Fairer Scotland Fund
The Fairer Scotland Fund (the Fund) is a final allocation of discrete regeneration monies by the Scottish Government for the period 2008-2011. The Fund replaces seven previous funding streams, and its key purpose is to address the causes of poverty.
The total Fund available to Edinburgh is ring fenced at £7.645m for 2008/9 and £ 7.599m 2009/10. From this, the Edinburgh Partnership agreed on 27 March 2008 to allocate a minimum 6 months initial funding to projects funded under previous measures as part of transitional arrangements.
Proposals for the use of the Fund were agreed by the Edinburgh Partnership on 20 June 2008, and were submitted to the Scottish Government on the 30 June 2008. The proposals are evidenced by the new Edinburgh Index which identifies need across the city. This helps to target the use of the Fund and enable us to monitor the effectiveness of the use of the Fund.
The three agreed priorities for the investment of the Fund in Edinburgh are:
- An early intervention approach
- Reducing health inequalities
- Improving employability
It is recognised that Early Intervention is an approach to intervene in the cycle of deprivation. Discussion with partners has resulted in a consensus that there should be a focus on family functioning and on support for individual families. This means that in the context of FSF investment, activities should include:
- Identifying families who are running into difficulty bringing up their children;
- Helping parents with their role;
- Engaging with the children and young people directly;
- Doing this for both children and pre-teen / early teen young people.
The following six principles have been agreed to govern the use of the Fund:
An over-riding principle will be; to tackle poverty by providing easily accessed services, appropriate to need, to support those identified by the evidence as experiencing disadvantage.
The allocation of the Fund will be through a strategic and transparent process as part of an inclusive partnership approach based on the evidence of need and focused on the agreed priorities for investment.
The Fund will target both;
- areas of need, recognising that concentrations of multiple deprivation create particular problems, and
- individuals in need across the city irrespective of where they live.
The Fund will be managed locally where this is the most appropriate and effective way of delivering the required services, ensuring continuous improvement by all of the partner providers involved through adopting Best Value principles.
The Fund will be used in such a way as to ensure that effective and sustainable outcomes are secured from the outset including commitments to mainstream support aimed to secure a process that leads to a seamless transition to the Single Outcome Agreement.
The Fund will actively support joint working and will be invested in activities and services from any sector where there is evidence, or it can be shown, that they can effectively deliver the agreed outcomes.
Four of the National Strategic Line of Sight outcomes have been selected as most relevant to the purpose of the Fund in Edinburgh, in addressing the agreed priorities:
- We realise our full economic potential with more and better employment opportunities for all our people.
- We live longer, healthier lives.
- We have tackled the significant inequalities in Scottish society.
- We have improved the life chances for children, young people and families at risk.
For further information on the Fund please contact: Alan Howie alan.howie@edinburgh.gov.uk or 0131 529 2269.
For information on the Edinburgh Partnership please contact: Norma Cuthbertson norma.cuthbertson@edinburgh.gov.uk or 0131 469 3816 or visit http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/council/partnerships/CEC_community_planning_homepage
