ANNUAL IMPACT REPORT 2019/2020
2019/2020
INTRODUCTION It is with great pleasure, that on behalf of PKAVS Board, I am able to present our Annual Impact Report for 2019/2020. This is the first Impact Report that I have had the privilege of introducing as PKAVS Chairperson, a role that I was very happy to take up earlier this year. For many years, as a Local Councillor and public servant, I have observed and supported the important work of PKAVS; to now be taking on a leading role in the running of this wide-reaching charity, I am excited to be able to share just some of the amazing work that has taken place over the past year. It has been a challenging year for those we support, but I have been so impressed with the way our employees and volunteers have adapted, and gonethe-extra-mile, to help so many at a time when we have all faced extraordinary challenges. I would particularly like to thank all of our funders, partners, and supporters who have gone aboveand-beyond, allowing us to continue to deliver all of our vital services, and a host of other activities and support, in response to the recent pandemic.
WELCOME
Thank you for taking the time to read about our important work and thank you, once more, to all those that have helped us to make such a difference throughout Perth & Kinross.
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Archie MacLellan PKAVS Chairperson
2019/2020
FOREWORD We are incredibly proud of all the work that our employees, volunteers, and Board Members have carried out over 2019/2020. Their commitment has meant that we have, once again, supported thousands of people, and organisations, throughout Perth & Kinross, to improve their wellbeing and achieve meaningful change. The COVID-19 pandemic has meant we have had to adapt how we work, and has driven us to develop unique services that help the (most vulnerable) people and communities across Perth & Kinross; we have worked incredibly hard to ensure that we supported everyone affected through our wide-ranging services, our role as a Third Sector Interface, and as a local community anchor. The pandemic has made people re-evaluate how support will be delivered in the future, as well as revealing significant inequalities throughout the region. COVID-19 has laid bare socio-economic imbalance locally, nationally, and globally, meaning that it is paramount that we #BuildBackBetter.
We recognise that COVID-19 has caused huge damage to individuals and society, but we also recognise that we can learn from its effects, creating better outcomes for everyone that we support, leading to impacts that improve Perth & Kinross for everyone in it. The year ahead will be driven by change, change that should reduce inequalities, bring communities together, empower people, and, very importantly, must be underpinned by partnership working and collaboration. Our goal will be to help create a Perth & Kinross that is supportive, empowered, fair, and flourishing.
Paul Graham PKAVS Chief Executive
Working alongside our beneficiaries, our partners, our funders, and the people of Perth & Kinross, we plan to be a driver of change, helping to create a fairer future for everyone. As our current five-year strategy comes to an end, we will build on what we have learnt during the pandemic to develop a new Strategic Plan for 2021 – 2025, with the input from those we support and work with.
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SUPPORTING UNPAID CARERS 3
YOUNG CARERS
143 NEW
REFERRALS
1,312
ATTENDED WEEKLY SUPORT YOUNG CARERS ACTIVITIES
DURING 2019/2020
HOW WE MADE A DIFFERENCE Over the year, we have received 143 referrals with 110 Young Carers Statements created. 399 young carers have been actively receiving regular support. 423 one-to-one support sessions have taken place and 1,312 young carers have attended weekly activity and support groups. In addition, 348 young carers attended day trips and residentials.
Through our new educational attainment programme, over 90 young carers are now registered with the service, with 23 young carers undergoing one-to-one tutoring, 65 attending homework groups, and 36 involved in numeracy and literacy groups.
SUPPORTING YOUNG CARERS
I FEEL LIKE A CHILD AGAIN! I CAN HAVE FUN AND JUST BE ME WITHOUT HAVING TO WORRY. IT’S FUN AND I CAN LET MY HAIR DOWN. WHAT ARE WE REALLY
PROUD OF
This year’s young carers Christmas Extravaganza was a great success, with 126 young carers, 104 parents, and 57 siblings attending. The event included a disco in the main hall, a Santa’s grotto where every child who attended received a gift, and another large hall with inflatables, face painting, a balloon modeller, a magician, and much more. Bringing together all these young people and their families created a fantastic experience for all involved. EASYc, our newly launched education attainment project was designed with a realisation that juggling a caring role and school commitments can have a negative impact on attainment. It is not reasonable that any young carer should have their education compromised. The unique project offers one-to-one tuition, tutor groups, homework groups, and access to education hardware and software. The service is open to all young carers aged five to eighteen years of age and is not dependant on being registered with PKAVS Young Carers Service. Referrals can be made by professionals, parents, and young carers themselves. The level of education support offered is
determined on the social, emotional, or academic impact experienced by the young carer. “I have been so impressed by the levels of enthusiasm and engagement the young carers are showing during their sessions. To see the young carers performing this way has made me amazingly proud to be part of the PKAVS programme.” Maths and Sciences Tutor, Ryan Smith “Tutoring helps me as I have more time at home to care and I’ll also be able to balance my schoolwork as the tutoring covers the units meaning that I won’t have to study for long periods of time.” Young Carer, Perth Working in partnership with Relationship Scotland, we have been offering young carers one-to-one counselling to support their emotional and mental wellbeing. The service is offered to enable young carers time and space to explore their thoughts and feelings about changes in their lives.
