Cash pressure sees child aid scheme close

Aberlour runs out of options as its funding dries up

AN AUSTERITY-HIT charity has closed a project that helps children affected by drink and drugs misuse.

Aberlour set up the Bridges Project in Possilpark, Glasgow, eight years ago to support children whose parents are addicted to alcohol or illegal substances.

The acclaimed scheme included a teacher and practical supports for parents to make sure the children involved did not miss out on health care and education.

But the charity has been forced to end the service, after funding from the Big Lottery Fund (BLF) came to an end.

The lottery distributor awarded Aberlour £290,000 for three years from its Third Sector Early Intervention fund in 2013.

The closure has drawn attention to the pressure on lottery funds, as charities turn to BLF Scotland to help them cope with cuts made by councils.

Charitable bodies are also facing increased costs from the introduction of the UK government’s living wage and the enhanced living wage for care workers, which the Scottish Government is introducing in October.

The country’s biggest social work union said the loss of the Glasgow project was a disaster and a sign of things to come.

Deborah Dyer, Unison Scotland voluntary sector secretary, said: “Vulnerable people are relying on these services and where are they going to go now? The reality is that there is no replacement and nowhere else for people to go.”

A spokeswoman for Aberlour said the funding had run out at the end of the last financial year, but the charity had kept the Bridges Project going using its own reserves, in an unsuccessful attempt to find another funder.

During 2015, the project worked with 30 parents, and 90 children and young people at risk of neglect and abuse.

Ms Dyer added: “As a result of the funding crisis, charities are having to close valuable projects and there is nothing to replace them.

“Over the next three years we are going to face more and more of that. This is adding to the stress for social workers and making it more and more difficult for them to find the services for the people they look after.”

She said it was now common for social workers to have to spend days on the phone looking for support for vulnerable children, and in some cases to have to plead with charities to offer help.

Jim Wallace, Aberlour’s director ofchildrenandfamilies,said:“The funding environment for charities is often complex and challenging, and as a result of funding streams coming to an end, the service closed last month.

“It’s a difficult time for the third sector, particularly in the wake of increasing public sector cuts leading to greater competition for non-statutory funding sources, such as grant-giving organisations.

“Naturally we are disappointed that we will no longer be able to offer this service in Glasgow, but we are actively seeking to develop a new service with a similar remit in future and we remain committed to early intervention for families across Scotland.”

The Bridges Project in Dundee, which is separately funded, will continue, while Aberlour’s Bridges Partnership, which works with children affected by domestic violence, is also unaffected.

‘‘ Vulnerable people are relying on these services. The reality is that there is nowhere else for people to go

REAL Madrid forward Gareth Bale enjoyed a brief respite before the start of the new Spanish football season by testing himself on the fairways at St Andrews.

The world’s most expensive footballer, who is believed to play off a handicap of six, competed at the links course with some friends after heavy downpours that hampered play in the morning.

Bale was relaxing just weeks after helping Wales progress to the semi-finals of the European Championships in France.

He is expected to star for his club against Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup on August 9.