Month: September 2020

First Minister: COVID is on the rise again

Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House, yesterday – Tuesday 29 September: the day coronavirus deaths topped one million worldwide.

Hello, and thanks for joining us. I will start with the daily update of COVID statistics. The total number of positive cases reported yesterday was 806. I’m going to make some important contextual points on today’s figure shortly but I will report the rest of the statistics first.

That 806 represents 11.5% of people newly tested, and takes the total number of cases to 28,604.

I can confirm that 302 of today’s reported cases are in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 180 in Lothian, 91 in Lanarkshire and 54 in Grampian. The remaining 179 cases are spread across 9 other health board areas.

I can also confirm that 123 people are in hospital – that is an increase of 1 from yesterday. 14 people are in intensive care, which is 2 fewer than yesterday.

No additional deaths have been confirmed of patients who had tested positive within the preceding 28 days.

That means that the total number of deaths, under the daily measurement, remains at 2,512.

That total of course reminds us of the impact this virus has had, and continues to have. I want once again to pass on my condolences to everybody who is grieving a loved one.

Let me now turn to some points of context about today’s figures.

First, as I have explained before our daily case numbers reflects test results reported in previous 24 hours. Each day’s figure therefore reflects test samples actually carried out over the previous couple of days.

You will recall me saying that yesterday’s figure of reported cases seemed lower than expected. So today’s total of 806 includes a high number of results from samples actually taken on Friday and Saturday that we would have expected to see reported yesterday.

So that perhaps partly explains the particularly high number of cases we’re seeing today. We continue to work with the UK government to ensure that turnaround times for test results, which after a bit of a problem a couple of weeks ago have improved, continue to be as speedy as they need to be.

The second point is that, while we are certainly seeing rising transmission – and I am not underplaying that – we are doing much more testing now than in the spring, so comparisons of daily case numbers now versus then are not really particularly valid.

And of course Test and Protect is able to follow up every person who tests positive to ensure their contacts are traced and told to self-isolate.

So when we know transmission is rising as it is right now, it is actually important to know that significant numbers are being reported every day – that means we know about these positive cases and their contacts are being traced by Test and Protect and all of the work that Test and Protect has to do to break chains of transmission is being done.

The final point to draw attention to about today’s numbers is the age range of the cases. The majority are in the under 40 age groups – with the bulk of those in the under 25 age group – and that is of course affected by university clusters we’ve been seeing in recent days.

But the point I want to make today which is one you’ve heard me make before is that the fact that many cases are now in the younger age groups and we know that younger people are less likely to die from COVID than older, more vulnerable people, that mustn’t give rise to complacency.

Firstly, because young people can become very unwell from this virus and, while their risk of dying is lower, they’re not non-existent and we hear almost every day of what is described as ‘long COVID’ – of younger otherwise healthy people having quite long lasting health impacts from having had the virus.

But the other point about this is that, while we’re seeing a significant number of cases in the younger age group which is a phenomenon we’ve seen across Europe in the latest surge of COVID, it is the case that transmission amongst older age groups is also rising.

Around a third of today’s cases are actually in the over 40 age group and there are a number in the over 60 age group so transmission is rising across the spectrum of age ranges and I’ll say more shortly therefore about what we must all do to guard against transmission.

However, I will briefly address a couple of other issues first.

The Scottish Government Chief Economist has published his regular State of the Economy report today.

The report highlights that – year on year – economic output is likely to decline by 10% over the course of 2020. In many ways that is unsurprising, given the disruption caused to so many businesses. Nevertheless, that would still be the biggest reduction in output in modern times.

That is why the Scottish Government welcomed some parts of the UK Government’s announcement last week about continued support for employment and businesses. It is vital that some support for employers continues, after the furlough scheme ends at the end of October.

But we believe much more is still required and we want to work with the UK government constructively to that end. We can’t get away from the fact that the pandemic will continue to have a significant and, to a large extent, an unavoidable impact on our economy and support provided must reflect that.

The second issue I want to cover relates to funding for health boards and our health and social care integration authorities.

The Health Secretary confirmed earlier today that we are making an additional £1.1 billion available for these bodies.

This will help them to meet additional costs associated with COVID – such as buying personal protective equipment (PPE), safeguarding against infection; and paying for additional staff, and providing cover for staff who are unwell or self-isolating.

