Tag: Children and Families

Increase in social security payments

Social Security Scotland: Payment rates for benefits increase from April

EIGHT of the benefits delivered by Social Security Scotland will now increase by 6%. The increase in payments for low income households and carers comes as the cost of living continues to rise.

Benefits and assistance including Job Start Payment, Young Carers Grant, Funeral Support Payment and Carer’s Allowance Supplement were due to be increased by 3.1% for 2022/23. Subject to parliamentary approval, the increases will now be almost doubled to a 6% uprate.

In addition, the three Best Start Grant payments, which we had not previously planned to uprate, will also now be uprated by 6%, and Child Winter Heating Assistance, which was previously set to rise by 5%, will now also rise by 6%.

From tomorrow (1st April), there will be a 100% increase in Scottish Child Payment, which will double from £10 per week to £20. Best Start Foods was already increased from £4.25 to £4.50 a week in August (5.88%).

Adult Disability Payment and Child Disability Payment will still increase by 3.1% on April 11 in line with the equivalent benefits (Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment) which are still administered by the Department for Work and Pensions under agency agreement.

This is to avoid creating a two-tier system where individuals paid by Social Security Scotland are paid more than clients whose cases have not yet transferred to the Scottish system.

Payment rates for 2022-2023 are:

BenefitRates 2021-2022Rates 2022-2023New rates 2022-2023 (6% uprate)
Best Start Grant
Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment (1st Child Payment)£606.00£606.00£642.35
Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment (Subsequent Child Payment & Extra Payment for Twins/Triplets)£303.00£303.00£321.20
Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment£252.50£252.50£267.65
Best Start Grant School Age Payment£252.50£252.50£267.65
Child Winter Heating Assistance
Child Winter Heating Assistance (annually)£202.00£212.10£214.10
Funeral Support Payment
standard rate for other expenses element£1,010.00£1041.30£1,070.60
other expenses element where there is a funeral plan£123.25£127.05£130.65
removal of implanted medical devices£20.55£21.20£21.55
Job Start Payment
Job Start Payment (one-off) standard rate£251.25£260.35£267.65
higher rate£404.00£416.50£428.25
Young Carer Grant
Young Carer Grant (annually)£308.15£317.70£326.65
Carer’s Allowance Supplement£8.90£9.15£9.45
Child Disability PaymentRates 2021-2022Rates 2022-2023*
Care Component Highest Rate£89.60£92.40
Care Component Middle Rate£60.00£61.85
Care Component Lowest Rate£23.70£24.45
Mobility Component Higher Rate£62.55£64.50
Mobility Component Lower Rate£23.70£24.45
Adult Disability PaymentRates 2021-2022Rates 2022-2023*
Daily Living Component Standard Rate£60.00£61.85
Daily Living Component Enhanced Rate£89.60£92.40
Mobility Component Standard Rate£23.70£24.45
Mobility Component Enhanced Rate£62.55£64.50

* 3.1% increase in line with the equivalent benefits (Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment) which are still administered by DWP under agency agreement.

New funding to support social prescribing art therapy

Over £85,000 awarded to 12 organisations from Foundation Scotland’s PHP Community Impact Fund

Foundation Scotland, Scotland’s community foundation, has announced a dozen community projects in Scotland have received a funding boost thanks to the new PHP Community Impact Fund.  

The fund, established by Primary Health Properties, launched last Autumn to offer support for health and wellbeing initiatives in the communities served by its medical practices.

Managed by Foundation Scotland, one of only two community foundations in the UK to pilot the new initiative, the fund is designed to provide additional and innovative services for those most in need from the patients served by practice buildings owned by PHP across the country. 

Social prescribing enables a holistic approach to people’s health and wellbeing and is increasingly being used to complement the work of GPs and their teams.

The approach continues to play a vital role in helping communities recover and rebuild after the coronavirus pandemic, with a particular emphasis on services to support mental health and combat loneliness.

As one of the UK’s leading investors in modern primary healthcare facilities, PHP created the Community Impact Fund to support GP practices and their communities with this model of care. 

Two Edinburgh-based projects – Thistle Health and Wellbeing (£10,000) and Carr-Gomm (£5000) – have received PHP Community Impact funding.

Jennifer McPhail, Fund Adviser from Foundation Scotland,  explained: ““We were delighted PHP chose Scotland to pilot this innovative new fund. With 38 properties spread across the country we were able to reach community projects from the Lothians up to Aberdeenshire.

