Save The Children Scotland has launched “Dropped into a Cave”, a report telling the stories of how families with young children living on low income or experiencing low income for the first time fared in the last year:
‘We listened to parents across Scotland who had received one of the over 1500 Emergency Early Years Grants we issued since April 2020. We heard how the pandemic was a tipping point for many.
‘Now is the time for the newly elected members of the @ScotParl to ensure families on low incomes are prioritised, listened to and involved in decision making as we recover from the pandemic
‘We need commitments now to:
ensure holistic family support for all families, incl. financial, practical & emotional support
protect family incomes while working towards a minimum income standard
opportunities for children to play & build relationships.
The Children’s Commissioners of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have today published a letter they have sent to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions calling for an end to the two-child limit on Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit.
In the letter, the Commissioners state that the policy, which disallows benefits payments to the third and subsequent children born after April 2017 in most circumstances, is ‘a clear breach of children’s human rights’ that “is inconsistent with the commitments made by the UK through the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The UK Parliament’s Work and Pensions Committee will today hear evidence from Bruce Adamson, Children and Young People’s Commissioner for Scotland who will present the collective views of the Commissioners in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, that the efforts of their devolved governments to tackle child poverty are being restricted by UK benefits rules.
He will talk about the impact of current welfare benefits on child poverty in Scotland and explain that even before Covid-19, poverty represented the greatest human rights issues facing children.
Children and Young People’s Commissioner for Scotland, Bruce Adamson, said: “With more than a quarter of a million children affected, poverty is the most significant human rights issue facing children in Scotland.Living in poverty affects every aspect of a child’s life, including their educational attainment and mental and physical health.
“The UK’s approach to poverty was examined in 2019 by the United Nations’ top expert on poverty and human rights who highlighted that it is political decisions by government that are leading to disastrous levels of poverty.
“When Professor Alston came to Scotland to meet with children and their families he heard from them about the serious impact that poverty is having on their human rights. Now after over a year of the Covid-19 pandemic, the situation for children in Scotland has become much worse.”
The open letter from the Commissioners to the Right Honourable Thérèse Coffey, MP states that the two-child limit breaches children’s rights to an adequate standard of living and is contributing to a rising gap in poverty levels between families with three or more children and smaller households.
The Commissioners note that the policy also has disproportionate impacts on social groups where larger families are more common, such as some minority faith and ethnic groups and in Northern Ireland where families are larger than the rest of the UK.
Bruce Adamson added: “The Scottish Government has taken some action to reduce the number of children in poverty including rolling out the Scottish Child Payment during the pandemic, however I remain concerned that children’s rights are continuing to be breached in Scotland by the two-child limit on child tax credit and universal credit. That is why we have taken the step of writing to the UK Government to urge that this policy is reversed.
“We will continue to hold our devolved governments to account in relation to their obligations to respect, protect and fulfil children’s rights, but these governments can only go so far in their efforts to ensure children and their families get the support they are entitled to while this discriminatory policy also remains in force at a UK level.”
The Commissioners conclude their letter by stating that the ‘levelling up’ agenda signalled in the Queen’s Speech earlier this month must start by discontinuing the two-child policy: ‘With the focus in the Queen’s speech in May 2021 on ‘levelling up’, there can be no excuse for continuing to breach children’s rights through this discriminatory policy that will continue to harm and prevent children and families from moving beyond the impact of the global pandemic.’
Davidsons Mains Primary School has been closed due to increasing numbers of Covid cases.
In a statement on the school’s website yesterday, Head Teacher Astrid Gracie told parents and carers:
Dear Families,
Thank you for your support over the past 8 days. Unfortunately, we continue to be notified of new positive cases, affecting more classes in the school. I will be in touch with the families of close contacts in the latest classes affected very soon and provide guidance around isolation dates and PCR testing.
Following further consultation with the Health Protection Team, NHS Lothian & City of Edinburgh Education and Environmental Services we have had to make the difficult decision to return to remote learning for all pupils until the end of this week and close the School and Nursery to all children.
