Fairer Scotland
-
Children and young people able to play sport again
28th June 2020 by admin
Children aren’t renowned for taking a keen interest in politics but I’m sure that many of them (and their parents) will have rejoiced at the news emerging from Holyrood this week, when the First Minister announced a date for the resumption of organised sport. Those children and young people – like the rest of us...
-
What kind of Scotland do we want to see post-lockdown?
26th June 2020 by Kevin Stewart MSP
The impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis has made many of us reflect on the importance and the value of the places where we live, work, shop and socialise. Now as we begin to come out of lockdown, instead of just getting things back to the way they were before, we have a new opportunity to...
-
Salar Mohammad Rassoul, a COVID -19 response volunteer at NHS Dumfries and Galloway
22nd June 2020 by fairer-scotland
Salar Mohammad Rassoul, age 40, originally from Syria, has been volunteering with NHS Dumfries and Galloway since September 2019 and is currently involved as a COVID-19 response volunteer. “I moved to Scotland from Syria with my family in April 2018 and I found refuge in Dumfries and Galloway. I am so grateful to the Scottish...
-
Tackling race inequality
22nd June 2020 by Christina McKelvie
The death of George Floyd has sparked protests across the world highlighting the scale of racial inequality as well as calls for change. I am truly saddened to be writing in the aftermath of this event and realise that, as a result of the privilege I experience as a white person, I can never fully...
-
World Refugee Day
20th June 2020 by Aileen Campbell
For twenty years, thousands of people from across Scotland have come together to show solidarity with refugees by celebrating the Refugee Festival Scotland and marking World Refugee Day. While we cannot physically gather together this year, it is as important as ever to show our support for people who have had to leave their homes...
-
Putting tackling homelessness at the heart of our COVID-19 recovery
4th June 2020 by Kevin Stewart MSP
We want to ensure that everyone has a warm, safe home that meets their needs. Our focus has not changed during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic but our ambition has increased. When I last co-chaired the Scottish Government’s Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group (HPSG) in early March, I could not have envisaged all that would be...
-
Volunteers’ Week
1st June 2020 by Aileen Campbell
It’s hard to imagine it’s been nearly three months since it feels like everything changed. Apart from the essential exemptions, most of us have been doing our bit to help with the COVID-19 response by staying at home for the last couple of months. And although some of the restrictions are beginning to ease slightly...
-
Support for LGBT during coronavirus – Minister blog
12th May 2020 by Christina McKelvie
Blog by Christina McKelvie, Minister for older people and equalities The coronavirus pandemic is affecting us all in a variety of different ways. I know that as the lockdown measures across Scotland continue, LGBT people may experience difficulties which are magnified by the inequality that they continue to experience. Many younger LGBT people may not...
-
A Balancing Act
9th May 2020 by Christina McKelvie
We can all agree these are challenging times, beyond what we could ever imagine. The initial response to coronavirus was to stop the spread, save lives and protect the NHS. Many necessary measures have been put in place to suppress transmission and keep people safe, but we are also looking into the impact of such...
-
Unsuitable Accommodation Order extended
5th May 2020 by kirstyjenkins
A Programme for Government commitment to ensure everyone experiencing homelessness has access to suitable quality accommodation has been brought forward in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The Unsuitable Accommodation Order, which currently prohibits local councils from placing pregnant women or families with children into bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) or hotels for more than seven...