Our new strategy for 2020-2030 sharpens our focus on helping to improve the lives of people and communities with experience of poverty and associated trauma.
"At the heart of our new strategy is a recognition of the heavy but unnecessary burden that poverty and trauma place on the wellbeing of individuals, families and communities, and the detrimental impact that can have on their long-term future."
Our strategy sets out why we are focusing on helping to further understand and alleviate the effects of poverty and trauma on our society, and how we hope to do this.
It underpins all our activities, including the funding we offer, and guides the way we work. It builds on our experience over six decades and on our strong relationships with others across the third, public and private sectors.
A fair and compassionate Scotland where everyone is valued and able to flourish.
We are here to prevent and reduce poverty and trauma in Scotland, by funding, supporting, and influencing solutions to drive social change.
We are ambitious: We are not afraid to take on difficult issues and will take risks in pursuit of positive change. We underpin our approach with curiosity, agility and a commitment to learning and continuous improvement.
We connect: We work collaboratively and are informed by the knowledge and experience of those we work with. We are compassionate in our interactions and value quality relationships based on honesty, understanding and support. Our independence is a valuable asset, but we recognise that working with others makes us all stronger.
We act with integrity: We take personal and collective responsibility for our actions and how we use our resources. We are trustworthy, consistent, and open about our successes and failings. We welcome challenge and feedback in order to improve our work.
To fund: Our financial resources are one of our greatest assets. Over the next 10 years, we expect to share over £200m directly with organisations working to alleviate poverty and trauma in Scotland.
To support: Over the course of the strategy we wish to support capacity and skills development within the third sector and communities.
To influence: We know our independence is a strength, and we want to use it to influence policy and practice by sharing our own learning, developing solutions, and amplifying the voice of our grant holders and partners.
Find out more about what we do to achieve each of these objectives – go to What we do
A wealth of knowledge already exists on how people and communities are affected by poverty and associated trauma. Over the period of this strategy we will build on existing knowledge to inform the development of our work in four key areas:
We want to see a Scotland where people are financially secure and able to live lives free of poverty and poverty-related trauma. We want to support greater income adequacy and security, reduced cost of living pressure, and strengthened safety nets to ensure people are lifted out of and do not fall into poverty.
We want to see an education system in Scotland which acts as a pathway out of poverty. We want to support solutions which enable those experiencing poverty and trauma to access and participate in education, developing skills, capabilities, resilience and achievements that will help them thrive.
Improving access to good and fair work that can prevent and reduce poverty through increased pay, hours and career progression. This also includes employability support, focused on areas or groups with lower employment rates.
Supporting nurturing relationships within families and communities, to help break the cycle between persistent poverty and intergenerational trauma, and support recovery.
Through our own experience and consulting with stakeholders, we have identified ways of working that we believe are likely to support positive outcomes for people experiencing poverty and trauma. Over the course of the strategy we will explore how to embed these within our own work, and how others are using them. These include:
Community: organisations that place communities at the centre of their work and aim to build resilience within communities to tackle issues associated with poverty or trauma.
Relationships and rights: organisations which take a relational approach to their work and focus on the key principles of fairness, dignity and respect and recognise the impacts that poverty and trauma can have on people’s lives.
Collaboration: organisations that work with others to deliver services or to change how services are delivered for people facing poverty, trauma or both.