This is because cases are continuing to spread and further steps, including self-isolation of close contacts and closing the school are considered necessary by the Health Protection Team, to reduce the risks of transmission of the virus.
We recognise that this will be very challenging for many families and I can assure you that it is not a decision that has been taken lightly.
Remote Learning Provision
Learning tasks and live classes will take place on TEAMS, as happened during the recent lockdown. Class teachers will post further information on TEAMS. Nursery staff will provide learning at home tasks via Learning Journals for our Nursery children. Should you need to borrow a digital device to access the online content please email or call the school and we will make arrangements for you to collect this tomorrow.
Free School Meal Provision
Pupils in P1-7 (who meet free school meals entitlements) will be able to collect their meal from the main gym hall/dining room door (currently P4/5 entrance). If your child is entitled to free school meals and their class have been asked to isolate, we will contact you to arrange delivery.
Please only attend at the times noted below to allow us to distribute meals safely. You will receive a refund should your child be in P4-7 and you have paid for their meal:
Primary 1 – 3: 11.45-12.00
Primary 4 -7: 12.15-12.30
Hub provision for Key Workers
The return to remote learning is a response to the number of cases in the community and the number of classes and staff self-isolating. We are therefore unable to offer key worker provision.
After School Provision
As a result of the return to remote learning breakfast club and after school provision will not be available this week.
Review of School Closure
We continue to work closely with the Health Protection Team, NHS Lothian, Senior Education Leaders and Environmental Health Services to closely monitor the spread of the virus. Our next review meeting is on Friday 28TH May.
We are committed to re-opening the school as soon as it is considered safe to do so. I will send updated information after the meeting.
PCR testing
We continue to ask that all close contacts and those displaying COVID symptoms take a PCR test. Walk-in test centres are open at Drumbrae and Ainslie Park. A drive-through centre is at the airport. Test results are received fairly quickly, so if you do not hear back within 36 hours please call the NHS to check if the test has been misplaced.
I would like to thank you for your ongoing support throughout this turbulent year. Throughout, we have continued to work in partnership and to look out for all in our community.
I know that if we continue to pull together, to follow FACTS and each play our part in sticking to the guidance, it won’t be long before we can welcome our children back in to the school building.
Edinburgh Leisure is joining forces with city-based charity, NappiRunz, to support families struggling with nappy poverty by offering free swim nappies at four of their swimming venues.
The swim nappies will be available at Edinburgh Leisure’s Gracemount Leisure Centre, Drumbrae Leisure Centre, Ainslie Park Leisure Centre and the Royal Commonwealth Pool. Customers will be able to request a single nappy per child, per visit, no questions asked.
Ed Bethune, Duty Manager at Gracemount Leisure Centre said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Nappirunz in providing free swim nappies to families who might have found the cost of nappies prohibitive to come swimming and get active.
“All a customer needs to do to receive a swim nappy is to ask one of Welcome Hosts at the reception desk in each centre. No questions will be asked by us, other than to check what size the customer needs.”
The scheme will start on Wednesday, 19 May and will be dependent on stock levels. As Nappirunz receive more stock, they will deliver more to the four sites.
Set up in 2015 by Toyin Ware, NappiRunz provides support to families by collecting unused nappies from the local community and donating them to other charities and organisations that support families in need.
Toyin Ware said: “Nappy poverty can have such a huge impact on not just the hygiene and wellbeing needs of the child but for the parent or caregiver too.
“It’s great that another charity, Edinburgh Leisure, can help in our cause by distributing the swim nappies, meaning families will have one less barrier to keeping active.”
Edinburgh Leisure is a charity on a mission to help people lead healthier, happier, more active lives. They run over 50 sport and leisure venues and are committed to creating opportunities for everyone to get active and stay active.
Their Active Communities Programme harnesses the power of physical activity and sport to tackle inequalities and combat the effects of inactivity.
The STV Children’s Appeal has launched a new fundraising campaign focused on supporting the mental health and wellbeing of Scotland’s children and young people, following research that suggests the Covid-19 pandemic will have a damaging long-term impact on young minds.
