ACVO NEWS
NEWS FROM ABERDEEN'S THIRD SECTOR
CHALLENGE POVERTY WEEK 2022 WATCH NEW SHORT FILMS FROM ACVO, SHMU, CFINE AND ABERNECESSITIES, LOOKING AT THE ISSUES AROUND POVERTY IN ABERDEEN AND HOW THE THIRD SECTOR ARE WORKING TO ALLEVIATE PRESSURES FACED BY OUR COMMUNITIES
LOOKING FOR FUNDING? ACVO are pleased to announce that applications are open now for year 2 of the Communities Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund and Just Transition Participatory Budgeting Fund! Find out more on p.6 OCTOBER | 2022
acvo.org.uk
ACVO News
CONTENTS
6 - Year 2 of the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund now open
10 - Winners of the Celebrate Aberdeen Awards announced
October 2022
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28 ACVO Exclusive: interview with North East Eating Disorders Support Scotland
4 ACVO Updates 10 News from you and other networks 30 Volunteering The latest from Mike Melvin and Volunteer Aberdeen 36 Volunteering Opportunities 40 Funding The latest funding news and opportunities
P.26
CHALLENGE POVERTY WEEK: NEW SHORT FILMS FROM ACVO, SHMU, CFINE AND ABERNECESSITIES Not on the mailing list to receive ACVO News Direct to your inbox every fortnight? Sign up here.
42 Health and Social Care Updates 43 Vacancies Latest opportunities from the third sector in Aberdeen and beyond
Scottish Charity No: SC036845
ACVO UPDATES
ACVO Opportunities
ACVO News
October 2022
Looking for opportunities in Aberdeen?
Get involved, stay informed, get funded
make a difference Do you want to get more involved with your community in Aberdeen? ACVO Opportunities is our new online portal and forthcoming mail bulletin which aims to connect people to the third sector in the city.
Join in and get more out of Aberdeen's third sector! If you’re looking to find the perfect volunteering opportunity, a paid role within a charity, community organisation or social enterprise, want to learn something new or stay informed by attending a local or national event, or you are seeking funding to realise the goals of a project or to ensure your organisation’s work is sustainable and impactful – we are here to help.
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ACVO News
ACVO UPDATES
October 2022
Find the perfect opportunity to get involved with your community
Funding
Volunteering
Find the funds you need to ensure the work of your organisation or project is sustainable and impactful
Give back to the community by offering your time, skills and experience!
Vacancies
Events
Discover your next career move with a rewarding role in Aberdeen's third sector
Stay informed by discovering local and national events, workshops and forums
Submit your opportunity! ACVO Opportunities allows you to submit details of your volunteering positions, vacancies, events or sources of funding - let ACVO help you spread the word to the community! Find out how on the ACVO Opportunities web page
find out more at
acvo.org.uk/opportunities
ACVO UPDATES
ACVO News
October 2022
Communities Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund Year 2 now open for applications in Aberdeen! The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund was established by the Scottish Government in 2021 to provide grants to grassroots community groups and organisations across Scotland in response to the mental health need arising from the pandemic. The intended outcome of The Fund being to develop a culture of mental wellbeing and prevention within local communities, tackling priority issues such as suicide prevention, social isolation, and loneliness, as well as improving awareness of how we can all stay well and help others. In year one, ACVO TSI distributed £770,000 to 77 organisations across Aberdeen City. ACVO is again delighted to be managing the distribution of Aberdeen City investment of £571,000 for year two, with the Fund opening for applications from Tuesday 4th October 2022. Building on the success of year 1, ACVO are now welcoming applications for up to £10k from grassroots community organisations across the city for year 2 of the Scottish Governments Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund. What you need to know: ·Projects must support the mental health and wellbeing of adults (16+) living in Aberdeen City ·Level 1 and Level 2 applications are now open for up to £10k ·Level 3 applications for £10k-£25k will open on 2nd November ·A wide range of non-profit organisations are eligible to apply ·Online workshops will be held in October and November ·All funding guidance information is available on the ACVO website (insert link) ·The ‘tried and tested’ online application process is straightforward, and you will hear whether your application is eligible for funding within 5 working days ·Organisations that were awarded funding in year 1 can reapply for year 2 ·The Fund application process will close in March 2023; however, please apply as early as you can to avoid disappoint as Level 1 and Level 2 [eligible] grants are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis
find out more and apply at
acvo.org.uk/funding/cmhw
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ACVO News October 2022
ACVO UPDATES
Applications are now being accepted from community, voluntary and third sector organisations in Aberdeen for up to £50,000 capital funding to support our just transition to net zero The Scottish Government has announced £500 million spread over 10 years to support Scotland’s North East economy in its just and fair transition to net zero. For its first year in 2022/23, £20 million is made available and of that, £1 million will be subject to participatory budgeting (PB), which is a democratic process where citizens decide directly how to spend part of a public budget. The 3 Third Sector Interfaces in the North East of Scotland – ACVO in Aberdeen City, AVA in Aberdeenshire, and tsiMoray in Moray – along with support from NESCAN Hub and Money 4 Moray will split the participatory budgeting money equally, providing £333,333 to each local authority area for this green participatory budgeting exercise.
Applications are now being accepted from community, voluntary and third ·This fund supports eco-friendly projects that contribute to the Scottish Government’s aim to be Net Zero by 2045 sector organisations in Aberdeen for up ·Capital fund – Apply to purchase equipment and items capital funding to support to £50,000 ·Apply for up to £50k. No lower limit our just transition to net zero What you need to know:
·Open to a wide range of non-profit groups (see guidance for full details) ·Decisions all made by public vote ·Successful organisations will need to spend the money before the end of March 2023
Find out more and apply at acvo.org.uk/funding/just-transition-fund
ACVO UPDATES
ACVO News
October 2022
Why removing barriers to funding works An article by ACVO's Bea and Mike Dr. Bea Dawkins and Mike Melvin from the ACVO team share details of an alternative, more inclusive, empowering, and community-led method to distributing funds. Discover why removing barriers to funding works in this insightful piece from the Centre for Public Impact which details the work done by ACVO TSI on the recent Community-Based Adult Learning Fund. The initiative saw £45,000 of funding from the Scottish Government distributed by ACVO directly to grassroots community organisations across the city in partnership with Aberdeen City Council Adult Learning and Community Learning & Development Teams.
A more inclusive approach to funding distribution is needed. Click the link below to read the article and to find out how this community-led fund made a real difference in Aberdeen by reaching communities quickly and directly at a time when it was needed most.
Read the article here www.centreforpublicimpact.org/insights/ why-removing-barriers-to-funding-works
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be part of
the collective voice of the Third Sector in Aberdeen
Become a member of ACVO
from as little as £25 per year applications open now
apply online at acvo.org.uk/membership We are stronger with you behind us.
NEWS
ACVO News
October 2022
10
News from you and other networks
Winner of the Young Supporter of the Year Award, Lewis McGregor, Future Choices with Celebrate Aberdeen volunteer Emily Findlay, who is a former winner of the Young Supporter of the Year Award.
Third sector’s contribution to North-east community recognised at Celebrate Aberdeen Awards Some outstanding examples of third sector organisations, their staff and their volunteers had their achievements recognised at the third annual Celebrate Aberdeen Awards on 17th September 2022.
News 11 ACVO October 2022
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he event at P&J Live, which returned for the first time since 2019, was attended by more than 570 people who gathered together to recognise and celebrate the enormous contribution which charities, social enterprises, and voluntary groups and all the individuals who work for and support them make to the wider society. Thirty-three finalists had been shortlisted for the 11 award categories with the winners announced on the night. The award winners were chosen by a judging panel comprising of 16 representatives from the business community, local authority, and the media. The winners represented a broad spectrum of organisations both large and small. Aberdeen Cyrenians was named Large Charity of the Year with the award for Small Charity of the Year going to AberNecessities. Individual awards went to Lewis McGregor (Young Supporter of the Year), David Smith (Staff Member of the Year), Rosie Nicol (Fundraiser of the Year), Bob Thow (Volunteer of the Year) and David Ironside (Heart of the Community). Corporate Partnership of the Year went to Archway and EnQuest while Team of the Year went to
NEWS
WeToo! And Sport Aberdeen. TechFest was named the winner of the Event of the Year with the Campaign of the Year award going to Befriend A Child for its Giving Tree Appeal. “This was a very special night for so many reasons,” said Celebrate Aberdeen volunteer Emily Findlay. “We decided to continue with the event following the passing of the late Queen Elizabeth II after careful thought and consideration. The Celebrate Aberdeen Awards pay tribute to the outstanding and often life changing work carried out by the North-east’s third sector and we felt it was important to recognise the support so many people have made, particularly over the past few years. “It was extremely hard for our judges to select finalists and an even more daunting task to pick just one winner in each category. It was humbling and inspiring to hear their stories and the awards ceremony is a way of thanking them.” Celebrate Aberdeen is planned and run entirely by volunteers and in 2021, the Celebrate Aberdeen team was awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. The Celebrate Aberdeen Parade, which took place on August 27, and the awards ceremony are only possible thanks to the support they receive from the business community
Some of the winners of the 2022 Celebrate Aberdeen Awards.
