Tag: Children and Families

Holyrood Committee launches inquiry into health and wellbeing of children and young people

An inquiry has been launched into the health and wellbeing of children and young people by a Scottish Parliament Committee.

The Health, Social Care and Sport Committee is seeking to find out the key issues around health and wellbeing for children and young people in Scotland. They will investigate what the challenges and opportunities are for improving their health and wellbeing, and how addressing poverty can lead to improved health and social care outcomes.

The inquiry will focus on 4 key areas:

• Child poverty (including the Scottish Government’s current child poverty delivery plan), inequality and adverse childhood experiences;
• Issues affecting care experienced young people;
• Mental health, access to Child and Adult Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and the importance of early intervention;
• Health and wellbeing in schools

Speaking as the inquiry launched, Gillian Martin MSP, Convener of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, said: “There are a whole host of factors which impact the health and wellbeing of our children and young people, and our Committee will consider these in detail.

“The physical and mental toll of the pandemic on children and young people cannot be overstated and we know that prior to this pandemic there was already a high and
increasing demand for youth mental health services in Scotland.

“As we emerge from the pandemic and with the Scottish Government’s current child poverty delivery plan due to run until 2022, our inquiry comes at a pivotal time. We are determined to find out how children and young people can best be supported to live healthy and flourishing lives.”

You can let the Committee know your views here: 

Inquiry into the Health And Wellbeing of Children And Young People – Scottish Parliament – Citizen Space

The call for views will close on 7 December 2021.

Mental health charity praises brave youngsters for speaking out about “invisible” illness

A mental health charity is praising its young ambassadors who are bravely speaking out about the challenges of living with “invisible” illness. 

Throughout this month Teapot Trust is raising awareness of the challenges children and young people face when living with a chronic and/or physical condition that has no obvious outward sign. A number of young people will be acting as ambassadors for the charity, talking about the impact living with these conditions has on their self esteem and mental health. 

Teapot Trust is a charity at the forefront of transformative mental health support for children, young people and families living with chronic conditions and has pioneered to introduce therapeutic art into pediatric out-patient clinics in UK hospitals to keep children distracted and calm in between invasive tests, injections and scans. Art therapy can help young people express their feelings and develop coping mechanisms when coming to terms with a diagnosis or dealing with a course of treatment. 

Daisy, who lives in the Highlands, is nine years old and suffers from juvenile arthritis. She has one-to-one online art therapy sessions with a Teapot Trust art therapist.

Daisy said: “Having arthritis is a pain. The Teapot Trust has really helped me with it. I’ve gotten to express a lot of emotions I normally wouldn’t have. Without it I would have just gotten so stressed. I would have stayed home more days and not managed to do a lot more stuff.

“At school sometimes I feel like I get bullied and that stresses me. It’s just difficult having arthritis and going to school at the same time.”

Sarah Randell, Chief Executive for Teapot Trust added: “Sadly, statistics show that a significant number of children and young people at risk of self-harm and suicide ideation have a chronic and/or physical health condition. The seemingly invisible nature of their condition can add to their sense of isolation making them feel like they’re suffering in silence.

“We’re incredibly proud of our young ambassadors who have decided to break this silence and talk about the challenges they face living with ‘invisible’ illness.”

During November Teapot Trust hopes to raise public awareness by highlighting the experience of young patients who live with an “invisible” illness. Individuals around Scotland are bravely speaking out to encourage others to access funded art therapy through the charity.

Festive dinosaurs set to dazzle at Blair Drummond Safari Park’s Christmas event

Blair Drummond Safari Park is gearing up for a spectacular Christmas season with the launch of their festive extravaganza on Friday 19th November.

Running until 23rd December, the family-friendly central Scotland destination is going ‘all out’ to make sure this year’s Christmas event delivers an unforgettable festive experience filled with animal magic, a German-style Christmas market, Scotland’s biggest Christmas tree, a twinkly fairy garden, Festive fairground rides… and, of course, dinosaur illuminations.

Food and drink will feature in abundance with firepits for roasting marshmallows, wood-fired pizza ovens and, for the adults, a gin bar from local Stirling Gin.

And of course, no festive attraction would be complete without the main attraction, Santa Claus! The main man will be travelling through the Safari Park in his sleigh to add to the excitement.