The funding will play an important part in ensuring that our health and care services can continue to operate well in the weeks and months to come.

It should help them to prepare for the pressures of the winter, to care safely for patients who have COVID, as well as resume services that were paused during the early months of the pandemic for non-COVID treatments and procedures.

Now let me return to the central issue of the day, which is the current COVID position. As is said earlier, COVID is on the rise again across our population and across Scotland – just as it is across the UK, Europe and the world.

I want to return today to the key actions that we should all take to try and reduce transmission and in particular, the actions we all need to take if we get a positive test result.

This is absolutely vital in helping control the spread of the virus. And it is crucial for all of us, wherever we live – there has been lots of focus on students in halls of residence recently – but self-isolation is essential for all of us if we test positive no matter where we live.

Essentially, if you have any one of the three recognised symptoms of COVID, you should start to self-isolate immediately, and book a test.

You can do that through the NHS Inform website. And I want to be very clear, while we’re not complacent and monitor this carefully, there is good availability of and access to testing across Scotland so make sure you don’t delay booking a test if you have symptoms.

The symptoms are a new cough, a high temperature, or a loss of – or change in – your sense of taste or smell.

From the time you realise you have one of these symptoms, you should not leave your house, except if you need to do that to get tested. You should not use public transport to go to a testing centre – if you can avoid that, you should instead drive or get someone to drive you, request a home test, or use a walk-in centre if there is one nearby or a mobile testing unit.

When you get your test result, if you test negative, and don’t have COVID, you can stop self-isolating at that point.

However if you have COVID, you need to self-isolate for a further 10 days, starting from the day on which you took the test.

Other people in your household should self-isolate for 14 days. They need to self-isolate for longer because if they get COVID from you, their infectious period will probably start a few days after yours did.

In addition, if you test positive someone from Test and Protect will speak to you to identify other possible contacts of yours.

And of course if you have downloaded the Protect Scotland app, you should also enter the code you have been given with your test result.

Once that code is entered onto the app, contacts identified by the app will automatically be notified. This is really important. Since we launched the app a couple of weeks ago, hundreds of people – who might not otherwise have been identified – have received notifications in this way and been given advice to self-isolate.

If you find out that you are a contact of someone with COVID – either through a Test and Protect team, or from the app – you need to self-isolate for 14 days. You will be told when that 14 day period starts from.

And the key thing to stress here is that self-isolation really does mean self-isolation. It means not leaving your house at all.

Because we know that’s really tough, we are working to put as much support in place as possible. For example, we are working with local authorities to ensure that when someone is asked by Test and Protect to self-isolate, they are contacted and offered essential practical support – for example help with delivery of food and other essentials. You can also dial the national assistance hotline if you need to self-isolate and need some help on 0800 111 4000. That’s 0800 111 4000.

As I said last week, we are also introducing financial support of £500 for those on low incomes as a way of supporting people to do the right thing. More details of that will be available later this week.

But although self-isolation is tough, it is also essential.

So please do self-isolate when you need to. It is one of the key ways in which we can help ensure that the virus does not spread to new households. And it is one of the ways in which all of us, at various times, may well be required to play our part in tackling the spread of the virus.

Now I’ve spent some time on self-isolation because it is so important and we want to make sure people understand why it’s so important and also what needs to be done when you’re asked to self-isolate and the support that is available. But there are of course other steps we must all take to try to reduce transmission.

So let me end with a quick recap of what those other steps are:

With some limited exceptions, none of us should be visiting each other’s homes at the moment.

When we do meet other households – outdoors, or in indoor public places – we must not meet in groups of more than six people from a maximum of two households.

We should all try to limit our visits to, and social interactions in, places like pubs and restaurants.

We should work from home if we can.

We should all download the Protect Scotland app, if we can.

And finally, all of us in all our interactions, should remember FACTS:

  • face coverings
  • avoid crowded places
  • clean hands and hard surfaces
  • maintain a two metre distance from people from other households
  • and – as I have already talked about today – immediately self-isolate, and book a test, if you have any of the recognised symptoms

These rules are not easy to comply with and they are a huge inconvenience to all of us in our daily lives. But they are essential right now to ensure that all of us are playing our part in trying to stem the increase in COVID and bring the virus back under control.

