Newsletter
Catch up on this month's activity on the Scottish Mentoring Network website. Click the headlines to read more...
Latest News-large.jpg)
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After a full term of four years Jacqueline Thomas stood down as Chair of Scottish Mentoring Network (SMN) at the Board meeting on 9th March 2016. Jacqueline was one of the principal founders of SMN and has been a Director since SMN's inception over 10 years ago. Prior to becoming Chair in 2012 Jacqueline had been Vice-Chair and has always been a consistent champion of the work of SMN and its wide range of members.
Jacqueline will continue to actively support the National Network as a Director of SMN and to promote the benefit of mentoring through this and her work with Glasgow Mentoring Network.
Iain Forbes, who has been Strategic Development Manager of SMN for the last 8 years, paid tribute to Jacqueline's work: "Jacqueline is a passionate proponent of the effective use of mentoring in Scotland and in particular in ensuring that the voice of practitioners is heard and used to help inform SMN policy. Whilst thanking her for her 4 years as Chair I am delighted we will still be able to call on her vast experience and knowledge as she is staying on as a Board member.
"Allison Calder, who has been a senior manager with Rock Trust in Edinburgh for eleven years, and has experience both in managing mentoring projects and as a mentor, has been appointed as Chair. We all look forward to working with Allison and wish her well in her new role."
Allison said "It is with immense pride that I take on the role of Chair of Scottish Mentoring Network. The Rock Trust has been a member organisation for 10 years, and I have first-hand knowledge of the great work that Iain and the team carry out supporting member organisations and advocating for mentoring across Scotland. Jacqueline has left me very big boots to fill, but thankfully she will be on hand to support me to settle into the role."
30 March
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Following our successful two year European partnership with colleagues in Germany, Switzerland and Italy, Scottish Mentoring Network (represented by Iain and Sarah) was invited to present at a prestigious European Mentoring Summit in Leeuwarden in the Netherlands.
Our well attended workshop gave the opportunity to showcase the work of SMN and in particular to speak about the SMN Project Quality Award — as far as we know the only one of its kind out-with the UK.
The summit was attended by 160 delegates from 12 European countries as well as the USA which gave us really good networking opportunities. Delegates were impressed by the amount of mentoring in Scotland and the range of members involved. In particular they commented (enviously!) on the fact that SMN and its members are able to work strategically with the Scottish Government and other national agencies and organisations to help improve the lives of people living in Scotland.
The keynote speaker was Professor Dr Jean Rhodes from the University of Massachusetts who gave us the benefit of the work she has been undertaking for over 25 years in the USA. Professor Rhodes is also Director of the Centre for Evidence Based Mentoring and Iain was invited to provide practitioner input to a session which explored the possibility of launching a European arm of the Centre for Evidence Based Mentoring.
There is a lot of mentoring activity in various countries in Europe and our Dutch colleagues will be producing a paper on how the European centre could be developed and funded, more information on this to follow in due course.
24 March
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Justice Secretary Michael Matheson has announced £1 million of new funding for the year ahead for charities working to reduce reoffending in Scotland.
This funding will support four charities: Apex Scotland, SACRO, Positive Prison? Positive Futures and Families Outside to address the underlying issues which fuel crime such as housing, healthcare, employment, welfare, alcohol and substance misuse.
Michael Matheson said:
"Scotland has already made strong progress on tackling reoffending - a key goal of this government's justice strategy - with reconviction rates at its lowest level for 16 years and recorded crime at a 41 year low.
"I have set outa vision for a Scotland where people are held to account for their offending and are then given the opportunity to change their lives and become active members of society.
"That is why we are committed to supporting a sustainable and innovative third sector to work with offenders. This new funding will help deliver a wide range of projects to enable individuals turn their live around and support families affected by the justice system." 23 March
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LinkLiving's SmartLiving Step Up Project in Falkirk is recruiting for its next 12 week Employability course which will begin on Monday 25 April 2016. The award-winning project helps young people aged 16 to 24 years to improve their employability skills through one-to-one practical and emotional support along with access to accredited training. Step Up is a 12-week Employability course for young people which gives participants the opportunity to develop their confidence, self-esteem and employability skills as well as gaining valuable work experience and gaining a SQA accreditation. The programme includes:
- Support with increasing confidence, personal development and self awareness
- Personality Profiling – What kind of person are you? What areas best suit your skills?
- How to build a CV, write a cover letter and plan a phone call
- Basic computer Skills * Supported job search assistance, including Universal Jobmatch
- Further education options, including college or continued voluntary options.
- SQA Accredited Course Employability Award Level 3
- A three week work experience placement
23 March
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Scottish Government official statistics about children and young people who are looked after by Scottish local authorities were published on 22 March 2016. These statistics show that two per cent of children in Scotland are being looked after by local authorities or on the child protection register. The statistics, which include information on children who were looked after, on the child protection register and in secure care accommodation, show that:
- 15,404 children were looked after, a decrease on one per cent from the previous year and a reduction for the third year in a row.
