A response to the Feeley Report by Ian Brooke (EVOC Deputy Chief Executive).

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People often talk about circles ‘coming back around’.

Or maybe sometimes we see patterns where it’s simply random.

What I do know is that there are a lot of well-meaning official think tank (Scottish or UK Government) infrastructure bodies reports cascading out of pdf formatting software at any one time – but so many of them talk a good game but offer few practical steps to getting to grips with the issues at hand. Then, last week another one appeared:

Only commissioned in the autumn, we knew that the review would report quickly. And we all hoped that it would focus on real people, organisations on the frontline and present practical actions. Well, to cut to the chase, it does.

 

‘We in the carers and independent living movement are pleased that our
intensive advocacy work has paid off so well’ _{Sebastian Fischer VOCAL CEO}

All 109 pages burst with an ambition and phraseology many in the voluntary sector live and breathe every day. ‘Rights-based’, ‘People Powered’, ‘Fairness’ – to name but a few.

Ten years on from Christie’s ground-breaking commission and through the birth of the Frankenstein IJB restructuring, is this the breakthrough into puberty as the system had settled-down into its infancy?

The danger inherent in the ambition is that the system’s apparatchiks could easily get caught up redesigning process or structural niceties. Furthermore, the sensible reforms proposed might not even survive exposure to the real world – what would unions, CoSLA, IJB Chief Officers think? Are politicians brave enough to pull it off? We already know, disappointingly, that there is a split along constitutional lines amongst parties. And of course there’s the question of investment money. Keeping people well and safe and achieving everything they have the right to achieve isn’t cheap…

Breadth of ambition with practical steps – tick.

Difficult teenage years to come?

 

I don’t think 2020 is a year that any of us will forget anytime soon, so as we start a new year, it seems like a good time to reflect on both the challenges and positives (there were some!) of the last 12 months.

I started working at EVOC on the first day of lockdown, which was an unusual way to get to grips with a new job (although 9 months later probably not so unusual!)  Grappling with new technologies, hearing “you’re on mute” 20 times a day and meeting colleagues via Zoom and Teams chats became the norm very quickly. 

A few weeks after I started, EVOC was asked to manage the COVID-19 Food Fund project in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council and third sector organisations.  EVOC’s role was to bring together the statutory and third sectors to co-ordinate provision of food across the city.  The project, which was funded by money from the Scottish Government Food Fund, was designed to support the most vulnerable people in the city who would otherwise struggle to access food due to the pandemic; to ensure that all of the money allocated to this critical project was used to supply and transport food to those who needed it most.

Because our roles were all changing we didn’t need to use any of the funding for staff etc, I was re-deployed from my original role at EVOC to support the project.  My job was a very practical one – ensuring that the referrals EVOC received from the Council were sent to the right hubs and providers across the city to ensure that people got food quickly. I was liaising with local organisations and the Council on a daily basis and sorting any queries that might arise.  I was also able to refer people for additional support that they might need such as dog walking, shopping or befriending. 

I would also call people who needed help urgently, just to check how they were doing and find out exactly what they needed.  In some cases, I was the only person who had spoken with them in the last few days and they were really appreciative of a friendly voice on the other end of the phone.   For me personally, it felt really rewarding to be doing something useful and practical to help people.

I also enjoyed getting to know everyone working at the fantastic organisations that were supporting the project.  We were all learning as we went along and we didn’t always get it right, however what we all had in common was our desire to ensure that no-one went hungry because of COVID. As a result, new partnerships have been formed which will stand us in good stead for the future!

The first phase of the food fund project finished in September, however we’ve recently stepped up the project again on a much smaller scale to mitigate the impact of the increase in COVID cases and the approach of winter.  For now, the level of demand is much lower, partly because the Council are operating a cash first principle for those in crisis as advocated by Scottish Government. Hopefully this helps people to have more choice and dignity in terms of self-determining the support they need, and food deliveries help those who really need them. 

So, while I will be glad to see the back of 2020 for lots of reasons, on a personal level, I feel very grateful that I was able to work with wonderful partners to do a job that has hopefully made a positive difference to peoples’ lives.

Roisin Hurst, Development Worker (Community Investment)

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If you are currently aware of people in crisis please encourage them to call 0131 200 2388 or apply online for support. Find out how we are working with City of Edinburgh Council, Caring in Craigmillar, Cyrenians, Pilton Equalities Project and Space to those who need it during the current lockdown and restrictions. 

I don’t know if anyone is keeping track of all the unpredicted consequences of COVID-19 but the list will be long.

Whichever sphere we operate in, we are noticing our own idiosyncratic effects of this pandemic across our work and our operations, the good and the bad. Some of those more positive aspects we are hoping to retain as we manoeuvre into our changed working lives.

For our very own little niche of things we’ve noticed is governing documents…stop that, I can hear you groaning…. Like them or ignore them, they are your organisation’s handbook for how your governance operates and if it is lacking, ambiguous or outright prevents you from doing something, then you and your Board need to have a look at reviewing it.