CASE STUDY
Daniel (not his real name) is 10 years old and has a caring role for his grandpa and mum. Up until recently he also cared for his Grandma, but she sadly passed away at the end of last year. Daniel will often make them lunch and see to his grandpa’s needs when not feeling well, but they spend lots of enjoyable quality time together walking the dog and playing games. Daniel’s mum has arthritis in her hands and can struggle with day-to-day tasks when there is a flare up in her condition. Daniel often has to open and close doors, help his mum to dress, and help with other tasks – he will carry shopping and spend time with both his mum and grandpa when they are feeling sad about his grandma, who they all had an extremely close relationship with. Daniel recently started to attend our fortnightly respite groups after seeing our Young Carers Awareness Day campaign. He has attended groups since then, meeting up with friends from his school and striking up new friendships with fellow carers. He currently receives one-to-one telephone support, which his mum has said is a “real boost” and is very grateful for this as it helps him talking to someone outside the family about his thoughts and feelings.
LOOKING
TO THE FUTURE We are planning to greatly expand our locality-based working to increase the ease of access for young carers to engage with services. Prior to COVID-19, a trial of satellite branches was planned for areas within Highland Perthshire, and in the coming year, work to implement this programme will continue at pace as circumstances allow. 4
I LOVE ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES TO DO THINGS I WOULDN’T NORMALLY. ALL THE CHANCES TO TALK TO PEOPLE, TO TALK TO YOUR SUPPORT WORKER IS GREAT. PKAVS DO AN AMAZING JOB AT MAKING PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF AND OTHERS FEEL WELCOME, UNDERSTOOD AND LIKE IT’S A JUDGMENT FREE ZONE.
SUPPORTING UNPAID CARERS
YOUNG ADULT CARERS
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169
81
DURING 2019/2020
ONE-TO-ONE HOW WE MADE A DIFFERENCE Throughout the year, the service has received 58 SESSIONS referrals, with over 100 carers aged between 16 and
CARERS HAVE IMPROVED SOCIAL CONNECTIONS AND CONFIDENCE THROUGH 6 DAY TRIPS
25 registered. These young people, who are going through an important transition period in their lives, have benefited from 169 one-to-one sessions, where they have had the opportunity to talk about their unique caring roles and evolving life circumstances.
36 young adult carers have been matched with valuable respite opportunities while 81 have taken part in six day trips away, and a residential, boosting social connections and confidence.
WHAT ARE WE REALLY
PROUD OF
We have continued to develop our work in partnership with Realise Your Potential, a community interest company based in Dumfriesshire. Throughout the year, they have worked with 13 young adult carers, at this vital time in their lives, on a self-management programme called Quest. LOOKING
TO THE FUTURE We plan to recruit a Young Carers Transition Worker to help to ensure that young carers are supported to transition over from children to young adult services, when they reach 16 years old. This can be a period of great change for young adult carers and we want to make sure that tailored, one-to-one support, can be offered during this time.
AWAY DAY
YOUNG ADULT CARERS
SUPPORTING YOUNG ADULT CARERS
CASE STUDY
Emma (not her real name) is 17 years old and recently transitioned over from the Young Carers Service to our Young Adult Carers Services. Emma cares for her mum who has rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, which means day to day she doesn’t know whether she’s going to be able to get out of bed. With two younger siblings, Emma describes having a parental role in supporting the family as they are not in touch with the father. Emma’s caring role means she feels the pressure to run the household, look after her mum and two siblings, as well as do well in school. She does the cooking, cleaning, washing, and also helps her mum with contacting companies regarding bills. This pressure and stress has led to a negative impact on her mental health and she has been suffering from anxiety and depression. Through Young Adult Carers, Emma attends groups which allow her to escape from her caring role and spend time with other young adult carers. Alongside this, Emma has regular one-to-one support from her support worker, where she is able to discuss the stresses and anxieties she feels in her caring role, school, and day-to-day life. Emma says that these one-to-ones are so helpful in enabling her to speak about how she’s feeling, which in turn helps her to feel better in herself. The service has also helped her find out opportunities that are available to her and she has accessed a respite fund, allowing her to purchase a tablet to help with her schoolwork and to socialise online, things that are very important in helping her feel good.
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ADULT CARERS
508 NEW
REFERRALS
635
CARERS ATTENDING SOCIAL GROUPS
DURING 2019/2020
HOW WE MADE A DIFFERENCE We have continued to support increasing numbers of unpaid carers, receiving 508 new referrals, with 966 clients currently active and receiving support. In the last year, 8,371 requests for information and advice have been processed and 954 carers have been signposted to other important services.
219 respite breaks have been arranged which are invaluable person-centred breaks that give the carer time away from their caring role. Additionally, 237 new carers have been accessing therapies and 635 carers have been attending social groups.
WHAT ARE WE REALLY
SUPPORTING UNPAID CARERS
PROUD OF
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All referred carers to the service are being contacted within 48-hours of referral and receive a Welcome Pack; this is followed up by a welcome call from a support worker within 7-days. This streamlined process allows the team to identify outcomes that will help to maintain the carer’s physical and mental wellbeing almost immediately, while waiting for the completion of a full Adult Carers Support Plan. This staged process has made a huge difference to carers, with support now being provided extremely quickly. A dedicated Carer Community Development Worker is now in post, whose role is to develop support groups, therapies, activities, and more, throughout Perth & Kinross. This development has allowed us to provide activities, groups, and therapies in evenings and over weekends, greatly increasing the availability of the support to carers who may not be able to access services during normal working hours.
