Recent statistics highlighting a sharp increase in attacks on school staff, and the fact that almost all of these are linked to pupils with additional support needs (ASN), should come as no surprise to those like us who have been arguing for some time that this issue is quickly becoming a national scandal.
The number of children and young people with ASN has more than doubled since 2012, and now amounts to more than a third of pupils. This has been further exacerbated by increasing mental health problems, the Covid-19 pandemic and cost- of-living crisis.
However, this is set against a background of acute under-resourcing, 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 numbers of specialist staff available to support those with ASN, as well as better support for teachers working with young people from a wide range of backgrounds. We would also suggest that the Scottish Government expand school counselling provision to all primary and special schools.
Violence against any member of school staff or another pupil is never acceptable, and it is critical that local authorities and the Scottish Government take all possible action to ensure that our schools are safe places to work and to learn.
Public invited to step forward to community roles after post-covid decline
SCOTLAND’S national walking charity has encouraged Edinburgh locals to become Volunteer Walk Leaders to lead Health Walks in the area.
Paths for All supports a network of more than 800 short, social, and accessible low-level walks which are led by trained volunteers.
However, since the end of the global pandemic, the charity has recorded a decline in Walk Leaders throughout Scotland.
The Stirling-based organisation has launched a recruitment campaign to tackle the shortage and encourage Scot’s up and down the country to become volunteers in the Scottish Health Walk Network.
Kevin Lafferty, Chief Executive Officer of Paths for All, said: “Walk Leaders are the most integral part of a Health Walk and the time and care they give to the local communities they serve is extremely valuable.
“Health Walk Volunteers help to support the health and wellbeing of local people by providing a safe, fun and friendly space for people to be active, socialise and enjoy the outdoors. But volunteers experience many benefits too – exercise, getting outside and a having a good blether, all while helping others.
“Training is provided so volunteers feel confident and ready to lead the walks, for all ages and abilities, in their communities.”
Individuals who are looking to give back to their community, enjoy the outdoors and keeping active, or are already part of a Health Walk are encouraged to apply.
Charlotte Mackenzie, Health Walks Project Manager for Highland Third Sector Interface helps to coordinate over 200 walkers across 30 Health Walks across the Highlands.
She said: “Health Walk Leaders are the backbone of Walking Groups. For many individuals, particularly those who live in remote communities, being part of a Health Walk can be the highlight of their week making it extremely important that Health Walk Leaders are there to guide and arrange regular outings.
“Being a Walk Leader has so many benefits. I often ask the leaders I work with what they find to be the best part of their role and the feedback is normally very similar; they feel a positive change in their mental health, confidence as well as their self-esteem- which is fantastic.
“For anyone considering becoming a Health Walk Leader, I would highly recommend it. Not only will you see so many benefits for yourself but it’s great opportunity to have a positive effect on your local community. “
Paths for All has a clear and simple aim, which is to get Scotland walking: everyone, every day, everywhere. Walking outdoors is a fantastic way to boost your mood, clear your head and benefit from fresh air in local parks and greenspaces.
Efforts to reduce the number of households living in temporary accommodation will be backed by at least £60 million to support a national acquisition plan to increase the supply of social and affordable housing.
The funding will support councils and registered social landlords to purchase properties including empty homes and private sector homes.
Other measures to reduce temporary accommodation will include working with social landlords to increase allocations to homeless households and providing national guidance for local authorities to support good practice around changing temporary accommodation into permanent affordable homes.
Bespoke plans to address specific issues will also be developed with the local authorities with the greatest temporary accommodation pressures.
First Minister Humza Yousaf said: “Housing is crucial to achieving our aspirations of a fairer country.
“We recognise the varying challenges that exist across Scotland and that these cannot be addressed by a single solution.
“That is why the range of actions we will be taking, including our £60 million plan, will help us effect real change.
“A great deal of consideration has been given to the best way to reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation. I am thankful to members of the Temporary Accommodation Task and Finish Group and all its contributors for the role they played in shaping the final recommendations.”
John Mills, Co-Chair of ALACHO and joint chair of the Task and Finish Group, said: “We’re heartened by the Scottish Government’s recognition of the seriousness of the current situation, the damage that is being done to many families living in temporary accommodation for long periods and the increasing challenges councils are facing in meeting their needs.