across all sectors. Thanks to that support, every shortlisted finalist hosted their own table completely free of charge. “A huge thanks goes to all our Celebrate Aberdeen supporters, but particular thanks go to our title sponsor Baker Hughes and our gold sponsors CNOOC International and CNR International. Without them this just wouldn’t happen,” said Emily. The 2022 winners are: ·Young Supporter of the Year – Lewis McGregor, Future Choices ·Staff Member of the Year – David Smith, Camphill School Aberdeen ·Fundraiser of the Year – Rosie Nicol, Belhelvie Community Trust ·Corporate Partnership of the Year – Archway and EnQuest ·Campaign of the Year – Befriend A Child, Giving Tree Appeal ·Event of the Year - TechFest ·Volunteer of the Year – Bob Thow, Sport Aberdeen ·Small Organisation of the Year – AberNecessities ·Large Organisation of the Year – Aberdeen Cyrenians ·Heart of the Community – David Ironside ·Team of the Year – WeToo! And Sport Aberdeen
ACVO News
NEWS
October 2022
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Nominations The National Childhood Needed Bereavement Project Calls for Grief to be Viewed as a National Priority BBC One Scotland are currently seeking nominations for ‘Scotland’s People 2022’ with Jackie Bird.
The National Childhood Bereavement Project has published its final report and submitted its recommendations to the Scottish Government. Over the last two years, the Project
recalibrate Scotland’s approach to
has engaged with 100 people with
childhood bereavement.
lived experience of childhood
The recommendations span from
bereavement and over 250 people
embedding age-appropriate
Over the past two years, Jackie has travelled Scotland meeting many of the nation’s unsung heroes and learned of the care and kindness they’ve given others - and the BBC need your help to nominate those you believe deserve to be recognised as one of Scotland’s People 2022.
with a role in supporting bereaved
Do you know somebody special who has gone above and beyond to help those around them? Someone who has been an inspiration and deserves a thank you from the nation?
The Project has prided itself on
National Performance Framework
being driven by those with lived
‘Children and Young People’
experience of childhood
National Outcome, the delivery of
bereavement at all stages. This is
the Promise and the implementation
echoed throughout the report as it
of the UNCRC (incorporation).
centres its calls for change around
The National Childhood
If you have an unsung hero, or heroes, you’d like to nominate, all you have to do is go to bbc.co.uk/scotlandspeople and tell the BBC all about them. It’s as easy as that. They can’t wait for you to tell them your inspiring stories, and hear about all the remarkable people who’ve gone above and beyond in your lives.
children and young people in Scotland.
education on bereavement and grief within the school’s curriculum to establishing bereavement grants for
This report is the culmination of
those bereaved of a primary income
that work, containing key findings
earner.
and co-developed recommendations
The report makes it clear that the
on how Scotland can holistically support all children and young people who are, or will come to be, bereaved.
real experiences of growing up grieving.
recommendations will only be fully realised if they are joined up with ongoing commitments to children and young people, such as the
Bereavement Project was created to honour the commitments made
The report sets out a route map to
by Scottish Ministers in the
enable all children and young people
Programme for Government
to: prepare for a bereavement,
2016/17 to improve support for
develop the necessary skills to cope
those who are bereaved during their
with their grief, and access the right
childhood.
support when they need it, at all
In March 2020, the Scottish
three stages of a bereavement – before, at the time, and after.
Government appointed includem, a charity with over 22 years’
The report concludes with seven
experience in supporting children,
recommendations for the Scottish
young people, and families in
Government to act upon to
Scotland to deliver this work.
News 13 ACVO October 2022
NEWS
Venue spaces available Is your group looking for a venue?
On the publication and submission
Bereavement Project with a passion
of the report, Martin Dorchester,
to make positive, long-lasting
Chief Executive of includem said:
difference for children and young
“In a week where loss and grief
people who are bereaved across the
have been at the forefront, today I
country.
am proud to announce that we have
“I have always been open with the
published and submitted the
fact that my determination for this
National Childhood Bereavement
project stems from my own
Project’s final report to the Scottish
personal experiences. When I was
Government.
fourteen, my mum died, and I felt
“There are many issues facing our
like everything I knew, and found
society: climate change, poverty, cost of living, but this report highlights some clear steps that can be taken so that we do not make bad situations even worse.
comfort in, withered away overnight. For years after I struggled to find my place in the world without my mum, and at times felt consumed by despair and
Bereavement is a societal issue, and
hopelessness.
we will be letting our communities
“I could have never imagined that
down if we do not adopt a whole
this is where my career would take
systems approach to supporting
me, in part because I did not know
someone who is grieving.
how many other people like me,
“On behalf of includem, I would like
were growing up grieving. It has
to thank everyone that has been involved in this project, from those with lived experience, organisations and of course my own team.” Denisha Killoh, Project Lead for the National Childhood Bereavement Project added: “Over the last 18 months I have led includem’s National Childhood
been an honour to be in this role, and I hope that this report makes a positive, long-lasting difference for children and young people who are bereaved across the country.” If you would like to know more about the Project, please contact: Denisha Killoh, Project Lead, at denisha.killoh@includem.co.uk or 07850775391.
Danestone Congregational Church, located in the busy Community Area on Fairview Street in Danestone, has a multipurpose Hall available for use by community groups. Various times are currently available including some weekday mornings, afternoons, and evenings. The Hall is carpeted and is ideal for a number of activities with either adults or children. Disabled access, parking and toilet facilities all available. The Church is on the Number 1 bus route through Danestone. If you’re interested, please contact Rev. Anne Robertson by email (danestone.congregational @gmail.com) or phone (07713 707920).
NEWS
ACVO News 16 October 2022
Energy Futures conference to highlight size of prize for North East region Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG) is set to bring hundreds of delegates together to discuss the region’s role in a net zero economy with a keynote speech delivered by Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport, Michael Matheson. He will be joined by Maggie McGinlay,
day addressing some of the challenges
breakfast, in association with Aberdeen
chief executive of Energy Transition
and gaps on scaling up offshore
& Grampian Chamber of Commerce,
Zone (ETZ) Ltd, Bob Sanguinetti, chief
renewables, supply chain - engineering,
marking the launch of the Energy
executive officer of Port of Aberdeen,
innovation and digitalisation and
Transition 36 report. The research
Davide Coppola, head of space
education, skills and training.
carried out alongside KPMG and ETZ
applications at the European Space
A dedicated hydrogen programme is
limited shines a spotlight on the
Agency (ESA) and Michael Tholen, acting chief executive officer and director of sustainability at Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), at the event at P&J Live on 15 November. Together the speakers will set out the
being curated by North East Scotland
opportunities that lie ahead for
Hydrogen Ambition Steering
companies in the region.
Committee (NESH2A), a group of
The exhibition space will include
experienced executives from both
interactive displays and a ‘tech bites’
public and private sector organisations
area, featuring short presentations
who are actively working on developing
examining the latest solutions to reduce
vision for the region’s integrated energy a hydrogen economy in the region,
carbon emissions. The event will
future, highlighting investment
conclude with an evening dinner, with
including Aberdeen City Council, bp,
opportunities and the knock-on impacts Storegga, Net Zero Technology Centre,
registrations to open shortly.
for the supply chain.
ERM, SGN, ETZ Ltd, Scottish Enterprise and North East Scotland College.
AREG CEO David Rodger commented:
The programme will also feature interactive panel sessions during the
The day kicks-off with a business
“It’s an exciting time for the energy industry and the agenda we’re setting is
News 17 ACVO October 2022
NEWS
topical and timely. Whilst COP 27 takes
Mike Fleming, Chair of NESH2A (North
from Scottish Renewables, OGV and
place in Egypt at the same time, we’ll be
East Scotland Hydrogen Ambition)
The Scottish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell
offering an opportunity for constructive
Steering Committee, added: “The
Association (SHFCA).
debate right here in the North East on
hydrogen programme for the Energy
the issues most pertinent to businesses
Futures event is taking shape and it will
and our communities as they navigate
demonstrate that the hydrogen
current cost challenges and the ongoing
economy is here and happening. The
energy transition.
