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LOCAL & NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
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SERVICE UPDATES
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FUNDING
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TRAINING & EVENT
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RESEARCH & BLOGS
LOCAL & NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund – Year 2 funding announced: funding for Year 2 of the Fund – £15 million for 22/23 – has been fully agreed and has been announced by Kevin Stewart, Minister for Mental Wellbeing, by news release on Saturday. This has been announced ahead of Mental Health Foundation’s Mental Health Awareness Week (9-15 May) which focuses on social isolation and loneliness. NEWS RELEASE
Covid Stay at Home Guidance: From Sunday 1 May public health advice will change to a ‘stay at home’ message replacing self-isolation for people who have symptoms or have tested positive for Covid-19. People who have symptoms of Covid-19 and who have a fever or are too unwell to carry out normal activities will be asked to ‘stay at home’ while they are unwell or have a fever. They will no longer be advised to take a PCR test. The changes, part of the Test and Protect Transition Plan which was published last month, will also see all contact tracing ending. As previously announced, testing for the general population will end on 30 April with test sites closing at that point too. However, testing will remain available to certain groups in order to protect high risk settings, support clinical care and for surveillance purposes. You can find out more about the new guidance here: STAY AT HOME
Shielding: The Highest Risk List – formerly known as the Shielding List – will be formally ended on 31 May, as a result of the success of the vaccination programme and the introduction of new treatments for COVID-19. SHIELDING
Extension to Scotland’s Census: Householders across Scotland will be given an extra four weeks to complete their census returns. Over two million households have already completed the census – more than 77% of the total. National Records of Scotland (NRS) has offered the extension until the end of May to ensure everyone has the opportunity to complete their return and help shape important services in their community. Around 68,000 households have begun their census returns online but have not yet completed them and a similar number of requested paper forms have yet to be returned. Every household is legally required to complete their returns and Scots are reminded that failing to do so could result in prosecution and a fine of up to £1000. CENSUS
SERVICE UPDATES
Natural Connections New Project Update: Garden Outreach teams aim to support homeowners and groups in the Tranent area who would like to grow their own fruit and vegetables. Can give help and advice to get you started as well as practical support from volunteers with ground clearing, building raised beds and planting.FLYER
Tranent Men’s Shed & Woman’s Shed: Every Thursday at the Heugh Community Garden in Tranent Men’s Shed: 10.30am till 12.30pm, Women’s Shed: 1pm till 3pmFLYER
Fa’side Community Kitchen Vacancy – Community Development Worker
This is an exciting role, supporting a crucial charity in the heart of Fa’side. Using food as a way of connecting local residents, this Community Development Worker post will help develop the charity and raise awareness of its value in the Fa’side community.
Closing Date Extended:Sunday 15th May
(Job Description & Person Specification | Application Form) For information please email:ruthdavie73@gmail.com
VOCAL:31 May 12-1pm, online. Newly expanded counselling service: Information session for professionals. This session will discuss VOCAL’s specialised counselling in supporting carers, our different models, tips to know when a person might be ready for counselling, and how a person can be referred to the service. We will also discuss the expansion of the counselling service. If you are interested in attending our Information session, please contact Karen Kaufman on 0131 663 6869 or emailkkaufman@vocal.org.uk
HcLprovide supported door-through-door transport for people with mobility challenges – either from age, disability, and health issues (long-term or short-term) or additional support needs. Our services are much more than transport. They support people who would otherwise not be able to get out of their home, to do their own shopping, access other local facilities or attend appointments and social activities. We hope our support helps people maintain independence and enables people to continue to be active in their local communities. We have been running our two services –Dial-A-RideandDial-A-Busfor 40 years across Edinburgh, West Lothian, East Lothian and Midlothian.
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Dial-A-Ride provides a door-through-door transport service and journeys are to wherever the passenger wants to go – to medical appointments, meet friends, to church, visits to family, to the shops, cinema or theatre, to the Waverley or Edinburgh Airport. £6 discount applied to your first Dial-A -Ride trip!
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Dial-A-Bus provides transport from home to local shopping centres / large supermarkets. The Service operates at least once a week from most areas in Edinburgh and the Lothians .Your first trip with us on Dial-A-Bus is free!