“The Community Impact Fund launched at a critical time following the height of the pandemic. As our NHS continues to be under immense pressure, this is a fantastic initiative from PHP to help improve patient wellbeing outcomes, quality of life and emotional wellbeing” 

Teapot Trust, a mental health charity in Musselburgh that provides support for children and families coping with chronic conditions received £5,000 from the fund for a new social prescribing project providing one-to-one art therapy sessions for children and young people.  

Working closely with Community Link Workers, Teapot Trust will encourage self-referrals from children, young people and families in need of support in order to improve their mental health and wellbeing.

Sarah Randell, Chief Executive, Teapot Trust, said: “We are most grateful for the support of Foundation Scotland. The funding we have received from the PHP Community Impact Fund is extending the reach of our one-to-one art psychotherapy service for children and young people struggling to cope with a chronic physical condition.  

“The Teapot Trust self-referrals scheme enables families to get the support they need when they need it most. This funding is supporting referrals from either a PHP owned GP Practice or directly from one of their patient families for the first time.

“Teapot Trust is delighted to help children and families build resilience, develop healthy coping mechanisms and improve mental health and wellbeing through this work across Scotland.”  

Across Scotland, a total of £86,927 was distributed among 12 organisations delivering a range of health and wellbeing programmes for their local communities.

These include services to support young people’s mental health and social inclusion, art therapy for children with long-term chronic conditions, gardening activities to promote wellbeing. This is an excellent example of true partnership working with GP’s, social prescribers and community groups coming together to deliver targeted solutions to their patients. 

Harry Hyman, CEO of Primary Health Care Properties, commented: “We were delighted with the range and scope of the applications to our new Community Impact Fund.

“It’s clear that social prescribing is an important area of growth in promoting health and wellbeing and we look forward to hearing how the organisations we have funded are able to develop their services over the coming months.”

Thousands of families can receive help towards Easter childcare costs

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is reminding working parents in Scotland to not miss out on the opportunity to get up to £2,000 a year to pay for regulated childcare, including holiday clubs and other out-of-school activities, during the Easter holidays. 

Tax-Free Childcare provides thousands of eligible working families with up to £500 every three months (or £1,000 if their child is disabled) towards the cost of holiday clubs, before and after-school clubs, childminders and nurseries, and other approved childcare schemes.

For every £8 deposited into a Tax-Free Childcare online account, families will receive an additional £2 in government top-up, and it is available for children aged up to 11, or 17 if the child has a disability.

More than 19,800 working families used the scheme in December 2021, in Scotland. Overall, HMRC paid out more than £34 million in top-up payments, which was shared between nearly 328,000 families across the UK.

With recent research estimating that around 1.3 million families could be taking up this government support, parents and carers can check their eligibility and register for Tax-Free Childcare via GOV.UK. 

This scheme can help working families including the self-employed and is one of many ways the UK Government is supporting households to reduce their costs and keep more of what they earn to help pay for other bills. 

Helen Whately, HM Treasury’s Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, said: “There are lots of brilliant holiday clubs and childcare providers to help working parents during the Easter holidays, and Tax-Free Childcare is a great offer that can help cut the childcare bills. 

“I urge families across the UK to take advantage of this support and put extra pounds in their pocket – sign up now and save on your childcare costs.” 

By depositing money into their accounts, families can benefit from the 20% top-up and use the money to pay for childcare costs when they need it. Accounts can be opened at any time of the year and can be used straight away.

For example, if parents and carers have school-aged children and use holiday clubs during school holidays, they could deposit money into their accounts throughout the year. This means they could spread the cost of childcare while also benefitting from the 20% government top-up. Any unused money that is deposited can be simply withdrawn at any time.

Tax-Free Childcare is also available for pre-school aged children attending nurseries, childminders, or other childcare providers. Families with younger children will often have higher childcare costs than families with older children, so the tax-free savings can really make a difference.

Childcare providers can also sign up for a childcare provider account via GOV.UK to receive payments from parents and carers via the scheme.

The Nickleodeon Experience is coming to Saughton Park this summer

Nickelodeon has announced a brand new outdoor immersive event, The Nickelodeon Experience, set to launch this summer in Saughton Park.

This first-of-its-kind experience promises to be an epic adventure for the entire family, with it also being the first time in ten years that a Nickelodeon event has taken place in Scotland. 

Kicking off in one of Edinburgh’s most beautiful green spaces, Saughton Park, the experience will be touring the UK from July 2022 making further stops at Knebworth House and Heaton Park in Manchester.