“We’re particularly pleased by the commitment to a national acquisitions programme to bring more homes into social renting quickly and we look forward to working with the Scottish Government, COSLA and Shelter Scotland to recapture the momentum towards ending homeless that we had pre-pandemic.”
Alison Watson, Director of Shelter Scotland and co-chair of the Temporary Accommodation Task & Finish Group, said: “Scotland is experiencing a housing emergency that is ruining lives. By being here today, the First Minister is showing that he is serious about this emergency.
“At Shelter Scotland, we see the impact of our broken and biased housing system in the work we do with families and individuals trapped in temporary accommodation. When a system isn’t working it is those groups most marginalised – children, disabled people and minoritised ethnic groups – that feel the impact the most.
“That is why I was so honoured to co-chair this expert group which engaged directly with people experiencing homelessness. They identified three key priorities for the Scottish Government. Firstly, buy and build more homes to deal with the current emergency; secondly, prioritise the homes we have for people experiencing homelessness; and finally, fully-fund high-quality services that always treat people with dignity.
“Today’s announcement is the first step in the right direction to bring down the number of households in temporary accommodation from its current record high. It must not be the last.”
A community focused, environmental and wellbeing initiative led by Scotmid, is giving Edinburgh locals the chance to nurture and grow their own fresh fruit for free.
Scotmid is encouraging groups in Edinburgh to apply for £200 to purchase fruit trees or bushes to plant in a publicly accessible area, as part of its already highly successful, Scotland-wide Community Orchard campaign.
The campaign, created to encourage people to work together, increase physical activity and benefit the local environment, has spread its roots far and wide since launching earlier this year, with more than 70 orchards having been planted in sites up and down the country.
The retailer is now urging those in Edinburgh to apply, in a bid to complete Scotmid’s ambition to have a community orchard close to every Scotmid store.
Lynne Ogg, Communities Manager at Scotmid, said: “It has been so encouraging watching communities come together to plant a whole host of fruit trees and bushes. Some of our groups have already spotted their first fruit and we can’t wait to hear how good they taste!
“Not only is this a fun way to get together with your local community but it’s also a really easy way to get outside and enjoy your local environment – we would love for more communities to benefit from this initiative.”
Seeding success: Scotmid’s Winchburgh Community Orchard – Case Study
Orchards offer volunteering opportunities throughout the year, as well as the chance to learn new skills, create habitats for wildlife and produce an array of edible produce.
Since securing the Scotmid Community Orchard grant, the Winchburgh Community Growing Group has extended its community growing space.
The West Lothian based group started in 2018, with 50 planters across the village. By 2022, it had grown and moved to a 1.5acre site in Auldcathie Park which includes trees, planters, a community cabin and a kids zone.
The community growing space used Scotmid’s Community Orchard funding to purchase and plant eight Braeburn apple trees. Community volunteers will grow fruit to eat, cook and turn into juices.
Students from SRUC Oatridge college and local volunteers have been responsible for the planting and maintenance of the orchard, which is an open community space that hosts regular free growing and community events.
The orchard trees were planted close to Winchburgh’s Scotmid store, in a zone designed for wildlife and growing. Over 80 people in the community have benefitted from the additional trees from the Community Orchard initiative, with volunteers grafting, pruning and taking care of them for the benefit of the wider community.
John West from Winchburgh Community Growing Group, said:“The funding from Scotmid has helped us to purchase and plant eight apple trees which will provide Winchburgh locals with apples for years to come.
“As much as we are all excited to see the apples grow, it’s also been really rewarding to see members of the community work together to care for the orchard – now we can’t wait to try our first apple crumble!”
Plans to boost UK employment through widening access to high-quality health support in the workplace are being unveiled today by the Westminster Government
Ministers are urging employers to do more to keep workers healthy and reduce the numbers out of work due to long-term sickness
Consultation launching on measures to increase employer uptake and widen reach of Occupational Health
Plans include a new standard for businesses to adopt to boost health in the workplace
Better workplace support expected to grow the economy and tackle inactivity by improving productivity and preventing health-related job losses
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) are today publishing a consultation on ways to increase uptake of Occupational Health provision.
Employers will be encouraged to take up Occupational Health offers to help employees access vital mental and physical health support at work, particularly for those working in small and medium-sized enterprises.
