Scottish Apprenticeship Week: Look Beyond the Label

Dear Editor

This week marks Scottish Apprenticeship Week (4th – 8th March), a fantastic opportunity to shine a light on the vital role apprenticeships play in supporting people, employers and the economy.

Modern Apprenticeships allow people from diverse backgrounds, no matter their background and abilities, to gain and develop skills for every business no matter its size or sector.

The rewards of getting young people who are disabled or care experienced into work are well worth it. They bring passion, skills, dedication and drive to the workplace.

Recruiting a Modern Apprentice enables employers to fill the skills gaps that exist within their current workforce, as apprentices begin to learn sector-specific skills from day one, developing specialist knowledge that will positively affect the bottom line.

However, as always, we can do more and support for businesses and other employers is key as it is they who clearly make the vital difference.

As we mark Scottish Apprenticeship Week, we would urge Scotland’s employers to look beyond the label and take on a Modern Apprentice who may have an additional need, taking advantage of the excellent skills offered by many of these young people.

Yours faithfully 

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition:

Kenny Graham, Falkland House School

Lynn Bell, LOVE Learning

Stephen McGhee, Spark of Genius

Niall Kelly, Young Foundations

Letter: We need young women to lead a campaign that tackles unhealthy relationships

Dear Editor,

Alongside The Young Women’s Movement we are looking for six young women aged 16–18 from across Scotland to be part of a National Champions group to support the design and delivery of the national Young Women Know campaign.

This is a great opportunity to learn new skills, meet new people and make a difference to the lives of young women and girls in Scotland.

The Young Women Know project is a partnership project being run by NSPCC Scotland and The Young Women’s Movement. It was set up following an investigation into sexual harassment in Scottish schools carried out by the YWCA’s Young Women Lead committee in 2018. 

It found that in Scotland in 2018, one of the things girls can experience in school is sexual harassment and the impact of this on young women is significant and can be long-lasting. It can negatively impact everything from their mental health to their relationships and career choices.

The investigation also found that young people were most likely to turn to the internet or their friends for advice on sex and relationships and almost half of students and teaching staff surveyed said the current curriculum did not adequately cover the issue of consent. 

The national Young Women Know campaign aims to tackle unhealthy relationships and peer sexual abuse, with young women leading the change.

To apply to be a National Champion, visit: https://shorturl.at/binpS

The deadline is Wednesday, March 6.

Yours sincerely,

Carla Malseed

NSPCC Scotland Local Campaigns Manager

& Laurie Duffy

Collective Voice & Action Lead, The Young Women’s Movement

Letters: RNIB offers free books for children with vision impairments this World Book Day

Dear Editor,

Children across the UK will be exploring the wonderful world of reading on World Book Day®, Thursday 7 March.

World Book Day® aims to encourage reading for pleasure, especially because it is the biggest indicator of a child’s future success in life. It also aims to make sure every child can have a book of their own to read.

For 2024, the theme is ‘Read Your Way’, and children are being encouraged to read any way they like to, whether it be out loud, in their heads, a sentence, a chapter or a page.

Here at the Royal National Institute of Blind people (RNIB), we want to make sure that children with vision impairments can celebrate the power of reading alongside their sighted peers. This means giving them access to the same books and reading opportunities at school and at home.

That’s why we have accessible versions of all of this year’s World Book Day UK titles available in audio and braille as part of our RNIB Library.

This year’s range of books provides adventure, mystery and laughter and titles include Elmer And The Patchwork Story by David McKee, Loki: Tales Of A Bad God by Louie Stowell and The Doomsday Date by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.

There’s something to suit beginner readers right through to confident book lovers.

Children can have their very own World Book Day® copy to keep, in either braille or CD! The books can be ordered in their preferred format from RNIB’s Helpline on 0303 123 9999.

They are also all available to download in audio and braille from RNIB Reading services at https://readingservices.rnib.org.uk

On behalf of all at RNIB, we wish you an amazing, book-filled World Book Day!

James Bartlett

Senior Manager Reading Services at RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People)

Letter: Children’s Mental Health Week

Dear Editor

This week marks Children’s Mental Health Week (5th-11th February), shining a spotlight on the importance of children and young people’s mental health.

The rise in such problems over recent years has previously been labelled as a mental health energy and one of the greatest public health challenges of our times.  These problems are even more worrying when they concern the mental fitness of our younger generations, and how we are preparing them to face the growing challenges of entering adulthood.

Against this backdrop, our mental health services are however facing overwhelming and unprecedented pressures, which existed even before the pandemic and are becoming further exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis.

Too many of our young people are waiting too long for treatment and the rapidly escalating number of those seeking support, faced with inadequate services, could potentially lead to a lost generation of vulnerable children and young people who are missing out on the support they vitally need.

