Helping hand for The Yard

A local adventure play project designed for children with additional support needs is to benefit from an innovative partnership with Edinburgh home emergency firm, First Call Home Assist.

The Yard, based at Eyre Place Lane in Stockbridge, aims to improve the lives of children and young people with learning difficulties while also providing support to their siblings, parents and others responsible for their care.

The partnership is the latest effort by First Call Home Assist to cement its strong commitment to helping the local community and with every sale of a home emergency policy made through a dedicated link on The Yard’s website, 15% of the monthly fee will go to this fantastic cause.

Celine Sinclair, Chief Executive of The Yard, said: “We are delighted to be part of First Call’s community partnership scheme. All the money we raise through this new initiative will go towards improving the quality of service we can provide for the 1,500 young people who use our centre regularly.”

Just over ten per cent of the funding received by The Yard comes from the City of Edinburgh Council and all its other income is raised through approaches to Trusts, Foundations and private companies, which means that 90 per cent of funding needs need to be sourced by the service itself.

First Call chose to help The Yard after their managing director, Paul Greaves (pictured below), witnessed first hand the fantastic care they provide for his niece Cissie who regularly attends the centre.

Paul said: “My niece Cissie was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome at the age of six and she can be unpredictable, inflexible and anti-social. At the yard these difficulties are met with understanding, support and often a much needed sense of humour! The Yard is an amazing service which our family, and many others, rely upon heavily. It is the only place where we can truly relax, free of anxieties and of judgement from others; somewhere we don’t have to explain or defend our child. The Yard also acknowledges the tough position that siblings of children with additional support needs are in, and it is as much a service for them as it is for others.”

Services offered by The Yard include open play family sessions, holiday play sessions, free play and curriculum linked sessions for special schools. The venue is also used for a variety of youth clubs and training courses designed to teach others about the principles of inclusive play.

For more information about The Yard, telephone 476 4506 or email susans@theyardscotland.org.uk. You can also visit their website at www.theyardscotland.org.uk

Local theatre company to perform Shakespeare – in Stratford

Edinburgh Theatre Arts is to perform a Scots version of MacBeth at the heart of William Shakespeare country. The amateur group, which is based at St Ninian’s Hall in Comely Bank, have been invited by the world famous Royal Shakespeare Company to perform their version of ‘the Scottish play’ at Stratford’s Courtyard Theatre next week.

Edinburgh Theatre Arts are one of only 10 from across the UK – and the only Scottish company – to be selected to take to the stage alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). They will take to the stage with their version of Macbeth, which is performed entirely in Scots, on 14 July.

Edinburgh Theatre Art’s director Mike Duffy said it was a great honour.

“They don’t normally have amateur companies using their theatres, so it’s a unique opportunity for an amateur company to get onto one of their main stages”, he said. “It’s like Scotland are playing England at Wembley! For an amateur company to go to a main Shakespeare theatre, with all the kudos of the RSC, everybody has to raise their game.”

IT worker Danny Faramond is playing the title role, and he told the BBC he is delighted to have the chance to perform in the heart of Shakespeare country. He said: “It’s a very challenging role, there’s an enormous range of emotion required, it’s a very long involved role. You’re on stage for a lot of the time, physically quite demanding, quite an arc is required from the initial quite muted character to the, sort of, insanity at the end, so a big range is required. The more you realise what great actors have done it, the more you realise it’s quite a challenge.”

Edith Piers, who is playing the role of Gruoch, the Scottish equivalent of Lady MacBeth, added: “I’m so excited about it, I don’t at the present moment feel nervous, just really, really looking forward to it. It’s a huge opportunity and I think it will raise the profile, hopefully, of amateur theatre and lose the “am dram” tag that tends to accompany amateur theatre.”

Childcare consultation launched in North Edinburgh

The best package of flexible childcare in the UK, designed to make it easier for parents to access work, education or training is the cornerstone of new legislation, Minister for Children and Young People Aileen Campbell said today. The Minister was speaking as she launched a consultation on the forthcoming Children and Young People Bill at North Edinburgh Childcare in Pilton this morning.