Adventure seekers, aged 2-14 years old, can explore the worlds of their favourite Nickelodeon TV shows and discover ten activity zones. From multi-sensory and interactive adventures to creative and skill-based challenges, kids get to map their own journey and curate their own fun.

Kids can go behind the scenes of some of Nickelodeon’s most popular shows including The Thundermans School for Superheroes where they’ll learn to acquire their own super-powers. Step into an episode of Henry Danger, where Nick fans must navigate Henry Danger’s Maze full of secret twists, turns, puzzles and passages. They can also race against the clock to solve the Hunter Street Escape Room mystery, which puts teamwork to the test in an attempt to crack the code and find the key. 

The adventures don’t stop there! From a trip to Adventure Bay with an opportunity to meet PAW Patrol’s fan-favourites Chase and Marshall, to a sub-terranean adventure in The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ underground lair, complete with ooze covered tunnels, Nick fans will be utterly captivated in this immersive outdoor adventure.

What’s more, an arts and crafts zone featuring Baby Shark’s Big Show and Blue’s Clues themed activitiesawaits all budding artists. Attendees can also jump on a giant pirate ship, play in rock pools, and make a splash in an immersive play zone based on the swashbuckling world of Santiago of The Seas.

For the perfect finale to the experience, you’re invited to the Slime Time Party to finally know how it feels to get SLIMED – the ultimate Nickelodeon honour!

Alongside these immersive zones, children and their parents can relax at SpongeBob SquarePants’ Bikini Bottom Beach, where they can also sample delicious delights from the many themed food and beverage stalls and visit the Nickelodeon store and take home the perfect memento from an incredible range of exclusive Nickelodeon Experience merchandise.

Capacities are limited but you can book your tickets now at: 

www.thenickelodeonexperience.co.uk 

Kids tickets start at £29.50 and infants under two years old go free.

THE NICKELODEON EXPERIENCE LOCATION AND DATE

  • SAUGHTON PARK, EDINBURGH – 1st July – 14th July
  • HEATON PARK, MANCHESTER – 23rd July – 5th August
  • KNEBWORTH HOUSE, HERTFORDHSIRE – 14th – 27th August

The Nickelodeon Experience is proudly produced by The Luna Cinema and suitable for children aged two to fourteen years old.

George Wood, founder of The Luna Cinema says: “We cannot wait for the launch of The Nickelodeon Experience in Edinburgh this summer!

“For years we’ve wanted to develop a truly interactive experience that allowed kids to immerse themselves in the worlds of their favourite TV shows, just as we do with Friends fans at FriendsFest and film lovers with our Luna Cinema screenings, and it’s amazing to be able to bring Nickelodeon to families in Scotland for the first time in ten years!

“To have such an iconic catalogue of shows, including global brands like PAW Patrol, The Thundermans and SpongeBob SquarePants under the Nickelodeon umbrella is a treasure trove of content to explore and bring to life, and we’re really excited to make it happen.” 

Virginia Monaghan, VP, Events and Experiences, ViacomCBS UK, commented: “We are thrilled to be partnering with The Luna Cinema to bring our hugely popular Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. shows to life through this uniquely immersive experience.

“This is a chance for children to make new memories with friends, in a safe and fun setting, and with their favourite characters. Nickelodeon hasn’t been to Scotland for ten years now, so it’s going to be extra special to be able to kick-start the nationwide tour in Edinburgh.”

For more information and to purchase tickets please visit: 

https://www.thenickelodeonexperience.co.uk/ 

New programme at Leith’s Dr Bell’s Family Centre

📣

Our new programme is live

📣

Starting Monday 25th April. If you live in Leith, have at least one child under the age of 5 you can sign up to some of our fantastic groups. If you would like to know more information or sign up, please drop us an email at info@dbfc.org.uk

🧡
💙

Dr Bell’s Family Centre@drbellsfamily

Our new programme is live Starting Monday 25th April. If you live in Leith, have at least one child under the age of 5 you can sign up to some of our fantastic groups.

If you would like to know more information or sign up, please drop us an email at info@dbfc.org.uk

MSP welcomes increase in support for families across Edinburgh

Pentlands SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald has welcomed the package of measures announced yesterday by the Scottish Government to provide immediate support and break the cycle of child poverty for people across Edinburgh.

Shona Robison, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government, announced an increase of a further £5 to the ‘game-changing’ Scottish Child Payment – bringing the total payment to £25 per week per child at the end of the year, following the increase to £20 next week.