North East of Scotland is rapidly
“Companies are looking to capitalise on
becoming one of the first real hydrogen
the opportunities that lie ahead and it is vital that industry transfers the expertise we have from decades of oil and gas production, setting a clear path to becoming an energy hub with a thriving economy based on renewables.” “Our conference and exhibition will focus on some of the fastest developing areas, such as offshore wind and
regions in the UK, both deploying and producing hydrogen and innovating and creating the hydrogen solutions for tomorrow and testing them in real life. We’ll be looking at how hydrogen will
For more information on the Energy
rapidly scale up over the next decade as
Future’s Conference and Exhibition visit
more investment is attracted to
AREG’s website or contact
Scotland.”
info@aberdeenrenewables.com. To
A number of sponsors and supporters are on board and there is a growing interest in exhibition space. Event
hydrogen, as well as the skills and training needed to meet the needs of the energy transition now and in the future.”
explore sponsorship opportunities click here or contact drodger@aberdeenrenewables.com
sponsors so far include STC INSISO and
To book your free place at the
North Star with Energy Voice as the
conference and exhibition sign-up here.
lead media partner and further support
Dinner bookings will launch shortly.
Grampian Credit Union
Safe Savings and Affordable Loans – Where People Count Grampian Credit Union are a savings and loans co-operative open to everyone living or working in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray areas. For over 29 years, they have helped more than 10,000 people in the Grampian area with safe savings and accessing affordable loans - and they can help you too! With continuous price increases for food and fuel, heating and household bills, Grampian Credit Union is available to help you with safe savings and affordable short and long term loans. First loans are from £200 and can help get that extra money you need at an affordable rate, and you’ll be able to build up some savings while paying back your loan.
Contact Grampian Credit Union
Loan Comparison Table (as of May 2022) Term of Loan
Lender
Loan Amount
Grampian Credit Union
£500 @ 29.3% APR
12 months
Capital One Credit
£500 @ 46.2% APR
12 months
Loans at Home
£500 @ 299% APR
Monthly Payment
Cost of Loan
Total Repaid
www.grampiancreditunion.co.uk admin@grampiancreditunion.co.uk
£47.80
£73.74
£573.74
01224 561506 £52.00
£123.00
£623.00
250 Union Street, Aberdeen AB10 1TN
12 months
£78.00
£436.00
£936.00
Download to NIVO app here
News 19 ACVO October 2022
NEWS
Scots warned of scams related to the cost of living crisis
T
rading Standards Scotland launched a campaign last month aimed at raising awareness of scams linked to the ongoing cost of living crisis. As prices and bills continue to rise, many consumers will have financial worries heading into autumn and winter. Scammers may attempt to exploit these anxieties and to target people online and via cold calls, emails and text messages in an attempt to obtain their personal details and bank account information. The campaign ran for four weeks and focused on impersonation scams, misleading information about energy efficiency measures, financial scams, counterfeit goods and online shopping. Email and text scams connected to the energy bill rebate and cost of living payments have already been reported, as well as fake supermarket voucher and fuel card giveaways on social media. Doorstep scammers have been giving householders misleading information about grants and funding for energy efficiency measures such as boilers and insulation, while some rogue traders have taken advantage of the global shortage of construction materials to ask customers to pay large deposits, then failing to return to carry out the work. There have also been reports of dangerous electric devices being sold online which claim to save money on energy bills – consumer safety charity Electrical Safety First recently tested some of these products and found that they all failed basic safety
tests, posing the risk of fire or electric shock. Those worried about making ends meet are also being warned to be wary of online adverts offering ‘quick and easy’ loans or cryptocurrency investment opportunities with supposedly high returns. These adverts often imply that the investment has been endorsed by celebrities such as Martin Lewis. Trading Standards Scotland recently ran the Big Scottish Scam Survey, asking Scots about the scams they had experienced in the last year. 97% of respondents had experienced an email, text, phone, doorstep or online scam in the last year. For those who lost money to a scam, the amounts ranged from £37 to £25,000. Some of the most common scams were: Delivery scams HMRC scams Amazon scams Energy scams Covid Scams Prize draw/giveaway scams Bank scams Remote access scams Online shopping scams Rogue traders 79% of survey respondents had avoided a scam after seeing or reading about it, with 41% going on to report the scam. Cllr Maureen Chalmers, Chair of Trading Standards Scotland’s Governance Board, said "Since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, we
have seen how quickly scammers can adapt to changing circumstances to take advantage of people’s financial worries. “Unfortunately, as we move into the autumn and winter months, scammers are increasingly likely to target people who are worried about paying their bills and who may be more likely to click on links or respond to messages offering discounts on bills or investment opportunities. “We are delighted to be working with partners across the UK to run this month-long awareness campaign, through which we hope to provide consumers with the knowledge and tools they need to say no to scammers. “We would like to remind consumers to be wary of cold callers, unsolicited emails and text messages and online adverts offering deals, discounts and giveaways. Never accept information offered from these sources without doing independent research, and don’t provide any personal or financial information to a cold caller or via a link in an unsolicited message. “We are also asking people to look out for family members, friends and neighbours who may be vulnerable and to share messages about scam awareness with them.” Further information about the campaign can be found at here. Scams should be reported to Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 or through their website: www.consumeradvice.scot.
ACVO News 20 October 2022
NEWS
Aberdeen Foyer Launches Nightstop to Combat Youth Homelessness in Northeast Scotland In partnership with Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils, local charity Aberdeen Foyer has launched a new service that aims to stop youth homelessness in its tracks.
T
he Foyer Nightstop service aims to support young people in crisis by connecting
prevent young people from facing a night on the streets or staying in a dangerous environment.
Shire. From Aberdeen Foyer’s direct experience working with young people findings also indicate that
Volunteer community hosts will be
many feel they have little or no
them with community hosts to
supported by Foyer’s Nightstop
choice but to remain in unsafe or
provide a safe, welcoming space on
service and be able to offer young
unsuitable accommodation.
a temporary basis. This can give
people aged from 16 to 25 years:
Nightstop offers a chance to change
young people time to breathe and support to figure out their next steps. Nightstop urgently needs Community Hosts who have a spare room in their home to offer a young
·A private spare room ·A hot meal ·A shower ·Laundry facilities ·A listening ear
this. It works by providing accommodation to low-risk young people who have been referred to Aberdeen Foyer by local authorities and other agencies. Each young
person, aged 16-25 a night or two
Last year alone there were 720
person is supported to obtain two
or up to a few weeks’ emergency
young people presenting as
professional references, as well as
overnight accommodation. This can
homeless in Aberdeen City and
this, a risk assessment is carried out
News 21 ACVO October 2022
NEWS
to ensure they are safe to place, and
and is rewarding in so many ways.
recruited hosts are also vetted to
Your spare room might be the
ensure suitability and safety.
difference between a young person
By matching hosts to those in need of
staying safe or ending up on the
support, a young person gains a safe place to stay for a night or two to decide their next steps. The service
streets, and I would encourage anyone who might be interested in hosting to contact us for an informal chat and
offers both crisis response (young
more information."
people presenting as homeless) and
Cllr Anne Stirling, chair of
early intervention (respite for young
Aberdeenshire Council’s Communities
people who are experiencing conflict
Committee, said: “We welcome this
within the family home but may be
partnership with Aberdeen City
able to move back home with support).
Council and Aberdeen Foyer to
Chief Executive Leona McDermid said:
develop an innovative service for
“Nightstop can offer young people who are in crisis a safe space free of danger, and the opportunity to connect with any support they might need whilst continuing their daily lives such as going to school, college or work. “Nightstop relies on host volunteers from our local communities with the Foyer providing support and training
young people aged 16-25 who may be at risk of homelessness. We hope the service will provide the opportunity for young people to engage with services to avoid homelessness where possible and help with a planned move to suitable long-term accommodation or
youth homelessness.” Convener of Aberdeen City Council’s Operational Delivery Committee, Councillor Miranda Radley, said: “This is fantastic partnership that aims to tackle a hugely important issue within our city. Services like Nightstop mean that even in the most difficult circumstances, young people in Aberdeen will have an option of somewhere safe to spend the night.” Council Co-Leader, Councillor Ian Yuill, said: “Working together with organisations like Aberdeen Foyer strengthens the Council’s commitment to combating homelessness in Aberdeen. We urge those able and willing to volunteer to do so and help support this initiative aimed at keeping vulnerable young people safe."
to reconcile with family members if appropriate. This development has
If you have a spare room for the night,
arisen from actions within our Rapid
please click here to find our more or
Rehousing Transition Plan to address
email: nightstop@aberdeenfoyer.com
News 23 ACVO October 2022
NEWS
TEXO and AFC Sponsorship Creating Special Memories for Families Children who are supported by north east charity The Archie Foundation are being given more reasons to cheer thanks to Aberdeen Football Club’s (AFC) official sponsor, TEXO.
