VSA has today launched the biggest fundraising campaign in its history - as it reveals a new long-term strategy.
Like many social care charities across the UK, VSA is facing significant funding challenges.
And yet, more people are needing support than ever before.
VSA provides services for more than 2,000 children and adults across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire and their families.
This includes working with vulnerable children and adults who have complex additional learning and support needs, people experiencing long-term mental ill health conditions, addiction, or social isolation and unpaid carers.
As well as nursery support and residential education for children with profound developmental needs, the charity supports people in their own homes. It also runs residential care homes for young adults recovering from mental health crises and adult long term residential care homes.
In addition, it also runs the much cherished Easter Anguston Farm, where adults with additional support needs assist in tending to the animals and helping with its running.
But, in the last five years, demand for VSA services and the cost of delivering them, has outstripped the funding available from local councils. In continuing to provide exceptional care and keeping people safe, the charity has had to spend £3m of its reserves, including £1m on PPE during COVID. This has effectively used up the majority of VSA’s reserves.
This has happened because the statutory funding available for each individual has been squeezed and VSA has not been prepared to reduce the quality of care the people we support need to enjoy a decent quality of life.
However, the situation is unsustainable, which is why VSA is charting a new course.
The 2025-2030 strategy takes VSA back to the heart of our charitable roots that the organisation’s founders in 1870 established.
Going forward, VSA will deliver more flexible care into Aberdeen City and Shire communities and offer care in people’s own homes. This means helping people remain in their own homes for longer, but to do so, requires a substantial focus on diversifying our funding streams and rebuilding a volunteer force.
To make this change, local people and businesses across the North East are being encouraged to support the charity, with the message Keep our Northern light shining bright.
It’s underpinned by a clear call to action, Save our Social Care Charity.
Without this help, there’s a real risk that VSA won’t be able to provide the life changing support people across Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire receive at every stage of life.
The campaign has been co-produced with people the charity supports, staff from across the organisation, and trustees.
For the first time, VSA will appear on STV North with a six week run of prime time adverts. This has been made possible with support from the STV Growth Fund.
Adverts will also appear across the city and shire and on public transport and on digital platforms, and there will be extensive paid media and organic content.
Long term supporter Ithaca Energy will become the principal supporter of VSA’s Easter Anguston Farm, as part of a three-year agreement revealed today. Their support has played a key role in helping us move forward, and we look forward to building on this foundation together.
The campaign and donation ask can be found at vsa.org.uk/sos.
VSA CEO Sue Freeth comments: “The launch of our new strategy and the biggest campaign in our charity’s history is a key moment for VSA.
“Yes, times have never been more challenging, but now is the opportunity for people in the North East of Scotland to play their part, because care is everyone’s responsibility.
“Across Scotland, social care charities have spoken extensively about the extraordinary challenges that we are facing to provide the quality of care and experience that everyone deserves.
“Over the last few years, we’ve underpinned care by effectively subsidising the public purse by using up £3m of our reserves including sales of property to support the most vulnerable people in our communities.
“The reality is, we can’t carry on like this, and we need to change how we work and how we fund our work.
“However, this isn’t about us sitting here today and complaining. We recognise that our public sector partners face significant challenges.
“Today is about a new way forward in delivering care and support for our vulnerable neighbours. And we need help to do it. We're encouraging people across the city and shire to support VSA, in the same way we provide care for over 2,000 people every year across a huge, diverse range of services.
“Modernising how we deliver care, finding new ways of financing care sustainably and diversifying our income streams while being clear where the need really is, and strengthening the way we work together with partners across the region , is all going to be vital to this transformational journey.”
VSA business development, marketing and innovation director Aimée Anderson comments: “Today’s campaign and strategy launch is the start of a bold new way of working, as we ask the people and businesses of Aberdeen City and Shire to unite and help us. We’re, therefore, absolutely delighted to announce that our long-term supporter Ithaca Energy, is one of the first companies to stand with us.
“This must just be the start. We’ll be working closely with some of the most successful brands across the North East business community to build partnerships. In turn, we’ll be able to test new ideas as we look at how we provide the best care for people in our community.
“The message from VSA is that our door is open - and you can expect to hear from us soon!”
The campaign has been led by Electrify, a charity-specialist creative communications agency. Creative director Lauren Bennett comments: “This is a groundbreaking campaign, co-produced with people that VSA support as well as staff and volunteers. Although it’s very much rooted in place, everything comes back to people. We believe this makes for a genuinely moving, inspiring campaign.
“VSA’s leadership team and board of trustees deserve enormous credit. For some time, we’ve hoped that one of Scotland’s social care charities might be able to take a step as bold as this.
“Of course, the sector is in a deep crisis, but solutions won’t only come from lobbying local and national governments.
“Charities need to diversify income, develop tests of change that solve real challenges, and in doing so find ways to give people the love, compassion and support they need. ‘Same old’ just isn’t going to wash anymore.”