David Hilferty of CAS: the government must provide sustainable funding for the voluntary sector and those it supports
Tough times and tough decisions are the parlance of the day.
Nothing like the tough decisions facing the people and households we support, mind.
As Scotland’s largest independent advice provider, we supported 55,000 people in the last quarter alone.
And now winter is upon us, there are a whole new set of challenges. Energy costs continue to soar and thousands of people across Scotland are worried about how they’ll afford to keep their lights on and heat their homes. This simply isn’t good enough.
That point around changing of the seasons is something we’ve been digging into our data on – to understand what happens to advice demand patterns across the year.
Whether we look at social security, debt or council tax, the post-winter upsurge in demand is consistent. Once you’ve done everything you can to just survive and make it through the festive season, what happens next? Where do you go? You visit your Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB).
And what does it feel like to work in a CAB at this point? At the very time when the essential service is most in demand, this is when uncertainty and precarity is most pronounced.
Most third sector organisations, including the network of 59 CABs across Scotland, receive funding on an annual basis.
This means at the end of each year, there is huge uncertainty about whether funding will be renewed. The immense stress this places CAB staff under cannot be understated.
And again, in terms of the seasonality of demand – what’s happening to advice at this point? Well, it doesn’t stop, does it? It’s increasing.
As we look ahead to this week’s budget, our overarching and recurrent ask centres on the need for fairer, multi-year funding agreements.
Because at its heart, advice is about bringing stability to volatility.
And yet, the existing funding approach means our advisers’ own livelihoods are often marked with precarity and at the mercy of short-term funding cycles.
Many people reading this don’t have to worry about the future every single year. I can’t think of many jobs that are exposed to such precarity where you are supporting someone through financial crisis while your own job security is uncertain.
Discussion of fairer multi-year funding for the sector isn’t new, and it isn’t radical. But it’s one we know would have a radical impact for communities across Scotland.
A quick counterpoint - what if we weren’t here? What if the wider third sector wasn’t here? Where do hundreds of thousands of people go for that lifechanging advice and support.
That thought was ringing in my head just last week when my colleague told me about a long discussion with someone who they were supporting.
At the end of the conversation, the person said: “Thank you. I think I’ll be able to sleep tonight.” That completely stopped me in my tracks.
That’s the difference we make. And that impact is replicated by partners across the sector carrying out brilliant work.
So, let’s make this budget the last where the changing of the seasons means precarity and uncertainty. Instead, we need long-term assurance and a rock-solid foundation to keep delivering this essential work and continue building resilience in communities all over Scotland.
David Hilferty is director of impact at Citizens Advice Scotland.
This column was first published in the Herald www.theherald.co.uk.