T
he industrial services provider is donating 10 tickets for every home game at the Pittodrie club to help families supported
by the foundation and NHS staff create special memories. Lynne Brooks, Partnership Manager at The Archie Foundation, said: “Many of our families are in and out of the hospital on a regular basis. We have families who have experienced a close family bereavement and we have our amazing NHS colleagues who have worked so tirelessly over recent years who are all benefiting from the incredibly kind donation from TEXO and AFC. Having these tickets to bring a little joy to the weekends is something everyone at Archie is thrilled about.”
The Archie Foundation provides vital services and support transforming experiences and outcomes in healthcare and bereavement for local children and families. Chris Smith, TEXO Group Managing Director said: “We are delighted to be able to offer The Archie Foundation tickets for home matches at AFC as part of our ongoing support for the charity. The tickets are just the beginning of the partnership with AFC and Archie and we are looking forward to making more memories as the season goes on.”
with the company keen to use its association with the Club to bring joy to local families. Sarah McColl, Partnerships Manager from Aberdeen Football Club added: “We are really excited that over the coming two seasons we will be welcoming children and their families from The Archie Foundation to Pittodrie for a unique match day experience. TEXO are a company rooted in the local community, very much like ourselves, as the city’s football club and it’s fantastic to be working in collaboration with them
to bring smiles to many children and The 2022/23 season is TEXO’s first as their families faces. The response from Aberdeen Football Clubs’ official sponsor families so far has been wonderful and it and will be the first season in which the is great to see the children and their TEXO branding will adorn the AFC shirts, families enjoying the AFC experience.”
One of the charity’s ambassadors, Baxter Dick, 10, was among the first children to benefit from the new agreement. His Mum, Ailsa Dick, said: “Everyone at AFC was so kind - we were treated like VIPs. Baxter was really excited and we all had such a wonderful experience, it is certainly a day that we’ll remember for a long time to come.” TEXO is a long-standing supporter of The Archie Foundation, the official charity of Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital and Aberdeen Neonatal Unit, providing sponsorship for events and supporting projects within the hospital. Baxter Dick, alongside TEXO Financial Director, Gordon Watt, with gifted 22-23 season shirt.
NEWS
ACVO News 24 October 2022
NESS re-introduces face-to-face training
NESS are delighted to confirm that they have now arranged to deliver a face-to-face alternative to their popular Sensory Awareness Training which moved online during the pandemic. They are trialling a hybrid model of training, with participants completing the e-learning before attending either a Teams session or a face-to-face session. Libby Hillhouse, NESS’s Training and Information Officer says, “We hope that having the option to attend either a Teams session or a face-toface session will provide flexibility for people to complete the training in the way that best suits their needs. We know some people enjoy the elearning and remote training, finding it easy and convenient to fit round their work, while others miss the
interactive nature of our face-to-face training”. The e-learning continues to provide the “theory”, a wealth of information about sight loss, hearing loss, Deafness and deafblindness, providing the participants a good understanding of the impact of sensory impairment and how people maintain their own independence. The interactive sessions, whether it be on Teams or face-to-face, will provide the opportunities to discuss some of the e-learning content and relate it to everyday scenarios. The face-to-face training will provide an opportunity to explore practical skills including communication skills and sighted guiding skills, and will include the ever-popular “sensory lunch”. There are five Teams sessions booked
between now and December, which are available to anyone in any area to attend, and one face to face session has been booked in each of the health and social care partnership areas that NESS delivers services in. In Aberdeen, the face-to-face training session will take place on Wednesday 16th November 2022 from 11am – 2.30pm at the NESS Resource Centre, 21 John Street. Please visit the NESS website for more information about the Sensory Awareness (or sight loss and hearing loss awareness) training and to book a place or get in touch with Libby Hillhouse, Training and Information Officer by emailing libby.hillhouse@nesensoryservices.org or phoning NESS on 0345 271 2345.
ACVO News 26 October 2022
CHALLENGE POVERTY WEEK 2022 #TurnTheTide on the injustice of poverty in Scotland For Challenge Poverty Week 2022 ACVO, shmu, Cfine and AberNecessities partnered to produce a series of short films looking at ways in which Aberdeen’s third sector work to alleviate the strains financial insecurity place on our community. The films, which were showcased at an event held at Belmont Picturehouse on Monday 3rd October 2022,a re now available to view both here in ACVO News and on our website at acvo.org.uk/cpw-22.
Challenging Poverty in Aberdeen : a film by ACVO TSI Jean Gordon of Befriend a Child, Jane Akadiri & Paula Fraser of Touch of Love Outreach as well as Sharon Forsythe of Cairncry Community Centre, share stories of how their work supports some of the most vulnerable families and individuals in the city.
The event, which brought together the third sector, community members and representatives from the local council, presented the opportunity to discuss what we as a city can do to challenge poverty. Challenge Poverty Week 2022 provides a starting point for longerterm engagement, with a greater focus on hearing from those most affected as well as sharing valuable resources and ideas on how we can best support those in our communities
News 27 ACVO October 2022
shmu: Young Voices Challenging Poverty shmu’s film hears from young people in Aberdeen about their perception and thoughts on poverty and the escalating crisis around the cost of living. shmu supports disadvantaged communities, both geographic and communities of interest across the North East, with an employability and training arm and programmes for adults facing personal challenges.
AberNecessities: No child should go without AberNecessitie's film highlights the ongoing hardships of thousands of families across the city and shire who use their services. Sadly 18% of children across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire are living in poverty. The charity has seen an immediate and sustained surge from families with preexisting vulnerabilities as well as from those experiencing loss of employment and financial insecurity for the first time.
Cfine: Volunteers Challenging Poverty Cfine’s film offers an insight into the role of a volunteer and what they do at the organisation. CFINE improves health and wellbeing and the environment, tackles poverty and builds resilience through a range of support and services for and with disadvantaged, vulnerable, lowincome individuals, families and communities in North East Scotland
ACVO News 28 October 2022
NEEDS Scotland Exclusive ACVO interview with NEEDS (North East Eating Disorders Support) Scotland Who are NEEDS and what services do you provide? North East Eating Disorders Support (NEEDS) Scotland are a self help group offering support to adults suffering from any eating disorder and their carers. The charity was established initially by two friends who had recovered from an eating disorder in 1994. When they first started out, the group met in a Westhill church. When the Clinical Lead for Eating Disorders at Royal Cornhill Hospital (RCH) heard about their work, he invited the group to base themselves in rooms at the hospital. The group merged with a carers’ group formerly based in Keith in 2003 and became a registered charity. A carers’ group run by volunteers with carer experience began in 2003 also. The inspiration for starting the charity back then was to offer lived experience support to others challenged by eating disorders. We currently have three volunteers with personal experience and two with carer experience. We also have the services of an administrator for one day per week.
Attendance at our group is creeping back up since we have returned to our meeting rooms at RCH. Following guidelines from the national charity Beat, we prefer two facilitators for the lived experience group. If there is a bigger attendance we prefer to have two smaller groups, each with two volunteers, which we unfortunately cannot do at present. Before Covid, our average attendance was four carers and six personally challenged group members. We have enquiries to join the group all the time for both our group in Aberdeen and the group in Dundee. We have had people attend from all over Scotland; Orkney, Fort William and Aviemore to name some of the furthest locations! Currently, we can only support adults but we are able to support carers of any age. We also hope to facilitate the return of a Coffee Care and Share group for carers of Young Persons’ Department service users.
We facilitate meetings where those challenged by eating disorders can meet and share experiences in a safe and confidential setting. We also offer resources which group members can borrow. When funds allow, we hold Wellbeing Days for the benefit of our group members with workshops and complementary therapies available all free of charge. We also invite speakers to the group from time to time and we hope to re-start visits from Therapets which we had prior to Covid.
News 29 ACVO October 2022 How does NEEDS raise surrounding eating disorders?
awareness
In the past when we have had more volunteers, NEEDS attended Freshers’ Weeks at the local universities, and participated in inservice days for school staff. We have also attended health and wellbeing fairs in schools and colleges.
Although we do not see under 18s, we think it is vitally important to raise awareness amongst young people. Hopefully they are able to spot any changes as early as possible and know who they can talk to. Presently, The Wood Foundation’s Youth Philanthropy Initiative challenges classes from S2-S6 to research a local socially based charity and present on their behalf. We have been involved with this for some years now and this has meant that the youngsters themselves raise awareness on eating disorders within their school group. The winning team in each school gets £3000 for their charity. We have been fortunate to win a few times which is amazing, but just raising awareness in so many schools is so important. In what ways are volunteers involved in NEEDS?
guidelines to keep our volunteers safe which we review regularly. What does NEEDS hope to achieve in the future? Presently, we are trying to re-establish our group meetings after Covid, and a relocation post Covid until SG guidelines allowed us to return to our usual setting. Our Dundee group has still not been able to restart in their location due to staffing issues on site. Since we are so short of volunteers, we are really concentrating on what we do best at the moment, our monthly meetings supporting group members on the road to recovery. We are also looking at assisting the YPD setting up their Coffee Care and Share group once more.
