Committee
Equal Opportunities Committee 05 March 2015
05 Mar 2015 · S4 · Equal Opportunities Committee
Item of business
Age and Social Isolation
Thank you. For the question session, witnesses should indicate to me or the clerk on my left when they want to answer any question, and members should do the same if they have a supplementary question. Before we start our questions, I will quote the definition of social isolation that we have put together: “Social isolation could be defined as an objective, measurable state of having minimal contact with other people, such as family, friends or the wider community. Whilst it might be possible to measure social isolation, the feelings of loneliness are personal and individual. For some people, it may not be the number of contacts that is important, but the nature of those contacts, including who they are, the length of time spent, or the activity.” That is the definition that we have for social isolation as opposed to loneliness, which is different—a couple of you will have heard that because you were listening to the previous evidence session. From the witnesses’ perspective, what are the causes of social isolation or loneliness among young people? What effect do social isolation and loneliness have on young people’s mental and physical health?
In the same item of business
The Convener (Margaret McCulloch)
Lab
Welcome to the fourth meeting in 2015 of the Equal Opportunities Committee. I ask everyone to set any electronic devices to flight mode or to switch them off...
Sandra White (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP)
SNP
Good morning. I am the MSP for Glasgow Kelvin.
Jayne Baxter (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Lab
I am a Mid Scotland and Fife MSP.
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP)
SNP
I am the MSP for Glasgow Shettleston.
Annabel Goldie (West Scotland) (Con)
Con
I am a West of Scotland MSP—and I should point out that I am not Alex Johnstone.
John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Ind)
Ind
Madainn mhath. Good morning. I am a Highlands and Islands MSP.
Christian Allard (North East Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
I am a North East Scotland MSP.
The Convener
Lab
Our only agenda item today is evidence taking from two panels of witnesses for our inquiry into age and social isolation. Before I ask the witnesses to intro...
Susan Hunter (YouthLink Scotland)
First of all, I thank the committee for inviting us back. I am the senior policy and research officer with YouthLink Scotland, which is the national agency f...
Brandi Lee Lough Dennell (LGBT Youth Scotland)
Thank you for inviting LGBT Youth Scotland to give evidence today. We are the largest youth and community-based organisation for LGBT people in Scotland, and...
Kayleigh Thorpe (Enable Scotland)
I am the campaigns and policy manager at Enable Scotland, which is the charity of and for people with learning disabilities. We have more than 5,000 members ...
The Convener
Lab
Thank you very much. What do you think are the causes of social isolation or loneliness among young people? What effect do you think that social isolation o...
Susan Hunter
From our perspective—I am sure that the committee shares this view—social isolation is quite a complex issue. From our experience, we consider social isolati...
The Convener
Lab
What effect does such isolation have on the young people you work with? What do you see happening to them?
Susan Hunter
The members in our membership organisation work with young people on a daily basis, and their experience is that social isolation has an effect on young peop...
The Convener
Lab
Are your volunteers and workers aware that people could be feeling isolated as well as having other problems? For example, they might have moved into a new a...
Susan Hunter
I think that members of our workforce are aware of the need to look at young people’s wellbeing in its fullest sense, and they know that isolation might be p...
The Convener
Lab
And you will be able to send us examples of those initiatives.
Susan Hunter
Yes. We will include those in our submission, and perhaps I can share some of them with the committee during this morning’s conversation.
The Convener
Lab
Thank you. Would anyone else like to comment?
Kayleigh Thorpe
I am really glad that the committee has come out with a clear definition of social isolation. Within that, I would highlight the quality of contact. Although...
Sandra White
SNP
I have a small supplementary question. Is access, including transport access, to cafes, pubs and cinemas still a barrier for someone with a disability? Even ...
Kayleigh Thorpe
Absolutely. I am glad that you reminded me of that point. Access is a real issue. Although young people with learning disabilities do not necessarily have a ...
The Convener
Lab
I would appreciate that. I find what you have said really quite sad.
Brandi Lee Lough Dennell
I am glad that I have come third, because I am able to echo what the others have said so far about discrimination and the cause and effect aspect of isolatio...
The Convener
Lab
Yes, please. Thank you very much. John Mason will now ask a few questions.
John Mason
SNP
Good morning. Between you, you represent quite a range of services out there in the community. All committee members are probably aware of a variety of servi...
Kayleigh Thorpe
On whether there are enough services, you will probably hear about a lot of examples of services that provide positive interventions and social opportunities...
John Mason
SNP
On that point, I have visited services and been surprised that not many people attend them. Sometimes a service is not taken up, for whatever reason. Is that...
Kayleigh Thorpe
Services should probably be looked at in terms of how well they engage with young people. A service should not be funded just on the basis that it has always...