News

The Inner Forth Futures’ Climate FORTH project is now taking Expressions of Interest from communities within the project area who wish to work with them to develop a Local Resilience Plan. The Local Resilience Plans will be bespoke to each community, aiming to enhance local priorities and heritage assets. The initial period of contact with Climate FORTH will take place June – October 2022. The deadline for Expressions of Interest is 12pm on Wednesday 11th May; however, Inner Forth Futures are happy to discuss options with communities who would find it difficult to submit their interest by that point.

NHS Forth Valley’s Ambulatory Interface Care Programme is looking for people to take part in a group discussion around a new, more accurate name for Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) work in Scotland. Scotland’s NHS is looking at a model similar to SDEC as a fundamental part of its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there are differences between the two models. They would like to explore other possibilities, and are keen to hear from members of the public. The deadline for expressions of interest is Monday 16th May.

As part of the work of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Joint Delivery Board, YouthLink Scotland, Young Scot, Scottish Youth Parliament and Children’s Parliament are inviting third sector organisations which support children and young people aged 8 – 25 years old to apply to take part in the second phase of the Insights Consultation. The deadline for expressions of interest is Wednesday 11th May.

The Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC) is holding an online event, “An Appealing Prospect?” exploring ideas for an appeals process for participation requests, on Wednesday 11th May, 9:30am – 2:30pm via Teams. The event is open to community organisations, public bodies and other interested organisations and individuals, and will look at how participation requests could be supported by reviews or appeals. The purpose of the event is to share SCDC’s findings around this so far, based on the deliberations of their working group.

Aberlour and Falkirk’s Community Mental Health and Wellbeing services have launched the new Primary Years Outreach Service, which provides early and preventative mental health and wellbeing support to young people aged 5 – 12 years old, and their families. The service provides a free phone support line and an outreach service which focuses on supporting children experiencing emotional distress. Telephone calls and outreach delivery can be planned between 8am – 7pm to allow families to receive support in the early mornings and evenings.

Falkirk and Clackmannanshire Carer Centre’s summer 2022 newsletter is now available to view via MailChimp, or download as a pdf (linked for your convenience), with information and updates for both carers and professionals. The Centre is also looking for feedback on their website from carers, professionals and partners, and have created an online survey to gather responses, which takes no more than 10 minutes to complete.

Scottish households now have until Tuesday 31st May to complete their census return. The extension was announced at the end of April, and aims to ensure everyone has the opportunity to complete their online and paper returns and shape important services in their communities. The National Records of Scotland’s dedicated census contact centre is continuing to support people in completing their returns; their team is available by web chat, contact form, and by freephone: 0800 030 8308.

Maggie’s Forth Valley is holding a “Meader to Maggie’s” event on Friday 27th May, 4:30pm – 10pm. The event will be a 10k meander from the Kelpies in Grangemouth to Maggie’s Forth Valley in Larbert (between Forth Valley Royal Hospital and Larbert Loch). There will be a barbecue, drinks, and music to celebrate at the finish line. Registration is free, with a suggested minimum sponsorship target of £150.

The Open University (OU) is offering fully-funded places across 5 online teaching Microcredentials for people working or volunteering in Community Learning and Development (CLD) roles. These accredited courses will start in June 2022 and will run for 12 weeks, and will allow people to look at how they can deliver a more digitally accessible service. The OU also offers fully-funded places on 18 accredited Microcredentials at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Both programmes are open to people aged 18 years old and over, living in Scotland. The deadline for applications to both funded programmes is Sunday 15th May.

Safebase Scotland’s Evening Natter Chatter Café returns on Friday 13th May, 7:30pm – 11pm at Trinity Church, Manse Place, Falkirk, FK1 1JN. These evening drop-in and support sessions are open to anyone who finds weekends difficult, or would like someone to talk to, and provide a safe, informal space to relax and get out of the house.