Looking forward, we would love to have more volunteers, in order to be able to form smaller groups, as it allows time for individuals to share experiences.
Presently our volunteers facilitate our group meetings. We also have one remote volunteer who serves as our Correspondence Secretary, replying to email queries regarding eating disorders. We would love to have a volunteer who is a creative computer genius!
We don’t receive any regular funding, so fundraising is very important for us in both Dundee and Aberdeen. It would be good to hold regular Wellbeing Events, but we need extra hands on deck before we can do that.
We prefer our volunteers to have lived experience or as carers because they mean so much to our group members.
Where can people access NEEDS and how can they get in touch?
They know the challenges and they offer hope. So often, our group members say how good it is to be amongst those who totally understand. Being a volunteer for NEEDS Scotland is very rewarding, supporting others on their personal journeys, but can be challenging too. We share any difficulties with each other, and also have professional supervision on a quarterly basis or when we feel we need it. We have
NEEDS meet on the first Monday of every month in the Macrobin Centre at Royal Cornhill Hospital, AB25 2ZH. Our next Aberdeen meeting is on Monday 7th November 2022 at 7:30pm. You can get in touch with NEEDS Scotland by: Email - gram.needsadmin@nhs.scot Telephone - 01224 557672 For further information, visit our website at needs-scotland.org
VOLUNTEERING
ACVO News 30 October 2022
Volunteering
October update from ACVO's Volunteering Services Manager, Mike Melvin Find out more at volunteeraberdeen.org.uk
ACVO Welcomes Students!
ACVO is delighted that students, universities and
ACVO look forward to continuing our great links
colleges in the North East continue to provide
with RGU/RGU: Union, the University of
such tremendous support to volunteering and the
Aberdeen/Aberdeen University Students’
community. We welcome all students new and
Association, the North East Scotland
returning to our excellent universities and
College/NESCol Students Association and
colleges in the city.
Scotland's Rural College.
At recent Freshers Fayres and Networking
For the latest ACVO news and volunteering
Events, ACVO were delighted to share the
opportunities in Aberdeen please visit:
fantastic opportunities there are for students to
www.volunteeraberdeen.org.uk and
volunteer, make a real difference and gain
acvo.org.uk/volunteering
important recognition through awards such as the Saltire Awards. Also highlighting how volunteering can assist/complement studies and provide good, positive experience linked to courses and student’s future career aspirations.
For information about Saltire Awards (for volunteers aged 12-25 years) please visit: www.volunteeraberdeen.org.uk/volunteers/youngvolunteers and saltireawards.scot
News 31 ACVO October 2022
VOLUNTEERING
Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) Scotland The Youth and Philanthropy Initiative
community and build relationships
£3000 of unrestricted funding to
(YPI) is delivered in 280 schools across
with charities that are addressing
their chosen charity.
Scotland. YPI is a programme that
these issues. Schools will get in touch
empowers young people to make a
with charities by email or phone. There
To find out more about making the
difference in their local communities
will likely be an interview or a visit to
while developing a range of skills.
the charity to allow young people to
Each participating school is responsible
build knowledge and gain a better
for directing a grant of £3000 to a local charity championed by its young
understanding of the charity’s facts, figures and stories which brings their
most of YPI engagement with school communities, visit ypiscotland.org.uk/charity-zone YPI is managed and majority funded by The Wood Foundation.
work to life. The young people will
For more information, please contact
discuss with the charity the impact a
Lucia Giuntoli, YPI Partnerships
£3000 grant would have in the local
Manager,
responsible for granting £6 million to
area.
Lucia.Giuntoli@thewoodfoundation.
small grassroots charities.
Teams will present their findings which
A key element of YPI is charity
will include a business case for the
people through teamwork, research, and competition. Since 2008, more than 270,000 young people have been
engagement. Young people will identify social issues affecting their
org.uk
£3000 grant and one team will be awarded the winner and will grant
Royal Voluntary Service Recruiting Volunteers Royal Voluntary Service would love to
appointment, help with a regular
email grampiansupport@
food shop or provide social
royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk or
companionship to increase
phone 01224 937110. Royal
confidence. These simple tasks
Voluntary Service will be happy
make a big difference to their
to have an informal chat and send
If you want to give something back to
wellbeing and mental health. You
you an application pack.
your local community and you enjoy
can volunteer as much or as little
Alternatively, you can apply
meeting people – volunteering for
as you wish – any time you can
online here.
Royal Voluntary Service will give you
gift is much appreciated.
the opportunity to support vulnerable
To enquire about roles please
hear from people who want to join their team. They are recruiting for Volunteer Drivers and Support at Home Volunteers.
adults attend a health or social
News 35 ACVO October 2022
Healthcare Improvement Scotland
VOLUNTEERING
Healthcare Improvement Scotland Volunteers
have created a new role for
provided to make sure that your
This role may give you
volunteers. They are looking for a
involvement is carried out in a
opportunities to meet other
small team of volunteers from the
meaningful way. Volunteers will be
volunteers in your local area and in
Grampian area to give feedback on
supported to take part with some
other parts of Scotland, and be
local experience of accessing
introductory information and an
part of a community of volunteers
Health and Social Care services.
informal chat to identify any
within Healthcare Improvement
Those services could have been
further requirements.
Scotland.
provided by the health board or by
As a volunteer with Healthcare
a local health and social care partnership.
Improvement Scotland, you can help improve the health and care
If you are interested, contact
Taking part could vary depending
experience of people receiving
claire.llewellyn@nhs.scot or Tel:
on the activity but support will be
care in Scotland.
07929 027434
VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES
ACVO News 36 October 2022
Children’s Panel Volunteers – Children’s Panel The latest from our team. (Aberdeen City) Children’s Hearings Scotland are recruiting for volunteers in Aberdeen and across Scotland to help support Scotland’s most vulnerable infants, children and young people. They are looking for a diverse range of enthusiastic people aged 18 and over who can show empathy, compassion, trust and who have great listening skills. Children’s Panel Members are volunteers from local communities who take part in children’s hearings. Their role is to listen and make legal decisions with and for infants, children and young people. They are there to ensure that the young person is at the heart of every decision made – because every decision, no matter how big or small, has an impact on the life of the child or young person in the hearing. Children's Hearings Scotland offer a great training and development programme and have a very supportive and experienced team who will help you along your journey in becoming a panel member. For more information and to apply please visit: chscotland.gov.uk / www.chscotland.gov.uk/volunteering-with-us/panelmembers/ Closing date for applications: 6th October 2022
Patient Feedback Volunteers - Marie Curie (Aberdeen City & Shire) Marie Curie (Aberdeen City & Shire) are looking for warm, friendly volunteers who are good conversationalists to help them gather important feedback about their services from their service users. Volunteers will be calling people who have received care from Marie Curie and have given them consent to gather feedback to ask them some questions about their experience. This role will take place in the volunteer’s home, but it will be vital that they have somewhere suitable to make calls from where they will not be interrupted. Volunteers will be working with Marie Curie's head of Quality and Clinical Practice and their team, and will be offered regular supervision and catch up sessions to support them throughout their time with them as a volunteer. This is a great opportunity for volunteers to be part of improving Marie Curie’s services for the future- by collecting this important data they will be part of ensuring their services meet the needs of those they care for and that everyone facing death, dying or bereavement has the best experience possible that reflects what is important to them. This is an ideal role for a volunteer who has an interest in improving healthcare for the future, and who is outgoing and confident. If you are interested and for more details please contact Clare Scott, Volunteering Development Officer (Scotland North and West) at email: Clare.scott@mariecurie.org.uk or telephone: 07753267396. Closes 01/11/2022.