So again, my thanks to everybody for all of the many sacrifices that I know are being made the length and breadth of the country.

Letter from Samantha Quek, Olympic gold medallist and TV personality

Dear Editor,

Four years ago while was in Rio winning gold with the women’s hockey team, my lovely 95-year-old Nanna, Dolly, had a stroke. I saw first-hand how important support is in helping stroke survivors to rebuild their lives.

I know that many people had a stroke during lockdown and many survivors returned home from hospital without any support or contact. The Stroke Association has been providing telephone counselling and emotional support for most of them but they need our help to reach even more people.

So I’ll be heading into the kitchen to bake some tasty treats for the charity’s Give a Hand and Bake week starting on 26 October. We may not be able to get together with family and friends, but you could arrange a Zoom party where everyone can share their goodies or give some baking as a gift, in return for a donation to the charity.

To get involved, visit www.stroke.org.uk/baking. They have some lovely healthy recipes using LoSalt, the charity’s partner in its #HealthierUK drive to raise awareness of how lifestyles can affect the risk of stroke.

Or if you haven’t time to bake it, why not fake it and buy something instead? I won’t tell!

I’m delighted to say that thanks to her determination and the support she received, my Nanna is still going strong at 99 and I’m sure she’ll enjoy the cupcakes I’m baking for her!

Best wishes and stay safe everyone

Samantha Quek

No silver bullet to clear courts backlog, Committee warns

MSPs on Holyrood’s Justice Committee have called for a ‘basket of measures’ to help clear the backlog in Scotland’s courts exacerbated by the Coronavirus pandemic, acknowledging that some of these may be unpalatable, but necessary.

Members of the Committee have been looking at the impact of Covid-19 on the justice system, with delays caused by the halting of most criminal court business during the height of the pandemic one of the most concerning issues.

The Committee heard that while delays to criminal cases was a problem before the pandemic, just to get back to that level of backlog would take eight to 10 years if nothing is done to increase or speed up court business.

While the Scottish Government and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service have taken forward some proposals, such as setting up ‘remote jury centres’ in cinemas to allow juries to socially distance while participating in trials, the Committee is calling for:

– The Scottish Government to urgently convene a round-table discussion with representatives of affected groups to discuss and agree a way forward for both criminal and civil systems;

– For these discussions to include proposals for more remote jury centres; remote jury empanelling; and more digital technology – for example recording evidence from specialist witnesses;

– For consideration to be given in these discussions to sentence discounts for early pleas; and, in the short-term, extended court sitting hours;

– The Cabinet Secretary for Justice to ensure that sufficient funding is in place to resource and staff any changes without adverse or unforeseen consequences.

This would follow on from a previous roundtable held in April 2020 which agreed interim measures for court business.

At that meeting, some options previously considered, such as trials without juries, were discounted by those present. This is a conclusion the Committee agreed is beyond the pale, as it would be too fundamental a change to make to Scotland’s justice system.

Speaking as the report was launched, Justice Committee Convener, Adam Tomkins MSP, said: “The scale of the challenge faced by our courts is not to be underestimated.

“Current delays are not acceptable for the victims, witnesses or the accused of crimes.

“While that point may not be controversial, we need to ensure changes to improve the situation, whether long or short-term, have the widest possible backing.

“To that end, we want the Scottish Government to convene a meeting of all interested parties to agree a way forward. Time is of the essence.

“By following the collaborative approach taken in the early days of the pandemic, and by being open and transparent with thinking, we can have a grown-up conversation about the pros and cons of the options available.

“The Committee hopes that this would help those responsible for the day-to-day operation of the courts and those responsible for the system to coalesce around a common way forward and agree upon necessary actions.

“Although the problems are at their worst in the criminal courts, there is still a mismatch in our civil courts, which are largely functioning, and other services linked to them, such as family contact centres, which are at best partially open.”

Mental health “perfect storm” will affect millions this Winter

A “perfect storm” of mental health stresses is being created with lockdowns, economic anxiety, enforced social distancing, poor weather and isolation – meaning millions of home workers will suffer in silence this Winter.