The proposed legislation will help parents structure their childcare to best suit their family’s needs as well as:

Increasing the amount of flexible, early learning and childcare to a minimum of 600 hours annually for three and four year olds and looked after two year olds
Embedding the Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) approach in a single system of planning and delivery across children’s services
A requirement for public bodies to design, plan and deliver policies and services that focus on improving children and young people’s wellbeing
Improving Scotland’s care system to ensure it offers effective, efficient support for children and families, centred on short and long term needs

Ms Campbell said: “The Scottish Government’s vision for children and young people is clear: we want Scotland to be the best place in the world to grow up.

“As part of this new Bill, I want to put in place the best and most flexible package of family support in the UK to help Scotland’s parents, children and our wider economy.

“This legislation will boost our ongoing efforts to strengthen the rights of the child, making Scotland a nation where the rights of children and young people are not only recognised but rooted deeply in our society and across our public services.

”We have a huge opportunity to make the most important changes to public services in a generation and I encourage as many people as possible to take part in the consultation and the wider debate on the future of children’s rights and services in our country.”

The consultation on the Children and Young People Bill runs for 12 weeks with the deadline for submissions being September 25. It will provide an opportunity for stakeholders, professionals, parents and carers and children and young people to have their say on the future shape of children’s services and the Scottish Government’s approach to delivering change.

Legionnaire's outbreak – a third man dies

The latest reports on the Edinburgh Legionnaires’outbreak show that a man suspected of having the disease has died. The individual, a man in his 60s from south west Edinburgh, had been unwell for a period of time, and is considered to be part of the original outbreak.

The total number of confirmed cases remains at 50 and the number of suspected cases is now 49. The total number of overall cases is 99.

At noon yesterday, of those cases being treated in hospital, there are three patients in intensive care and six on general wards. A total of 20 cases are being treated in the community, 57 have been discharged from hospital and now three people in total have sadly died.

Ten cases are being treated outwith the NHS Lothian area. The ages of the confirmed cases ranges between 32 and 85, with more males than females affected.

Investigations into the source and cause of the outbreak continue. Lothian and Borders Police and the Health and Safety Executive are jointly investigating the circumstances of the deaths under the direction of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) Health and Safety Division.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: “My sincere condolences go to the family and friends of the patient who has passed away and my thoughts are with them at this very difficult time. Despite this sad and tragic news, is important to stress that strong evidence still suggests that all cases are associated with the suspected period of exposure and that the outbreak has peaked. I repeat the message that anyone in the affected areas suffering from symptoms since the outbreak began should contact their GP or the NHS 24. NHS Lothian are maintaining high quality care for patients who remain unwell and work to identify and deal with the source of the outbreak continues.”

Dr Christine Evans, Consultant in Public Health Medicine said: “I would like to express my sincere condolences to the family of the patient who has died. We continue to see a small number of cases or suspected cases coming forward. I would like to reassure the public that this is in line with expectations. All of these patients have been ill for some time and have links to the south west of Edinburgh.”

For anyone who is concerned about the outbreak, there is information on NHS Lothian’s website or you can contact NHS 24 dedicated legionnaires’ helpline on 0800 0858 531.

Legionnaire’s outbreak – a third man dies

The total number of confirmed cases remains at 50 and the number of suspected cases is now 49. The total number of overall cases is 99.

Ten cases are being treated outwith the NHS Lothian area. The ages of the confirmed cases ranges between 32 and 85, with more males than females affected.

For anyone who is concerned about the outbreak, there is information on NHS Lothian’s website or you can contact NHS 24 dedicated legionnaires’ helpline on 0800 0858 531.

Total Craigroyston – planning the route map

The first phase of the Total Craigroyston initiative was completed when the last of three consultation sessions was held in West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre on 18 June. The team behind the initiative to improve life chances for local families will now evaluate the findings of the three workshops before deciding what can be taken forward.

Manager Christine McKay explained the thinking behind the approach. “Total Craigroyston has been established to improve outcomes for children and families in the neighbourhood around Craigroyston Community High School. The initial focus will be on looked after children to ensure that all necessary support has been identified to ensure that they have the best opportunity to succeed in their lives. We will also be working to reduce the need for children to become looked after, and that means finding ways to offer support at an earlier stage and in a variety of ways.

