m to give the low income families of an estimated 156,000 children in receipt of free school meals a one-off £100 payment by Christmas
  • £23.5m to help vulnerable children through additional support for residential and care homes, social work, and the Children’s Hearing system
  • £15m for the Communities and Third Sector Recovery Programme to support the work of local organisations
  • £5.9m to promote digital inclusion for older people, support social isolation and loneliness and to promote equality
  • £7m to help people who are struggling to pay fuel bills
  • £5m to help those at risk of homelessness find a settled home

The Winter Plan for Social Protection also includes £15m of flexible funding for local authorities entering COVID-19 protection level 4 – announced by the First Minister earlier this month – which can be used to pay for food and essentials.

The First Minister said: “We will shortly become the only part of the UK to give low income families an extra £10 per week for every child – initially for children up to age 6 and then for every child up to age 16.

“This has been described as a game changer in the fight to end child poverty. The first payments will be made in February, but I know that for families struggling now, February is still a long way off.

“So I am announcing today a £100 million package to bridge that gap, and help others struggling most with the impact of COVID over the winter months.

“It will include money to help people pay their fuel bills and make sure children don’t go hungry. It will offer additional help for the homeless, and fund an initiative to get older people online and connected. And it will provide a cash grant of £100 for every family with children in receipt of free school meals.

“The money will be paid before Christmas and families can use it for whatever will help them through the winter.

“That could be food, new shoes or a winter coat for the kids. Families will know best what they need – that’s not for government to decide.

“Initiatives like this are not just about providing practical help to those who need it most – they are an expression of our values and of the kind of country we are seeking to build.”

The £100m Winter Plan for Social Protection has been developed to mitigate social harms posed by the concurrent risks of COVID-19, winter cost of living increases and EU exit, as well as to promote equality and human rights.

The full breakdown of the £100m fund is:

Support for families on low incomes (£22m)

Supporting services for children and young people (£23.5m)

Enhancing capacity within the third sector and communities (£15m)

Funds for local authorities moving into level 4 (£15m)

Further help with fuel costs (£7m)

Further investment in strategic national food activity (£2m)

Further investment to support people affected by homelessness (£5.14m)

Increased digital inclusion through Connecting Scotland for older people, support for social isolation and loneliness and strategic investment to promote equality (£5.91m)

A campaign on benefit uptake and income maximisation (£0.25m)

Reserve fund to meet potential pressures (£4.2m)

End Child Poverty members in Scotland welcomed the First Minister’s announcement today committing to provide low-income families entitled to free school meals in Scotland with a £100 per child payment.

Amidst rising child poverty and the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, this package of financial support for families whose children are eligible for free school meals will bring some welcome relief.

Speaking on behalf of End Child Poverty members in Scotland, Peter Kelly, Director of Poverty Alliance in Scotland, said: “It has been clear that children and families struggling to stay afloat through the pandemic cannot wait for the Scottish Child Payment for the lifeline support they need.

“So, it is very welcome that the Scottish Government has listened to people living on low incomes and organisations across Scotland, by committing to cash grants to support families through winter.

“For many fighting to keep their heads above water amid a rising tide of poverty, the cold winter months are bringing deeper hardship. This payment will act as an anchor to help them weather the storm until the rollout of the Scottish Child Payment.”

For many months End Child Poverty members in Scotland have been calling on both the Scottish and UK Governments to act urgently to get money into the pockets of struggling families, to mitigate the financial impact of the pandemic and consequently the concerning rise in child poverty. We are pleased that the Scottish Government has listened to our calls and committed to supporting families most in need.

Getting cash directly into the pockets of families ensures dignity, respect and choice for families, recognising that families themselves are best placed to decide how to provide for their children. Working directly with children and families every day, they tell us the difference having money in their pockets means for them.

Many families across Scotland have been facing a long and difficult winter of increasing financial uncertainty and anxiety about how to pay their bills or feed their children. The Scottish Child Payment will not be fully rolled out until 2022, so this additional payment for those families will help bridge the gap between now and then.

Today’s announcement will go some way to alleviating the financial stress and anxiety for many families over the coming weeks and months.

However, there is currently no detail about how families with only pre-school aged children will benefit from today’s commitment or families with ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’, and this must be clarified. We also continue to call on the Scottish Government to commit further to increasing household incomes for struggling families who will continue to face much more uncertainty and financial insecurity during the pandemic and beyond.

We also continue to call on the UK Government to commit to making the temporary uplift to Universal Credit of £20 per week a permanent lifeline for families, beyond April next year. This permanent uplift should also be applied to legacy benefits and Tax Credits.

We believe today’s announcement is a good first step towards getting the desperately needed and vital financial support into families’ pockets. As we look towards next year and beyond there is much more needed if Scotland is to meet its child poverty targets. We look forward to working with the Scottish Government to help them achieve this.