VOCAL Edinburgh

11/10/2026

On Monday 19 October, Big Hearts Community Trust has a free day of activities for kinship carers - or anyone who looks after a friend or family member's children.

There will be arts and crafts, leisure games, and a special stadium tour hosted by Hearts’ record appearance holder Gary Mackay.

- 12:30pm to 5:30pm
- Tynecastle Park

The event is free, but you need to book a place on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/kinship-family-afternoon-drop-in-tickets-1999780656777

10/10/2026

Coming to the end of Challenge Poverty Week, let's look at how the mental health impacts of a caring role can intersect with poverty.

In Carers UK's State of Caring report 2025, many carers spoke about the huge financial stress that comes from their caring role. For example, they might be under pressure to pay for care or legal fees like Power of Attorney, or have less income due to giving up work.

One carer said: "The cost of a [paid] carer at home, day centre costs and then eventual care home costs for my grandmother were astronomical. As a family we were expected by the local authority to top up despite my grandmother having little money – this put a HUGE amount of financial and mental stress on us as a family unfairly."

Demand for our financial support services continue to increase each year. Since our campaign on carer poverty from earlier this year, we are calling for:
- Employers to offer paid carers leave
- The government to increase the weekly amounts of benefits for carers and disabled people
- The government to end social care charges, and offer financial support for Power of Attorney and Guardianship

Read the full report on carer poverty on our website: https://www.vocal.org.uk/2026/06/carers-week-2026-the-cost-of-unpaid-caring-in-scotland/

09/10/2026

Day 5 of Challenge Poverty Week is about investing in communities. Volunteers are a huge part of our community at VOCAL, generously giving their time and energy back to our work supporting carers.

Many of our volunteers are current or former carers themselves, with their own experiences of the financial challenges a caring role can present.

Read Nicky, Mel, Euan, Shona and Kirsty's stories on our website: https://www.vocal.org.uk/advice-information/where-to-start/carer-stories/

09/10/2026

Do you care for a baby or young child (up to P6 age)? There are a few free courses on raising children with confidence, from The City of Edinburgh Council, starting soon. Improve your understanding of child development, the importance of relationships, communication strategies, and more.

- Portobello Library, 14 Rosefield Avenue, EH15 1AU
- Tuesdays 20 October to 24 November, 10:30am to 12:30pm

- Royston Wardieburn Community Centre, 11 Pilton Drive North, EH5 7NF
- Mondays 26 October to 30 November, 9:45am to 11:45am

- Valley Park Community Centre, 37 Southhouse Road, EH17 8EU
- Mondays 2 November to 7 December, 9:30am to 11:30am

Contact [email protected] or sign up using this Microsoft form: https://ow.ly/RkjK50ZWbXN

08/10/2026

Positive Help offers free support to people affected by HIV and hepatitis C in Edinburgh and the Lothians. This includes:

- Befriending service / activity buddies
- Help with household chores or shopping
- Transport to health and social care appointments, support groups and counselling sessions
- Study buddies, for anyone under 18
- Signposting to other services

To find out more:
Call: 0131 225 4766
Email: [email protected]
Visit:

We work with people of all ages in the Lothians affected by HIV and Hepatitis C to break down barriers for better health and care.

07/10/2026

The third day of Challenge Poverty Week focuses on fair work. Work should provide security, flexibility and wages that pay the bills.

Taking on an unpaid caring role can have a huge impact on your finances, both now and in the future. Fiona's caring responsibilities, for example, meant that she had to give up her career and her home.

Flexible, carer-friendly workplaces can make a vital difference. Find out more on our website about how we support working carers, and help employers improve their support too: https://www.vocal.org.uk/practitioners-employers/inclusive-workplaces/

07/10/2026

Reduced access to legal aid is one of the issues contributing to poverty among unpaid carers, which we have been campaigning about this year. Many carers who need help accessing Power of Attorney (PoA), or Guardianship, cannot find or afford a suitable lawyer.

The Scottish Government is now consulting on a new law. The proposals want to make the legal aid system:
- Simpler for users and providers.
- More sustainable and affordable over the long term.
- Better planned.
- More responsive, supporting earlier intervention.
- Focused on outcomes, transparency and accountability.

The consultation is open until Tuesday 13 October (there is also an Easy Read version here): https://consult.gov.scot/justice/reforming-legal-aid-in-scotland/

06/10/2026

Day 2 of Challenge Poverty Week is about energy.

We believe carers should not be left alone to cope with the energy demands associated with your caring role. For example, you might need the heating on more often, or use mobility equipment or medical devices which use a lot of power.

Join Lyndsay, our Safe and Warm expert, for a few sessions in November all about managing your bills and making your home more energy efficient:

Preparing for winter, online workshop:
- Tuesday 3 November, 5pm to 6pm
- Tuesday 10 November, 12:30pm to 1:30pm
- Tuesday 24 November, 2pm to 3pm

Draught-proofing workshop at Edinburgh Tool Library, EH6 5ND:
- Friday 6 November, 10am to 12pm.
- Make your own simple draught excluders using affordable and reusable materials. You’ll pick up useful tips for reducing heat loss, improving comfort and potentially helping to lower energy bills.

Book on carer-training.eventbrite.com

06/10/2026

This year's European Carers Day campaign focuses on the importance of flexible working.

Caring responsibilities can be unpredictable. To protect working carers' wellbeing and ability to stay in their roles, workplaces need to be adaptable.

We recently spoke to two carer-positive employers in Edinburgh and Midlothian who have developed great Carer Policies and carer-friendly workplace cultures: Jennifer from Bright Sparks and Lynn from Standard Life UK.

Read their full stories on our website: https://www.vocal.org.uk/2026/10/european-carers-day-flexibility-matters/

05/10/2026

Today is day 1 of Challenge Poverty Week, focusing on social security.

We support carers with benefits applications, whether you're eligible due to your caring role, age or disability. This is especially important with winter coming up, as heating bills will increase.

This month we have a few online sessions with Lyndsay, our Safe and Warm Carer Support Practitioner, where you can learn about the winter heating benefits you may be entitled to.

Join us on:
- Wednesday 7 October, 6pm to 7pm
- Tuesday 13 October, 2pm to 3pm
- Friday 30 October, 10am to 11am

Book on carer-training.eventbrite.com