Glasgow-born Hollywood icon James McAvoy has joined other top Scottish talent – TV presenter Gail Porter, Booker Prize-winning author Douglas Stuart, comedian Janey Godley, Love Island star Laura Anderson and singer-songwriter Joesef – in recording video messages of support for the campaign.
A lockdown survey* highlighted that 67% of young people believe the pandemic will be harmful to their mental health in the long-term.
In response, the STV Children’s Appeal – which was first launched in 2011 – will today begin airing a new TV campaign voiced by long-time trustee Lorraine Kelly, which asks viewers to consider the impact of a year of lockdowns on youth mental health, and donate to support the recovery phase.
The campaign highlights the particularly detrimental impact of the pandemic on the one in four children currently living in poverty in Scotland. Most lifelong mental illness begins in childhood and those living in deprivation are three times more likely to experience it, according to the British Medical Association.
100% of the money raised will be quickly distributed by the STV Children’s Appeal to fund vital counselling sessions and peer support groups in communities right across Scotland. It will also support local projects which give children access to sports, art, music and other means of essential peer-to-peer connection, of which they might otherwise be deprived.
Lorraine Kelly, STV Children’s Appeal Trustee, said: “It’s so important we help to raise funds and awareness of our children’s mental health. They’ve been through such a lot and we need to make sure they are looked after with kindness and compassion.
“I’m always so inspired by the response of the Scottish public who are incredibly generous and I’m sure we will be able to make life so much better for all the children who need that extra support.”
Jacqueline Cassidy, Director (Scotland) at children’s mental health charity and STV Children’s Appeal partner organisation Place2Be, said: “For some young people, this pandemic has been a nightmare. We are seeing increased levels of anxiety and emotional worry within the schools and wider communities in which we work.
“Our evidence shows when young people get the right support at the right time, their school performance improves and so do their life chances. And that stays with them as they grow.
“Thanks to the STV Children’s Appeal, we have been able to provide specialist support for parents and carers in Glasgow, as well as training for youth workers across Scotland to build their skills and confidence in responding to the mental health needs of children and young people.
“We are hugely grateful for STV’s support which means we can reach many more young people across Scotland before it’s too late.”
To donate £10 to the STV Children’s Appeal, text TEN to 70607 (standard network rates apply).
Quarriers has launched its ‘Bring Back Smiles’ appeal to support vulnerable young people and to help them to recover from the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic.
As a leading social care charity, Quarriers already provides vital support for children, families and young people and has launched the fundraising campaign to support over 1000 children across Scotland and to provide positive experiences and resources.
Dr Ron Culley, Chief Executive of Quarriers, said: “For many young people the changes brought by the pandemic have been overwhelming and the world has seemed a scary and unpredictable place.
“Every day our highly experienced staff are seeing children who have high levels of anxiety, low mood, lack of motivation and loss of confidence.
“As restrictions are relaxing, many of us are getting back to the activities that we enjoy. However, poverty, disability and disadvantage will make it too hard for many families to give their children positive experiences over the summer to support their mental health and that is why we have launched the ‘Bring Back Smiles’ appeal.”
Donations can be made at www.quarriers.org.uk/smiles and just £5 could support vulnerable youngsters in the following ways:
Boost independence – help to cover transport costs for teenagers in rural areas to meet up with friends over the summer.
Build confidence – provide funding for a child to take part in an activity they have never done before such as paddle boarding.
Lift spirits – help to fund safety equipment to help youngsters have fun, such as a bike helmet.
Quarriers provide essential support across Scotland through their work with young carers, children with complex needs and young people who are in care or have experience of care, and families coping with poverty.
Quarriers also provides mental health support through school-based services and they have first-hand experience of the help children need to move on from the difficulties of recent times.
Beautiful little girl in a blue dress eating an ice cream.
Christine Dow, Project Worker, Quarriers Let’s Talk Service, said: “COVID has changed the experience our children have had of childhood, and we don’t know the long-term impact this will have on our youngster’s development.
