News & Events

In January, February and March, Volunteer Scotland is holding regular, short online training courses on all aspects of their Disclosure Services, aiming to provide information the various aspects of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme that attendees may need for their role in their voluntary organisation. These sessions are free for voluntary organisations; however there are charges for non-attendance of booked sessions.

The Falkirk School Holiday Food Fund has reopened for applications for the February 2021 school holidays. The fund has been set up to support local community groups tackling food insecurity in Falkirk communities, working to feed children, young people and their families during school holidays. Groups can apply for up to £250. Applicants must be constituted; partnerships involving unconstituted community organisations can apply, but the lead partner must be constituted.

This year, Scottish Government will start delivering the first of the new Scottish disability benefits. Scottish Government is keen to give everyone the opportunity to talk directly to the people who are designing these new benefits. Throughout February and March, they will be hosting a series of online events, where interested organisations and members of the public can hear about important aspects of the new disability benefits.

The Parent Network Scotland (PNS) has created a Wellbeing Toolkit online course. The aim of the course is to help parents, carers and families of children of any age, culture, background, or beliefs about parenting, to learn about and try new tools to promote health and wellbeing. The course is free and will be delivered over 8 one hour sessions in an online classroom. Aims and topics are set for each session so participants can learn in manageable chunks without feeling overwhelmed.

Scottish Government has recognised the impact the pandemic and lockdown restrictions has had on people’s mental health and wellbeing. They have created ClearYourHead.scot, a website full of resources, information and reassuring messages to support people in Scotland during this time, including how important it is to take breaks from news and social media. There is also a Winter Tips page, with information on clearing your head and connecting with others this winter.