The UK is possibly facing its biggest ever mental health crisis since the WWII this Winter as a combination of many factors will contribute to the low mood and poor mental health of millions of employees working from home.

According to the ONS (Office of National Statistics) 69% of adults in the UK are staying that Coronavirus is having a negative effect on their life and the drill down statistics are even worse:

  • 63% are worrying about the future
  • 56% are feeling stressed or anxious
  • 49% are bored

“The worrying thing is everyone is in the same boat – we are so busy fighting our own fires – many of us don’t have the time or energy to help others”, says Jonathan Ratcliffe from office company Offices.co.uk.

“People are having a rotten time of it at the moment, and this Winter will be a real crunch point for many”.

Critical stress factors this Winter include:

Lockdowns – working from home and seeing less family/friends mean increasingly isolated lives

Uncertainty – Worries over employment and the economy creating a feeling of anxiousness

Poor Weather – Less daylight, poor weather means less opportunity to leave the house for fresh air and exercise

“The big worry for myself and my colleagues is either a new National lockdown, or the schools will close, because this will tip the balance for many people working from home and just managing to keep things on an even keel”, says Jonathan Ratcliffe

Offices.co.uk offers these general pointers to those working from home and feeling the pressure:

Routine – it’s vital if you want to be motivated that you set a routine. Make sure you get up at a decent time and start work at 9am.

To do list – Start by writing a small list of work to achieve, lower your expectations and work towards ticking all those goals even if they are small.

Talk to someone – If you have a work buddy, you’d usually chew the fat with, why change? Give them a call, maybe first thing – helps you both realise you are not alone.

Food and drink – Make sure you eat properly and stay hydrated throughout the day.

Fresh air – At lunch time take a walk or sit outside, put your phone down, look around and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Finish at 5 – Don’t be tempted to work into the evening, try and finish up around the same time as you would normally.

Put the phone down – After “work” is over, try to forget about it. Enjoy time with a partner or family.

Wine O’clock – It’s tempting to hit the wine each night, we’re under stress. But you didn’t booze like this before, time to reduce intake and get a good sleep.

Sleep – Decent bedtime and try and get 8 hours solid sleep if possible.

Plan for the other side – This will end, we simply don’t know when yet, and when it does you need to be in the best shape possible to seize any opportunities. Get planning!

“Bosses need to be very aware that their remote staff might be struggling, and while they have their own pressures, they need to reach out and monitor staff daily to make sure any issues can be addressed – being sensitive and caring is upmost for employers this Winter period”, concludes Jonathan Ratcliffe from Offices.co.uk

Granton:hub Community Pantry is now fortnightly

The Granton:Hub community pantry is now open fortnighly on Wednesdays between 11.00am – 12.00pm.

All supplied kindly from Fareshare, Refugee Community Kitchen Edinburgh and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

This week Grass Roots Remedies will also be at the hub continuing their herbal remedy distribution project.

Come along to try free herbal teas, syrups, creams & balms. All their herbal remedies are FREE to residents of Granton, Pilton, Muirhouse & Drylaw.Please don’t hesitate to contact us at Granton:Hub if you have any questions.

DM us or email community@grantonhub.org for pantry inquiries

Special events for October Half Term at Conifox Adventure Park

Grandparent’s Day

Conifox invites the young – and young at heart! – to come and celebrate their favourite people at their favourite place!

Grandads and Grandmas, Nanas and Papas, Pops and Grannies, whatever they are called, we want to join you in showing them some love!

So, on 4th October for every child’s ticket purchased, grandparents will gain entrance for free; all they need to do, is have some fun!

Halloween

Especially for the most spooktacular month of the year, the bravest of the brave can follow the Spooky Trail around the park, with kids of all ages winning a goodie bag filled to the brim with Halloween treasures (£2 per child, plus park entry). 

Open from 17th October to 1st November, you can also enjoy Pumpkin Carving after walking the trail, choosing your perfect pumpkin from the Conifox haunted field, ready to carve into the most wickedly magnificent monster …

James Gammell, director of Conifox, is thrilled to prepare for the October half-term buzz: “We are so excited to welcome our friends and family back to Conifox.

“The months leading up to October will have been tough for everyone, not least because of a certain global pandemic, but because after so much time off, kids will be back to school and parents back to work. We want to remind you that fun is always just a hop, skip and a pedal-tractor away, so to keep your chin up and we will hope to see you soon!