The idea is to take a holistic approach – ensuring that all of the local resources in both the statutory and the voluntary sectors are on the same page, facing the same direction and contributing to the agreed outcomes. Crucially, people who are using services and those who live in the area will be involved in deciding what is required and contributing ideas about where and how it should be delivered. Local staff who know the community, its strengths and challenges, will be also central to the development.

It is important to think of Total Craigroyston as an approach rather than a project! We know there is lots of excellent work going on in the area and we will build on that. However we must be brave enough to acknowledge that there is duplication within the system. When necessary, removing this duplication will allow us to re-invest those resources in services that can be offered earlier to prevent the need for children to become looked after in the first place. To us this means building on community strengths, engaging earlier and more effectively with service users, doing more preventive work, creating better linkages between partners, improving communication and developing parity of esteem between organisations – among other things!”

Total Craigroyston recruited the services of a Glasgow-based social innovation agency SNOOK to help engage with local people and local staff. SNOOK, which ‘specialises in service design for social good’, was tasked with taking a fresh look at how services are delivered, staff and community perceptions of their delivery and to identify where improvements can be made at an earlier stage.

Three well-attended sessions were held over the course of the month, giving opportunities for as many groups, individuals and agencies to participate in the exercise.

The ‘Total Craigroyston Festival’ on Saturday 2 June was an informal open public event held in Muirhouse shopping centre event that gave local people an opportunity to comment on Craigroyston, express their own vision for the future and describe what they can bring to the area.

The ‘Co-creation Workshop’ on Friday 8 June brought together people from Craigroyston, both organisations and members of the public to develop ideas generated during the Design day, putting ‘meat on the bones’ of the ideas.

The last exercise was a ‘Prototyping Labs/Showcase’ on 18 June in West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre. Before the event, organisers SNOOK explained: ‘We are looking for a cross diagonal slice of leaders/organisations/frontline staff/families/young people/experts. During this workshop we want to bring the ideas to life that have been generated by the community and check in on the routemap for the future of Craigroyston.’

That route map is now being developed by Snook and City of Edinburgh Council, directly informed by the involvement of local people and workers. The organisers point out: ‘This is not a consultation but a collaborative exercise in understanding what the future of Craigroyston will look like in terms of services, approach, community and the generation of people growing up.’

Christine McKay said: “We have tried to involve as many people as possible in our open events – the whole point of Total Craigroyston is about being open and welcome to opinion and the route map we are generating will ensure that this approach is maintained. It was good to see so many people taking part in the sessions – both local people and local staff – as it is very important that we get the opinions of local people about how we can best tailor and deliver the services that will suit their needs. This really is only the start of the process, however, and there will be many more opportunities to be involved in the future.”

Principles For Craigroyston:

Working with people, not at them.

Prevention, not intervention.

Always show progression.

Whatever it takes.

You can’t really argue with that, can you? You can keep up to date with what’s happening by visiting the Total Craigroyston blog at www.totalcraigroyston.wordpress.com

Pictures taken at the West Pilton workshops on 18 June

Telford is first Scottish College to gain International Charter

Edinburgh’s Telford College has been recognised for its student-centred approach to international recruitment with a highly prestigious Further Education award. Telford is the first college in Scotland to be awarded the International Charter from the Association of Colleges (AoC), after passing an in-depth assessment of its international activity with flying colours.

The AoC awards the International Charter to colleges which are meeting their commitment to high standards in four key areas covering international strategy, planning, support for learners and an ethical and inclusive approach.

Miles Dibsdall, OBE, Principal of Edinburgh Telford College, said: “We are proud to have been the first college in Scotland to be recognised with this widely – acclaimed honour by the Association of Colleges. Achieving the International Charter is real testament to the staff at the college as well as to the students who continue to excel in their studies. Our philosophy is carried by all at the College and I believe this has what has really set us apart.”

He continued: “We have always had international achievement as part of our business development strategy, and aim to help every student achieve the most out of their international experiences based on their individual abilities, personal learning goals and career plans. Edinburgh’s Telford College has repeatedly assured a high quality of experience, and ensures the global agenda benefits both staff and students as well as the local communities served by the college.”