Community Researcher Volunteers (PATH – Prejudice and Solidarity Archived Through History Project) – GREC-Grampian Regional Equality Council GREC have a fantastic opportunity for people to volunteer with the PATH – Prejudice and Solidarity Archived Through History Project as a Community Researcher. You will help research and share local history in Aberdeen with a focus on minority ethnic groups’ perceptions and experience of equality, social justice, solidarity, and prejudice. You will guide the project research questions and influence the direction of the project through your participation in various group discussions and workshops. The principal volunteering activities will be to: investigate physical and digital archives in Aberdeen, newspapers, museums collections and other sources to find information on the history of prejudice and solidarity in Aberdeen. record, document and transcribe interviews with members of minority ethnic groups. reach out to your community and find relevant historical events and testimonies to record A tremendous opportunity to assist with an exciting project. All help makes a real difference and is greatly appreciated. For more information please contact Louise Henrard (PATH Project Co-ordinator) at email: lhenrard@grec.co.uk
ACVO News 37 October 2022
VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES
Volunteer Counsellors: ACIS - Aberdeen Counselling andThe Information Service latest from our team. Are you good at listening? Do you want to help others? ACIS is a long-standing project of Mental Health Aberdeen. They provide a one-to-one counselling service for adults in the Aberdeen area and are now looking for new volunteer counsellors to join their team. No previous experience is required as all training will be provided. ACIS' next training course starts in January 2023 and they are now inviting applications to join this class. The programme will run at weekends, both Saturday and Sunday for 10-12 weekends between January and July 2023. If you would like more details or would like an application form, please contact Pam at email acis.volmanager@mhaberdeen.org.uk
Health and Safety Educator Volunteers – Absafe If you have a passion for helping others, this opportunity is perfect for you! You will have the chance to educate the children in your community on health and safety matters such as mental well-being, cyber security, water safety, railway safety, and more. You will help give the children the skills they need to navigate everyday risks, as well as help them build character and resilience. So, if saving lives as a part of a dedicated team is something you like the sound of, go ahead and give Absafe an email or call. Please contact Charley Pirie, School Co-ordinator at email: charley@absafe.org.uk or telephone 07376302532.
Volunteer Drivers (CIS Project): North East Sensory Services North East Sensory Services (NESS) are looking for an enthusiastic person(s) to work with them in their CIS (Connect Include Support) service assisting the members to get to and from their groups as well as participation in the group activities. CIS is a support service for older people with hearing and sight loss and NESS provide social group opportunities across Aberdeen City. Interested? Then please contact Sheila at email: sheila.ogden@nesensoryservices.org or telephone: 0345271234 for more information.
Volunteer Drivers: Community Outreach Group COG: Community Outreach Group provides support to homeless and vulnerable people in the City of Aberdeen. We provide meals and essentials for the homeless and vulnerable people of Aberdeen on a Wednesday and Sunday evening. We are looking for drivers to pick up and drop off various food donations. This is a vital role in what we do as an organisation, collecting all the donations and dropping them off so we have the food ready to serve. All help makes a real difference and is greatly appreciated. For more details please contact Rebecca Fyfe at email: beccafyfe@hotmail.com or telephone: 07415723938.
VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES
ACVO News 38 October 2022
Customer Service Volunteers (Red Cross Wheelchair Volunteer Service, Aberdeen) If you enjoy being in an office and like meeting people, this is the role for you. You’ll be providing people with wheelchairs and other equipment to help them get moving again after illness or injury. Red Cross would like you to be able to volunteer: On any day, Tuesday to Friday At least 4 hours a week (either AM 9am-1pm or PM 1pm-5pm) For at least 6 months Ideally you will live within 10 miles of the office (based at King’s Community Church, King’s Way, Aberdeen, AB23 8BL). This is a great opportunity to help make a real difference and: Meet new people and be part of a dynamic and inclusive team. A great opportunity to use your existing skills or gain new ones. An opportunity to be part of the world’s largest humanitarian organisation and the knowledge that you are making a positive difference to people’s lives. All training and induction for the role. Reasonable pre-agreed travel expenses for the role including for attending training. For full details and to apply please click here. If you have any questions/wish to discuss further before applying, please feel welcome to contact Red Cross at email: volunteerrecruitment@redcross.org.uk
Volunteer Befrienders – TLC Befriending Service The latest from our team.
Everyone can feel lonely and isolated at times, especially if experiencing hardship. TLC's vision is to see a transformed community where poverty and social isolation are a thing of the past. The TLC Befriending Project provides befriending services for anyone aged 18 and older where TLC's values of Compassion, Purposefulness and Community are central to everything they do. In response to the effects of loneliness and isolation on peoples wellbeing (physical, emotional, social and mental health), that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated, TLC have responded to this need and further developed their befriending service to combat the loneliness and isolation felt by many in our city. This service is provided to anyone aged 18 years and over in Aberdeen who is experiencing or at risk of loneliness or isolation. Your help as a volunteer would therefore make a real difference. TLC's expertly trained and compassionate volunteers not only provide a lifeline to people, in the form of friendship, but also a helping hand to reconnect to the community, bringing joy and passion back into people’s lives. If you would like to be a beacon of hope to someone in need, please do apply to join TLC's fantastic team of volunteers. For further information please email recruitment@tlc.org.uk
Advertising Coordinator - National Childbirth Trust The latest from our team. (NCT - Aberdeen) Join NCT Aberdeen as an Advertising Coordinator to work with local businesses and advertise their business with NCT. The money from this helps the charity to fund their groups. NCT would love to develop their advertising strategy and want you to be part of this. Experience required: No skills or experience needed but the ability to connect with businesses in an engaging and friendly way would be great Travel details: All home based Minimum age: 18 To register your interest, please click here.
ACVO News 39 October 2022
VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES
Home Visiting Volunteers - Home-Start Aberdeen EveryThe day Home-Start Aberdeen providing life-changing support to families across the city. Their local latest from ouristeam. community network of trained volunteers helps families with young children when they need us most. Home-Start’s Home Visiting Volunteers work alongside families, offering compassionate and confidential support, tailored to what each family wants and needs. They undergo extensive training and are supported by Home-Start's expert staff team. Most of the home visiting volunteers have some parenting experience; they understand that family life can be tough sometimes, which is why their support is so valuable to another family. Home Visiting Volunteers: · Visit families weekly in their own homes · Offer friendship, emotional support and practical help and be a regular, reliable presence for families · Reassure families that bringing up children can be challenging and everybody needs help sometimes · Emphasise the positive aspects of family life · Draw on their own experience to help parents develop their skills, improve their confidence and build better lives for their children · Keep children at the centre of the support focusing on their wellbeing and safety and ensuring the best possible outcomes for them Home visiting requires energy, commitment, reliability, creativity and a sense of humour. It can be exciting or challenging but above all it is extremely rewarding and worthwhile. For more information please email: admin@homestartaberdeen.org.uk or telephone: 01224 693 545.
HR Volunteers - Aberdeen Climate Action Want to go that extra step further to help with Climate Change? Becoming a volunteer with Aberdeen Climate Action is a great way for you to support the environment, while being flexible around you as well as gaining new skills. Aberdeen Climate Action (ACA) is a volunteer-run organisation that aims to prompt action on climate change, advise on reducing carbon emissions and promote more sustainable living. ACA are based in the North East of Scotland. Their activities are channelled through raising awareness, education, lobbying and support. ACA are always appreciative of individuals who want to commit time to help them achieve their goals. Volunteering opportunities are typically admin-based. Of course, you don’t need to be a Climate Action expert to volunteer with ACA. What matters most is that you are positive and enthusiastic about making a difference in the world. ACA are currently looking for HR Volunteers within the organisation, to help with administration duties and recruiting and managing their lovely volunteers. HR and Administrator volunteers are crucial in their organisation. Good support is provided to all new volunteers e.g.: volunteers will have a mentor, who will be on hand to give support, advice and assistance, as needed. A fantastic opportunity to help and make a real difference. If you’re interested and for more details, please email: recruit@aberdeenclimateaction.org / Tel: 07779279583.
Fundraising & Events Assistant Volunteers Miscarriage Information Support Service (MISS) MISS (Miscarriage Information Support Service) is a registered charity. They are a miscarriage support service covering all of Scotland for anyone who has experienced baby loss. MISS are offering a rewarding and exciting opportunity for Fundraising & Events Volunteers who will play a key role within the MISS charity as it expands and develops. You will be working closely with the Fundraising & Events Manager and be supporting the fundraising team. All help makes a real difference and is greatly appreciated. If you would like to help/for more details please contact Abi Clarke at email: chair@misssupport.org.uk or telephone: 07808638428 Further details about MISS's work and volunteering is also available on their website here.
FUNDING
ACVO News 40 October 2022
Funding Funding news and highlights from ACVO Funding Officer, Claire Shaw
Exclusive £1,000 giveaway for the third sector To help ease the hardship the third sector is facing, easyfundraising is giving away £500 to one organisation and £100 to five organisations. All third-sector organisations in the North East region have the chance to enter easyfundraising’s £1,000 giveaway, where one organisation will win £500 and five runners up £100! To enter, register with easyfundraising, or if you already are registered, raise three donations by between 1st and 31 October 2022. easyfundraising partners with over 7,000 brands, so when someone shops online, your organisation receives a share of their purchase for free. It’s the brands way of giving back to local groups and communities and a way for your organisation to create a free, unrestricted funding stream.
