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The voice of Scotland’s vibrant voluntary sector

Published by Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

TFN is published by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh, EH3 6BB. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Registration number SC003558.

Daily coronavirus roundup for third sector, Monday 20 April

This feature is almost 4 years old
 

News on how Scotland's voluntary sector is responding to the pandemic

Charity battles on

LinkLiving, which supports those with experience of trauma and disadvantage, has revealed the significant toll that the current Covid-19 crisis is taking on the people it supports and has responded with a new campaign.

The charity has revealed that some of the 1,500 people they support have coronavirus symptoms, and a number of their staff are also having to self-isolate.

As the organisation – which carries out work across East Central Scotland – faces these unprecedented times, a brand-new campaign, A Ray of Sunshine has been launched.

This provides additional support to service users to help them to maintain positive mental health and wellbeing, and offers support more widely to others who are struggling during the current lockdown.

LinkLiving has changed the way it delivers its much-needed support, replacing face to face services with phone calls and online support where possible, whilst ensuring that those who really cannot manage without the charity’s visits still receive them.

The charity also runs 24/7 accommodation for young people who have been in care, those who have been previously homeless and people who have severe and enduring mental health challenges.

Staff from the charity are creating their own content which is being shared as part of a planned approach to deliver uplifting, inspiring support. This has included advice on maintaining a routine, sleeping well, eating healthily, and ideas for parents struggling confined to home. Other staff have written stories and poems, painted pictures, and even danced for videos.

This culminates in a weekly online TV programme on the LinkLiving website and social media.

Helpline providing support for parents

Children 1st has been awarded £75,000 of new funding by the Scottish Government for its Parentline service. The funding is to help the charity to respond to the unprecedented levels of demand for support from parents and carers across Scotland, both online and over the phone. Since the start of the pandemic, it has seen a significant number of new callers with concerns about coronavirus and website traffic has quadrupled.

Parentline has been offering emotional and practical support to families for over 20 years. This new funding will ensure that the helpline can be there for every parent, carer and family who needs it, as demand increases due to Covid-19 for emotional, practical and financial advice.

Mary Glasgow, chief executive of Children 1st, said “Parentline has always been there for parents in Scotland, offering support online, over the phone and through webchat. For many parents it’s more than a helpline – it’s a lifeline. This new funding from the Scottish Government is hugely welcome. Recent weeks have seen an increase in calls to Parentline and visits to the website, and the funding will ensure we can continue to meet the demand. We are very grateful to the Scottish Government for this support.

“Many more parents and carers are contacting us specifically for help to cope through the coronavirus crisis and all the challenges of being a parent in lockdown. Others are getting in contact to discuss the issues Parentline has always helped with – anxiety, pressured family relationships, coping with children’s distress and behaviour – all things which are made more challenging by coronavirus.

“Parentline will always be here for families and is determined that no one feels that they are alone, being a parent or carer is hard at the best of times and at the very worst of times our message continues to be that we are here for you.”

Parentline can be contacted on 08000 28 22 33 or visit children1st.org.uk/parentline

Keeping teenagers entertained

Barnardo’s Scotland knows a thing or two about teenagers and with the news that the lockdown has been extended for at least another three weeks, it is offering some useful advice online for parents.

Martin Crewe, director for Barnardo’s Scotland and father of four, said: “If you’re struggling to keep your teenager in the house and sticking to lockdown rules know that you’re definitely not alone.”

Teenage brains work differently than adult brains. Developing independence and freedom is one of the central parts of being a teenager, they are much more focused on living for today, having fun, testing boundaries and exploring their identity than they are following rules – and this explains why they might find lockdown so hard.

Children and young people have told the charity the reasons that they are struggling with lockdown include: missing social contact; peer support; getting away from family arguments; too much focus on school work and feeling scared, threatened, anxious and stressed.

As well as identifying the struggles and what doesn’t help, the online support includes advice on how to approach any problem areas; how parents and carers can support teenagers, along with a list of things that might help. It also provides information of other organisations that can offer more support.

Keeping it clean

A charity which has been at the forefront of global humanitarian emergencies for two decades is working to distribute hundreds of thousands of bars of soap to community organisations across Scotland.

Glasgow the Caring City, part of the Caring City Network, has already provided 150,000 bars of soap to local community groups, food hubs and resilience centres throughout the country to be used by staff and volunteers as well as being given to vulnerable individuals and households.

It has also launched a Just Giving fundraising campaign to sustain operational activity as Coronavirus continues to impact on the charity’s overall income.

Soap is a highly effective tool in the fight against the spread of COVID-19, dissolving the virus’s exterior fatty bilayer causing it to become inactive, and while there are many precautionary measures to be taken by the public, frequent hand washing remains extremely important.

The charity wants people to Break the Chain of virus transmission by regularly washing their hands.

Plans for debt relief

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) has backed plans by the Financial Conduct Authority to provide more help for people in debt who are affected by the economic impact of Covid-19.

The FCA is today proposing a payment holidays for payday loans, car finance re-payments and pawn shop debts.

CAS financial health spokesperson Myles Fitt said: “Our advisers are reporting big increases in the numbers of people who are struggling financially during the current crisis. Many were finding it hard to make ends meet before lockdown, but the pressures on household finances are now greater than ever and people need every bit of help they can get.

“So we welcome these new proposals, which we believe will bring relief to those faced with these particular debts and repayments. We would urge all lenders to co-operate fully with the FCA in adopting the changes. And we remind people who are struggling that the Citizens Advice network is still here to help give free advice to anyone who needs it.”

Police survey

Police Scotland is keen to hear from the voluntary sector on how it is responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

The force has launched a survey, which takes around 10 minutes to complete. You can find out more and take part here.

Future Pathways still open

Vital support for people who have experienced in-care abuse is going on despite lockdown.

Future Pathways is continuing to do all it can to offer support.

A spokesperson said: “Here at Future Pathways, we know that these are worrying times for you. We understand that you still need support and advice about day to day issues. Please be assured that you can still chat to us if you need to, just in a different way.

“We are here to talk to you by phone and by email. Just because we can’t meet up doesn’t stop us from listening to you. You can phone the support coordination team by freephone 0808 164 2005, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.”

For more information, visit the Future Pathways website.