Since lockdown started we have brought you blogs on the Top 5 Places To Look For Third Sector Funding and Top 5 Training & Learning Opportunities. In this most recent blog post in the series published during the Covid 19 lockdown, we outline some of the support available for third sector organisations. Support range from advice to businesses, users and key workers.
1) Connecting Scotland
Connecting Scotland is a Scottish Government initiative set up in response to the Covid 19 pandemic to provide support to vulnerable people who are at home and are digitally excluded. It aims to connect 9,000 people who are considered clinically high-risk themselves so they can access services and support, as well as connect with family and friends during the lockdown.
Connecting Scotland will work with organisations who are already working with these groups to reach them and provide support. They will also provide training to staff and volunteers working for those organisations to be able to support people to use the internet safely, confidently and effectively.
For more information and to your express your interest, click here.
2) Just Enterprise
Just Enterprise is working with partners across Scotland to support social enterprises who have experienced a significant loss of trading income as a result of Covid 19. Social Enterprises are likely to be facing both a loss of trading income and an increase in demand for services. This support is designed to help you understand your options as you move forward.
They have set out a number of ways to support social enterprises and partners. For example, they provide One-to-One support where you can speak to an advisor about your specific business challenges as well as Webinars with experts who can bring you the most up-to-date advice. There are also Forums and Online Learning to take advantage of.
You can find out more information here.
In addition to this, Just Enterprise advisor Alex Rooney has published a Cashflow Crisis video where he will help you to understand how to flex your cashflow so as to make better business decisions based on your current situation. The video is only 5 minutes long and can be viewed here.
3) Glasgow Helps
Glasgow Helps is a website coordinated by GCVS to bring local organisations from across the city together to support, identify and share resources during the current pandemic.
Split into three geographical areas, the website can be used to find out what organisations are helping people with a vast range of services. You can, for example, find who is helping people collect prescriptions as well as financial/energy assistance and advice, delivering food parcels (hot and cold) and providing crisis/emotional support. You can also find advice and help on mental health, childcare and organisations who are offering a phone check in service
The website is very user friendly and can be accessed here.
4) Flexible Childcare Services
Flexible Childcare Services Scotland has developed software that will help key workers to access childcare. The charity is working in partnership with the Scottish Government and local authorities to ensure vulnerable children and children of key workers will be able to access crucial childcare solutions that will allow their parents to participate in the national response to Covid-19.
For more information on how the app works, click here.
5) Charitable Changes of Purpose
If you want to help with the outbreak but your charitable purposes don’t currently allow you to, you can change your purposes (either temporarily or permanently).
You still need to apply for consent from OSCR (Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator). In this instance, you should mark on the application form that the change relates to COVID-19 so that they can prioritise the application.
You can view the application form here.
OSCR also provide examples of purpose wording in their guidance which can be viewed here.
Additional Support
On top of all of this, here are few more places where support is being provided:
- The Scottish Government has published specific Covid 19 guidance on domestic abuse which makes it clear that if anybody is experiencing or at risk of domestic abuse in any form they can leave their home to escape or avoid risk of harm. Guidance can be viewed here.
- Doctors of The World have translated essential Covid 19 guidance based on NHS and Government health advice. Written translatations are available in 60 languages with video guidance available in 10 languages. You can them all here.
- Paperchase are giving everyone who works in education, health and social care, the charity sector and the armed forces 25% off online as a token of their appreciation for all of the incredible work everyone is doing at this difficult time. You can find out more information here.
For more information on training and learning opportunities check out our weekly newsletters that we publish every week. We pull together a range of information that we hope will help navigate your way through the challenging circumstances at the moment.
The newsletters are published every Thursday and are full of advice, funding opportunities, training and learning opportunities and support for organisations as well as a host of other relevant information. You can read all our newsletters here.
We also have a designated page on our website full of up-to-date information on our Covid 19 response which you can see here.