In these financially difficult times, alternative fundraising options like this are vital to keeping our services thriving and our members happy.
Sign up and enter the competition at www.easyfundraising.org.uk/community
News 41 ACVO October 2022
FUNDING
The Health Improvement Fund is Now Open! The Health Improvement Fund supports initiatives that improve health and wellbeing for people across Aberdeen. Since 2016, over 250 projects have been supported through the fund, these have included toe-tapping tea parties; improving access to woodland walks; mindful libraries; a new hen house at a local care home and many more inspirational and creative projects. Fund now open! The funding team are currently accepting applications to the Health Improvement Fund, with a closing date of Monday 31st October. Visit the HIF website here for full details on how to apply.
What is the money used for? The Health Improvement Fund is available for new initiatives that will improve health and wellbeing in communities across Aberdeen. There is now up to £5,000 available to put your idea into action. The HIF team are looking for projects that: Are community led and inspire community members to get involved Meet local need and reflect local circumstances Join people together Can show improvements in health and wellbeing
Who can apply? Anyone living or working in Aberdeen. This includes local people, staff, community groups (including informal groups), voluntary or non-profit organisations, as long as the work takes place in Aberdeen.
Need help? If you have any further questions, or would like to request application support from a member of the HIF team, please get in touch: LocalityPlanning@aberdeencity.gov.uk 07876818928 (Chris Smillie - Public Health Co-ordinator) 07977399534 (Suzanne Thomson Health Improvement Officer)
HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE UPDATES
ACVO News 42 October 2022
Health & Social Care Updates NHS Grampian’s Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Team brought together more than 40 organisations and services All offer local support to children, young people and their families, and the event was planned in a bid to ensure the best possible support is offered to those who need it from the full range of organisations open to them.
T
he CAMHS Connections networking event took place online on Tuesday, 20 September, providing an opportunity for professionals to come together and learn from each other about the breadth of resources available locally to support children and young people as they experience challenges with their mental health. More than 200 individuals took part and feedback from the event has been really positive so far. CAMHS Service Manager Amanda Farquharson explains: “At CAMHS we support individuals aged 0 – 18 who experience persistent, complex or severe difficulties that have a negative impact on their day-to-day lives. These difficulties may be emotional, behavioural and/or mental health related. “But we’re only one part of the picture when it comes to supporting young people and their families, and particularly when it comes to addressing early calls for help. We work alongside social work, education and educational psychology colleagues to ensure children and young people are supported at school and in the community. Those core teams work with many organisations and services who all have an important part to play, and whose service delivery continues to evolve. “This event has been about pulling everyone together, looking at what is available across Grampian now, exploring
opportunities and making links that will improve what is offered to children, young people and families on a day-today basis.” The event has been so popular, the hope is to organise a second conference. Assistant Psychologist Jennifer Wooley has been working alongside colleagues to bring the event to life. She adds: “We had an overwhelming amount of interest from those we reached out to across Grampian and had to limit the number of presenters on the day as a result. The event ran as a series of online presentations, with time built in for discussion, as well as an information session on what we do at
CAMHS and how that fits into the wider picture. “Presenters were asked to explain more about the services they provide in the local community, who their services support, how children and young people can be referred to them and what their referral criteria are. Making those pathways clearer for all professionals involved in supporting children and young people will improve the experiences families have when it comes to accessing those services.” To find out more about the services provided by CAMHS in NHS Grampian, click here.
News 43 ACVO October 2022
VACANCIES
Vacancies
Senior Service Manager PENUMBRA Location: Aberdeen Services Contract Type: Full Time – Permanent Closing Date: Monday 10th October 2022 Salary: £39,114 – £42,508 (£20.06 – £21.80p/h) Specific Hours: 37.5 We are looking for a dynamic and forward-thinking Senior Service Manager who is experienced in high quality service management and ambitious for a new challenge to shape and implement services. Operating as part of the Granite Care Consortium, our Aberdeen Mental Health Service delivers Housing and Care at Home support across the City. Providing person-centred interventions for people living with ongoing mental health challenges, the team support people to gain the skills to live meaningfully within their local community and make informed choices. In collaboration with the Integrated Drugs Team, our Intensive Housing Support Service provides recovery-focused support on an individual and family basis. Using a strengths-based approach to addressing barriers to recovery, we work to promote self-management, resilience building and connecting positively to community resources to promote ongoing wellbeing. As a Senior Service Manager, your role will be to ensure compliance with the Local Authority contract, particularly the delivery of support hours and the standard of service. You will also manage, support and supervise staff to ensure the needs of service users are met and the service provided is run effectively. We want you to grow and thrive! We will support you on your own career path; developing new skills, accessing formal and informal learning experiences and providing opportunities to put your continual progress into practice. If you’d like an informal chat about this role and working for Penumbra Mental Health, please contact: Suzanne Bain, Head of Services (North) on 0771730159 or suzanne.bain@penumbra.org.uk For more on our who we are visit: penumbra.org.uk
acvo.org.uk/vacancies/penumbra-senior-service-manager/
VACANCIES
ACVO News 44 October 2022
Area Services Coordinator (South Aberdeenshire) CLAN CANCER SUPPORT Location: Banchory Salary : Up to £15,746.00 per year Hours: Part time - 21 hours per week Contract: Permanent Applications close Wednesday October 12th Clan Cancer Support are currently looking to recruit a permanent Area Services Coordinator based in Banchory, Aberdeenshire. Clan currently provides services across the northeast of Scotland including Orkney and Shetland. In South Aberdeenshire we have one of our newest centres located in Banchory. The Area Services Coordinator post is an exciting and varied leadership role with a focus on ensuring Clan’s support centre in Banchory is accessible and welcoming to those who have been affected by cancer. The Area Services Coordinator will be required to take an innovative approach to service delivery, to overcome the challenges of covering a diverse geographical region and show initiative in planning how those in remote, rural and isolated parts of Aberdeenshire will access Clan’s services in different and effective ways. As well as being skilled at working directly with people affected by cancer and managing the development of the area, the Area Services Coordinator also requires having excellent networking skills in order to engage and nurture relationships with local businesses, the community and supporters of Clan from a fundraising perspective. The Clan Banchory team works extremely closely with local people, organisations and third sector agencies to provide the best possible support and service to our clients and their loved ones affected by cancer diagnosis therefore we require our new Area Services Coordinator to be confident, pro-active, professional and an excellent communicator. For more information on how to apply or for a copy of the full job description, please visit clancancersupport.org/vacancies
acvo.org.uk/vacancies/clan-area-services-coordinator
News 45 ACVO October 2022
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Volunteer Coordinator FRIENDS OF ANCHOR Job Title: Volunteer Coordinator Reports to: Head of Wellbeing, Friends of ANCHOR Location: ANCHOR Unit Based in the clinical setting within Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, with some time spent occasionally at Friends of ANCHOR Head Office at Balmoral Group. Contract: Permanent Permanent basis granted following successful completion of 3-month probation period Hours: Full-time | Monday – Friday Business hours. Negotiable. Flexible working hours can be discussed. Please note that evening and weekend work is occasionally required depending on work schedule. Salary: Band 4 Deadline: Friday 14th October 2022 At Friends of ANCHOR we rely heavily on our team of volunteers to help us deliver a wide range of patientfacing, non-clinical support and compassionate care across the wards and clinics in the ANCHOR Unit. As we look ahead to the opening of the ANCHOR Centre in 2022, we need to expand the team to enable us to achieve the charity’s ambitions. This is a pivotal role, the volunteer coordinator will be responsible for the day-to-day management and coordination of the operational aspects of the charity’s volunteer-led support within the hospital setting, including recruitment, training, supervision and support of our volunteers and assisting the Head of Wellbeing in the professional development of the future volunteer ambitions for the charity. A key focus will be strengthening protocols and processes as well as building and sustaining the volunteer team through recruitment campaigns, training and supervision. We are looking for an individual who is experienced in recruiting, supporting, and managing volunteers, who is reliable, flexible, caring and empathetic communicator, and skilled and experienced in organisational and logistical planning with good attention to detail.
