Newsletter January 2026
- Reach
- Jan 31
- 3 min read
Welcome to REACH Digest, our exciting new way of engaging with our community of candidates, award holders, delegates and supporters. Signed up by mistake? No longer interested? Included in error? No problem. Just hit "unsubscribe" at the bottom. Please accept our apologies if you have been included in error. |
REACH News Reach Advocacy Practice (RAPA) SCQF Level 7 Award Our first cohort of 2026 is now gathering evidence and creating case studies as they start their journey towards their SVQ Advocacy Practice award. We will soon be starting the second of our two cohorts, including candidates who will be supported using BSL Interpreters. More on this to come.....
SQA System Verification Visit It's always nerve wracking when your organisation faces a visit from anyone who wants to take a look "under the bonnet". So it was for Jed when the SQA came to check up on Reach's procedures in relation to our SVQ candidates. See our Blog post "SQA Gives Reach Clean Bill of Health" for more details.
Student Placements Two new students from the University of Glasgow have joined Reach Advocacy Ltd as part of our Student Placement Programme. Both will gain invaluable experience of and insight into Human Rights Law as they work with our education team.
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EVENTS AND QUALIFICATION FUNDING
While we do our best to offer pre-funded and free places on our events and qualification, we have far more requests for places than we can support. For this reason we reluctantly and respectfully ask that, where possible, organisations and individuals unable to pay for places consider making an application for funding themselves. We will happily provide any information necessary to support your application. |
Recent headlines and articles of interest.(Not a comprehensive round-up, just some bits and pieces that caught our eye.) |
JUSTICE/TRIBUNALS
Decision GM v Social Security Scotland FTS Case Reference: FTS/SSC/AE/24/02072 FTS failed to consider the impact of fatigue and pain on the appellant’s ability to perform activities to an acceptable standard Scotcourts.gov.uk 16 January _________________
HUMAN RIGHTS:
Right to Privacy Women filmed in secret for social media content - then harassed online Privacy lawyer Jamie Hurworth explains that while there is no specific offence of filming someone in public, the act of doing so may be an intrusion of a person's privacy rights. BBC News 24 Jan
Protecting human rights in an AI-driven world To better understand AI’s impact on human rights, UNRIC spoke with Iverna McGowan*, Tech & Human Rights Advisor at the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. United Nations Dec 2025
Right to a Fair Trial? Claimant agreed to paper hearing unaware she should have been offered a video hearing. Caselaw.nationalarchives Dec 2025
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POVERTY/DEBT
The cost-of-living crisis has exposed a credit reporting system favouring lender interests over borrower welfare and reform is urgently needed. Centre for Responsible Credit 19 January
Why people with mental health problems are missing out on vital income “when people do get income maximisation support, it can make a significant difference to both their finances and wellbeing. But systemic barriers mean many at the sharp end of the cost of living crisis are missing out on this support.” Money and Mental Health Policy Institute Dec 2025
‘The cost of living crisis hasn’t gone away – our helpline never stops ringing’ “..demand for these services has gone up by 40 per cent since 2018-2019, before the dual pressures of the Covid pandemic and subsequent cost of living crisis.” The Independent 23 January
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WELFARE BENEFITS
This report considers an often-overlooked aspect of the benefit system: how the nuts and bolts of the UC system could be improved. Resolution Foundation 29 January
CPD? Don’t forget to do your own checks too.
Cheers for now
Derek and Jed REACH Advocacy |
