Scottish Government CashBack for Communities scheme to invest £20m of crime proceeds into youth projects

A scheme which invests money which has been seized from criminals into community projects which help young people and areas affected by crime is set to pay out up to £20m over the next three years.

The CashBack for Communities scheme, from the Scottish Government, has been running since 2008 and uses money which has been recovered through the Proceeds of Crime Act to invest in various projects including sports, arts, youth work and employability which provide extensive opportunities to raise the ambition and aspirations of young people.

Since the scheme began, it has helped around 1.3 million young people in all local authorities across Scotland.

The latest phase of funding will guide those most at risk of being impacted by crime, to more positive destinations while also helping young people to improve their physical and mental health, justice secretary Keith Brown announced on Monday.

He said: “Young people growing up in Scotland deserve to have an equal chance of success, no matter their background or circumstances and CashBack plays an important role in providing young people with the tools they need to reach their full potential.

“The valuable feedback from young people who have benefitted from the programme helped inform this latest round of funding.

“Participants reported that improving their mental health and wellbeing was a key priority for them due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, which also links to our Vision for Justice in Scotland.

“This funding of up to £20m will deliver a range of activities for young people between the ages of ten to 25 and boosts the total funding made available to almost £130m since the programme began in 2008.”