These proposals include introducing a national “health at work” standard for all employers to provide a baseline for quality Occupational Health provision, which includes guidance, an option to pursue accreditation, and additional government support services – for example outreach workers to support SMEs to meet the standards.
It also seeks views on developing longer-term workforce capacity to help meet any increased demand for Occupational Health services in the future by:
Encouraging NHS leavers or those who are considering a career change to pivot towards the Occupational Health specialism
Developing a longer-term, multi-disciplinary workforce to provide Occupational Health services
The consultation will also ask employers to share their examples of good Occupational Health provision to help inform other businesses and encourage them to provide the same.
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mel Stride MP, said: “This Government is investing billions in getting people back to work and growing the economy. We need employers to keep playing their part too.
“Healthy businesses need healthy workers – employers will benefit from higher retention rates, more productive workers, and fewer work days lost due to sickness. Improving health in the workplace is a vital piece of the puzzle in our drive to increase employment.”
Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, Tom Pursglove MP, said: “Long-term sickness is a huge contributor to economic inactivity, and while of course some people are unable to work, better accommodation of health problems in the workplace will open up a wider workforce to employers and support employees with a range of needs.
“Many small and medium-sized business owners already invest significantly in the health and wellbeing of their workforce, but this will be a gamechanger in identifying and removing obstacles to people with health conditions starting, staying and succeeding in work.”
To also help keep people in work, the government will today also publish a separate consultation looking at options to increase investment in Occupational Health services by UK wide employers through the tax system.
This follows its announcement at the Spring Budget where it committed to consult on incentivising greater provision of Occupational Health through the tax system.
The government wants to explore the case for providing additional tax relief to businesses on their Occupational Health costs.
In particular, the consultation asks respondents for their experiences of providing Occupational Health, including what services they provide and any barriers they experience. It also asks for evidence on the effectiveness of existing tax incentives and asks respondents for their views on the merits of expanding the existing Benefit-in-Kind relief, and thoughts on any alternative tax incentives.
Tax reliefs on Benefits-in-Kind are already available for certain occupational health services. This consultation will test if expanding these reliefs or introducing new ones could be an effective lever to achieve greater Occupational Health provision, as well as thoughts on any alternative tax incentives. The consultation will determine if expanding tax incentives is an appropriate measure to boost Occupational Health provision.
This is all a key component of the measures in the 2023 Spring Budget to grow labour market participation, reduce economic inactivity and get more people into work. The Department is helping millions to return to work with inactivity falling by 360,000 since the peak of the pandemic.
Long-term sickness is currently the main reason people of working-age give for being economically inactive, but just under half of workers have access to Occupational Health services. Over 90% of large employers offer Occupational Health support, compared to under a fifth of small ones.
Occupational Health provision can help employers provide work-based support to manage their employees’ health conditions, leading to better retention and return-to-work prospects, and improving business productivity, which can be adversely impacted by sickness absence.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay said: “High quality Occupational Health support in more workplaces would not only help to reduce economic inactivity, but it can lead to a healthier, happier workforce.
“The individual health benefits are clear and by focusing on preventative measures, we can reduce the burden on the NHS and help to bring waiting lists down, which is one of the government’s top priorities.”
Angela Rowntree, Occupational Health Physician for the John Lewis Partnership, said: “At John Lewis Partnership we are moving away from reactively managing sickness to proactively supporting our Partners’ health and wellbeing at work.
“Our founder, Spedan Lewis understood this when he launched an in-house health service for all Partners in 1929 – nearly 20 years before the NHS was established – and we’re proud to be part of his legacy today, providing advice and support to help our Partners achieve their potential in the workplace.
“We welcome this new focus on ensuring other businesses and their employees are able to access better workplace health.”
The Occupational Health consultation will run until 23:59 on Thursday 12 October .
Around 14,000 children living in deprived areas will have access to more outdoor play opportunities in their local communities, thanks to over half a million in funding from the Scottish Government.
More than 30 charities providing local outdoor play initiatives for children will receive a share of £550,000 to expand their projects.
Edinburgh charities receiving a share of the fund in 2023-24 are:
Bridgend Farmhouse – £15,540.00
Canongate Youth – £9,452.10
North Edinburgh Arts – £14,504.70
Smart Play Network – £14,374.50
YMCA Edinburgh SCIO – £13,778.10
Scotland Yard Adventure Centre – £5,783.21 (below)
The Venchie Children and Young People’s Project – £15,424.50
The Outdoor Community Play Fund will support children and families through the year, including during the school holidays.
