Citizens Advice Scotland

Day

Tuesday 10 February

Time slot

15:00-16:00

Room

Sidlaw auditorium
Wheelchair accessible

Contact

Nicole Hepburn

Topics

Families & communities Equalities & human rights Policy

Overall aim

• Deep dive into maximising incomes as a tool for tackling poverty.
• Explore how advice services change lives.
• Examine what needs to change in our social security systems.
• Discuss the solutions that we need to see focused on in Party manifestos for the upcoming Scottish election.

Description

ForeCASt is a webinar series from Citizens Advice Scotland that showcases our data and insight into the issues that are affecting people in Scotland and forecasts the solutions we need to see to improve people's lives.

We’re bringing this episode of foreCASt live to the Gathering as part of our election mini-series – a deep dive into the key policy areas that we need to see focused on in manifestos.

The 2026 Scottish Parliament election is happening at a critical time. People in poverty are in deepening and entrenched crisis, and trust in our institutions is sinking. No single policy can fix poverty, so our focus is on the people those policies affect, the connected issues they face, and the solutions needed to address these issues.

You will hear insights from our panel of speakers, including policy experts from Citizens Advice Scotland, guest speakers from Citizens Advice Bureaux and other third sector commentators

The theme and speakers for this episode are to be confirmed shortly. Find previous episodes of foreCASt on our website: https://www.cas.org.uk/news-and-events/forecast

Who is the event aimed at?

Directors, Influencers, Public

Who is speaking at this event?

David Hilferty is Director for Impact for Citizens Advice Scotland. David joined CAS as Strategic Lead for Social Justice in October 2022, moving from a role in the Scottish Government's Directorate for International Trade and Investment. Prior to that, David was Deputy CEO at Money Advice Scotland where he led on the design and delivery of the organisation’s strategic plan.

Emma Jackson is Head of Social Justice at Citizens Advice Scotland and regular host of foreCASt. Emma is a passionate social justice campaigner, with both her personal and professional life has been dedicated to tackling inequality, having previously worked for the debt help charity Christians Against Poverty as Scotland Director. She's an engaging communicator and speaks widely on the subjects of inequality, poverty and justice. Emma is a regular broadcaster and contributor for BBC Radio Scotland’s ‘Thought for the Day’.

Guest speakers TBA