Latest EAP meeting minutes

The minutes for September's Edinburgh Advice Partnership (EAP) meeting have now been published, with a focus on the Financially Included project and Advice Services Commissioning. Agency updates were shared, including from the City of Edinburgh Council Transactions Team.

September EAP meeting

The partnership met on 24 September 2026. Full minutes and meeting documents are available via the EAN resources section under EAP updates.

Financially Included: Economic Abuse Support, Training and Helpline

An overview of the Financially Included project was provided by GEMAP who outlined its work supporting women experiencing economic abuse.

A video recording of the presentation is also available via the EAN resources page. Key points discussed included:

• The availability of The Purple Phone, a specialist national helpline providing advice, support and guidance relating to economic abuse.

• Training opportunities for advice and support organisations aimed at increasing confidence in recognising and responding to economic abuse.

• Membership of the Economic Abuse Response Network (EARN) for training participants, providing access to ongoing learning, peer support and specialist advice.

• Data from the service demonstrating the wide-ranging impact of economic abuse, including links to insecure housing, financial hardship and coercive control.

• Interest from members in exploring a potential cross-agency training session for Edinburgh advice organisations.

  
  

For more information on the project please watch the full presentation video or see our previous post New Economic Abuse helpline + training and support for advice providers. To register interest in a cross agency training session, please contact the Edinburgh Advice Network Coordinator at joanne.baldock@capitalcitypartnership.org

Advice Services Commissioning Framework

Members discussed the recently published City of Edinburgh Council advice services commissioning framework and how the proposed framework will support a coordinated city wide advice system. Discussion focused on:

• Whether proposed outcomes and funding levels adequately reflect current levels of demand and complexity of need with concerns also raised regarding inflation, staffing costs and the long-term sustainability of services.

• The Scottish National Standards accreditation requirement and its implications for organisations’ participation.

• The proposed shared case management system and the need for clarity around implementation, data sharing and ongoing costs.

• The importance of maintaining strong referral pathways, partnership working and collaboration across the sector regardless of the outcome of the procurement process with members also highlighting the value of Edinburgh's existing advice network infrastructure.

  
  

Winter Preparedness and Energy Support

Winter planning continues across a range of services, with partners coordinating energy advice, outreach activity and support for households over the colder months.

• Changeworks and Citizens Advice Edinburgh reported continuation funding for their energy advice services, with Home Energy Scotland have recruited additional advisors ahead of the winter period.  

• Continued work between Home Energy Scotland, Changeworks and City of Edinburgh Council services to strengthen referral pathways.

• Home Energy Scotland updated that a dedicated forum for energy advisers is expected to be established by November.

  
  

Organisations are encouraged to continue sharing details of planned winter outreach and engagement activity to support coordination across the city.

City of Edinburgh Council Transactions Team Update

The Council's Transactions Team provided an update on current demand and service activity. Key points included:

• Continued pressure on the main Discretionary Housing Payments budget, with spend ahead of the allocation for this point in the year.

• Free School Meal and School Clothing Grant applications are now fully processed following the start of the academic year.

• Holiday payments are in process, but changes to eligibility criteria mean some children are not eligible this year, and letters are being sent to affected households.

• Ongoing work to process Council Tax Reduction applications and improve customer communications regarding automated UC related changes.

  
  

Other Updates

• Edinburgh Food Project updated that the food bank at Priestfield/Prestonfield is being discontinued due to consistently low usage, with Clermiston also reducing

• Increased integration of City of Edinburgh Council advice staff within locality based teams and household support services.

• Feedback from the recent Temporary Accommodation event, including discussions around charging, affordability, communication and access to advice for residents.

• Work exploring future engagement with Smart Data Foundry has ended following the organisation entering liquidation.

• Child Maintenance training sessions continue to attract positive interest from advice providers.

  
  

Coming Up

The next EAP meeting will take place on 29 October 2026 and is expected to include updates from Social Security Scotland, discussion on affordable credit and community banking, and a focus on data intelligence.

For more information or to share feedback on any of the topics covered at the September EAP meeting, contact your organisation's EAP representative (where applicable), or the Edinburgh Advice Network Coordinator at joanne.baldock@capitalcitypartnership.org