As of Monday April 20:
• a free contactless delivery service of period products has been launched in Dundee;
• Third Sector organisations have been reminded about various sources of funding during the outbreak; and
• since the lockdown started five weeks ago eight Community Support Centres (CSCs) have been created to take forward co-ordinated assistance and provide childcare for more than 400 children, £10,000 a week is being spent on bulk food purchases for community food providers, payments to replace free school meals for around 5000 families are being made at a cost of £1 million, more than 500 businesses have been helped to the tune of £6m by the Coronavirus Business Support Fund and more than 1000 people have come forward to offer to take on voluntary roles.
Period products that can be delivered include pads, tampons, maternity pads, teen pads and reusable pads.
Cllr Lynne Short, the council’s fairness spokesperson said: “During a crisis it can be even more challenging for people to manage their periods and that is why it is important that we have set up this free service.
“I would urge anyone who requires period products to get in touch and we will arrange for them to be delivered to their door.
To arrange delivery either call 01382 433132 or email periodproducts@dundeecity.gov.uk
There are a number of sources of finance for voluntary organisations including Foundation Scotland’s RR Fund; the Scottish Government’s Third Sector Resilience Fund supportingorganisations who may be impacted by cash flow issues and the Scottish Government’s Wellbeing Fund for organisations who require additional capacity to work with at-risk people worst affected by the crisis. It will re-open on May 7 after the current batch of applications has been processed supporting the purchase and delivery of food, activities to help with people’s mental health and wellbeing, co-ordination of local activity and staff and volunteer expenses.
Information on the help and advice available to the voluntary sector, including funding, is available at https://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/advice-for-social-enterprise-third-sector
John Alexander leader of Dundee City Council said: “We have mobilised this city’s caring heart and I can see how this is making a real difference every day. This effort is showing us the best of Dundee.
“I would like to thank everyone who is making a contribution.”
As of Tuesday April 21:
• Update on school qualification awards process for 2020;
• Advice on reported Coronavirus-related scams and frauds.
Following this year’s cancellation of SQA exams at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher levels, schools and local authorities have received additional information from SQA on this year’s alternative certification procedures.
This year’s assessment process will include four steps:
1. School submission of pupil estimate grades to SQA.
2. Awarding
3. Results and certification
4. Appeals.
This model will mean that certification results will be issued to learners by 4th August.
As lockdown continues, scammers and fraudsters are continuing to develop their methods of deceiving members of the public. Residents are advised to remain vigilant and be wary of donation scams, text message scams, fake online resources and fake holiday refund websites.
It is also important to get the latest information from reputable sources to avoid ‘fake news’, misinformation or disinformation. The latest local advice and information on scams can be found on the Dundee Trading Standards twitter page.
Additionally, a new national Coronavirus website for advice on employment, housing & consumer issues has been launched by Advice Direct Scotland.
Dundee City Council
Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.
