Month: December 2016

Government moves to strengthen school leadership

Mandatory qualifications for head teachers will move a step closer tomorrow when Deputy First Minister John Swinney publishes draft regulations requiring new head teachers to hold a Standard of Headship award before being appointed. The move is part of the Scottish Government’s strategy to improve school education by ensuring head teachers have the leadership skills they need. Continue reading Government moves to strengthen school leadership

Police Scotland seasonal message: Keep Safe

This year’s Festive Safety message is to stay safe whilst shopping, partying, at home or on the roads. Police Scotland provides some important information to help you stay safe this season.

Shopping Safety

Stay safe on the high street this Christmas with our Shop Safe tips and information.

The festive period is traditionally the busiest time of the year for shopping and unfortunately, there are those who exploit the festive period for the wrong reasons but it only takes a few simple preventative measures to discourage criminals and stay safe.

Keep Safe Online this Christmas with our online safety tips and information. More and more people use online shopping to purchase their Christmas presents as well as taking advantage of sales and events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It’s important to take a couple of precautionary steps when purchasing goods online to keep safe and avoid being targeted by criminals.

It is also important that people understand the dangers of social media and that what you post online, stays online.

Party Safety

With the festive season, many people will be out celebrating in pubs and clubs and their Christmas nights out so we want to provide you with some key information to help you stay safe.

Make sure to stay with friends, stick to your plans, have travel arranged and be careful of what you drink. Don’t leave drinks unattended and stay away from drugs, new psychoactive substances or other controlled substances.

Home Safety

Keep your home safe this Christmas with our Home safety tips and information.

A few simple steps such as leaving a light on when your out, keeping presents and valuables out of sight, opening and closing curtains at the appropriate time of day and not advertising on social media when you are out helps to keep criminals away.

Road Safety

During the winter months ensure your car is ready for the season change in weather – are tyres, brakes, windscreens, wiper blades and windows free from defects and clean?

Be aware of changing road conditions, don’t put yourself and others at risk.

Drink driving – don’t risk it, if you are out partying be aware of your alcohol consumption.

In-work poverty hits record levels

In 21st century Britain one in eight workers now lives in poverty 

One in every eight workers in the UK – 3.8 million people – is now living in poverty. A total of 7.4 million people, including 2.6 million children, are in poverty despite being in a working family. This means that a record high of 55 per cent of people in poverty are in working households.

Continue reading In-work poverty hits record levels

Time out for carers this Christmas

VOCAL will be providing some much-needed support and a space for carers in Edinburgh and Midlothian for three days between Christmas and New Year.

The VOCAL carer centres will be open on the following days from 11am-3pm:

As well as carer support in person, by phone or email, on all three days there will be a carers cafe, workshops, a chill-out area, group activites, fun and games. So whether you want a chat, some time to yourself or are in need of some individual support, VOCAL is here to help.

All the details of what’s on and when are on the VOCAL website.