Following SPAEN’s unsuccessful application for grant funding with the Scottish Government, the charity has announced it is now set to close.
SPAEN made an application for grant funding through the Scottish Government to continue providing a range of impartial information, advice and guidance services to people looking at using Option 1 / a Direct Payment but was advised that it’s application had been unsuccessful. Following discussions with Scottish Government officials, the charity was granted funding to continue operating until 30th September 2022 to assist existing members and service users to move to new support arrangements before it finally closes its doors.
Speaking about the charity’s impending closure, Colin Millar, the charity’s CEO, said:
“The Board and staff at SPAEN are saddened that the charity was unsuccessful in its application to continue providing these vital services to people using social care services in Scotland. The Board spent a lot of time looking at the full range of options available to us before concluding that the only viable option was to cease trading.
It is a decision that we did not arrive at lightly and it is also one that the Board and Trustees wished to avoid but, in the end, we felt this was the only route available to us.
We are grateful to the Scottish Government for engaging with us and for identifying funding to allow the charity to support its members to find and secure new supports and services from other providers.
We are in the process of informing all our members and service users, continuing to work with Scottish Government officials and other key stakeholders including local authorities and Health & Social Care Partnerships, other 3rd sector service providers and payroll companies to ensure that everyone we have the privilege of supporting just now has a positive and planned transition, ensuring no-0ne is left without these vital services.”
The charity is in the process of contacting all its members and service users to advise them of the impending closure and, where possible, is providing information on alternative service providers.
Every member is being contacted by e-mail or letter and SPAEN will continue supporting it’s members until they have secured a new support provider or until 30th September 2022.
As this is a complex matter, the charity will be sending a number of communications to affected people and strongly recommends that everyone registers an e-mail address where possible as this remains the easiest and most efficient way of receiving updates.