Fifteen members of staff and thirty learners were interviewed by the AoC during their visit in which they found that the college had demonstrated ways of celebrating and valuing equality and diversity.

The AoC International Charter recognises colleges which have made a commitment to taking an ethical approach to all areas of their international activity.

In their evaluation, AoC stated: “Edinburgh’s Telford College has demonstrated ways of celebrating and valuing equality and diversity brought to the College through its student-centred approach to international recruitment which is focussed on students’ abilities, personal learning goals and career plans. This is an ethos throughout the College and is supported by the students through the students’ union.”

Edinburgh’sTelford College currently has around 17,000 students and 600 members of staff.

Spartans Summer Programme

Spartans Community Football Academy’s summer programme is packed with fun things to do, whatever the weather! There’s lots of football of course, but there are trips, residentials, mountain biking, go karting and loads of other events planned too.

The programme starts next Monday (9 July) and runs throughout the summer holidays.

For further information contact Spartans Community Programme Manager Kenny Cameron on 552 7854, email kennycameron@spartanscfa.com or visit the website at www.spartanscfa.com

New protection for tenants' deposits comes into force

Housing Minister Keith Brown today confirmed that a compulsory scheme to safeguard rent deposits for households in Scotland has come into force. Deposits amount to more than £75 million in the majority of the 273,000 households that make up the private rented sector in Scotland.

The tenancy deposit scheme will be free for landlords and letting agents to participate in, and ensure that landlords can legitimately access deposits where justified.

Tenants will no longer have to take legal action to seek recovery of a wrongly withheld deposit. This will mean that tenants will have access to a free and independent dispute resolution service, where agreement over the return of a deposit cannot be agreed by the tenant and landlord.

SafeDeposits Scotland, Letting Protection Service Scotland and Mydeposits Scotland will take deposits from landlords or their agents for safekeeping and provide information about the tenancy, the deposit and the scheme to the tenant.

Landlords can submit deposits to schemes from July 2 voluntarily, if they wish. However, by law, they will need to submit deposits to an approved scheme from between November 2012 to May 2013, depending on when the tenancy started.

Keith Brown said: “The Scottish Government has estimated that between 8,000 and 11,000 tenants annually have £3.6 million of their deposits wrongly withheld. These new regulations are historic because they offer, for the first time, a fair, cost effective approach that safeguards tenancy deposits. It is important to stress that the majority of landlords behave responsibly. This legislation is aimed at tackling those who continue to tarnish the image of the private rented sector.”

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said: “Monday 2 July starts the clock ticking towards the point when all tenants’ deposits will be protected by law in Scotland. Shelter Scotland has been campaigning for this scheme for eight years now and we are delighted to see it becoming law. But it will only work properly if tenants are diligent and know their rights and landlords and agents embrace the scheme fully. Then and only then, will the unfair withholding of millions of pounds from deposits by landlords and agents be a thing of the past, as will the hardship it causes to tenants. Our hope is that the tenancy deposit scheme achieves a transparent and fair system for all.”

Robin Parker, President of NUS Scotland, said: “This is a great day for tenants and good for landlords. We’ve worked for many years to get better protection for tenants in private flats and houses, including of course the tens of thousands of students who live in the private rented sector. Too often we’ve heard of deposits being withheld or deducted unfairly by a few unscrupulous landlords, and the tenancy deposit schemes launched today should go a long way to putting an end to this.”

Marieke Dwarshuis, Director at Consumer Focus Scotland said: “Getting a deposit back has often been an uphill struggle for many tenants in the private rented sector and we have championed the need for better protections for years. “The new safe house for deposits and the independent dispute resolution service are great news for tenants and will ensure there is a fair, clear and efficient system in place for everybody concerned. “The key to success now is to ensure tenants and landlords are informed about the scheme and everyone clearly understands what their rights and responsibilities are.”

New protection for tenants’ deposits comes into force

The tenancy deposit scheme will be free for landlords and letting agents to participate in, and ensure that landlords can legitimately access deposits where justified.