Against the perfect storm of a mental health crisis combined with the long shadow of lockdown and the rising cost of living, we must not lose sight of the challenges that our children and young people are facing, renewing our efforts in a national crusade to ensure that they receive adequate mental health support.

Yours faithfully

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition:

Kenny Graham, Falkland House School

Lynn Bell, LOVE Learning

Stephen McGhee, Spark of Genius

Niall Kelly, Young Foundations

42 Charlotte Square

Edinburgh EH2 4HQ

Tel: 0131 603 8996

Letter: This Dry January, head to your local – no, really!

Dear Editor,  

You might be surprised by someone from Alcohol Change UK advocating this, but we’re more than half-way through Dry January® – so maybe it’s time to head to the pub!  

Giving up alcohol shouldn’t mean giving up socialising. Pubs are increasingly supportive of Dry January®, and for good reason. Our research shows that 44% of those going alcohol-free this month are more likely to visit a bar or pub if it serves a good selection of alcohol-free beers, wines or spirits.   

So how about seeing what’s behind the bar at your local? You might find a range of good options already on offer – there’s been a huge increase in the quality and availability of alcohol-free products over recent years. And they can help us cut down the amount of alcohol we drink, while making nights out more inclusive.  

But they’re still not universally easy to find. You can help change that. In fact, many of our supporters have told us that speaking to the landlord of their local has resulted in better alcohol-free options being stocked year-round.   

Of course, some of us doing Dry January® will feel less comfortable in a pub because it might trigger cravings. Alcohol-free alternative drinks are not right for everyone, and that’s fine. But if you’d like to see improved options behind the bar, why not pop into your favourite pub and start a conversation with the staff? Your encouragement might just help make your local even better!  

Check out dryjanuary.org.uk for more info.   

Yours faithfully,   

Joe Marley  

Director, Alcohol Change UK, the charity behind Dry January® 

27 Swinton Street, London WC1X 9NW

Letters: 60 second test could save you from having a stroke

STROKE PREVENTION DAY – THURSDAY 25th JANUARY

In Scotland, over 70,000 people have a ‘silent killer’ which is one of the leading causes of serious strokes – and many more may be unaware that they have it.

Atrial fibrillation – or AF – is a cause in around one in five strokes and these are often more severe, with higher mortality and greater disability. 

AF is when your heart beats with an irregular rhythm. When this happens, your heart won’t empty all of the blood out of its chambers with every beat. Then, if your heart chambers aren’t empty, the leftover blood can form clots which travel from your heart into the brain, blocking off blood flow and causing a stroke.

AF sometimes has symptoms including palpitations – feeling as if your heart is fluttering, thumping or skipping a beat – fatigue, feeling breathless or having chest pain. But often it’s symptomless, which is why it often goes undiagnosed, until it’s too late. 

The good news is that AF can be picked up and treated after a simple check.

So, on Stroke Prevention Day, Thursday 25 January, we are encouraging the public to check their own pulse at home.

A video on our website shows how you can quickly and easily test yourself by placing two fingers on your wrist or neck www.stroke.org.uk/spd24.  

Normal heart rate: your pulse should feel regular. Most people have a resting heart rate between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm).

Abnormal heart rate: your pulse may feel uneven or skip a beat. Your resting heart rate could be over 120 bpm.

If your pulse is irregular, or very fast when you are at rest, you should contact your GP.

This 60-second test could save your life.

John Watson

Associate Director Scotland,

The Stroke Association

Letter: PDSA Christmas appeal

Dear Editor,

PDSA is appealing for support so that we can continue to help keep people and pets together this Christmas.

Our charity provides free and low cost vet care for owners who are struggling to afford the treatment costs for their sick and injured pets. The cost of living crisis is hitting hard meaning many people are struggling  – nearly a quarter (23%) of the owners we help have used a food bank for them or their family over the last 12 months. With basic essentials such as food unaffordable for so many, our vital, life-saving services are needed now more than ever.

In December 2022 our dedicated teams treated more than 53,000 pets, and performed over 2,300 operations. In fact, we treat 10 pets every minute! But in the last 12 months there has been an estimated 1.6% increase in people receiving benefits, meaning many more people are now eligible for our charitable veterinary services. This equates to an additional 83,000 people who may turn to us, desperate for help in their time of need.

Our pets give us so much unconditional love and companionship, but without our help thousands of people could suffer a devastating loss because they can’t afford vital treatment for their pet. We don’t receive any government funding, relying entirely on generous public support to keep our 48 Pet Hospitals open.

Please donate today and together we can help save pets’ lives this Christmas – pdsa.org.uk/together-this-winter

Nina Downing

PDSA Vet Nurse

Letter: Charity keeps families together with their seriously ill children this Christmas

Dear Editor,

As the year draws to a close, we think about spending precious time with loved ones, but for many families with a sick child in hospital they’ll be worried about how they can be by their child’s side.