Blair Drummond Safari Park’s animals will also be part of the festive day-out with majestic lions, leggy giraffes, zippy zebras, and mischievous lemurs among the many two and four-legged friends adding to a truly special Christmas experience.

Head of Marketing, Liz Gunn of Blair Drummond Safari Park said: “This year we set out to create something truly special and we cannot wait to throw open our gates and watch the excitement unfold as little ones marvel at our festive dinosaurs, toast marshmallows on the fire pits, squeal with delight at the Christmas lights and watch with wonder as Santa glides past Scotland’s biggest Christmas tree on his sleigh.

“It is our favourite time of the year, and this year is even more special.”

Early bird tickets just £10.

Book online at www.blairdrummond.com

39 Scottish Primary Schools to begin mental wellbeing challenge

  • 39 Scottish schools start I Can’t to I Can mental wellbeing challenge on 8th November to build self-confidence, resilience and self-esteem mental ahead of Anti-Bullying Week
  • The 5-day Challenge was created as a response to anxiety pandemic amongst young people during these uncertain times
  • Half of all mental health conditions present themselves by the time a child reaches 14 but most cases remain undetected and untreated
  • I Can’t to I Can provides teachers with resources to teach simple brain hacks that can last a lifetime and turn around a child’s negative thinking within a week

The ongoing pandemic, concerns about climate change along with the endless horrific news headlines are enough for any young person to deal with. Add into the mix the normal issues of growing up magnified through the lens of social media and it’s no wonder that young people are 50% more likely to have a mental health problem than they were three years ago.

From 8th November, 39 schools in Scotland will be taking part in the RTT 5-Day ‘I Can’t to I Can’ mental wellbeing challenge.

The aim is to provide children aged 7 – 10 with a series of mind hacks to help build confidence, self-esteem and resilience. This will give them the mental stamina to cope with these challenging times and skills to support them throughout their life if they learn to practice them daily.

Available online, the free resource is based around the RTT concept of the inner cheerleader. Everyone is born with an inner cheerleader as without that driving force encouraging us, babies would give up after taking their first, unsuccessful attempt at anything.

Sadly, the inner critic can kick in as young as 5 which is why the skills taught in ‘I Can’t to I Can’ are so key and it takes just a week to instil positive new approaches in children aged 7 to 10.

Commenting on the challenge, Dr Sian Peer, therapist and Director of the RTT School said: ‘As a parent myself, I know how crippling anxiety can be for a young child. We wanted to share some of the incredible mental wellbeing tools that are the cornerstones of RTT to help primary school children understand and manage their emotions.

“The 5 Day Challenge provides teachers with a daily lesson plan over a week, each building on the learning from the previous day. There are videos, fun exercises and ideas to do at home making the whole experience interactive and memorable.’

Although most schools will participate in the challenge during the week of 8th November, the resources are going to be accessible to schools on an ongoing basis.

Schools interested can visit www.rtt.com/method

Edinburgh Leisure: It’s never too early to start getting active

Check out Edinburgh Leisure’s Young Explorer soft play membership

Inspire kids to get the active habit. With Edinburgh Leisure’s Young Explorer soft-play membership, children get to sample the world of sport and fitness from an early age. For those signing up to become a new member in November, December is completely free.*

From only £16.70** per month, the membership offers incredible value, fantastic flexibility and of course, will keep little ones entertained and burning off energy as they explore the amazing soft plays.

Membership is available to buy in venue or online.  Existing members referring friends will receive £15 cash back for each new soft play member they refer who joins. This should be done via the online form.

Little adventurers can enjoy fun in Edinburgh Leisure’s three soft play venues across the city. 

We have Tumbles at Portobello and Scrambles at EICA: Ratho, while Clambers at the Royal Commonwealth Pool is currently closed for maintenance and will be shutting temporarily for a refurbishment in January.

All visits must be booked in advance online or via the Edinburgh Leisure app.

Edinburgh Leisure’s play frames are suitable for children up to ten years old and there are frames for babies, toddlers and juniors.  Each venue has a café where healthy snacks and tasty treats can be enjoyed.

https://www.edinburghleisure.co.uk/softplaycampaign

Sir Chris Hoy MBE opens Conifox Adventure Park’s new attraction

Olympic legend Sir Chris Hoy MBE helped Conifox Adventure Park welcome back fun-seekers this weekend, by officially opening the new £2million Indoor Activity Centre.  

