Letham4All SCIO has been working with a variety of partners across Perth and Kinross at a very local community level, a dignified and holistic route to reduce the impact of poverty.  As a result of this work, Letham4All has successfully piloted the use of the Pay Point Platform and extended to scope of Perth Cards, to provide small amounts of financial support, to help people in immediate financial crisis. Working with existing referral routes this project will provide an additional route for support for those who are not successful with a crisis grant or where a crisis grant is not an appropriate option. The Paypoint Platform enables the sending of utility voucher codes by text message to a mobile phone that can be redeemed in the usual place people top up their utility cards/keys and the Perth Cards across Perth and Kinross can be used in a variety of shops to purchase food and utilities.

This referral-based support has been accessed by a range of public agencies and 3rd sector organisations who have had no other means of supporting people with financial support to offer a breathing space while longer-term solutions are set up. This has been particularly effective out with traditional working hours and at weekends and support can be organised and delivered within an hour.  We know from feedback from agencies that being able to offer this quick solution to those most in need is very beneficial to the household, encourages further discussion to longer-term solutions to prevent further crises, and reduces stress and worry. Partners have also told us that being able to use the Pay Point Platform as a means of offering support saves valuable staff time in handling and delivering cash payments for utility tops-ups and is a much faster way of getting support to their clients.  To deliver this project Letham4All and its partners use the Citizen Advice Bureau’s information-sharing protocol, The Fast Online Referral Tracking System, FORT. This system enables all partners to see what referrals and support services have been received by a service user eliminating the risk of duplication, and giving support services a clear picture of services received and of any gaps emerging in meeting the needs of the person. Letham4All will reach out through its existing partners and networks in Rattray to ensure that information on how this support can be accessed through the referral process and The Fast Online Referral Tracking System is widely shared and understood.

Facilitating the engagement in meaningful and therapeutic activities (horticulture, woodwork, gastronomy, fitness, nutrition and arts), we aim for people to have better physical, emotional and mental wellbeing; to have better connections with the wider community; and to gain access to new skills and training which will help them move on to positive destinations. We can work with anyone aged 16+ who is reporting difficulties with their mental health and wellbeing.

Three of our engagement staff recently qualified as Decider Skills Facilitators. We are now looking to introduce Decider Skills within our activity engagement sessions at The Walled Garden – Creative Wellbeing, Healthy Lifestyles, Gardening and Hospitality. Decider skills supports and encourages self-management, which includes things like sound and rational decision making. Participant workbooks are not within most client’s affordability, creating a financial barrier to meaningful access. From a cost of living perspective, supporting these expenditures would alleviate any financial pressure and allow clients to engage in this form of therapeutic and self-development activity equitably.  

How Decider Skills can directly influence the cost of living -

The ‘think’, ‘focus’ and ‘pace and plan’ skills support resilience and anxiety management, offering clients the confidence to navigate problematic situations with finances and seeking help. ‘Turn the mind’ challenges habitual behaviour and patterns, and offers alternative ways that can lead to a more helpful outcome. ‘STOPP’ considers impulse, and how we can objectively respond to strong emotions.

The Decider Skills | The Decider

The Care Van operates with the support of local churches in Perth, Holy Trinity, St John’s Episcopal Church and St Marks, Letham. The outreach model reduces barriers to accessing support whenever possible and is available to all. The Care Van brings community and support to those in Perth who need it. Every Wednesday the Care Van is located at St Catherines Square and St John’s Episcopal Church, strategically located near multiple temporary accommodation hostels. During the winter months, this stop with St John’s operates as a warm space. In July 2024 the service expanded to the Letham area, as it was identified as an area where one-to-one support often took place. This stop has been in demand from the outset, with 415 access to support since launching.  

Swarthick, our Pioneer Coordinator who runs the Care Van, has worked with people experiencing homelessness in Perth for over a decade, and he was highly involved in shaping the service of the Care Van to ensure it was addressing local needs. There are several well-established organisations in Perth who provide a meal for those who need it, but we identified a serious lack of outreach and support for transient individuals struggling with homelessness and other complex needs. Our Care Van is helping to fill this gap. The demand for Swarthick's time and assistance since he initiated the Care Van in 2021 is further evidence of the need. He supports over 1,500 presentations each year through the van and through those connections, he assists around 60 people with more targeted, one-to-one support. And last year, the demand for one-to-one support was much greater, in large part due to the Cost-of-Living Crisis. A local resident himself, Swarthick has become well-known in the community, and he is often stopped by service users wanting support on visits to the supermarket or walks along the high street in his free time. 

Two examples of the collaborative work done by our Pioneer Coordinator and volunteers: 

During our regular care van stops, we met Cindy. She was quite shy and hesitant to approach the van at first, but after a lot of reassurance, she found the confidence to approach the van and accept some support. She was suffering from the consequences of a traumatic and abusive marriage breakdown, and she didn't know where to go for help. Over a few weeks, we were able to signpost her to various organisations, and we offered one-to-one support whenever she needed. Remarkably over a period of 8 months, Cindy built her confidence enough to find work. She also moved out of social housing into a private let and has held a job ever since. We're still in touch with Cindy and every now and then still receive a message from her stating how grateful she is for the support we gave her.  

John was already receiving some one-to-one support when he received a letter from the DWP that he didn't understand. On reading the letter, Swarthick thought it was strangely worded, and the letter asked for proof of ID. Swarthick phoned the helpline for John, and it was suggested that the letter must be sent in error because they don't need evidence for clients who have been in receipt of benefits for several years, as John had. They said nothing further needed to be done; however, three months later another letter appeared asking the same questions and threatening detrimental consequences if there was no response. This made John panic, and his anxiety peaked. John has limited literacy and is unable to use a computer, which made handling the situation even harder for him. Swarthick called the helpline again and was put through to the department that investigates fraud. They said that a form of sophisticated fraud was committed using John's details and that is why photographic evidence was needed to confirm his identification. John only had a bus pass as a form a photo ID, and Swarthick suggested that a copy of the bus pass could be posted. Swarthick also informed them about John's literacy, and based on this information, they said that an official would contact Swarthick if they required to get in touch with the service user. A few weeks later, the entire case was dropped due to the rightful intervention. John was delighted with the outcome, and his anxiety dramatically reduced once the situation was resolved.