PROVOST DENNIS MELLOY PKAVS CARERS CELEIDH
On the 29th November 2019, at the annual Carers Connect event, the Perth & Kinross Carers Strategy 2019-2022, ‘A Life Alongside Caring’, was launched. The vision of this strategy is to deliver better outcomes for unpaid carers of all ages living or caring in Perth & Kinross. The Strategy identifies seven key outcomes that will help ensure that this vision is met. PKAVS Carers Hub will have an important role in the delivery of all seven outcomes - be that through providing clear, reliable, and accessible information about local and national support available; ensuring carers are listened to and have their opinions valued by professionals; providing opportunities for carers to participate in the planning and shaping of local services; and through PKAVS helping to improve the provision of flexible and personalised support for unpaid carers, so supporting them to have a life alongside caring. The strategy will be reviewed annually to ensure that it remains robust and meaningful and continues to meet the needs of all unpaid carers in Perth & Kinross.
SUPPORTING UNPAID CARERS
CASE STUDY
Andrew (not his real name) is 12 years old. He cares for his mum who has fibromyalgia, a slipped disk in her spine, and severe and enduring mental health issues. He helps his mum with the household tasks, helps her to change her clothes, and supports her through her anxiety and depression. He can feel sad at times and also feels tired in school. He has his own anxiety about his mum. Although Andrew has been registered with the Young Carers Service for some time now, he wasn’t overly keen to engage. However, last summer, the opportunity came up for him to go to Alton Towers – he really wanted to go but was very nervous at the thought of it. After support and discussion with the Young Carers Team, he chose to join the trip. He had an amazing time and build up friendships with other young carers in the local area – his brother who is also a young carer was on the trip too, but they both made their own friendship groups whilst away. Upon returning, Andrew joined another day trip with us as he had gained so much confidence from going away to Alton Towers. Andrew then started joining the group nights and also used the Mind of My Own app to update us on his positive experience of High School. Had it not been for PKAVS’ Alton Towers trip, this young person would not have the confidence that he now has. LOOKING
TO THE FUTURE Key to planning for the future will be assessing the enormous demand for our services and identifying how resources can be secured to match this increasing demand. Ideally, at least one more support worker will need to be recruited to support the demand and we will be working closely with partners and funders to achieve this. 8
WHEN TIMES ARE TOUGH, I CAN MESSAGE MY PKAVS SUPPORT WORKER AND JUST SAY WHATEVER I NEED SUPPORT WITH, AND IT HELPS ME A LOT. I ENJOY THE YOUNG ADULT CARER GROUPS THAT ARE PUT ON AND THE RESIDENTIALS, THEY ARE THE TWO MOST ENJOYABLE THINGS, GETTING AWAY FOR A LITTLE BREAK FROM YOUR CARING ROLE FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS OR EVEN A WEEK.
SUPPORTING UNPAID CARERS
DAY SERVICES
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4,676
PLACES
DURING 2019/2020
FILLED AT OUR DAY HOW WE MADE A DIFFERENCE CENTRES IN PERTH This year, while continuing to focus on a whole person, holistic approach, we have seen 4,676 places at our Day AND BLAIRGOWRIE Centres in Perth and Blairgowrie filled. Our Day Centres offer the ‘cared for’ a vital service, providing much needed social integration with an emphasis on their individual wellbeing, while providing valuable respite for their carer. WHAT ARE WE REALLY
PROUD OF
We organised a fantastic holiday to Dornoch where we took carers and their cared for to a hotel and also arranged many outings including visiting the Kelpies, Dobbies Garden Centre, Stewart Tower Ice Cream, and more. This vital respite opportunity is a great highlight of our year. Over Christmas, we held a week of Christmas Lunches with entertainment and a gift for everyone.
DAY CENTRE DAY OUT
Everyone greatly enjoyed themselves and we loved seeing our Day Service users getting into the Christmas spirit and having lots of fun. We have embraced our new location in PKAVS Carers Centre and have been increasing the amount of entertainment and music put on, the service users love this as they are all able to sing and even dance if they want to.
LOOKING
TO THE FUTURE With the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in our Day Services being closed, we are working closely with regulators to ensure that we can re-open when safe to do so with appropriate measures in place. We are very aware of the pressure put on carers and effects on the cared for without our regular respite in place and are very keen to provide this support once again, as soon as it is appropriate to do so.
SUPPORTING UNPAID CARERS
STAFF PROFILES
Jenny is the Young Adult Carers Support Worker at PKAVS. She supports unpaid carers aged 16-to-25 in their transition from childhood to adulthood. She offers emotional and practical one-to-one sessions, helping Young Adult Carers in a range of areas including their transition to further education or employment. It is Jenny’s role to plan and deliver weekly group activities, day trips, and residentials to enable carers to socialise, have fun, and access respite. Jenny also sources external funding and opportunities available to Young Adult Carers and signposts them to a range of other services.
Kathleen is a Carer Community Development Officer at PKAVS. She started work with PKAVS in 2017, when her role was to support unpaid carers in the Perth & Kinross area, engaging with them, completing support plans, and working towards positive outcomes. Kathleen started to run a carer support group in Strathmore area, which was very successful, and in December 2019 her role changed to become the Carer Community Development Worker. In this position she develops and runs groups, social therapies, day trips, and outings for carers and sometimes also the cared for.
OUR WORK DURING COVID 19 The Young Carers Team contacted around 150 young carers or their parents/carers weekly with online group activities offered. The Young Adult Carers Team contacted around 50 carers weekly, with online group sessions particularly popular. The Adult Carers Team contacted around 1,000 carers weekly, sourcing funding, offering advice and reassurance, and liaising with other professionals when required. The Day Services Team supported carers and cared for over the phone and when appropriate launched a sitting service to help provide respite. The Telephone Service became part of the wider PKAVS Carers Contact Team, reaching over 1,000 carers every week through various methods of contact, with up to 1,500 separate contacts being made each week to carers and other professionals. During Carers Week, online sessions were delivered, social media was used heavily to inform and promote, and a Carers Week Booklet was created and sent out to all of our registered carers. PPE was distributed to hundreds of unpaid carers throughout Perth & Kinross, an important and reassuring resource for those providing such an important role.