He continues, “As a family run business, we are passionate not only about what we do, but also about delivering the absolute best in customer experience. No matter if you are 8 or 80 you are welcome here and we will do everything in our power to make it a day that stays with you as an everlasting, happy memory.”

Constantly innovating and improving their customer offering, Conifox is the perfect spot for a full day out with family and friends. Although the Stables Bistro is closed to ensure compliance with social distancing measures, there is still a selection of delicious food available, including a sizzling BBQ (weather permitting) and all-day breakfast baps, as well as coffee and tea when you need a little refresh.

Situated on the outskirts of Kirkliston, just five minutes from Edinburgh Airport, Conifox is the ideal venue for kids on half term.

To keep visitors safe, tickets are currently only available to pre-book and some attractions will be closed at certain times throughout the day for deep cleaning.

To find out more visit the Conifox Facebook page @conifoxadventurepark or www.conifox.co.uk.

Rebuilding a fairer Scotland after COVID-19

Expertise and experience wanted to help tackle poverty and inequality

Ideas are being gathered to drive a fairer recovery in the wake of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Organisations and community groups are being asked to share ideas and evidence based on their experiences of responding to the pandemic, and their engagement with people with lived experience of poverty and inequality.

Responses will help inform the work of the Scottish Government’s Advisory Board on Social Renewal, which is tasked with building on the positive policy and practice shifts seen during COVID-19 to tackle disadvantage and poverty, and advance equality and social justice.

Analysis of responses will feed into the board’s discussions, and a report on the outcomes will be published later this year. 

Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on the health, wealth and emotional wellbeing of our communities is vital to inform our response to and recovery from the pandemic. We also know particular groups have been disproportionately impacted by the crisis.

“That’s why we established the Social Renewal Advisory Board to focus on reducing poverty and disadvantage and advancing equality across a range of issues.

We now want to hear from the many organisations and community groups working on social renewal that will have adapted, changed and repurposed in light of COVID-19. There is significant learning on this to be shared and we want to capture that expertise.

“Our call for ideas and evidence will help us drive forward our ambitions on creating a fairer, more equal society and ensure that the voices of those with lived experience are heard.”

The call for ideas and evidence will run until 16 October.

Find out more about how to take part here

Concern as Big Butterfly Count sees lowest numbers of butterflies recorded in 11 years

Wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation has released data about the number of butterflies counted in this year’s Big Butterfly Count (17th July – 9th August).

Worryingly this summer’s Count has seen a reduction in the average number of butterflies logged per count of -34% in comparison with 2019 and the lowest average number of butterflies logged overall since the event began eleven years ago. In all, during this year’s Big Butterfly Count, over 1.4 million butterflies were counted across the UK.

Dr Zoë Randle, Senior Surveys Officer at Butterfly Conservation said: “Unfortunately, this summer has not seen an abundance of butterflies, across the UK. We do see peaks and troughs of butterfly numbers each year (last year for example we saw a huge influx of migrant Painted Lady butterflies), so the data from the Big Butterfly Count is an important snapshot which, along with our other monitoring schemes, helps our understanding of the rates of decline of butterflies and moths.

“Coming so shortly after the recent WWF and UN reports on the global biodiversity crisis these 2020 results illustrate the perilous state of wildlife in the UK. However, the fact that so many people take part in this exciting citizen science initiative is encouraging and makes a huge difference to our understanding of how the natural world is responding to the crisis it is in.

“Now we need to see initiatives both here and across the world to put nature on a path to recovery.

“The fall in butterfly numbers this summer may be due to a number of factors. An unusually warm spring led many species to emerge earlier than usual. So we may have only caught the tail-end of the flight period for many species during this year’s Big Butterfly Count. It’s important to look at butterfly trends over longer periods, so our scientists will be using these results alongside our other datasets to get a clearer understanding of what is happening.”

Encouragingly, 2020 also saw the highest number of butterfly sightings ever submitted by the general public with 111,628 participants submitting a record-breaking 145,249 counts this year, an increase of 25% on 2019.