This move will see the SNP Government’s package of five family benefits for low income families, including the increased Scottish Child Payment, now totalling over £10,000 to low income families by the time a first child turns 6, and £9,700 for subsequent children.

It directly benefits 7,995 of children across Edinburgh already in receipt of the payment.

In contrast, families in England and Wales receive less than £1,800 for the first child and under £1,300 for subsequent children.

The SNP Cabinet Secretary also announced: 

·         an increase in employment services with the aim of supporting up to 12,000 parents into fair and sustainable work, backed by investment of up to £81 million in 2022-23

·         investment of up to £15 million in a new fund to tackle the financial barriers parents face when they enter the labour market

·         immediate steps to mitigate the Tories’ Benefit Cap, which is impacting many families already struggling to make ends meet, backed by up to £10m 

It is estimated that, through these and current Scottish Government actions, 60,000 fewer children will be living in relative poverty in 2023/24 compared with 2017.


Gordon MacDonald said: “This package of measures to tackle child poverty is hugely welcome and the impact it will have on households across Edinburgh cannot be underestimated – increasing the Scottish Child Payment even further, to £25 per week per child, will make such a difference to families struggling to cope with the Tory cost of living crisis right now.

“This stands in stark contrast to the Tory Chancellor’s spring statement which utterly failed to provide any meaningful lifeline support for people across Edinburgh who are facing soaring energy bills and a cost of living crisis now – and that was a political choice.

“I am glad that families across Edinburgh have an SNP Scottish Government taking serious, life-changing action to protect them where it can within limited powers and a fixed budget. The significant parental employment package also announced will help people across Edinburgh into fair and sustainable work.

“Other political parties must now recognise the reality that whilst the SNP is doing what it can to put money in people’s pockets in Scotland and tackle poverty, Westminster is consistently undermining Scotland’s efforts through their damaging policy agenda.

“These actions from the Scottish Government make it crystal clear that Edinburgh and the people that live here, would be better off with independence and all the levers to tackle poverty and hardship.”

Scottish Government launches latest child poverty delivery plan

Best Start, Bright Futures

Child poverty in Scotland is projected to fall to its lowest level in nearly 30 years as a result of the actions taken to date and commitments in the second Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan.

More than 60,000 fewer children could be living in relative poverty in 2023 compared to 2017, according to updated modelling.

Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison said a focus on long-term parental employment opportunities, strengthened social security and support to reduce household costs are at the heart of the new four year delivery plan, Best Start, Bright Futures.

In 2022-23 this work will be supported by investment of almost £113 million on top of funding already allocated to ongoing programmes.

Actions include:

  • Significantly increasing employment services with the aim of supporting up to 12,000 parents to enter and progress in sustainable and fair work through actions taken over the life of the Plan, with initial investment of up to £81 million in 2022-23 in employability support for parents
  • Increasing Scottish Child Payment from £20 to £25 when the benefit is extended to under 16s by the end of 2022. This means £1,300 of support per eligible child per year. It is five times more than originally asked for by campaigners and an investment of £671 million over the next two years
  • Delivering a new Parental Transition Fund to tackle the financial barriers parents face in entering the labour market, particularly over the initial period of employment, with an investment of up to £15 million each year
  • Taking immediate steps to mitigate the UK Government’s Benefit Cap as fully as possible within devolved powers, through Discretionary Housing Payments. This will support our priority families, in particular, who are disproportionately impacted by this policy

https://twitter.com/i/status/1507077314328285187

Ms Robison said: “I am proud that our actions of the past four years, together with those set out in this plan, are projected to deliver the lowest level of child poverty in Scotland in 30 years.

“We are taking immediate steps to put cash in the pockets of families – tackling the cost of living crisis and helping to lift thousands of children out of poverty in Scotland.

“Our package of five family benefits for low income families, including the increased Scottish Child Payment, will be worth over £10,000 by the time a family’s first child turns 6, and £9,700 for second and subsequent children.

“That is a difference of more than £8,200 for every eligible child born in Scotland in comparison to England and Wales – highlighting the unparalleled support offered by this government to children across the early years.

“We will also build on our investment in employment support for parents, through new skills and training opportunities and key worker support to help reduce household costs and drive longer term change.

“Our national mission to tackle child poverty is already giving more children the best start and a bright future. We are determined to meet our ambitious targets set for 2023-24 and 2030 and beyond, so that no children in Scotland are living in poverty. We know there is not a silver bullet and this cannot be done overnight.”

