We will support children and young people to help them thrive and reach their full potential
We are delivering training on ‘Each and Every Child’, an initiative which aims to embed the reframing of how organisations and individuals speak about the care system and of care experience, to improve the lives of people with lived experience of care in Scotland. Awareness-raising workshops were delivered for the Shetland Children's Partnership, and discussions are ongoing regarding further work to reframe the language we use to create more inclusive cultures and communities.
The Bridges Project continues to deliver improved academic outcomes for its students, with 15 students currently working towards National 4/5/6 level qualifications in Numeracy and/or Communication, seven students in Health & Wellbeing at National 4/5 level, six in NPA level 4 Construction Crafts and eight at level 4/5/6 in the Prince’s Trust Club Achieve qualification.
The Council provided £124,355 in 2022/23 from the Support to Organisations Reducing Poverty Grant Scheme. These grants supported Shetland Islands Citizens Advice Bureau to sustain and adapt services to meet the ongoing demand for advice in relation to the cost of living crisis and assisted the Shetland Community Bike Project with the costs of providing supported employment and skills development to vulnerable unemployed people. Between April 2022 and March 2023 over £80,000 was also provided to 24 organisations from the Winter Activities Fund, a scheme that aims to remove cost barriers and enable people to get together in a warm space.