One Year On - A look back to where we've come from and looking forward to our future work

EARLIER this year the Poverty Truth Commission published a new report 'One Year On'. You can read the report at the Poverty Truth Commission website.

The report looks back at the work that has been done over the last year since the 'Findings of the Commission' were published and it's closing gathering, which took place in April 2011 and also sets out it's plans for the future.

Due to the timing of the closing gathering, shortly before the Scottish Government elections, the Commission received much attention and accolades across politics and the media. Ron Ferguson from the Herald, commented "The PTC report has not come up with any magic solutions, although it has made proposals about better support for children unable to live with their parents, and overcoming violence in local communities. At its heart, though, is a conviction that the top-down solutions prepared by people with no direct experience of poverty are fundamentally flawed. The report argues that the real experts on poverty are not highly-paid consultants, but those who experience poverty."

Within the 'Findings' a number of organisations, including the Scottish Government, the UK Government, Glasgow City Council and Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector, made legacy pledges, agreeing to take forward specific elements of the Commission's work in their own spheres of responsibility. Over the last year Commission members have continued to work closely with these organisations to make sure that these pledges are delivered effectively. Each organisation was invited to share their experiences of the past year and as a result a major part of the 'One Year On' report features paragraphs from these organisations.

The report also sets out the Commission's plans for the future. The original members of the Commission have decided that there is future work still to be done - albeit with a different focus and direction. Over the next few weeks we will feature on this blog the different strands of work which will make up this future work.

To read the report, and other reports and article about the Poverty Truth Commission, please visit our website.

Kinship carers seek Scottish Government petition backing

CLACKS Kinship Carers (CKC) will be at the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 1 March 2012, at 1pm, to hand over a petition they want to see on the Scottish Parliament website. 

There is a formal process for making this happen, and CKC are hoping for a big show of support for the hand-over,  since the issue is of real concern to thousands of people across Scotland.

The text of the petition is: "Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to take action to ensure that all councils across Scotland pay kinship carers the recommended allowance (as suggested in the Scottish Government's Local Government Concordat for 2008-2011) and that any such allowance should be ring fenced, with resourced support equable with foster carers"

We will report further on developments as they happen. During the debate on Kinship Care in the Scottish parliament recently, Richard Simpson MSP cited material from the Poverty Truth Commission Kinship reports.  "It is good that we are getting these perspectives into the public and political consciousness," said Miriam Rose.

The PTC Kinship Care: Observations and Recommendations report can be read here (Adobe Acrobat *.PDF document).

The Scottish Government COSLA Concordat is available here (also *.PDF). See page 5.

Poverty Truth Commission engages Ed Miliband

AS part of a continuing conversation with political and civic leaders across the spectrum, Labour leader Ed Miliband was made aware of the work of the Poverty Truth Commission in Scotland when he spoke in Glasgow at the end of last month.

At the question and answer session after the high-profile gathering, which looked at both constitutional and social issues, PTC Commissioner Tricia McConalogue, coordinator of Bridging the Gap invited the Westminster opposition leader to ensure that people living in poverty would be involved shaping and delivering anti-poverty policy. 

Mr Miliband received a copy of the Poverty Truth Commission report after the meeting on 30 January 2012. It is hoped that further engagement will follow.