Scottish Government Minister and Scottish Green Party Co-Leader Patrick Harvie said: “This plan delivers on key commitments to tackle child poverty and inequality in the cooperation agreement between the Scottish Government and the Scottish Green Party.

“We welcome the actions being taken, particularly in mitigating the UK Government benefit cap and increasing the Scottish Child Payment which will provide major support to thousands of low income households.”

Reacting to the Scottish Government’s publication of its Child Poverty Delivery Plan, Peter Kelly, director of the Poverty Alliance said: “Child poverty is unjust and unnecessary. It’s a sign of Scotland’s commitment to compassion and justice that there are stretching targets to end it.

“A clear message from Poverty Alliance members ahead of the  new plan was to ‘put money in people’s pockets’. Commitments to increase the Scottish Child Payment to £25 by the end of this year and to mitigate the unjust benefit cap are therefore welcome. With one in four children in Scotland still growing up in the grip of poverty, and the rising cost of living meaning that many more families are being swept into hardship every day, this new plan needed to set out how we can do more to protect people from harm.

“On the back of the Chancellor’s failure of a Spring Statement yesterday, we needed to see real commitments that will make a positive impact on the lives of people on low incomes. Alongside the mitigation of the benefit cap, the expansion of employability support that provides tailored support to families can help to make that impact.

“However, there is significant scope to go much further to ensure that cash makes it to those who most need it. There is clear evidence that increasing the Scottish Child Payment to £40 would have an even greater impact in unlocking families from poverty and take us closer to the target of eradicating child poverty by 2030.

“The rising tide of poverty sweeping across the country demands that the actions contained in this Plan are not the peak of our ambitions, but merely a start. Our efforts cannot and must not cease.”

best-start-bright-futures-tackling-child-poverty-delivery-plan-2022-2026Download

Letters: Mum’s thanks to The Sick Children’s Trust for support while son was critically ill

Dear Editor,

Watching a large number of medical staff gather around my baby boy to resuscitate him was the scariest thing I have ever been through.

We were at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, an hour away from our home, after rushing my son, Carter, there ourselves. Eventually the doctors managed to stabilise Carter, but he was still struggling with his breathing and needed to be intubated and kept on the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU). He had developed a respiratory virus from a cold and as a result was experiencing breathing apnoea due to a build-up of mucus in his lungs.

We went to see him in PICU where he was covered in tubes and I was just sitting there, looking at him and felt my heart break into pieces. There was a chair next to Carter’s bed that I was prepared to not move from until he got better. But with parents unable to stay on intensive care wards with their children, even this wasn’t an option.

As I started to try and work out how I was going to cope with this situation I was told about The Sick Children’s Trust and its wonderful Acorn House. It’s one of ten ‘Homes from Home’ the charity runs around the country, giving families a free place to stay close to their seriously ill children.

I was still hesitant at first about leaving Carter’s side, but when the nurses told me that Acorn House was just minutes away from the hospital the more comfortable I felt about staying there.

I knew it was likely we would be in hospital for a while; The Sick Children’s Trust supports families for an average of 14 nights when their children are on the incentive care units, so knowing we had a place to stay took away a lot of these extra stresses.

When I arrived at Acorn House, I felt at home. There was a kitchen, living room and even a playroom so I knew straight away that I could bring Elsie, Carter’s older sister, to stay as well when the time was right.

This year, The Sick Children’s Trust is celebrating 40 years of keeping families, like mine, together with their seriously ill children while they are in hospital. Since the charity was launched in 1982 they have made sure more than 73,000 families have been able to stay just minutes away from their ill child’s hospital bedside and I really don’t know what we would have done without their support.

Acorn House was our ‘Home from Home’ for two weeks while Carter recovered, and he’s been doing amazing ever since.

He’s reached all his milestones and is such a loud and energetic character. As part of their 40th anniversary celebrations The Sick Children’s Trust is aiming to raise £237,000 to support families in all 148 rooms of its ten ‘Homes from Home’ for 40 nights.

I’m encouraging everyone to think about families like mine who suddenly end up in hospital with their child critically ill and not knowing how they can stay with them. No parent wants to leave their child while they’re in hospital and by supporting The Sick Children’s Trust and its ‘Homes from Home’ you can make sure more families can be together.

Without Acorn House Carter’s time in hospital would have been so much harder. I don’t think I would’ve have coped. Please donate £40 today by visiting sickchildrenstrust.org

From my family to you, thank you,

Georgie Monigatti.

