by Hugo Whitaker (Development Worker – Disability and Carers)…

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A lot of us are getting more than a little tired of the current restrictions and wanting to get back to being in buildings and outdoor spaces with others again – in the ways we used to. Recently some of us at EVOC took a few hours as part of ‘wellbeing morning’ to meet up in person and go for a walk. I really enjoyed meeting some colleagues I hadn’t seen face to face since March last year, as well as meeting one ‘in real life’ for the first time.  We spoke about how while being on line has some benefits, there is no substitute for meeting in ways people have always met – in small or larger groups, for work, learning, recreation, catching up with friends, going to a gig, film or festival. We’re looking forward to doing more of this, as well as making use of the some of new ways of communicating and meeting that we’ve learnt through the pandemic.

However, for some people, for instance unpaid carers and people with additional support needs like a learning disability or long-term condition, it is very unclear what opportunities will be available over the next few months. We’ve heard a lot of concerns raised through voluntary organisations that meet as part of the Edinburgh Carers Forum and Edinburgh Disability Forum that EVOC supports. We’re hearing that in some cases people have had no contact with anyone, apart from those who live with and care for them, since March 2020. Some carers have lost respite services, which they tell us are not coming back. Even if a service is open, we’re hearing that travel arrangements have been challenging.

Some people with additional support needs, and their carers, desperately want to be back doing what they did before too – meeting up with friends, doing voluntary work, going to college, social events, training or work. Others have got out of the habit of taking part in group activities, lost confidence in going out, or are really scared of catching Covid, so are not leaving the house at all through their own choice – particularly with plans to move to Level Zero and the high levels of infections in Edinburgh. People are also telling us that they’ve discovered new experiences during lockdown e.g. meeting on-line, meeting people locally, going for walks in places they’d never been before. 

Following discussions with forum members, colleagues in the Health and Social Partnership and the Council’s Transport Department, we thought it would be a good idea to find out more and have put together two brief surveys.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE SURVEYS HAVE NOW CLOSED

Our first survey asks people with additional support needs, and those that care for them, their experience of respite breaks or the lack of them. We also want to understand how they travel to places to do the things we all like doing, in buildings and outdoor spaces across the city and beyond. There is also an easy read version of the survey here. 

Our second survey asks member organisations about their experiences of supporting unpaid carers and those using day support. 

I’m on carer leave for the next few weeks, but look forward to sharing the findings with you when I’m back ‘at my desk’.

Hugo Whitaker, Development Worker – Disability and Carers

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EVOC Survey for Organisations I EVOC Survey for Service Users & Carers I Easy Read Survey for Service Users & Carers

 

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.