Can you imagine having a seriously sick child in hospital and you’re not able to be by their bedside at this traumatic time? The Sick Children’s Trust is there to make sure no child faces hospital alone and can have their family by their side, especially at Christmas.

This Christmas we expect all ten of our ‘Homes from Home’ to be full, ensuring that families with a seriously ill child in hospital can be together, but we can only do this with your help.

It costs The Sick Children’s Trust £40 to keep a family together for one night but that is only increasing with the cost of living crisis. Help us make sure families can be together this Christmas.

Last year we supported Alfie’s family in our Crawford House ‘Home from Home’. 

His mum Becy said: “Crawford House really felt like a home from home. There was a large Christmas tree in the reception, and we had a communal kitchen, warm bedroom and bathroom.

“I found it so incredibly hard to leave Alfie on the ward each night, so to come back to such a warm, homely place like Crawford House, meant the world to us. It made a very difficult time that little bit easier.

“With Christmas being our favourite time of year, we wanted to start our own family traditions. One of which was to read ‘The Night before Christmas’ to Alfie, something made possible by the close proximity of Crawford House to the ward. Though it wasn’t the first Christmas we had planned, we still got to spend precious time with our baby.

“Following his recovery Alfie is now thriving. While we will be making the most of this special time, we will also be thinking about the families spending Christmas in hospital and at Crawford House this year. We know how heartbreaking it is to have a child in hospital at any time, but over the festive period is particularly difficult. We’re urging everyone to support The Sick Children’s Trust and their Christmas appeal so that every family can be together over the festive period.”

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All families should be together during this precious time of year. I hope you’ll be able to donate to our Together at Christmas appeal as no matter how big or small your donation, you’ll be helping us to keep families, like Alfie’s, together at Christmas and beyond.

Please visit our website sickchildrenstrust.org to donate.

Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy festive season.

Jane Featherstone

Chief Executive at The Sick Children’s Trust

Letter: Increase in school violence is no surprise

Dear Editor

The annual survey from the EIS teaching union, highlighting the scale of violence in our schools, should come as no surprise.

Just under two-thirds of those teachers surveyed said there were daily incidents of pupil-on-teacher violence or aggression in their school, and these had significantly increased over the last four years. Many of these incidents are linked to pupils with additional support needs (ASN), with numbers more than doubling since 2012, and now amounting to more than a third of children, who are also experiencing an increasing complexity of need. These numbers have been exacerbated by the traumatic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost- of-living crisis, with us also facing a mental health emergency.

However, this is set against a background of acute under-resourcing to support their needs, with the number of specialist ASN teachers falling by 546 between 2012 and 2022 as just one example.

Additional funding is desperately needed to increase the support available to those with ASN, including specialist teachers, teaching assistants, mental health professionals and educational psychologists.

While we support the principle of mainstreaming, that all children be taught in mainstream classes unless exceptional circumstances apply, this has never been properly resourced. Those with ASN are therefore frequently being inadequately supported, which is also impacting on other pupils.

Violence against any member of school staff or another pupil is never acceptable, and it is critical that with the Scottish Budget being published next month, our schools are given the necessary resources to ensure that they are safe places in which to work and to learn.

Yours faithfully

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition:

Kenny Graham, Falkland House School

Lynn Bell, LOVE Learning

Stephen McGhee, Spark of Genius

Niall Kelly, Young Foundations

42 Charlotte Square

Edinburgh EH2 4HQ

Tel: 0131 603 8996

Letters: World Pancreatic Cancer Day 2023

Dear Editor,

Each year in the UK around 10,500 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, devastating news that also affects many thousands more of their family members and friends. In this distressing time people are often unsure where to turn for support and are left feeling isolated.

Ahead of World Pancreatic Cancer Day on Thursday 16 November I want to reassure people that you are not alone. Pancreatic cancer UK’s Support Line specialist nurses, like myself and my colleagues, provide expert information and support for you. We are here to provide you and your family with practical steps and emotional support when you need it most.

I also need to ask people living with pancreatic cancer and their loved ones to help us as we research how our support services can reach even more people. We particularly want to hear from those who have never been in contact with the charity before to understand where we can make a difference.

There are two ways to contribute: either by taking a short survey or through a 1-1 interview.

Your views will be invaluable and help us continue to be there for thousands of families for years to come. To take part, please email: 

servicesreach@pancreaticcancer.org.uk

Anyone affected by pancreatic cancer can call our Specialist Nurses for support and information on our confidential, free Support Line on (Freecall: 0808 801 0707).

Thank you,

Dianne Dobson

Pancreatic Cancer UK Specialist Nurse, Pancreatic Cancer UK

4th Floor Westminster Tower

3 Albert Embankment

London SE1 7SP

Direct line: 07929 750 651

Pancreatic Cancer UK Support Line: Freephone 0808 801 0707

pancreaticcancer.org.uk