Charities under threat

Concerns over the decision by the NSPCC to break with more than 100 years of convention and look to move into Scotland have come under fresh scrutiny from one of the Scottish charitable sector’s most respected figures.

Margaret McKay, who can include holding the chief executive position at Children 1st in her 40-year career in social work and childcare in Scotland, believes the move could seriously hamper the long-term future of many Scottish charities.

McKay, who in last week’s Herald Society outlined her call for NSPCC to review its plans, says the decision will place Scottish charities under greater financial pressure, as well as confusing the public over where their donations will be spent.

She said: “There is no hesitation in welcoming any measure that helps to prevent one more child from being subject to abuse or neglect, but does the NSPCC not think this can be done by Children 1st or indeed any of the other excellent children’s’ charities in Scotland? This is all the more puzzling given the fact that there have been reports that the NSPCC has already outlined a major restructuring plan which will see local centres in England close. That would suggest that NSPCC already has enough on its plate without having to worry about ensuring its move to Scotland is a success.”

The backlash mirrors a similar situation from last year, when the English-based RSPCA announced that it would be carrying out fundraising in Scotland – a decision that prompted a wave of protest from animal welfare charities north of the Border who argued that, as the RSPCA had no jurisdiction or influence in Scotland, it should not be allowed to take money from Scottish people in order to fund projects elsewhere in the UK.

McKay, who was chief executive of Children 1st from 1999-2007 and a founding Director of ChildLine Scotland from 1989-94, says that similar concerns to the RSPCA feud are at the heart of the NSPCC issue – where the NSPCC is recruiting a £60,000 new head of service in Scotland and has announced it will be running Scottish services for the first time.

She said during her time with Children 1st, the relationship between it and NSPCC, which had lasted for 125 years, was as sister charities working for the benefit of children in respective parts of the UK.

The NSPCC has already tried to soothe the controversy, with chief executive Andrew Flanagan claiming that the organisation was not trying to work in isolation in Scotland. Earlier this month he was reported to have said that Scotland was “one of the most generous places in the UK” for charity donations and promised that all money raised by the NSPCC would be re-invested in Scottish projects. He also said that the NSPCC expected all of its fundraising arrangements in Scotland to continue “in co-operation” with Children 1st .

However, McKay believes that the NSPCC’s move into Scotland could put Scottish charities at a disadvantage when it comes to fundraising.

She adds: “Perhaps of most concern is the confusion – and impact on fundraising – that the NSPCC’s move to Scotland will create. People being asked for money will not look to differentiate between donating to NSPCC and Children 1st, who alone can commit to spending all its money in Scotland. If less money is coming in, this can only have a negative impact on the services that Children 1st and other charities in Scotland offer.

“I’d want to be very clear in saying that my concerns are not rooted around some kind of ‘protectionist’ stance for Scottish charities. If Scottish charities are not doing a good job, I’d be among the first to demand changes.

“But when charities are doing a superb job but they know that their role could be jeopardised because they face seeing their funding being seriously reduced, then it is right that concerns are expressed. When you consider the NSPCC spends 25 times more than Children 1st on fundraising activities you can see why Scottish charities are concerned at going head-to-head with the NSPCC fundraising machine.”