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IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING 11
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OUR ‘LOST IN TRANSITION’ PROGRAMME IS SUPPORTING YOUNG PEOPLE NEEDING URGENT MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT, WHO ARE AT A CRITICAL POINT IN THEIR RECOVERY JOURNEY.
CLIENTS HAVE BEEN SUPPORTED TO MOVE ON TO POSITIVE DESTINATIONS
68
ADDITIONAL CONNECTIONS WITH LOCAL SERVICES AND PROJECTS HAVE BEEN MADE
DURING 2019/2020 HOW WE
MADE A DIFFERENCE Throughout the year, 170 clients have been supported by the skilled staff at The Walled Garden and Wisecraft through client-led recovery plans, an increase of 54% on the previous year. PKAVS young person ‘Lost in Transition’ programme received 24 referrals, often from young people needing urgent mental health support, who are at a critical point in their recovery journey. 17 clients have been supported to move on to positive destinations including further education, work experience, volunteering, employment, and more.
44 residents of Perth & Kinross have supported the services work on a voluntary basis, from providing transport, supporting activities, and offering general support, our work has helped to promote volunteering and engagement across the region, all contributing to increased skills and employability, able future practitioners, and good working practice. The service has developed 68 additional connections with local services and projects. By working together, we can promote and develop joint-services, co-production, and collaboration.
BEING PART OF THE LOST IN TRANSITION PROJECT HAS REALLY HELPED ME TO COME OUT OF MY SHELL. I FEEL MORE CONFIDENT AND I CAN TALK TO PEOPLE MUCH MORE EASILY NOW. EVERYONE AT THE HUB HAS BEEN GREAT AND I’M DELIGHTED THAT THEY HAVE GOT THE FUNDING TO ALLOW THE PROJECT TO CONTINUE.
IN 2019/2020 WHAT WE ARE
REALLY PROUD OF
In December, the clients and staff staged their second annual pantomime, ‘This is Your Night at the Museum’. Involving work across our four creative areas (arts and crafts, performance, music, and creative writing), we showcased the talents of many clients, with many more supporting behind the scenes. The service’s clients were helped to overcome anxieties and structured reflection aided self-confidence building. Over 170 people attended the showing and all involved received great praise.
In a joint effort with our Joinery Department, clients, volunteers, and staff were able to fully refurbish our Café in under three-weeks. Culminating in a dog-friendly launch, everyone involved was very proud of their efforts.
We were very excited to hold our Harry Potter themed plant sale, showing the highest fundraising and attendance numbers to date. Clients were heavily involved in ensuring its success and the money raised will be very valuable in providing future services and support for clients.
The highly encouraging results from our young person focussed ‘Lost in Transition’ recovery programme has resulted in us securing Big Lottery Young Start funding that will allow uninterrupted delivery of the service until at least 2022.
Earlier in the year, the service received a £10,000 award from SSE’s ‘Be Brilliant and Resilient’ grant; enabling us to offer resilience-based workshops and other training to aid coping skills in crisis situations.
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IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING 13
IT HAS HELPED ME TRUST IN PEOPLE BETTER AND TO SOCIALISE MORE. IT HAS GIVEN ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE MY STORY AND BUILD CONFIDENCE. I’VE BEEN ABLE TO GO TO FUNDRAISING EVENTS AND BUILD MY SELF-ESTEEM IN HELPING THE CHARITY.
LOOKING TO
THE FUTURE
CREATIVE ARTS THE WALLED GARDEN
With the great results achieved from the ‘Lost in Transition’ programme, and further funding secured, work will continue to further develop the service and extend its reach, as well as prioritising its sustainability beyond 2022.
The nature of the mental health and wellbeing difficulties affecting our clients meant that COVID-19 is likely to have a significant and enduring effect on their lives. Ensuring that we consider this continually, going forward, will be a key priority for us.
We will be making the promotion of healthy lifestyles and building resilience overarching themes across all our work, we want to achieve this through heathy lifestyle workshops, training, co-production, and person-centred recovery.
Funding has been secured from Perth & Kinross Common Good Fund that will allow us to considerably upgrade the infrastructure and facilities within the Walled Garden. We are excited to be able to offer our clients, staff, and volunteers an enhanced experience through these upgrades.
MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING
MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING
CASE STUDY
STAFF PROFILE
David began his journey with us as a Café client in November 2017 and very quickly excelled in assisting our Chef to prepare foods for service. His confidence grew and in May 2019 our team agreed that David was ready to progress to a volunteer role. David took on more responsibility with till work, direct client support, and customer orders. In 2019, we became an approved Community Job Scotland employer allowing us to employ a young person in our Café. Community Jobs Scotland supports young people who are more disadvantaged in accessing the labour market. When the funding became available, David was the ideal candidate, and after an application and interview process, was offered the Café Assistant role in December 2019. We’ve really enjoyed having David as part of our team and seeing the huge progress he has made personally and professionally.
OUR WORK DURING COVID 19 We transitioned over to a remote service, providing all activity areas (joinery, creative wellbeing, café, gardening, and healthy lifestyles) via online workshops and video sessions. We provided general discussion opportunities online, via video link, allowing people to talk about their lockdown experience and ask staff any questions about keeping safe or other topics. We provided one-to-one telephone support to our vulnerable clients and text ‘check ins’. We provided all clients (170) with activity and resilience packs. These packs supported their engagement with online activities and also gave them support materials for their own personal time, including further mental health resources. These packs were delivered by staff to clients’ homes at the point of lockdown.