“But what we do know is that we are seeing a huge effect on their mental health right now and we want to help them. Throughout the pandemic, Quarriers frontline workers have kept support going and by using video calls, telephone calls or sometimes just texting we have learned that many of the children we support are anxious.
“Some children can’t stop thinking about the dangers of the virus and some feel frightened of the outside world or find going outside stressful. Lockdown saw family routines break down, sleeping patterns disrupted and appetites affected. Some children have experienced low moods and lack of motivation whilst others have experienced panic attacks.
“We know mental health services have seen a huge increase in referrals and supporting our young people at this crucial time is vital. We hope to help as many youngsters as possible across Scotland through the Quarriers Children’s Fund.”
All of our grounds, shop, takeaway coffee Kiosk, and restaurant The Lookout will also be open so make some plans and let us welcome you back to Calton Hill. Opening hours are 10am-4pm Thurs-Sun throughout May, and 10am-5pm Tues-Sun from 1 June.
Collective’s events programme also resumes this month.
We’re really looking forward to fully opening our doors to visitors again.
Social distancing measures will be in place to keep you safe – if you have any concerns or questions about visiting Collective drop us a line at mail@collective-edinburgh.art
· This is the first time MRI-guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) will be available in Scotland
· The surgery is currently only available at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London or in Houston, Texas
· The current surgery choice in Edinburgh is open brain surgery, which is around seven hours and leaves an ear to ear scar. LITT will reduce this to two hours and is much less invasive
· Children and young people who will be referred for this surgery have refractory (medication resistant) epilepsy and can have up to 100 ‘drop down’ seizures a day
· In appropriately selected cases, LITT surgery can stop seizures entirely and cure the child’s epilepsy
Children and young people living with severe epilepsy in Scotland will have the life-changing chance to be seizure free, thanks to the funding of a world class laser coming to Edinburgh’s new children’s hospital.
A partnership between the Welch Trust, Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC) and NHS Lothian is bringing MRI-guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) for Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) – the first time this laser technology will be available in Scotland.
LITT is a new and proven, minimally invasive treatment which uses a laser to remove brain tissue that is causing seizures. Children and young people who will be referred for laser surgery are diagnosed with refractory (medication resistant) epilepsy; they may experience severe and frequent ‘drop down’ seizures, up to 100 in one day. In appropriately selected cases, laser surgery can stop seizures entirely and cure the child’s epilepsy.
LITT surgery treatment is currently only available at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and in Houston, Texas. The laser equipment will be part of the Scottish National Paediatric Epilepsy Surgery Service, based at the RHCYP in Edinburgh, meaning children will come to the capital from all over Scotland to have the surgery.
The current surgery choice practiced in Edinburgh is open brain surgery, which lasts around seven hours, has a longer recovery time and results in a scar across the top of the child’s head.
The LITT precision technology will reduce this surgery time to around two hours, is much less invasive and has a shorter recovery time. It is expected that up to six children a year could benefit from the laser surgery, aged from infants to adolescents, with a similar number of adults also benefitting annually.
Following a request from the National Epilepsy Surgery Service to ECHC to support this initiative, the charity identified the Welch Trust as the ideal funder and agreed a partnership to make this project a reality.
Victoria Welch, Trustee of the Welch Trust, said: “We are very proud to be able to gift this LITT technology to the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People. As a Paediatric Nurse, I understand the importance of having the best equipment in the hospital to expedite the curing of patients with complicated conditions and ultimately save lives.
“When we were made aware of this need, we didn’t have to think too long about it. Our focus continues to be to invest in high impact programmes that save lives or significantly improve the quality of life for very sick or terminally ill children. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity and expanding our support across other areas of critical care.”
Roslyn Neely, CEO of Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “With the new children’s hospital now open, we are thrilled to have partnered with the Welch Trust to bring the world-class LITT equipment to Scotland for the first time.
“It is always very satisfying for us to be able to join with another funder who have a similar desire to support the hospital with projects that will transform children’s health.