As the pandemic hit, an immense cloud ball appeared as charities blew the dust of their governing documents and thumbed their way to the section on members’ meetings. As such the story emerging from the pandemic is that most governing documents don’t have the mechanisms to allow for AGM/EGMS (members meetings) to take place remotely via video conferencing and instead require ‘in person’ attendance to form a quorum.  

Many also don’t have provisions to allow for board meetings to take place using this format (hands up who was doing it anyway!). However, those charities that have formed in the last decade or so are more likely to be able to do this; as standard SCIO constitutions will have it automatically included, and like-wise charitable companies have statutory provisions under the Companies Act of 2013 to allow Directors to meet virtually.

Thankfully OSCR have been proportionate and understanding to charities and have provided guidance on flexibilities to allow members’ and Board meetings to take place , but their recommendation is still at some point to review and update where you can and future proof as best you can.

We’ve long since advocated reviewing governing documents from time to time to make sure that it’s still relevant and provides you with the flexibilities to adapt to change, but we know that it can feel like a laborious process. This can feel especially protracted if you are a larger membership organisation and as such you have to consider how you prepare to inform and encourage participation from your members (as the ones who hold the power to pass the changes). So, our call to you is this:

Please do consider reviewing and amending your governing document, not just in response to the lessons learned but as a means to check that you have what you need to cover eventualities (as best you can).

EVOC is here to support you throughout, whether that’s guiding on changes, producing the papers and if necessary even sit-in and facilitate the process at a meeting.

Please do ask, you know where we are.

Referrals for assistance can be submitted to the EVOC team here.

 

It’s good to see media support for drug and alcohol funding, although of course sad that the stark drug related deaths figures released this week were needed to bring this about. Drug related deaths are an indicator of the increasing pressures but are unfortunately only the tip of the iceberg.

It’s always helpful to have the profile of this issue raised but important to read the comments I made in context. On June 21^st I made a deputation on behalf of the Substance Use Network Edinburgh and the Edinburgh Mental Health Forum to the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (IJB) in opposition to a proposal to absorb underspend from two streams of Scottish Government funding into the IJB’s deficit – £1.78m in total. This proposal was particularly hard to take because the underspend had been incurred due to the IJB not considering spending plans immediately after they were prepared almost a year before.  

The in depth discussion that followed the deputation was balanced and considered. Members of the IJB decided to reject the proposal to direct the funding towards the overall deficit. They indicated support for the money being spent on what it was intended for, and a recognition of the level of need for these services. We need to get final sign off on spending the funds at the August IJB meeting, and we look forward to being able to improve the outcomes for the people this funding was intended for.

I can’t pretend to support or understand the decisions that took place leading to the delay in considering the spending plans and to proposing that the money be diverted elsewhere. But I do understand the degree of pressure on the IJB to support increasing levels of need with an ever tighter budget.

It’s yet another painful demonstration of the inevitable impacts of austerity. In May the UN Poverty Rapporteur described a nation with a ‘harsh and uncaring ethos’ that I felt ashamed to be part of. Numbers of homeless people are rising and the health challenges associated with this are predictably dire. This week we’re struck by drug related deaths. It won’t stop until we recognise that austerity is at the heart of all these issues, and that public services can never be slashed without devastating human consequences.

You can watch the deputation and discussion here.

Maria Arnold, Senior Development Worker (Adult Health & Wellbeing)

Happy Birthday Flora!

Tuesday 30th October 2018 would have been Flora Stevenson’s 179th birthday. Flora was a social reformer and suffragist with a special interest in education. She played an active role in EVOC’s predecessor organisation, the Edinburgh Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor.

The EVOC 150 team chose to mark Flora’s birthday in the only appropriate way, with a party! But not just any party. We were absolutely delighted to work with the Flora Stevenson Primary School to deliver a day-long Victorian-themed birthday bonanza involving all staff, pupils and the parents council, a mere 700-odd individuals. Three cheers to everyone involved!

Recipe for Success

I am incredibly proud of what we managed to achieve in just over five weeks and extra special thanks must go to Sharon McGhee and Amanda Burton, headteacher and depute headteacher respectively at Flora’s for their approachability, creativity and enthusiasm.

Our mutual aims were to honour the legacy of Flora; raise awareness of, learn about and encourage volunteerism and social action; promote the EVOC 150 project, and have fun! With just three short planning meetings squeezed in amongst packed schedules we went from the initial germ of an idea to a mammoth event. It was a lesson for me in how much is possible with limited resources and a (very) moderate budget topped with a healthy serving of belief.

The Big Day

From our initial meeting the school were determined to find a way of including the families of pupils as well. The day started with a mini volunteer fayre in the Hall of Happiness accompanied by a performance by The Music School. I had thoroughly underestimated how good the exceptionally talented musicians would be and should never have based my preconceptions on my own primary school recorder group!

GirlGuiding Edinburgh, Health in Mind, Edinburgh Leisure (Ageing Well), The Yard, Cyrenians and The Rock Trust promoted their organisations and volunteering opportunities to families in a packed hall.

Christy Thomson from The Yard said: “I loved coming and thought it was really nice to be a part of the day…I think [it] was really useful”. It was fantastic to see so many people come in and we were grateful to have the support of Cllr Hal Osler who joined us for the whole morning.