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For more details on our charges and how to register and book with us please contact:
Edinburgh, Midlothian & East Lothian
Dial-A-Ride: 0131 447 9949
Dial-A-Bus: 0131 447 1718
Email:edinburgh@handicabs.org.uk
Musselburgh Saturday Walk:New block of walks in Musselburgh starting on Saturday 14thMay.FLYER
OSCR |How to check where you’re at on your journey to good governance. Good governance matters because it underpins successful charities and is vital for their effectiveness and sustainability. Good governance matters because it enables us to serve our beneficiaries and achieve our mission and values and it helps protect and enhance the reputation of individual charities and all of the third sector.OSCR
An appealing prospect? Online event exploring ideas for an appeals process for participation requests:SCDC is inviting community organisations, public bodies and other interested organisations and individuals to an online event on 11thMay 2022, 9:30-2:30pm exploring how participation requests – a way that communities can request to work with public bodies to improve outcomes or services – could be supported by reviews or appeals. The purpose of this online event is to share our findings so far based on the deliberations of our working group. This group met twice in February 2022 and consisted of both community organisations with experience of making participation requests and public agencies who deal with participation requests. Draft findings have focused on principles behind an appeals mechanism and proposals for both local reviews and appeals to Ministers. There have also been draft proposals around improved practice guidance for participation requests and discussion regarding other forms of scrutiny. This event will offer the chance to discuss these findings and also to further shape them before they are brought together and fed back to the Scottish Government.MORE INFO
LINKnethas a number of live job opportunities on their website including:
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Development Officer -No More Isolation, No More Tears Project (NINT), Full-time (36 hrs per week), Salary: £24,000 per annum
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Development officer- Mentoring and Training in Edinburgh project, Part-time (21 hrs per week), Salary: £24,000 per annum
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Oral Health Development Officer, Full-time (36 hrs per week), Salary: £24,000 per annum
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Oral Health Outreach Development Officer, Part-time (18 hrs per week), Salary: £24,000 per annum ADVERTS
Children 1st: Project Worker (Money Advisor)Opportunities available in Central Scotland in both East and West. We are recruiting Money Advice Workers to support the development of our Money and Debt Advice. This is an exciting opportunity to join our National and Local Money Advice Teams as we develop the offer Money and Debt Advice at a time when the financial pressures can have such a negative impact on family life. You will be building relationships with families in the community and in their homes, supporting them with income maximisation and money advice. For more details on this role please read the candidate pack in the related documents below. These are permanent, full time posts of 35 hours per week. Hours to be worked flexibly to suit the needs of the service (evenings and occasional weekends will be required) Closing date: Tuesday 10 May at noon. It is anticipated that Interviews will be held on Thursday 19 May 2022.Job title: Project Worker (Money Advisor)Reference number: CFS22/19Closing date: 10/05/2022 12:00Interview date: It is anticipated that the interviews will take place on Wednesday 19 May 2022Salary: £27,477 to £32,076Project Worker (Money Advisor) | Children 1st
FUNDING
Baring Foundation – Arts and Mental Health
The fund will support Global Majority-led arts organisations who would like to develop their offer of creative opportunities to people living with mental health problems. This funding round is open to Global Majority-led arts organisations which the Foundation use to mean communities that experience racism in the UK. This includes’ Black and Minority Ethnic, Ethnically Diverse Communities or Black Indigenous People of Colour, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. 51 per cent or more of the organisation’s board and senior management should be from Global Majority communities. Full details on eligibility can be found in the fund guidelines.