- 2,751 children are on the child protection register, a reduction of 4 per cent since 2014 but 38 per cent higher than in 2001. Approximately one third of children on the register are also looked after.
- 84 young people are currently living in secure care.
The data from this publication was collected between 1 August 2014 and 31 July 2015. 23 March
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Charities supporting children, families and adult learning will be invited to apply for a share of a new project fund that will award £2 million over the next two years.
The Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention and Adult Learning and Empowering Communities Fund has already supported over 100 third sector organisations, benefiting thousands of children, families and communities across Scotland, by providing more than £14 million worth of core funding that enables them to deliver their services.
This new element of the fund is designed to enable charities to bid for project funding that will allow them to deliver fresh and innovative ideas, beyond their core work.
Applications will be invited in the summer for a share of £1 million that will be made available in 2017/18, with a further £1 million to be available in 2018/19. 22 March
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WEvolution has received a funding boost to expand its work to develop and support entrepreneurs in Scotland's poorest communities. The charity currently helps to develop and support entrepreneurs in Scotland's poorest communities by bringing people together to develop enterprising ideas and to learn new skills.
WEvolution currently works with 26 groups in Glasgow, Paisley, Inverclyde, Edinburgh and Dundee and this new £225,000 funding boost will enable the charity to expand into the new areas of East Ayrshire, West Dunbartonshire, Fife and East Dunbartonshire, aiming to establish an extra 30 groups.
WEvolution creates self-reliant groups where people come together regularly to learn a new skill like knitting, cooking or sewing, at the same time as saving £1 every time they meet into a common fund. They can then use their savings to start a small business, producing crafts or baking to sell and then earn an income to support themselves and their families.
19 March
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Leading children's charities have added their support to a national scheme to pair young people in care with mentors.
Minister for Children and Young People Aileen Campbell announced that Inspiring Scotland will lead the development of a Scotland-wide model that will build on existing local mentoring and befriending projects.
The programme provides sustainable funding to schemes to reflect a young person's need to have at least one long term relationship with a positive adult role-model. The disruption children face coming into the care system can make this difficult to achieve within a family setting.
The Minister said:
"A secure, supportive and trusted relationship can make a world of difference to a care experienced young person with evidence showing it can build resilience, help overcome adverse childhood experiences and boost attainment.
"We are seeing positive results from a number of small programmes and Inspiring Scotland will now be able to take that work to create a model to spread this good work across the country. This National Mentoring Scheme has the potential to change the lives of children and young people who have had to overcome great adversity in their lives and to make a real difference to them now and throughout their lives."
Helen Chambers, Inspiring Scotland, Head of Strategy, said:
"We are delighted to have been chosen to lead the development of the National Mentoring Scheme. We recognise the critical importance of improving the outcomes of looked after children at home, and believe that the synergies we can bring to this area through the way that we build capacity of the voluntary sector will add significant value to the Scottish Government’s aims for the scheme."
Iain Forbes of Scottish Mentoring Network said:
"It's really positive news that the Scottish Government is launching this major initiative to provide vital one-to one mentoring support to care experienced young people. I know the National Mentoring Scheme will be warmly welcomed by our many members who are working hard to help improve the outcomes for this significant group of young people who genuinely need as much support as they can get.
"We look forward to working with the Scottish Government, Inspiring Scotland and other partners to ensure this scheme is successful." 15 March
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A recently published independent evaluation of the HMP Low Moss Public Social Partnership (PSP) has revealed that 83 per cent of prisoners who engage with the PSP have not returned to custody. Ordinarily two thirds of the male, short-term, habitual offenders housed as HMP Low Moss would be returned to custody within a year or their release.
The evaluation, carried out by Reid-Howie Associates, also revealed that 51 per cent of offenders who engaged with the PSP reported "an improvement in relation to their criminal behaviour".
The report showed that 42 percent of participants reported a reduction in substance misuse and around twenty per-cent of those interviewed had secured some form of employment following their release.
The PSP is a partnership between the Scottish Prison Service and a range of third sector organisations, including Sacro and Action for Children and of which Turning Point Scotland is the lead voluntary sector organisation. The service received funding from the Scottish Government, the Robertson Trust and the Big Lottery.