Eric, aged 62, had been facing a number of barriers to digital inclusion including access, skills, and confidence. In partnership with Lead Scotland, we were able to help Eric improve his digital skills so that he could use online services at home. Eric received weekly digital support which included face-to-face time, and the use of a laptop to practice his skills at home. As Eric’s access, abilities, and confidence improved, it was increasingly important for both projects to work together and help tackle further topics such as internet awareness and safety. Eric finally progressed towards and successfully achieved an SCQF Level Four Adult Achievement Award and completed this based on the learning that he has done at our Hub. Eric is a great example of someone facing digital inequalities and seeking support to achieve better wellbeing outcomes for himself.
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DEVELOPING THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR 15
OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE ENSURES THAT THE THIRD SECTOR HAS A STRONG VOICE AT COMMUNITY PLANNING LEVELS
INCREASINGLY APPROACHED TO ASK FOR OUR EXPERTISE AND INTELLIGENCE WE HAVE FACILITATED A RANGE OF TRAINING AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD KNOWLEDGE, AWARENESS, AND CAPACITY
DURING 2019/2020 HOW WE
MADE A DIFFERENCE We held our annual Summit Awards ceremony in May, distributing six Summit Awards to young people who have made a volunteering contribution way above and beyond what is expected of them. The Awards Ceremony was chaired, organised, and decided upon by our Summit Panel of five local young people.
We have fostered strong working relationships with a broad range of individuals, charities, voluntary organisations, and community groups through a range of resource intensive support on topics such as governance, funding, and compliance. Topics around governance and organisational structure have been the two most common topics of discussion.
Our Chief Executive, Paul Graham, recently became the co-chair of the Perth & Kinross Community Planning Partnership. This position allows him to ensure that the Third Sector has a strong voice at community planning meetings and his knowledge and experience makes him a great asset to the work of community planning.
Over the year, we have facilitated a range of training and learning opportunities to build knowledge, awareness, and capacity for the Third Sector on themes such as Human Trafficking and Exploitation, Introduction to Social Media, Emergency First Aid in the Workplace, EUSS Citizens Rights, FirstPort First Steps, and What is Social Enterprise? We have also partnered with the Health and Social Care Partnership to deliver Scottish Mental Health First Aid training.
Increasingly, individuals, groups, and organisations are approaching us to ask for our expertise and intelligence in identifying key contacts across the local Third Sector. We have supported discussions with Live Active Leisure, Macmillan Cancer Support, the Youth Philanthropy Initiative, and NHS Tayside in relation to their Transforming Tayside Agenda.
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR HELP. WE WOULD NEVER HAVE GOTTEN THIS FAR WITHOUT YOU! IN 2019/2020 WHAT WE ARE
REALLY PROUD OF
PKAVS Third Sector Interface are fast becoming the go-to organisation for Period Poverty related activity in Perth and Kinross. We held a Scottish Parliament Local Government and Communities Community Committee session, where participants were invited to engage in the free period products debate alongside Committee Members – Alexander Stewart MSP, Sarah Boyack MSP, and Graham Simpson MSP. PKAVS were praised for the organisation of the event which Graham Simpson MSP described as the best committee session he had ever participated in. Discussions at PKAVS had significant impact on the broader period products debate, with direct references to our Committee session seen during the evidence sessions with Cabinet Secretary Aileen Campbell and Private Members Bill sponsor Monica Lennon and the session also referred to in the Committee’s final report. The COVID-19 pandemic, subsequent lockdown, and the rallying calls from the Scottish Government for the Scotland Cares Campaign, resulted in an influx of expressions of interest to volunteer across the region. Through direct contact with ourselves, and Volunteer Scotland sign-ups, we received over 1,000 responses from local people offering their skills and energy to help others throughout Perth and Kinross. An incredible response, reflective of the community values embedded locally, we subsequently modified and bolstered our volunteer handling process in order to adapt to the exponential
increase in the volume of requests. We established a triage process, whereby people could self-select their preference to volunteer in the community, with NHS Tayside, or with the Council and processed requests accordingly. Working alongside the Perth & Kinross Council Learning and Development Team, the Violence Against Women Officer, the Independent Sector Scottish Care lead, Police Scotland, and members of the Health and Social Care Partnership, a short life multi-agency working group was established to explore shared learning opportunities on the theme of ‘harmful practices’, such as forced marriage, domestic abuse, and female genital mutilation. Working collaboratively, we found gender and issues with patriarchal abuse of power to be at the core of many of these problems. As a partnership, we then agreed to deliver a ‘Talking Gender’ event during the Perth and Kinross Women’s Festival. Those who attended relished the opportunity for gender to be the topic of conversation. We recently engaged in discussions with Jeanfield Community Football Club around a new programme of engagement and work for the North Muirton area of Perth, and how PKAVS Third Sector Interface and Jeanfield FC could establish a reciprocal relationship which best serves the needs of the neighbouring communities.