“Having the laser surgery available in Edinburgh gives families more choice in their place of care and means they will no longer need to endure the financial and emotional cost of national or international travel and separation at a very stressful time. It will also place Edinburgh and NHS Lothian on the map as a world-leading provider of epilepsy surgery and treatment.”
Dr Edward Doyle, Associate Medical Director, Women and Children’s Services, NHS Lothian said: “Across NHS Lothian, we continually look at new and emerging technology and treatments to see how they could benefit our patients.
“We are delighted that through the support of both the Welch Trust and Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, we will be the first in Scotland and only the second location in the whole of the UK to offer LITT surgery.
“Severe epilepsy can be very difficult to live with and puts an enormous strain on families. Having a world-class cutting edge treatment option available here in Lothian, which is both less invasive and which reduces recovery time, will make a huge difference to lives of children and their families across Scotland.
“This treatment really does have the potential to transform lives and our teams at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People are delighted that they will soon be able to offer it as a treatment option.”
The new laser equipment is compatible with the intra-operative MRI suite at the RHCYP. It is expected to arrive in summer 2021, followed by a period of intensive training prior to the first surgery taking place.
New research reveals nearly two thirds (67%) of people in Scotland support car-free zones outside schools to help more families walk to school.
It comes ahead of Living Streets’ Walk to School Week (17-21 May) when thousands of children will take to their feet for the journey to school.
New research reveals the majority of people in Scotland are in favour of measures to make it easier for families to walk to school.
Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking carried out the research ahead of national Walk to School Week (17 – 21 May 2021).
The YouGov poll found that nearly two thirds of people in Scotland (67%) support car-free zones outside schools, with support also for safer crossings (57%), a ban on pavement parking (55%) and lower speed limits (47%).
One in four cars on Britain’s roads at peak times are on the school run, generating half a million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. The charity is urging families to leave the car at home for the journey to school and is urging local authorities to make it easier for families to choose cleaner, sustainable travel.
Mary Creagh, Chief Executive, Living Streets said:“We’ve seen the huge improvements on offer to health and air quality when we drive less and walk more. We need to ensure families feel safe and confident to walk to school so we can keep enjoying these benefits.
“We work in over 2,000 schools across the UK and parents tell us they are put off walking because of speeding vehicles, unsafe crossings and cars parked on pavements. By making school streets car free, we remove those barriers – and our new research shows that most people back these changes.
“We want at least one School Street – closed to traffic at drop off and pick up times – in every ward to help more families enjoy the fresh air, freedom, friendship and fun that walking to school brings.”
Thousands of children across the UK will celebrate the benefits of walking during Walk to School Week (17 – 21 May 2021).
Walk to School Week is organised by Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking as part of their National Walking Month campaign each May.
Families will be encouraged to walk, cycle, scoot or ‘Park and Stride’ for the whole week to see the big differences that come from small steps, from healthier and happier children to fewer cars outside the school gates.
EDINBURGH NURSERY GOES VEGGIE FOR NATIONAL VEGETARIAN WEEK
The Murrayfield Nursery in Edinburgh is serving up an entirely vegetarian menu to children this week, as part of National Vegetarian Week celebrations.
The Nursery has incorporated a range of enticing vegetarian meals in place of its usual rolling spring/summer menu for children to experience and enjoy each day.
Alongside the change in menu, children will also explore a variety of vegetables as part of their opportunities to learn through play at the Nursery.
Nursery Manager Rhonda Houston said: “We’re pleased to be offering a healthy, nutritious meat-free menu to all of our children this week as part of National Vegetarian Week.
“We’re always promoting the benefits of a healthy, balanced diet, and sharing information about where our food comes from – and this was another fun opportunity in which to do so.
“We already offer a vegetarian/vegan option as part of our seasonal menus at The Murrayfield, but it will be nice to introduce all of our children to new tastes, textures and flavours, which we can all share in together.”
The Murrayfield Nursery provides inspiring environments to children aged 12 weeks to five years and is part of the independent CC Nurseries group, which already provides inspirational Early Childhood Learning and Care for over 600 families in settings across England and Scotland.