With a swiftly executed five-minute turnaround the hall was transformed into party central. Thanks to an exceptional feat of organisation which would put many professional logistics experts to shame, over the course of the next six hours we rotated all children by year group in and out of the hall.

Once inside the children learnt why the school and EVOC had collaborated for Flora’s birthday, played traditional Victorian games including pass the slipper (plimsole) and Blind Man’s Buff and learnt about what life would have been like during Flora’s time with the help of handling boxes from the Outreach Service at Museums and Galleries Edinburgh.

Happy Birthday Flora was sung loud and proud and once the vocal cords were warm Daisy Bell was also recited. I’m pretty sure it’s going to take between 150 and 179 years for me to get the latter out of my head. Finally, no party is complete without appropriate sustenance. The parent council completed an epic baking mission to provide mountains of Victoria Sponge cakes and Morrisons Ferry Road kindly donated so we could hydrate the children with lashings of lemonade. Many thanks to Yasmin and Alea from EVOC; Tricia, EVOC 150 volunteer and Hal for managing an industrial-sized production line of all of the above treats.

Back in class away from the frivolities in the hall, all children created birthday cards for Flora and included a pledge to volunteer or be of service in some other way as a way of honouring Flora’s legacy. All staff and students had either chosen to dress-up as Victorians to signify the past, or come in their uniform to signify the present. I wonder what schools will look like 179 years from now?

Thank You

This day would not have been the stand-out success it was without the help and enthusiasm of all those mentioned above and more. We are able to celebrate EVOC’s 150th year with events like this with thanks to lottery players and the Heritage Lottery Fund. Hip Hip Hooray!

As I approach my three-month anniversary at EVOC, I’ve decided it’s important to pause for a moment to reflect on what we have achieved so far with the EVOC 150 project and what’s in store over the next six months.

What is EVOC 150?

EVOC turned 150 years-old in March 2018 and was awarded funding by the Heritage Lottery Fund to deliver a programme of events, communications and initiatives to celebrate this milestone.
Originally established as the catchily-named Edinburgh Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor, the organisation has morphed and developed over the last century-and-a-half to what it is today. You can find out more on our website.

Through the EVOC 150 project we will excavate the heritage of Edinburgh’s voluntary sector, celebrate the work and individuals involved so far, and look ahead to what could or will be in store for the sector over the next 150 years. No mean feat! Our project is focused on four themes: organising, tackling inequality, protest and campaigning, and working together.

This project has the exciting potential to make a major contribution to the profile of the third sector in Edinburgh and beyond, and as we face a period of transition and uncertainty in the UK it is a fantastic opportunity to research and document the importance of the sector. Sometimes the opportunity to simply explain what the third sector actually is, is enough, but I have bigger dreams than that!

What have we been working on?

Media Education has a team of young filmmakers creating a documentary on the history of EVOC. I’ll say no more on that as I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but it’s going to be fantastic! Young people from their Friday film club produced two short, silent films about the life of Elsie Inglis (see below). 

The Living Memory Association have digitised thousands of archive photos and are recording an oral history of EVOC and community/civic action in Edinburgh.

We have been attending events and meeting individuals across the city to spread the EVOC 150 word, and to consider ways to collaborate. We celebrated International Day of Charity by touring a small number of the thousands of charities based in Edinburgh to deliver thank you cards and profile their work with short videos on social media. We have also recently appointed three professional researchers who are soon to say goodbye to loved ones as they venture deep into various archives to interrogate the history of the organisation. They hope to be allowed to surface before Christmas to share some initial findings.

What are we planning?

We will focus on some of the causes central to EVOC’s mission by making a splash on various awareness days. I say this with a full appreciation that for anyone involved with: older people, young people, mental health, volunteers, eradication of poverty, human rights…to name a few, every day/year is their day.

We will present the research mentioned above in a public format early next year. This might be a touring exhibition, an interpretive dance or a projection onto the castle (some of these suggestions are definitely in jest). Watch this space! We are busy planning for the EVOC conference in November and are hoping to deliver an event as part of the Fire Starter Festival 2019.

We are also working with a volunteer storyteller who is deeply passionate about the importance of the third sector and the transformative potential of volunteering. I am delighted he found us and can’t wait to schedule his first engagements.

How can you get involved?

We would love to hear from anyone with an interest in this project and are open to all ideas and possible collaborations, creativity is encouraged! If this is too broad, below are some suggestions of who this might appeal to.
• You are involved with a school in Edinburgh looking for an interdisciplinary learning project
• You are involved with a youth group, community centre, care home, sports club, art group or similar and would like to host our storyteller at one of your meetings/events
• You would like to run an event for a relevant awareness day but would like some support
• You have a story of volunteering, fundraising, campaigning or similar that you would like to contribute to our Memory Box
• You would like us to feature your organisation or community in a case study
• You have a noticeboard we could display an A4 poster on, or a space to host some promotional postcards.

Get in touch by emailing me at lucy.ridley@evoc.org.uk and follow our hashtag, #EVOC150, on social media.