Cash First in Glasgow
Communities, Food, Poverty
Apr 2024 - Ongoing
Background
Over the last few years, there has been a lot of work done to identify the best ways to mitigate food poverty in Scotland and the rest of the UK. An independent short life working group on food poverty published the report “Dignity: Ending Hunger Together in Scotland” in June 2016, with recommendations based on the principles of dignity and inclusion, and an approach to food poverty and food insecurity in Scotland based on the “right to food”. Recommendations from the report included ensuring that people with lived experience of food poverty are at the heart of change, and that food poverty needs to be tackled in a way that enhances dignity and embodies respect. The findings from this report led to the Scottish Government setting up the Fair Food Transformation Fund, to “support projects that give a more dignified response to food poverty and help to move away from emergency food aid as the first response.”
This led to the formation of a partnership project called “A Menu for Change” in 2017, run by Oxfam, Poverty Alliance, Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland and Nourish Scotland, with the goal to help tackle the drivers of food insecurity in Scotland while also improving emergency responses to it.
The Scottish Government published its plan towards ending the need for foodbanks in Scotland in June 2023 with a commitment to respecting and fulfilling human rights which includes the right to food, and for people to be able to access food that meets their dietary, social and cultural needs. Following on from this plan, the Scottish Government has funded eight Cash First Partnership pilot projects for two years across Scotland to learn what works in different contexts. These partnerships are based in urban, rural and island settings across Scotland, and will take different approaches to addressing levels of poverty and food insecurity, in line with their local context, infrastructure, challenges and user needs. The partnerships have been provided with learning and evaluation support to take a national approach to learning from the pilots.
About the project
The term “cash first” is borrowed from international development; it recognises that food poverty is usually due to a lack of adequate income and was first introduced to the conversation as part of “A Menu for Change”. Cash-first approaches can include small cash transfers, vouchers and financial advice, to help people buy the essentials. Using this approach expands support beyond food aid and allows better engagement with low-income communities facing food insecurity, which is a particularly acute problem in Glasgow, where 32.9% of all children are living in poverty. (Source: End Child Poverty statistics for 2023).
Food insecurity affects both body and mind. Cash-first solutions ease the mental strain of poverty; providing a more comprehensive support than emergency food aid, reducing anxiety and giving people more agency. They not only address immediate needs but also contribute to long-term well-being and resilience. At the core of cash-first approaches is respect for individual autonomy and dignity. These projects are often developed with input from the people they serve, ensuring their needs shape the solutions. This proactive strategy aims to prevent problems, fostering empowerment and community.
Overview of page
Project objectives
The Cash First partnerships have the following aims:
- to tackle food insecurity collaboratively and in partnership
- to test different approaches to tackling food insecurity
- to learn more about what works in different contexts and collect examples of best practice
- to promote wellbeing through community food
Any learning from these pilot projects can be implemented by Scottish Government to achieve their long-term ambition of a Scotland without the need for emergency food aid.
What is involved
The Good Food Nation Plan and the Glasgow City Food Plan provide a national and local policy context to the Cash First Partnership in Glasgow. The Glasgow City Food Plan is overseen by the Glasgow Food Policy Partnership and aims to reduce duplication of effort and make the best use of limited resources across the public, private and third sectors in the range of work towards a more equitable, healthy and sustainable food system. The Cash First project in Glasgow is hosted by GCPH and aligned to the Glasgow City Food Plan’s theme of “Fair Food for All: addressing food inequalities”.
Glasgow’s Cash First project works collaboratively with and in partnership with public and third sector partner organisations across the city to:
- Understand the context of food insecurity in Glasgow, including existing service provision and organisations involved.
- Use data to identify groups of people experiencing food insecurity.
- Identify gaps in service provision.
- Improve the access and consistency of support to people experiencing food insecurity, taking a coordinated approach to referral pathways.
- Facilitate training and/or materials for frontline staff and volunteers in community food organisations.
The Fair Food for All Partnership group was formed in May 2024 by bringing two existing groups together: the Fair Food for All sub-group of Glasgow Food Policy Partnership and the Glasgow Food Poverty Pathfinder Partnership as they have overlapping priorities in line with the themes of the Glasgow City Food Plan. This partnership has members from across the public and third sector of Glasgow and functions as a steering group for the Cash First project in Glasgow to provide support and guidance to the Cash First coordinator who started in April 2024.
Project outputs
Publications & Documents
Events
-
Money Counts Training: a Cash First approach to food insecurity
Via Zoom webinar
-
Cash First approaches: Reducing the need for food banks in Glasgow
Via Zoom Webinar
Further resources & reading
About Cash First:
- ‘Cash-First: Towards Ending the Need for Food Banks in Scotland’
- Delve report on Cash First in CFIs
- IFAN infographics
- Why Cash First (IFAN)
- Edinburgh Community Food Cash First Toolkit
Scotland:
Trussell Trust reports:
- Tackling Child Poverty & Destitution research, in partnership with Save the Children & IPPR
- Scotland 2023/24 factsheet
- Hunger in Scotland report (2023)
- The impact of the Scottish Child Payment on the need for food banks
Glasgow
- Glasgow City Food Plan
- Glasgow Food Policy Partnership
- Glasgow Community Food Network
- IFAN’s Worrying about money leaflets for Glasgow
- Glasgow Community Food Network Food Services Map
- Govan Community Project
- Scottish Refugee Council resources
- Glasgow Cost of Living support guide
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