It seems that, in a very dark and challenging year, the opportunity for getting out into nature and helping as citizen scientists was very welcome to people who were able to participate in the Count this year. Butterfly Conservation is thrilled the event was enjoyed by so many people.

A total of 4,188 counts were submitted by 3,207 participants in Scotland. The most widely counted butterfly in the Big Butterfly Count in Scotland was Small Tortoiseshell, almost 5,000 individuals were seen, giving it pole position in the rankings.

Small Tortoiseshell generally fares better in Scotland and Northern Ireland than other UK countries in the Big Butterfly Count. On average, participants in Scotland saw three times as many Small Tortoiseshells per Count than people in England.

A recent study has shown that in each of the last four years, a substantial majority of Small Tortoiseshells are in hibernation well before the end of the Big Butterfly Count in south-east England. This suggests that climate change may be having an impact on this species in the south.

While the decline of ecosystems across the world is a cause for great concern, it’s also possible to see the power of joint positive action in this year’s Big Butterfly Count.

As more and more people take an interest in nature and submit their sightings Butterfly Conservation can continue its research and work to protect butterflies, moths and the environment through closer understanding of the issues they face and finding the solutions to help.

Butterflies and moths are incredibly valuable indicators of the health of our environment. Their declines show not only the effects of human behaviour on the world around us but also the changing patterns of our weather.

As well as being important and beautiful creatures in themselves, they play key roles in the ecosystems of birds, mammals, invertebrates and plants as food, population controllers and pollinators. Their conservation is vitally important.

Julie Williams CEO of Butterfly Conservation says: “A huge thank you to everyone who took part in the Big Butterfly Count this year. This important data is so valuable to our ongoing and vital research helping us to understand what is happening to our butterflies and moths so we can take focused action to protect these fantastic insects and conserve them for future generations.”

BIG BUTTERFLY COUNT 2020

Big-Butterfly-Count-Results-ScotlandDownload

Law firm joins will writing charity campaign for another year

A law firm from Edinburgh is aiming to raise vital funds for nine of the UK’s best loved charities, after signing up for Will Aid, the annual charity will writing campaign.

Fergusson Law has signed up to the scheme, which runs throughout November, for the fourth year in a row. Last year it raised a total of £1,210.

The firm has raised £5,390 for the nine charities involved since it joined the scheme.

Janice Nisbet from the firm said: “We are very excited to be involved in the Will Aid campaign again this year. 

“It gives us an excellent opportunity to reach people in our community who do not have a will and help them to protect their loved ones for the future.

“It also means we can raise funds for nine incredible charities which make a huge difference to people in need both here in the UK and around the world.”

The Will Aid scheme takes place across the country during November and supports ActionAid, Age UK, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, NSPCC, Save the Children, Sightsavers, SCIAF (Scotland) and Trocaire (N. Ireland).

Thanks to the generosity of solicitors like Fergusson Law, the campaign has raised more than £21 million for these charities since it launched 31 years ago.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, charities are in need of donations now more than ever.

Campaign director Peter de Vena Franks said: “One in three people die in the UK without making a will, often leaving confusion and chaos behind along with the sadness of losing a loved one.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly made people reflect on the fragility of life and reinforced the importance of having a professionally-written will in place.

“Will Aid encourages people to prepare this vital piece of paperwork at the same time as making a difference by raising money for charity.

“We are thrilled that Fergusson Law has joined this year’s campaign. They have contributed a great deal to our fundraising efforts in the past and I know they will continue to work with us in future.”

Law firms across the country are being asked to sign up and pledge a portion of their time to write basic wills, putting duty before profit and instead asking clients to make a voluntary donation.

The suggested voluntary donation for a basic Will Aid will is £100 for a single will and £180 for a pair of mirror wills. Donations support the vital work of the nine partner charities.

Any additional work to the will can be charged separately and is paid to the law firm.

Will Aid solicitors will be following the most up-to-date government health advice to ensure that face-to-face meetings remain safe. Many firms will be able to write wills at a distance via a phone or online consultations. Some firms will only be offering their services remotely. Participating firms can be contacted directly for more information.

For more information about how to sign up or how to make an appointment to write a will visit www.willaid.org.uk/solicitors.

Vulnerable children face crisis through missed support opportunities

The lives of some of the UK’s most vulnerable children are being devastated by a string of missed opportunities to provide them with timely and adequate support, a new report reveals today.