Children’s Minister Natalie Don announced the funding during a visit to Renfrew YMCA – one of the 32 charities to receive funding.
Ms Don said: “Outdoor play has an incredibly positive impact on our children’s mental health, wellbeing and confidence. It can teach them how to solve problems, assess risks, boost their physical activity and provide opportunities to meet and interact with others.
“However, options for children to play safely outdoors can be limited, especially for children in deprived areas. At a time when families are struggling with the cost of living crisis, it is even more essential that we provide this vital support to ensure there are outdoor play options available, free of charge, for families across Scotland.
“I am looking forward to seeing how this fund will help grow outdoor community play projects and I am proud that this Scottish Government investment will benefit thousands of children living in our most deprived communities.”
Inspiring Scotland Director of Funds Julia Abel said: “All children have the right to play – not only is it vital for their mental health and wellbeing, but is also supports children to learn social and emotional skills while boosting their physical activity.
“We want to make outdoor play accessible for all children in Scotland. Last year, the programme expanded to include more sessions for children and families with additional support needs.
“The beauty of outdoor community play is that it’s child-led, enabling children to use their creativity and imagination to develop their own ways to have fun, overcome barriers, while teaching life-enhancing skills that will make positive effects all the way into adulthood.”
Royal Bank of Scotland is inviting ambitious entrepreneurs and business owners to apply for a place on its Entrepreneur Accelerator Hub.
The bank is currently accepting applications to its fully funded support programme for Scottish businesses looking to scale and succeed.
Successful applicants will benefit from full use of the Hub’s modern coworking spaces in the city centres of Glasgow and Edinburgh, as well as access to a calendar of networking events and one-to-one coaching.
Since its launch, the programme has empowered over 1,000 businesses in Scotland and also includes a Digital Accelerator which offers a virtual programme of support to entrepreneurs based across the country.
Karen Robinson, founder of oat milk brand, Three Robins, has been a member of the Accelerator Hub since 2021. The busy mum of three started the business after noticing a gap in the market for a high-quality, healthy alternative to traditional dairy products when her son developed a lactose intolerance.
The product range was officially launched to the market in May 2022 and has proven an immediate hit with children and adults alike, particularly appealing to families looking for a milk-alternative that doesn’t compromise on nutritional value.
Talking of her experience on the Hub, Karen said: “Prior to starting Three Robins, my background was in international development, and I spent over 20 years working in women’s rights. This involved a lot of travelling to war impacted areas and after a while, it just wasn’t working with family life.
“The idea for Three Robins came about when my son, Christopher, developed a lactose intolerance. We’d be buying several different milk products to suit everyone’s needs and tastes and I remember thinking, it shouldn’t be this complicated to find a product that suits everyone – so I decided to make one.
“Since launching the business, we’ve grown from strength to strength and the support we’ve received from the Edinburgh Accelerator Hub has been invaluable. Having access to a group of like-minded business owners gives you a sounding board to bounce ideas off, and the one-to-one mentoring has given me insight I wouldn’t have otherwise had having not come from a business background.
“We were recently awarded funding from Scottish Edge to fuel our next chapter of the business and were also able to exhibit our products alongside the Bank at this year’s Royal Highland Show. This allowed us to introduce our range to an entirely new audience and I’m excited to keep working alongside Royal Bank of Scotland as we continue to grow.”
Mandy Bailey, Regional Eco-System Manager at Royal Bank of Scotland added: “We are champions of Scotland’s entrepreneurial talent and want to give all business owners the tools they need to scale and succeed.
“Entrepreneur Accelerator is currently accepting applications for its next cohort, and we’re excited to welcome the best and brightest businesses into our Edinburgh and Glasgow Hubs as well as our virtual community.”
The Royal Bank Accelerator programme supports and empowers entrepreneurs across Scotland to scale their businesses to the next level, offering one-to-one coaching, a calendar of thought leadership and events, access to a network of like-minded peers, and full-time use of a modern coworking space.
Based out of the bank’s state-of-the-art city centre offices in Edinburgh’s St Andrew Square and Glasgow’s Queen Street, the programme is currently accepting applicants for its next intake.
Ambitious business owners are invited to apply here before applications close on 18th August.