JACK BELL, MSYP VISITING THE GATEWAY
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DEVELOPING THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR
THANK YOU TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM FOR ALL THE WORK YOU HAVE DONE THROUGH THE YEAR AND FOR SENDING THIS IN. SOME REALLY INTERESTING BITS OF WORK THE TSI HAVE LED ON INCLUDING THE PERIOD POVERTY WORK, COMMUNITY JUSTICE FORUMS AND FOODBANK CONNECTION. IT IS CLEAR THAT PKAVS HAS CENTRAL ROLE TO PLAY ACROSS PERTH AND KINROSS AS A TSI AND I APPRECIATE THE SHEER VOLUME OF WORK THAT YOU ARE CARRYING OUT ACROSS A RANGE OF AREAS. - SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT
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LOOKING TO
THE FUTURE Building on our significant activity around period dignity, we plan to take the work to the next level, building on the concept of dignity and continuing our work as significant voice in national strategy. During COVID-19, people have started to view things very differently, and it is being recognised that there is real inequality and division at multiple levels and in many communities. We want to be central to discussions around fairness and to offer our knowledge and experience to help inform discussions about the future for Perth & Kinross. We are planning to work with organisations and individuals with great experience to develop training around civic leadership and activism. We plan to continue to build on the number of consultative engagement events that we hold, looking at areas such as climate change, employability, and food insecurity. By continually being more creative and innovative in our ways of
SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE SESSION
working, we can help drive the creation of a flourishing Third Sector in Perth & Kinross. #BuildBackBetter conversations are now being planned to bring together the Third Sector to explore what we have learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, what we would like to do differently as a result of the experience, the different ways of working, and what our vision is for collaborative leadership moving forward. Forging new relationships, built upon open and honest information sharing, has helped to empower individuals, organisations, and communities to be better informed and have greater awareness on a variety of issues. What started as an action point to share a document on the local food network, has since developed into a terrific partnership exploring agency, activism, and local leadership which we hope will transcend into a blended learning programme for citizens across Perth and Kinross, resulting in more empowered, enabled, and resilient communities.
DEVELOPING THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR
DEVELOPING THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR
CASE STUDY
STAFF PROFILE
Lori is the Partnership and Communities Manager at PKAVS. Her role involves leading both the Third Sector Interface (TSI) and the Minority Communities Hub. She is an avid reader of all things equalities, community empowerment, race, privilege, and feminism and loves working alongside individuals, groups, and organisations to push for systemic change and shifts in the balance of power.
OUR WORK DURING COVID 19 We created a Tampon Taxi service offering contactless delivery of free sanitary products across Perth, Crieff, and Blairgowrie, and also stocked community facilities and Period Products boxes throughout the region. We delivered period products to more than 120 households in Perth & Kinross, and between the delivery service and the Period Products boxes, we estimate that we have provided in the region of 4,000 products to women and girls, saving local people in need approximately £12,000. By facilitating Rounds one and two of the Scottish Government’s Community Wellbeing Fund as well as being selected by the Scottish Government to be a local Community Anchor Organisation, we identified and distributed over £200,000 of vital funding to local organisations, including charities, voluntary groups, and social enterprises that would help support local responses to the pandemic. Through partnership with NHS Tayside, and with the direct support offered via staff and volunteers at the start of the pandemic, we provided reception cover at Ward 12 of PRI (Learning Hub) to enable NHS Tayside staff to receive vital COVID-19 training.
PKAVS Tampon Taxi is a response to the challenges of lockdown regarding access to period products. It is an approach which places period dignity at its heart, emphasising shame free access, and individual choice. Period Dignity requires equality of access. For us that means a choice of free products, available when you need them, no questions asked. We deliberately don’t talk about Period Poverty, not because Period Poverty work hasn’t made incredible strides, which it has, but because we want to dismantle every barrier that women and girls face to achieving Period Dignity – including stigma of any kind. We landed on a simple solution – the Tampon Taxi. A tongue-in-cheek name for a service which has been a lifeline for many. Women and girls who need period products simply send a text, and we send someone to to drop off period products within the next day or two. The service is completely free, and delivery is contactless. Since the scheme was launched in mid-March, free period products have been delivered to approximately 150 households. Through these deliveries and the Period Stop, we have given around 4,000 items to women and girls in Perth & Kinross, saving local people approximately £13,000. Since we started in March 2020, we have been approached by others such as Dundee City Council and Aberdeenshire Council who have since set up similar schemes. We are hopeful that the learning from the Tampon Taxi can inform an approach to Period Dignity across Scotland.
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EMPOWERING MINORITY COMMUNITIES 19
407
ONE-TO-ONE
SUPPORT REQUESTS
RECEIVED IN 6 MONTHS
WE ESTIMATE WE HAVE
PROVIDED AROUND
1,800
PEOPLE WITH SUPPORT
DURING 2019/2020 HOW WE
MADE A DIFFERENCE Following our newly developed delivery model established half-way through the year, we have received 407 one-to-one requests for support in six months. Across all of our services and delivery methods, we estimate that we have provided support to around 1,800 individuals from minority ethnic communities during 2019/2020. We expect to see our reach rise throughout 2020 as we establish and embed new projects and methods of outreach and engagement. In October, we hosted a training session for partner organisations alongside Hope for Justice, an organisation which supports people to understand and recognise human trafficking. Around 40 professionals from organisations including PKAVS,
Perth & Kinross Council, Police Scotland, and a range of Third Sector organisations attended the session, which aimed to inform participants about what human trafficking is, the different types of exploitation which exist, and how to recognise it in the course of their work. We have continued to reach out to organisations and embed our reputation as a reliable, professional service. Over the year, we have met with many groups including Women’s Aid, Welfare Rights, and Skills Development Scotland to establish key contacts and processes for working together more effectively.
IN 2019/2020 WHAT WE ARE
REALLY PROUD OF
Our newly developed strategic vision and delivery model for the Minority Communities Hub has helped us to strengthen our ability to achieve positive outcomes for members of minority ethnic communities in Perth & Kinross.
us one of the highest performing organisations offering this support. This resulted in us being asked to share our learning at a national Home Office conference of Third Sector Organisations, local authorities, and embassies in February 2020.