acvo.org.uk/vacancies/foa-volunteer-coordinator/
VACANCIES
ACVO News 46 October 2022
AiR Admin Support ABERDEEN IN RECOVERY Job Title: AiR Admin Support Duration: 12 months fixed term contract in the first instance Hours of Work: 8 hours per week – flexible to suit post holder Responsible To: AiR Community Coordinator Salary: £10.02 per hour Responsible For: The general administrative requirements of AiR. Closes Wednesday 12th October Purpose of Post: The post holder will play a key role in supporting AiR by providing general administrative duties to allow AiR to achieve its purpose to be a sustainable and empowered recovery community which provides opportunity, support and inspiration to people, families and communities affected by alcohol and drugs in Aberdeen and surrounding areas. Main Duties & Responsibilities: The following is not an exhaustive list of duties but an overview of the work required: Monitoring email boxes and forwarding on to relevant person/people Updating and maintaining AiR’s membership list, including updating attendance figures Emailing monthly newsletter and other updates to members Posting out magazines to members Coordinate and arrange meetings including drafting agendas and taking minutes Basic accounting duties including raising invoices General admin support to AiR staff and volunteers as required including printing, filing etc Aberdeen in Recovery strives to be an empowered and sustainable lived experience recovery community. We aim to provide opportunity, support and inspiration to people, families and communities affected by alcohol and drugs in Aberdeen and surrounding areas. Both posts will play a key role in ensuring we achieve this purpose.
acvo.org.uk/vacancies/air-admin-support/
News 47 ACVO October 2022
VACANCIES
AiR Communications Support ABERDEEN IN RECOVERY Job Title: AiR Communications Support Duration: 12 months fixed term contract in the first instance Hours of Work: 8 hours per week – flexible to suit post holder Responsible To: AiR Community Coordinator Salary: £10.02 per hour Responsible For: Creating and updating literature and promotional materials and maintaining all AiR’s media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Website. Closes Wednesday 12th October Purpose of Post: The post holder will play a key role in creating and posting all AiR’s promotional materials to help AiR achieve the objective of promoting the availability of support and resources to those seeking to recover from addiction including friends and families. Main Duties & Responsibilities: The following is not an exhaustive list of duties but an overview of the work required: Creating/updating literature for distribution to AiR members, professionals and stakeholders Producing monthly newsletter for members Creating/updating social media posts Posting on all AiR social media platforms Updating AiR website Aberdeen in Recovery strives to be an empowered and sustainable lived experience recovery community. We aim to provide opportunity, support and inspiration to people, families and communities affected by alcohol and drugs in Aberdeen and surrounding areas. Both posts will play a key role in ensuring we achieve this purpose. As AiR’s Communications Support, you will have excellent knowledge of Social Media platforms and have a creative flair which will help keep the recovery community engaged.
acvo.org.uk/vacancies/air-communications-support/
VACANCIES
ACVO News 48 October 2022
Community Connector TORRY DEVELOPMENT TRUST Job Details Salary: £28,000 per annum (pro rata) Hours: 16 hours per week Reporting to: Board of trustees Place of work: Home based with flexibility to travel throughout Torry
Closes Fri 21st October The purpose of this post is to build the capacity of the Torry community and support people to engage with activities and opportunities within the area. To do this, you will be responsible for liaising and working in partnership with other community-based organisations to develop the range of services and activities available in Torry. You will also support Torry Development Trust to become well-established within the local community and build a volunteer base to support new projects and initiatives in Torry. This role will involve: ·Working with other organisations within the community to develop and maintain an understanding of the support, activities and services available to people and raise awareness of what is currently available. ·Identifying gaps in community provision and develop services and activities accordingly, in partnership with local organisations and agencies. ·Connecting people to and share information about services, activities and groups within the community ·Encouraging a lively, inclusive and cohesive community For a full job description and to apply for this role, please visit the link below.
acvo.org.uk/vacancies/torry-dev-trust-community-connector/
News 49 ACVO October 2022
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Additional Support Needs (ASN) Worker CAMPHILL SCHOOL ABERDEEN Position Type: Full Time & Part Time (20 hours) – Shift Work involved Closing Date: 30-11-2022 At Camphill School Aberdeen, we currently have exciting opportunities for enthusiastic Additional Support Needs workers to join us in our residential houses, as we grow and adapt to the increasing need for the care, education and support we provide. Whilst retaining many of the traditional Camphill values and ethos, we are vibrant and forward thinking with opportunities for development and career progression. Camphill School Aberdeen works to create a community where children and adults feel a sense of belonging, support and personal growth. A place where there is an inclusive, lifelong learning culture with an integrated approach to health, education and care. Do you have: Relevant experience of working with children and young adults with additional support needs The ability to work as part of a team Good communication skills A relevant qualification, or the willingness to achieve one A clear PVG/Criminal Record Check SSSC Registration (or other recognised professional body), or the commitment to achieve this This post will involve shift work. Please sate on your application if you are applying for full or part time. If you would like more information about the role, please see the job description or click the button below to visit the recruitment page.
acvo.org.uk/vacancies/camphill-school-asn-worker/
VACANCIES
ACVO News
October 2022
Simeon Care are hiring! Simeon Care have four brand new opportunities to join their team based in Bieldside, Aberdeen. To apply for any of the job roles advertised, please email your CV to Chris Hatton at chris@simeoncare.org.uk Closing date for all job roles is Monday 31st October 2022.
Care and Support Worker Purpose: To provide care and support to our residents under the guidance and supervision of senior staff. To ensure the house and home is clean, tidy and welcoming at all times. Working time: Monday to Sunday on a rota. Early shift 07:00 to 14:30 and late shift 13:30 to 21:00. Flexible rota includes some weekend working. Reports to: The Deputy Manager and General Manager. On a day-to-day basis the Care Team Leader or Nurse on duty. Pay: £9.90 to £10.19 per hour, depending on experience, qualifications and training. Full job details can be found here: acvo.org.uk/vacancies/simeon-care-care-and-support-worker/
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News 51 ACVO October 2022
VACANCIES
Homemaking & Laundry Assistant Purpose: To carry out routine and periodic cleaning, dusting and vacuuming in allocated areas as directed by management/the homemaking team supervisor. Working time: As current vacancy. Reports to: Homemaking Team Supervisor on a day to day basis, or General Manager. Pay: Dependent on age and experience; weekend enhancement. Full job details can be found here: acvo.org.uk/vacancies/simeon-care-homemaking-laundry-assistant/
Activities Support Worker Purpose: To plan, organize and implement interesting and enjoyable activities with residents of Simeon House. To enthuse and encourage volunteers, befrienders, family members and the care team to take part in activities with residents. Working time: Part time sessional – total of 4 hours per week worked over 2 days (2 hours per session). Sessions typically run between 15:00-17:00. Exact days and timing of sessions negotiable. Pay: £9 per hour. Full job details can be found here: acvo.org.uk/vacancies/simeon-care-activities-support-worker/
Cook Purpose: To prepare home cooked mid-day meal, and supper for approx. 40 people using locally sourced fresh produce. The Cook on shift has responsibility for the day to day running of the kitchen and the delivery of quality meals to the residents and staff. Working time: Full or Part-time; hours as agreed. Reports to: The General Manager. Pay: £12.87 per hour, depending on experience, qualifications and training. Weekend uplift 9%. Full job details can be found here: acvo.org.uk/vacancies/simeon-care-cook/
VACANCIES
ACVO News 52 October 2022
Public & Digital Programme Coordinator ABERDEEN SCIENCE CENTRE Contract: Full Time Permanent Salary: £25,000 per annum Hours: 37.5 hours per week; 5 days from 7 with regular evening/weekends required
Aberdeen Science Centre (ASC) is a 5-star Visitor attraction in North Scotland where people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities can be inspired and educated through science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related experiences. You will develop and deliver ASC’s public programme which includes show and workshops for family audience, clubs and groups. This role will also establish and develop the digital learning resources for ASC in collaboration with an established but evolving Education Team. Our exciting digital programme may include, but is not limited to, delivery for social media content, live demonstrations, webinars and Meet the Expert sessions. Your role will be to collaborate with ASC’s stakeholders to support in the creation and delivery of the content. Throughout the public and digital activities you will ensure that they are delivered by trained and informed staff to provide scientifically accurate information and in accordance with ASC’s Core Values. Main Duties and Responsibilities • Plan, develop, coordinate and deliver a wide range of STEM activities for audiences of all ages • Lead on the collaboration, production and delivery of digital learning resources ensuring they are delivered on time and within budget • Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with ASC’s stakeholders including writing proposals and reports for funding in conjunction with the Fundraising Manager • Deliver and document training on the public and digital programmes to all relevant staff • Actively contribute to the social media and website plan with the marketing team to reach different audiences and promote activities within the centre • Assist in the creation of printed and digital marketing campaigns • Manage the Customer Engagement Assistant(s), conducting personal development reviews and additional training as required • Ensure a high level of customer service at all times • To ensure that all shows, workshops and activities developed supports ASC’s Core Ideology
acvo.org.uk/vacancies/asc-public-digital-programme-coordinator/
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