The Low Moss PSP was set up in 2013 to identify and address the underlying complex issues why a high level of people serving short term sentences would go on to reoffend. A lack of suitable housing, support or income were among the identified issues addressed by the PSP to give prisoners a better chance of a fresh start and discouraging a return to offending behaviour. 11 March
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Events28 September 2016, Out of the Blue, 36 Dalmeny Street, Edinburgh, EH6 8RG | 27-28 October 2016, Brunswick House, 51 Wilson Street, Glasgow, G1 1UZ | 17 November 2016, The Trade's Hall, Glasgow | 08-09 February 2017, SCVO Training Room, Hayweight House, Edinburgh | 23 March 2017, Edinburgh Training and Conference Venue, 16 St Marys Street, EH1 1SU | 03-04 April 2017, Brunswick House, 51 Wilson Street, Glasgow, G1 1UZ | 22 June 2017, The Salutation Hotel, 34 South Street, Perth, PH2 8P | 9 August 2017, Edinburgh Napier (Sighthill Campus) | 13 September 2017, Ayrshire College, Kilmarnock Campus, Hill Street, Kilmarnock, KA1 3HY | 10 October 2017, ACOSVO, Thorn House, 5 Rose Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2PR | 11-12 December 2017, Brunswick House, 51 Wilson Street, Glasgow, G1 1UZ | 31 January 2018, Dundee University, Dalhousie Building Block 1, ground floor room 6 (1G06) , 75 Old Hawkhill, Dundee DD1 5EN | 22 March 2018, AK Bell Library, Sandeman Room, 2-8 York Place, Perth. PH2 8EP | 27 March 2018, University of the Highlands and Islands, Inverness College, 1 Inverness Campus, IV2 5NA | 9 May 2018, Ayrshire College, Kilmarnock Campus, Hill Street, Kilmarnock, KA1 3HY | 23 May 2018, YMCA Edinburgh, The Acorn Centre, 1 Junction Place, EH6 5JA | 25 September 2018, DYW Perth & Kinross, Saltire House 3 Whitefriars Crescent, Perth PH2 0PA | 6 November 2018, St Paul's and St George's Church, Edinburgh | 28 January 2019, 10am - 1pm, 51 Wilson Street, Brunswick House, Glasgow, G1 1UZ | 05-06 February 2019, Brunswick House, 51 Wilson Street, Glasgow, G1 1UZ | 28 February 2019, 11am -1pm , Centre Stage, Kilmarnock Academy, 15 Elmbank Drive, Kilmarnock, KA1 3BS. | 19 March 2019, 11am - 2pm, Financial Conduct Authority, Quayside House, 127 Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, EH3 9QG | 22 May 2019, Link Academy, McKinven House, George Street, Falkirk, FK2 7EY | 28 May 2019, 10:30am -2:30pm Motherwell Concert Hall, Windmillhill St, Motherwell ML1 1AB | 12 June 2019, DC Thomson, 2 Albert Square, Dundee, DD1 1DD | 7 August 2019 | 27 August 2019, 10:30am - 1:30pm Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice, 20 Dumbreck Rd, Glasgow, G41 5BW | 2 September 2019, 11am-2pm, Edinburgh Training and Conference Venue, 16 St Mary's St, Edinburgh EH1 1SU | 13 November 2019, St Paul's & St George's Church, 46 York Place, Edinburgh | 28 November 2019, 4th Floor, Hayweight House, 23 Lauriston Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9DQ | 4 December 2019, 11am-1:30pm YMCA Edinburgh, The Acorn Centre, 1 Junction Place, EH6 5JA | 24 January 2020, 10:30am- 2pm Brunswick House, 51 Wilson Street, Glasgow,G11UZ | 29 January 2020, Old College Building, Abertay University, Dundee, DD1 HG | 5 March 2020, The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew St, Glasgow G2 3DB, 10:30am -2:pm | 19-20 March 2020, Brunswick House, 51 Wilson Street, Glasgow, G1 1UZ | 23 March 2020, The Barracks, Stirling | 27 March 2020, Brunswick House, 51 Wilson Street, Glasgow G1 1UZ | 20 May 2020, Online Zoom (11am-1pm) | 2 July 2020, Zoom | 12 August 2020, Zoom | 9 September 2020, Zoom | 30 September 2020, Zoom | 14 October 2020, Zoom | 11 November 2020, Zoom | 3 December 2020 | 8 December 2020, Zoom | 20 January 2021, Zoom | 3 February 2021, Zoom | 19 February 2021, Zoom | 18 March 2021, Zoom | 21 April 2021, Zoom | 20 May 2021, Zoom | 22 June 2021, Zoom | 25 August 2021, Zoom | 21 September 2021, Zoom | 27 October 2021, Zoom | 8 December 2021, Zoom | 26 January 2022, Zoom | 22 March 2022, Zoom | 19 May 2022, Zoom | 22 September 2022, Zoom | 27 October 2022, The Studio, 67 Hope Street, Glasgow, G2 6AE | 14 December 2022, Zoom | 19 January 2023, Zoom | 28 April 2023, Zoom | 30 June 2023, Zoom | 7 September 2023, Zoom | 25 October 2023, The Studio, Glasgow | 19 January 2024, Zoom | 26 March 2024, Zoom |
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