We Launched the Perth & Kinross Integration Network, a group of local organisations working with minority ethnic communities, to support one another and identify gaps in service provision.
“It’s fantastic there have already been more than 185,900 applications to the EU Settlement Scheme in Scotland given there is still plenty of time to apply before the 30 June 2021 deadline.”
We have invested in, and piloted the use of, new technology to make our events and service delivery more accessible to those in rural communities, such as live streaming, and plan to build on this in the coming year. Through the EUSS project, we have supported over 1,700 people, who have chosen to make Perth & Kinross their home, to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme, making
“Charities like PKAVS in Perth & Kinross, which the Home Office has funded, have been doing a superb job providing support to ensure vulnerable EU citizens are able to secure their status.” Kevin Foster UK Minister for Future Borders and Immigration
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EMPOWERING MINORITY COMMUNITIES
I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS. YOUR INPUT AND SUPPORT HAS BEEN INVALUABLE. YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS HAVE SIMPLIFIED SOME FAIRLY COMPLEX PROBLEMS AND TOGETHER, WE’VE ACHIEVED SOME REALLY GOOD OUTCOMES FOR PEOPLE WHO OTHERWISE WOULD HAVE BEEN IN VERY DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES.
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LOOKING TO
THE FUTURE Building on our recognised work over the past year, we aim to continue to strengthen our position as a credible partner both locally and nationally, being an example of good practice and innovative planning. We will increase our support to Eastern European communities and rural areas in particular, recognising that these are significant areas of local need. We will take a leading role in the Perth & Kinross Renewal and Recovery Plan’s Equalities and Fairness workstream, placing our assets-based approach at the forefront of this work and actively involving community members in their important role in this piece of work. An important part of work going forward will be to engage much more with young people, tapping into the ongoing values revolution to support those who want to be involved in activism and campaigning. Addressing the many impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, we will build on our significant employability work to support the large number of people whose circumstances have been affected by the pandemic.
MULTI CULTURAL HIGHLAND GAMES BELLS SPORTS CENTRE
EMPOWERING MINORITY COMMUNITIES
CASE STUDY
OUR WORK DURING COVID 19 All one-to-one support was provided over the phone or online. We saw a high demand for support with housing and income related enquiries, as well as employment, and there was a marked increase in enquiries from clients who are new to the service, or those who have not needed support for a sustained period. As well as the opportunities to deliver individual help, the provision of one-to-one support allowed us to identify key issues and seek strategic solutions with partners, for example working with the council to develop a procedure to support those migrant workers whose housing was attached to their employment and have lost their accommodation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As with our one-to-one support, the EUSS service was provided remotely, over the phone, and online. Additionally, we provided an online Q&A session each week, to ensure that we were reaching a wide number of people both to meet their needs and meet the requirements of the funding source. We created a series of information videos on topics such as job search, interview skills, and CV preparation which were shared weekly through social media and received almost 500 views each.
We extended our freephone helpline hours, so that it is now open 10am-4pm, 5 days a week. We have been working with partners to find strategic and consistent approaches to handle a variety of situations as they arise, including people trafficking and unfair employment practices. We continue to field requests from various services to work directly with individuals and to feed into larger conversations. We provided information resources to the police and others in multiple languages about social distancing, guidance for using supermarkets, and many more important topics. We started to contact those on our own database who may be vulnerable and in need of support – primarily those who are older, carers, have a disability, or are financially vulnerable. This service will continue as part of our ‘Let’s Talk’ befriending service.
Lucia was a young woman from Romania. She approached the Minority Communities Hub in January, having heard it mentioned as somewhere safe to go if you need help. Lucia confided in a member of our team that she had been promised a job in the UK but was now being held against her will by the person who arranged her transport and forced to clean his home without receiving any pay. By working with our contacts at Perth & Kinross Council, the team were able to arrange for Lucia to have a safe place to stay for a few days while she decided what to do next. We supported her to make a report to the police. Lucia decided she didn’t want to stay in the UK after her experience, so we helped her to contact her family, let them know she was okay, and make arrangements to return to Romania, where her two little boys were waiting for her.
We have worked nationally as part of the Ethnic Minority National Resilience Network and chaired a sub-committee group.
WE LOVE COMING TO THE CONVERSATION CAFÉ AND MEETING OTHER PEOPLE THERE. IT’S LIKE THERAPY! 22
IT FEELS LIKE I HAVE WON THE LOTTERY JUST KNOWING THAT I CAN GO OUT ALONE WITH MY OXYGEN BOTTLE ON THE SCOOTER.
2,543 98% 100% REPORTED ABLE TO RETAIN INDEPENDENCE
USERS RATED AS GOOD OR EXCELLENT
SCOOTER HIRES
SHOPMOBILITY
DURING 2019/2020 HOW WE
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IN 2019/2020 WHAT WE ARE
MADE A DIFFERENCE
REALLY PROUD OF
Over the year, we have provided 4,504 mobility support equipment hires, including 2,543 scooter hires.
We will continue to seek funding to modernise our fleet of scooters and mobility equipment, allowing us to provide the best service we can to the people of Perth & Kinross.
80% of users surveyed reported that the service makes them feel less isolated, and 98% reported that they were able to retain their independence because of the service. 100% of users rated the service as good or excellent while 90% said that they felt involved in discussions around their needs.
We will be mindful of those vulnerable people leaving the shielding programme, helping them to safely and confidently return to their normal lives. LOOKING TO
THE FUTURE The year ahead will focus on securing funding to allow our fleet of existing electric scooters to be modernised and new scooters to be purchased where needed. This will ensure that those who use our valuable service have the best possible experience and we are able to support as many people as possible.
