Welcome to August’s edition of Health Policy Matters! This monthly blog features recent policy highlights, as well as upcoming influencing opportunities for VHS and our members.
It is no secret that the third sector is under incredible financial pressure at the moment. Over the last month, we have continued to focus on this issue by hosting a kitchen table discussion with VHS members on 30th July. The views and experiences shared at this discussion will inform our response to the Social Justice and Social Security Committee’s Third Sector Funding Principles consultation.
Prior to this discussion, we carried out a survey of our membership in which we asked respondents to prioritise what mattered to them most. In response, members said that longer-term funding of three years or more was most important to their organisation.
The importance of longer-term funding for the third sector was then repeatedly stressed at our kitchen table discussion. Our members spoke about the detrimental impact of their current short-term funding arrangements, which:
- Affect their ability to plan ahead.
- Hinder their ability to recruit and retain staff.
- Disrupt the support they are able to provide.
We are now planning to produce a response to the Social Justice and Social Security Committee’s call for views prior to the consultation’s deadline on 16th August. However, our focus on this issue will not come to an end on 16th August. Going beyond this consultation, we will use the views and experiences that members have shared with us to continue to campaign for the third sector to receive the fair funding that it deserves.
In terms of other recent policy highlights, last month also saw the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (Incorporation) Act come into force. The Act requires public authorities to take steps to ensure that their decisions and actions respect the rights of children and young people. VHS welcomed this news, with our Chief Executive stating that ‘the UNCRC Act, if implemented effectively, will protect the rights of children and young people in Scotland and improve their ability to get involved in decision making’ and our Chair adding that ‘the hard work begins now.’
Over the next month, there will be lots of opportunities to continue to shape health policy in Scotland. VHS currently sits on a Partnership Delivery Group (PDG) alongside the Scottish Police Authority, Police Scotland, COSLA and other health and social care partners. The PDG was established to act on the findings of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) Thematic Review of Policing and Mental Health in Scotland. A draft Framework for Collaboration to support increased partnership working in responding to and supporting people in distress has been produced. VHS has been invited to review this draft and will seek feedback from our members to do so.
Further upcoming influencing opportunities include:
- Post Legislative Scrutiny of the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 (13th September) – The Social Justice and Social Security Committee has opened a call for views to consider the impact of the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017. The Committee wants to understand the impact of the Act, and in particular the difference that has been made by having the framework for reducing child poverty set in law.
- ‘Moving On’ from Care into Adulthood (3rd October) – This consultation invites views on the support available to young people as they leave care and enter adulthood. The Scottish Government is keen to hear from those who have care experience, are a kinship or foster carer, are the birth family of a young person with care experience, or those who support young people with care experience professionally or otherwise during this time of transition in their lives.
- Adults with Incapacity Amendment Act (17th October) – This consultation seeks views on proposed changes to the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000. The changes put the adult front and centre of the legislation, reflecting UNCRPD, deprivation of liberty case law and the recommendations of the Scottish Mental Health Law Review. Further information is available in the Scottish Government’s consultation paper.
As always, if you or the organisations you represent have any thoughts on these consultations then please get in touch. I’m also happy to discuss any of the above in more detail if that would be helpful.
We’ll be back in touch next month with another edition of Health Policy Matters, so please let me know if there are any policy developments that you would like to be highlighted.
Matthew James is the Policy Engagement Lead at Voluntary Health Scotland.
