Voices: Teresa Sutherland (CHAI)

Where are you focusing your support right now?

Our support remains embedded within the community, where it is most needed. We operate in various city-wide settings including GP surgeries, hospitals, mental health and addiction recovery hubs, schools, Early Years Centres and various other community venues through strong partnerships with other Edinburgh organisations. By maintaining a presence in these vital community spaces, we aim to ensure that individuals and families can access support seamlessly and without barriers.

How do poverty and trauma figure in your work?

Poverty and trauma are deeply intertwined in the experiences of many of the people we support. Financial insecurity often exacerbates emotional and psychological distress, while past trauma can create barriers to stability and recovery. Our work acknowledges this intersection, providing not only practical assistance but also recognising the importance of trauma-informed approaches to support lasting change.

How can funders support your work?

To maximise our impact, funders can support us in several key ways:

• Providing unrestricted, long-term funding: Sustainable funding must cover not only frontline service delivery but also essential infrastructure such as management, HR, training, IT, AI, marketing, and administrative support. Without these, frontline services can suffer, workloads can become unmanageable, and organisations can sometimes struggle to function efficiently. There is also no available resource or time to effectively plan for the future growth effectively – ‘thinking time’.
• Setting realistic expectations for outcomes: Funders should move beyond rigid numerical targets and recognise the qualitative impact of our work. Casework takes time, and effective interventions cannot be measured by only financial outcomes or the number of clients seen, but by long-term, meaningful improvements in people’s lives.
• Investing in adviser retention and fair wages: The charity sector struggles with high staff turnover, as skilled advisers frequently leave for better-paid roles and pensions in councils, housing associations, or statutory organisations. Fair pay and pensions and sustainable workloads are essential to maintaining a stable, experienced workforce. Likewise, administrative staff—who are the backbone to an efficient service—should receive better wages and pensions to improve retention. At a recent meeting a council member commented that “people working in the Third Sector would be ‘poverty poor’ when they retired due to low pension contributions by Third Sector employers.”
• Funding psychological skills training: Many clients present with mental health challenges, yet there is a lack of structured training for advisers on managing difficult client interactions, supporting motivation and change, applying mental health first aid, or offering trauma-informed support. Investment in training from psychology professionals would significantly enhance service delivery and client outcomes.

What changes would we like to see in your area of focus over the next five years?

Over the next five years, we hope to see:

• A shift towards quality-based rather than purely numerical performance targets, or more realistic quantitative targets.
• Greater investment in adviser retention, through better pay and pension and more sustainable workload expectations from funders.
• More advisers and case support workers ease pressure on caseworkers and improve service efficiency.
• Recognition that support and advice are deeply connected, and that meaningful interventions take time.
• Increased funding for psychological and interpersonal skills training, equipping advisers to handle complex client needs effectively.

What long-term system changes would best address these issues?

To create meaningful, lasting change, the following systemic improvements are essential:

• Recognising and valuing the adviser profession with fair wages and pension to retain skilled professionals in the sector.
• Shifting funding models to prioritise unrestricted, core funding over short-term, project-based funding that often neglects essential infrastructure.
• Redefining success metrics beyond client numbers and financial gains, acknowledging the true impact of casework on people’s lives.
• Integrating psychological skills training into adviser roles, ensuring they are equipped to work effectively with vulnerable clients.
• A deeper understanding from statutory funders of the critical role the third sector plays in society is essential. The third sector not only supports communities but also often bridges gaps and, in many cases, shoulders statutory responsibilities across Edinburgh to ensure that vulnerable individuals receive essential services. Statutory bodies must take the lead in educating their funders on how this works, fostering a greater appreciation of the invaluable contribution made by the third sector.