An ambassador for SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) – a mental health charity to which Conifox is pledging a sizeable donation – Sir Chris MBE was introduced by Managing Director, James Gammell, before cutting the ribbon and exploring the new space with his family. 

Guests in attendance – including local and community councilors and the tradesmen who helped build the activity centre – were treated to an audience with Sir Chris Hoy MBE, before watching the official opening of the new centre, as well as enjoying canapes, drinks and photo opportunities with the Olympian.

Chris then went on to offer signings and meet and greets with the general Adventure Park visitors, following the event.   

In his introductory speech, Managing Director James Gammell talked of the new all-weather Indoor Activity Centre which has brought 15 new jobs to the park.

Designed and built to combat the Scottish weather and enhance business opportunities, facilities include a large soft play, a toddler town, a parenting room, three party rooms, a 400-seater café and a 200-seat function suite. The versatile new space can host a variety of events including weddings, birthday parties, events and conferences as well as specialised events, private ceremonies, birthdays, fairs, fitness classes and more. 

James Gammell, Managing Director of Conifox commented, “It was a great honour to have a sporting hero and an Olympic legend like Sir Chris Hoy MBE open our new Indoor Activity Centre today and it was great to share it with his family too.” 

Conifox Adventure Park already boasts a huge outdoor space with attractions for adults and children of all ages including a 9-hole foot-golf course, pedal go-karts, off-road pedal tractors, supersized sand pit, kid’s pedal tractor farm, springers, giant jump pillow, trampolines, swings, balance beams, rope bridge, and much more! 

It now anticipates the new facilities, which represent a £2m investment and cover 35,700 sq ft, will mark out the Adventure Park as a go-to destination for families, wedding parties, school groups, conference and corporate event organisers and others looking for a unique indoor venue. 

Conifox Adventure Park follows all Covid regulations and has successfully passed the Visit Britain Covid 19 We’re Good To Go Industry Standard. Covid-19 regulations in place at the time of visiting will apply. 

To find out more visit the Conifox Adventure Park Facebook page @conifoxadventurepark and their  website.  

Police must allow young people to protest peacefully at COP-26, says Children’s Commissioner

Children’s Commissioner Bruce Adamson is urging police to treat young people peacefully protesting at COP-26 with respect and dignity – and has reminded them that children’s rights must be upheld for everyone under 18.

To support this approach, the Commissioner’s office has published a human rights guide today  ‘Under 18? Your Human Rights at Protests: What you need to know’ for children who plan to make their voices heard at the UN climate summit in Glasgow.

The guide has been used as part of Police Scotland’s training for COP-26 and was informed by children’s views and experiences.

Bruce Adamson, Children and Young People’s Commissioner said: “I have written to Police Scotland and have received strong commitments that they will facilitate peaceful protest with human rights at the heart of their approach, and it is important that this happens.

“Police officers have a duty to uphold children’s human rights during COP-26, which include the rights to peaceful assembly and association, alongside their rights to expression, participation, information and protection.”

Climate justice has been consistently raised by children and young people as one of their biggest human rights concerns.

Emma, 16, a Young Adviser to the Commissioner, said: “The right to protest is important as it gives people the opportunity to create change. It gives us a voice and the ability to hold institutions accountable for their actions.

“It is one of the only ways young people can be heard and immediately have a connection with one another, creating a sense of unity. It promotes equality and allows for individuals and groups views to have a chance to be recognised.  The information in this guide about our rights to protest is really useful as we make our voices heard at COP-26 and beyond.”

The Commissioner added: “Children have shown incredible leadership on the issue of climate justice and continue to act as human rights defenders for everyone’s rights across Scotland and internationally.

“They have led powerful, peaceful movements in the streets, for example during school strikes, online, and in court. It is essential that children and young people are empowered to participate and engage in their right to peaceful protest.”

The Commissioner’s guide includes rights information and support, in the event of a child under 18 being arrested or detained by police.

Mr Adamson said: “Arresting a child should always be a measure of last resort, however, it may happen, and children need to know their rights if it does. We’ve included information about children’s rights to contact their family, social worker and to speak to a lawyer, to complain and to ask for release. Any child arrested or detained must be treated with human dignity and respect.”  

The Commissioner repeated his call that no child should be punished for taking part in peaceful protests: “There must be no reprisals or sanctions for children who peacefully protest during COP-26 and schools should support children to participate in the opportunities that COP-26 affords them.”

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