The Adoption Barometer, published by charity Adoption UK, also describes the dramatic impact the right support can have. Now in its second year, the Barometer is based on the biggest ever survey of adopters. This year, 5,000 people responded to the survey.

One of the main themes to emerge is the failure in diagnosing and treating brain damage caused by children being exposed to alcohol in the womb. The report reveals more than one in three adopted children in Scotland (35%) are either diagnosed with or suspected to have Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

Almost two thirds (63%) of families polled in Scotland had waited two years or longer for a diagnosis, and more than half (53%) felt healthcare professionals lacked even basic knowledge about the condition, even though FASD is more common in the general population than autism.

Adoptive mother Gemma (below) said: “When Isabelle came to us at eight months-old she was described as a perfect baby. At two and a half she started headbutting, kicking and biting. Then she became obsessed with sharp knives.

“She told me she wanted to ‘cut me open and see me bleed’. We went to countless GPs, health visitors and social workers but we got nowhere. We finally got a diagnosis of FASD when she was four years old. It has made a huge difference to the support we’ve been able to access.”

Scotland is leading the field in the UK, as the first nation to establish an FASD diagnostic pathway. In 2019 the Scottish Government backed Adoption UK in Scotland to launch FASD Hub Scotland, supporting all parents and carers of people who were, or may have been, exposed to alcohol during pregnancy, including Gemma and her family.

The service includes a helpline, online support communities, one to one support, access to enhanced therapeutic support, training and information, as well as training and resources for professionals.

FASD Hub Scotland Project Manager, Aliy Brown, says: “During the month of September (FASD Month) we have been working closely with professionals within Scotland, other parts of the UK and further afield to drive the campaign around the need for awareness of FASD, both for prevention as well as support for families, which is so badly needed, as evidenced in the report.

“We are committed to doing everything we can to see the condition recognised in the same way the other neuro-diverse conditions are, and enable both individuals and their families to access early diagnosis, support and intervention to promote positive outcomes for life.”

Around three-quarters of adopted children experienced violence, abuse or neglect while living with their birth families, often with life-long impacts on their relationships, their health and their ability to learn. Despite the considerable challenges, the report shows that adopters remain positive and resilient – 73% of respondents in Scotland would encourage others to consider adoption.

But failures in policy and practice and missed opportunities to intervene mean that problems often build into a crisis. Almost half (48%) of families with older children report severe challenges, such as being drawn into criminally exploitative behaviour, including child sexual exploitation and county lines activities.

Almost two thirds (62%) of respondents from Scotland with secondary aged children anticipate they will leave school with few or no qualifications because they lacked the right support.

Director of Adoption UK Scotland, Fiona Aitken, said: “It is crucial that adoptive families are given the right support from day one, from both a moral and economic perspective.

“The survey shows 68% of adoptive families had no support plan in place, which we know can lead to crisis situations. The cost of a family breakdown is too high for all involved, particularly the children who have already experienced so much.”

The Adoption Barometer also assesses the government policies that regulate adoption. Welsh policies scored best, with three areas of policy scoring ‘good’. However, all nations score poorly in at least one area of policy. Policy relating to finding families for children scores best across the board.

Policy relating to FASD scores worst, with all nations assessed as ‘poor’, and adopter experiences also ‘poor’ in all nations, however Scotland does come across better than the other three nations in respect of their nationwide strategy.

There has been some progress since last year’s Barometer, including the extension of the English Adoption Support Fund (ASF) and the first experimental data collection on school exclusions in England, both of which were recommendations from last year’s report. In Wales there has been a £2.3m investment in adoption services.

Although respondents in Scotland were most likely to consider their social worker to be knowledgeable and understanding they were least likely to be satisfied with the range of support services on offer, perhaps reflecting the comparatively low proportion who were able to access enhanced support services.

Currently all support services are expected to be provided by agencies, with the exception of the Big Lottery Funded Therapeutic and Education Support Services in Adoption (TESSA), hosted and provided by Adoption UK Scotland.

The Adoption Barometer calls on the governments in all four nations of the UK to provide detailed therapeutic assessments for every child before they arrive in their new family, with up to date support plans to be maintained into early adulthood.