Showcase event strengthens citizen support

03 July 2018

Charities and support services from across Aberdeen will come together this week in a special event aimed at building links and knowledge of support services available across the city.

The Supporting Aberdeen Showcase will bring together a range of employability and other support services, as well as community groups and organisations, in a bid to improve knowledge of and referral links between the city’s organisations.

The event will be delivered by Aberdeen City Council and JobCentre Plus as part of the Progress Through Positive Partnerships project. The £2.2million project seeks to establish and develop a strategic employability pipeline, with the aim of improving the co-ordination of service provision and ensure that those in need of it receive local support tailored specifically to address their individual needs.

The Supporting Aberdeen Showcase provides organisations with the opportunity to promote their services and learn about what other services, which their community groups and clients could benefit from, are available in the city. Crucially, it will help to open and promote referral routes to services, improving access to and delivery of services for city residents in need of help, advice and support.

My Way to Employment, a project which will support offenders to break out of the offending cycle and work towards a positive lifestyle, while encouraging employers to give people with offending backgrounds a chance at work, will have its initial outing during the networking event.

Other organisations taking part include: Skills Development Scotland, Cash in Your Pocket, SCARF, the Joint Health & Social Care Partnership, Penumbra, Apex, Victim Support, Grampian Credit Union, North East Sensory Services, Instant Neighbour, and Pathways.

Aberdeen City Council Co-leader Councillor Jenny Laing, said: “Research carried out as part of the Progress Through Positive Partnerships project has shown that while there is a good spread of support services available throughout Aberdeen, work needs to be done to increase awareness of them. The Supporting Aberdeen Showcase is the first step in bringing organisations together to forge links, build knowledge, develop better referral routes, and crucially to strengthen and broaden the support network available to some of Aberdeen’s most vulnerable people.”

Progress Through Positive Partnerships, which has secured £880,000 (40%) of its funding from European Structural Fund (ESF), is being led by Aberdeen City Council. It has been created to provide participants with support and tailored assistance to develop employment and vocational skills.

The Supporting Aberdeen Showcase will be held in the Town House on Wednesday, 4 July. It will open to groups and organisations at 10.30am. It will be open to the public between 1pm and 2pm.

To book a stand or register for the event contact Gina Conn, Employer Engagement and Partnership Adviser, by emailing gina.conn@dwp.gsi.gov.uk or calling 01224 804541.