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Received almost 2,000 new referrals INCOME
EXPENDITURE
Donations £39,641
Other trading activities £60,056
Fundraising costs £12,427
Government grants £1,369,576
Investment income £7,126
Employment costs £1,487,381
Non government grants £389,253
Other income £1,382
Service delivery costs £277,584
FINANCIAL REPORT
Charitable activities £166,878
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Motor and travel costs £44,155
Office running costs, marketing and subscriptions £133,773 Legal & professional fees £16,291
Actively supporting nearly 6,000 individuals
Establishment costs £184,655
Income: £2.046 Million 6.5% Decrease
Depreciation £37,275
Expenditure: £2.216 Million 5.9% Decrease
Audit fee £5,069
THROUGHOUT 2019/2020, PKAVS EMPLOYED 66 DEDICATED STAFF MEMBERS. 82% OF OUR EMPLOYEES WORKED DIRECTLY WITH BENEFICERIES TO DELIVER LIFE-CHANGING SERVICES AT THEIR TIMES OF GREATEST NEED. THE REMAINING 18% OF OUR EMPLOYEES PLAYED VITAL ROLES TO ENSURE THE CHARITY OPERATED EFFICIENTLY, CARED FOR ITS DEDICATED STAFF TEAM, MANAGED OUR BUILDINGS AND VISITORS, AND RAISED VITAL FUNDS TO ENSURE OUR SUSTAINABILITY AND HELP US DEVELOP FUTURE SERVICES. We would like to thank the many individuals and organisations who, over the year, have made generous contributions to PKAVS and our services. Donations and funding allow us to help so many people throughout Perth & Kinross, we are very grateful to everyone that has helped us to make a difference.
SIGNIFICANT FUNDERS OVER 2018/2019 Perth & Kinross Council
The Gannochy Trust
The Robertson Trust
NHS Tayside
SSE
The Lyndal Tree Foundation
Perth and Kinross Health & Social Care Partnership
National Lottery Community Fund
Scottish Children’s Lottery
The Scottish Government
Children in Need
Royal Bank of Scotland
UK Government (Home Office)
Tesco
Asda Foundation
Shared Care Scotland
The Forteviot Trust
YPI
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2020 (INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT AND STATEMENT OF TOTAL RECOGNISED GAINS AND LOSSES)
Unrestricted funds £ Income and Endowments from: Donations and Legacies 7,538 Charitable Activities 160,907 Other Trading Activities 26,856 Investments 7,126 Other Income 7,193
Restricted funds £
Total funds 2020 £
Total funds 2019 £
32,103 1,764,800 33,200 - 6,489
39,641 1,925,707 60,056 7,126 13,682
39,132 2,046,698 85,399 3,428 13,780
Total Income
209,620
1,836,592
2,046,212
2,188,437
Expenditure on: Raising Funds Charitable Activities
12,427 396,518
- 1,806,952
12,427 2,203,470
77,643 2,277,266
Total Resources Expenditure
408,945
1,806,952
2,215,897
2,354,909
Gross Transfers between Funds Net (expenditure)/income for the year Net (outgoing)/incoming resources
- (199,325)
- 29,640
- (169,685)
(166,472)
Actuarial gain on defined benefit pension schemes
7,639
-
7,639
80,241
Net movement in Funds
(191,686)
29,640
(162,046)
(86,231)
Fund balances at 1 April 2019
564,663
367,124
931,787
1,018,018
Fund balances at 31 March 2020
372,977
396,764
769,741
931,787
Other recognised Gains and Losses
BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2020 2020 2019 £ £ Fixed Assets Tangible Assets 480,006 506,906 Investments 2 2 480,008 506,908 Current Assets Debtors 71,426 80,962 Cash at Bank and in hand 546,536 736,857 617,962 817,819 Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year (283,109) (340,181) Net Current Assets 334,853 477,638 Total assets less current Liabilities 814,861 984,546 Provisions for Liabilities (45,120) (52,759) Net Assets 769,741 931,787 Income Funds Restricted Funds 396,764
367,124
Unrestricted Funds Designated Funds 122,969 General Unrestricted Funds 250,008 372,977
111,115 453,548 564,663
Total funds
931,787
769,741
This is an extract from the audited accounts of Perth & Kinross Association of Voluntary Service Limited approved on 21st September 2020. On behalf of the Board of Trustees:
We confirm that this information is consistent with the audited annual accounts.
Archie MacLellan PKAVS Chairperson
Bird Simpson & Co. Chartered Accountants, 144 Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4EB
A complete set of the audited accounts is available from: The Finance Manager, PKAVS, The Gateway, North Methven Street, Perth, PH1 5PP or can be found on our website www.pkavs.org.uk
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PKAVS is a large local charity that has been supporting the wellbeing of people and communities throughout Perth & Kinross, at the times when they need it most, for over 40 years. With our committed staff of over 65 and the help of more than 120 dedicated volunteers, we support unpaid carers, those recovering from mental ill-health, minority communities, older people, the local Third Sector, and volunteers.
www.pkavs.org.uk @PKAVS
@PKAVScharity
@pkavscharity
PKAVS Head Office The Gateway, North Methven Street, Perth, PH1 5PP Email: admin@pkavs.org.uk Tel: 01738 567076 (Reception) The Gateway is open 8.30 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday. Perth & Kinross Association of Voluntary Service Ltd (PKAVS) is a registered Scottish charity (SC005561) regulated by the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) and a Scottish company limited by guarantee (SC086065). Designed by tgocreative.co.uk 27