Deadline: 26th July 2022
Current funding opportunities – The Baring Foundation
Nationwide Community Grant
Community Grants supports projects which provide housing solutions. Applications are open to any organisations that provide solutions to help: – Prevent people from losing their home – Help people into a home – Support people to thrive within the home environment
Deadline:ASAP
Nationwide Grants (nationwidecommunitygrants.co.uk)
Volunteering Matters Action Earth 2022nature grants are now available to help support volunteers carrying out habitat creation and improvements in local green spaces.MORE INFO
Cycling Friendly Community Fund 2022/2023: Constituted community groups across Scotland can apply for up to £20,000 to provide cycling facilities and increase access to bikes.Cycling Friendly and Social Housing development fund – Application form (tfaforms.com)
Cycling Shift:Up to £1500 funding through the SHIFT grant offering support to organisations with the aim of encouraging more people to cycle for everyday journeys:https://www.cyclinguk.org/shift
National Lottery:The National Lottery at the UK level is undertaking research: ‘As part of our commitment to putting communities first we’re renewing our UK-wide strategy – and we want you to get involved. Communities across the UK are facing fresh challenges and opportunities and have new hopes and aspirations. We want you to help us better understand what these are and how we might support them. This is an exciting and inspiring time to shape the future of how we invest in communities. We intend to do this by learning, exploring and building big ideas. Thanks to National Lottery players, our grant holders and partners, we’ve made a significant difference to communities, including through the pandemic. Now we need your help. We want to ensure that we are using all of our resources to be the best we can be. We want to ensure that we remain relevant, responsive and supportive to the communities we serve. Our funding, knowledge, insight and networks all have value to add as we continue to respond to communities. By sharing your thoughts and ideas you can help ensure we, and the support we provide, remain fit and future-focused. We want to know what you think.’SURVEY
Stopping Smoking: A range of community groups have benefited from ASH Scotland’s small grants scheme, from Men’s Sheds to grassroots football to community radio. Apply now and help improve people’s health and wellbeing in your community by addressing smoking. Successful applicants receive:
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a small grant of £500
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a package of tailored support
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Free resources and training.
For more information and to apply visitwww.ashscotland.org.uk/smallgrants. The next round of applications closes on 23 May 2022.
TRAINING & EVENTS
Adult Learning Community Consultation & Activity Events: No need to book just turn up on the day, have a go at the activity and answer a few questions about adult learning. For more information emailChristine@otbds.orgor call07936 330765FLYER
Children Affected By Parental Substance Use (CAPSU): Wednesday 8th June 2022, 9.15am – 12.30pm This course is for practitioners who may encounter families where there is problem substance use in the course of their work. The course is facilitated by Midlothian and East Lothian Drugs and Alcohol Partnership (MELDAP). It offers an opportunity to hear from a peer worker with lived experience and for practitioners to reflect on how the Guidance is helpful as a framework for intervention when working with families where there is problematic use of alcohol and other drugs. Applicants must have previously completed Level 1 Child Protection Awareness Raising and Response training (either through Learnpro, or a virtual or face-to-face session). The closing date for applications is 11th May 2022. You must download the form to your own computer and save it before filling it in otherwise the next person who opens it will see your details.BOOKING
Adult Support and Protection Roles and Responsibilities Training: Tuesday 5th & Wednesday 6th July 2022 9am-12.30pm This Level 2 course is for multi-agency operational staff and managers working within East Lothian and Midlothian who are in regular contact or carry out direct work with vulnerable adults and who have a requirement to learn more about Adult Protection for their role. This course is suitable for staff who have not previously completed this training as it is not refresher training. It is not appropriate for social workers in adult services who have Council Officer duties under the Adult Support and Protection Act. Applicants must have previously completed Level 1 Adult Support and Protection training (either through Learnpro, or a virtual or face-to-face session). The closing date for applications is 7th June 2022. You must download the form to your own computer and save it before filling it in otherwise the next person who opens it will see your details.BOOKING
Social Enterprise Scotland:
Finding solutions to rising energy costs, 18 May– a webinar in partnership with SCVO and FSB Scotland, get help with your rising energy costs with Business Energy Scotland.
Scotland, Social Enterprise and Net Zero, 25 May– Join us for a discussion about the latest progress and challenges as social enterprises seek to make their contribution.
Cyber security for social enterprises, 1 June– we’ll be joined at this session by the Scottish Business Resilience Centre to learn about all aspects of cyber security.
Building an inclusive social enterprise community, 8 June– we’ll be joined by Women’s Enterprise Scotland CIC, who will include information on the new national Women’s Business Centre and also by CEMVO Scotland.
How to use tax to drive social change, 15 June– we have the Fair Tax Mark, Social Investment Tax Relief, Business Rates relief and other initiatives but how else could we harness the power of the tax system?
RESEARCH & BLOGS
Rural Housing Survey: This is one in a series of engagement and consultation surveys to help inform the forthcoming Local Housing Strategy (LHS) 2023-2028.
Deadline: 6 Jun 2022
Local Housing Strategy 2023-2028 Rural Housing Survey – East Lothian Council – Citizen Space (eastlothianconsultations.co.uk)