Safeguarding Ukrainian arrivals: Free vetting scheme for volunteer hosts

Regulations have been passed to put in place a safe, fast and free vetting system for those who open their homes to displaced Ukrainians.

Under the scheme, volunteer hosts will be able to apply for expedited disclosure checks. These enhanced checks will offer the same level of scrutiny as the initial checks carried out for those working with children and vulnerable adults.  

Sponsors will be contacted as part of the matching service and guided through the disclosure check application process.

Children’s Minister Clare Haughey said: “The generosity of people who want to open their homes for Ukrainians fleeing the illegal invasion of their country is heart-warming.

“We want Scotland to be a welcoming and safe haven and so ensuring the wellbeing and safety of those arriving from Ukraine, who are overwhelmingly women and children, is critical. That is why we have taken action to put in place appropriate checks for sponsors and to make sure the checks are free for those who are offering a place to stay.

“Under this scheme, Disclosure Scotland will prioritise checks for volunteer hosts when they are matched so the homes are ready for any new arrivals as quickly as possible.”

The regulations will come into effect today – 24 March. It will mean that potential hosts who are matched with Ukrainians – whether they have offered to host adults only or families with children – will be subject to enhanced disclosure checks.

Anyone aged over 16 in the same household as the sponsor will also be required to undergo the same checks.

These higher level disclosures contain information about spent criminal convictions, other relevant information provided by police, details of prescribed court orders and sex offender notification requirements, and information about whether the applicant is barred under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Act from working with children or protected adults or whether the applicant is under consideration for barring.

Potential hosts should wait to be contacted about disclosure checks.

The regulations will not apply to unaccompanied children and protected adults arriving from Ukraine. Separate arrangements for their care are being urgently considered.  

New Sick Kids celebrates 1st Birthday

NHS Lothian’s Royal Hospital for Children and Young People is ready to celebrate a very special birthday today – Wednesday 23 March – marking one year since the world-class facilities fully opened.

The services moved to the new site from the old ‘Sick Kids’ gradually, with outpatients arriving in July 2020, CAMHS in January 2021 and finally the remaining services including inpatients and A&E in March that same year.

The building and facilities provide a world-class centre for child healthcare, enabling NHS Lothian to continue to build on the excellent reputation for trusted, quality care delivered by dedicated and expert teams.

To commemorate the birthday, activities have been arranged with both patients and staff in mind, and with generous support from a range of partners including Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation, Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity and Ronald McDonald House.

This includes the distribution of birthday-themed craft boxes with decorations for all wards; a birthday-themed projection on to the building; a drop-in photo booth; a birthday party with stalls, activities and live performances; complementary therapy & pampering sessions for families staying at Ronald McDonald House and treats for all staff which will distributed across each ward. 

Allister Short, Service Director, Women’s and Children’s Services, NHS Lothian said, “The Royal Hospital for Children and Young people offers one of the most modern and best-designed children’s healthcare facilities in the world.

“I hope over the last twelve months, both patients and their families have been able to see what this means and the positive impact it has both for patient care and wellbeing.”

For the Simpson family from Torphichen near Bathgate, the facilities on offer not only help to provide a degree or normality but make a huge difference to the happiness of daughter Robyn.

Mum Michelle explained that the family have been in and out of hospital with Robyn ever since she was born, with the longest stay being four months.

She said, “It is really hard to have a child that is unwell. It places a real strain on you both physically, mentally and emotionally. Coming to the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People makes things just that bit easier – it’s bright, spacious and airy – feeling more like a hotel than a hospital.

“There are so many spaces especially for children and so many activities that they can get involved in – from art and craft to music. Seeing Robyn happy, even though she is in hospital, is incredible. It enables her to be a child rather than just a patient.”

Allister said, “The facilities on offer across the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People are truly incredible, however the services wouldn’t be anything without our talented and dedicated staff.

“Day-in-day-out they deliver so much to ensure the children and young people attending the hospital receive the very best care and support.”

Michelle added, “I can’t thank the staff enough. They offer so much support and reassurance as well as incredible care. It really does help to make it feel like a home from home whenever we’re here.”

For more information on The Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and the facilities that are available visit – children.nhslothian.scot. 

To keep up to date with the latest news from across Lothian’s Children’s Services, follow them on social media – LothianChildHealth on Facebook and @LothianChildren on Twitter. 

Meanwhile, demolition of the old Sick Kids continues …