Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of supporting people to grieve following the loss of a loved one.

We have no plans to introduce a specific bereavement support bubble policy at this time. In Scotland, extended household arrangements (similar to the support bubble arrangements in England) were introduced to support those who were most likely to be affected by loneliness and isolation. However, as the risk of Covid -19 spread increases whenever households mix, it is important to balance the needs of the bereaved to grieve with the need to minimise the spread of the virus. This is particularly important given the increase in cases we have seen recently.

In order to balance these risks as much as possible, our COVID-19: Framework for Decision Making makes special provision at all tier levels to allow for people to attend funerals and wakes and grieve together as an exception to the restrictions on social gatherings.

A death of a loved one is often a highly emotional and incredibly difficult event. Unlike most other gatherings, those in attendance are likely to know or be close to many others in attendance. Because of this, it is much more likely that vital public health measures to help mitigate or break chains of transmission of COVID-19, such as observing strict 2 metre physical distancing between households, will be forgotten. This is completely understandable at a time of grief, when people need the support of their close family and friends more than ever.

To suppress the spread of Covid-19 it is essential that, with limited exceptions, there is no travel to or from areas where higher numbers of people may be carrying the virus, whether in Scotland or elsewhere in the UK.

But as with all the restrictions in place, we will keep the restrictions on extended households under review and will base any future changes on the most up to date scientific advice and evidence.

The Young Person’s Guarantee covers young people participating in a wide range of existing provision and programmes, from school, further and higher education to apprenticeships, training and employment. Our aim is to ensure all young people are able to access support that will help them into work. We have provided an additional £60 million this year to enhance existing interventions by increasing capacity in local authorities, Skills Development Scotland, colleges and Developing the Young Workforce networks.

We are working with stakeholders in all these areas, as part of the Guarantee’s implementation group, to develop a Measurement and Evaluation plan which will underpin our understanding of how the Guarantee is working for young people. Our commitment to producing a Measurement and Evaluation plan is set out in the activity plan , published on 5 November 2020.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) will continue to publish the annual Participation Measure which allows us to identify the participation status of the wider 16-19 year old cohort. We are working with SDS, HM Revenue & Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions to examine ways we can improve data sharing to enhance reporting of the Participation Measure and better understand what activity young people are engaged in.

There are a range of ways in which zero hour contracts might be used inappropriately for example offering a worker minimal job or financial security, or offering a regular pattern of work or hours but only a zero-hour contract. Other examples of inappropriate use would be where a worker has had no say in the zero hours contract and wants a contract of employment guaranteeing a minimum number of hours, or where an employer puts pressure on a worker to accept the terms of a zero hours contract in order to keep their job.

We have commissioned research to better understand young peoples’ experiences of precarious and flexible work (including zero hour contracts) to inform how and in what ways we and our partners can support young people who want to change their circumstances. This research will be published in early 2021.

Although zero hour contracts fall under employment law which is reserved to the UK Government, we are committed to mainstreaming fair work throughout Scotland.

We have commissioned research to better understand young peoples’ experiences of precarious and flexible work (including zero hours contracts) to inform how and in what ways we and our partners can support young people who want to change their circumstances. This will be published in early 2021.

We will discuss the published research findings with Young Person’s Guarantee Implementation Group, whose membership includes the STUC, to consider the report’s recommendations and how the Guarantee can support young people who want to move out of this type of employment.

Embedding Fair work principles was an important part of the report from Sandy Begbie, which is shaping the Young Person’s Guarantee. A meeting to discuss how this could be achieved took place between Sandy Begbie, the Scottish Government and the Fair Work Convention chairs on 10 November 2020.

The Scottish Government promotes and encourages flexible working and works with employers to encourage flexible, agile and inclusive workplaces that benefit all employees, including those participating in the Young Person’s Guarantee.

However the inappropriate use of zero hours contracts and other non-standard types of employment that offer workers minimum job or financial security is not supported by Scottish Government. These criteria, alongside the payment of the Living Wage are a central component of Fair Work First, as well as the relaunched Scottish Business Pledge and will be reflected in the Young Person’s Guarantee.

Any job being supported by the Guarantee will be expected to meet the Fair Work criteria. In line with Sandy Begbie’s recommendations, we expect this to include a stated commitment from employers to either pay the Living Wage, or to be prepared to move to the Living Wage within an agreed time period.

The Scottish Government wants people to get the bereavement care and support that is right for them.

It is important to reflect that each individual's experience of bereavement is unique as are their support requirements. That is why we have undertaken a broad spectrum of work to improve the support available for those who need it at this difficult time. Recent examples include:

• At the outset of the pandemic, the Scottish Government provided funding to Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland to accelerate the expansion of their remote bereavement support service to ensure this service offering was available across Scotland. Further funding of £20,000 was provided to Cruse in October 2020 to help ensure that the service was ready for any increase in demand over the winter.
• We have built on our work to support young people and families access bereavement care by appointing a childhood bereavement coordinator. This work includes the development of plans to improve support for young people and families across Scotland, and will also reflect on our experiences during the pandemic to enhance this work programme further.
• People experiencing more complex grief can sometimes benefit from additional mental health support. In November 2020, the Scottish Government announced that funding of up to £30m would be made available for community mental health and wellbeing services in 2021-2022. This includes £11.25m for local authorities to provide community mental health and wellbeing services for 5-24 year olds, their families and carers, who may have been impacted by the pandemic.

We will also continue to work closely with NHS Boards, Integration Authorities and third sector organisations to respond to the additional demands arising from the pandemic and provide support where needed.

The Scottish Government promotes and encourages flexible working and works with employers to encourage flexible, agile and inclusive workplaces that benefit all employees, including those participating in the Young Person’s Guarantee. However, the inappropriate use of zero hours contracts and other non-standard types of employment that offer workers minimum job or financial security is not supported by Scottish Government. This is stated in the criteria for Fair Work First and the relaunched Scottish Business Pledge, and will be reflected in the Young Person’s Guarantee.