An Aberlour service which works with young people at risk of becoming involved in gang culture in Glasgow has been nominated as a finalist in the Care Accolades 2010, the ‘Oscars’ for the social services sector.
Youthpoint Glasgow works with young people between the ages of 12 and 19 in the south west of the city where there can be high levels of social deprivation, crime, drug and alcohol dependency and recognised violent gang culture.
A recent report by the University of Glasgow says that men from poorer areas are 32 times more likely to die from knife violence than those in affluent areas and warns that knife crime costs the Scottish economy £3bn a year.
Youthpoint has been nominated as a finalist in the ‘Involving Our Community’ section of the awards and was recently awarded a lottery grant of £500,000 to allow it to expand to other areas of the city.
Alex Cunningham, Youthpoint Glasgow Service Manager, said: ‘’ It is a great achievement to be nominated for the Care Accolades. This is down to the hard work and dedication of all of Youthpoint’s staff. We are delighted that the work we do has been recognized by the SSSC, and to have made the final three in our category.’
Now in its seventh year, the Care Accolades, organised by the SSSC in partnership with the Scottish Government, showcases the excellent work happening in social services across Scotland.
The finalists will find out who has won at the award-winning Care Accolades lunch and award ceremony presented by Radio Scotland host Kaye Adams on the June 11th at the Macdonald Aviemore Highland Resort.