Tag: Children and Families

180 children protected from online abuse

One hundred offenders have been arrested in the past six months and 180 children have been protected as a result of Police Scotland investigations into online child abuse.

Officers from Police Scotland’s Internet Investigations Unit have prepared over 350 National Online Child Abuse Prevention (NOCAP) packages since January.

NOCAP packages provide intelligence and evidence which underpins investigations carried out by both Police Scotland’s National Child Abuse Investigations Unit and local policing divisions to identify and apprehend online child abusers.

Assistant Chief Constable Duncan Sloan, Major Crime and Public Protection lead for Police Scotland, said: “Online child sexual abuse is a national threat with advancements in technology, online functions and platforms giving predators ever evolving opportunity to target children. “Behind every downloaded image, every attempt to groom or to extort, is a child being victimised by a faceless predator.

“As today’s figures show, predators are not anonymous. Every action leaves a trace, and we will work with our partners, nationally and internationally, to track you down.“You will be caught and you risk losing everything.

“Tackling online child abuse is a priority. We draw on specialist resources from across our organisation to gather intelligence, to carry out digital forensic examinations and to support our investigations.

“And we will continue to improve our response: investing resources, using the latest technologies and taking action to identify and apprehend those who pose a threat to our children.”

Police Scotland works with a wide range of partners, nationally and internationally, and from all sectors including law enforcement agencies, internet service providers and third sector organisations, to identify perpetrators, to tackle the threat and to build safer online communities.

LOVE Care expands into child residential care

A leading Scottish care provider has expanded into residential care after acquiring a new home in Airdrie, where it will offer residential care services for children.

The house is currently awaiting the green light from the Care Inspectorate to be used as a residential home.

Based in Hamilton but active across Scotland, LOVE Care have been offering a wide range of professional care and respite services, tailored to individual needs and undertaken by highly trained carers.

This step into residential care comes after a continuous expansion of LOVE Care’s service portfolio during last year amid the growing demand of their provision in Scotland.

LOVE Care aims to provide 24/7 tailored care services to kids with social, emotional and behavioural needs for whom residential care is the only option.

As part of SQA accredited learning and training centre LOVE Group, the care provider will complement its residential services with educational support in line with the services that it already provides in local authorities including South Lanarkshire, Glasgow, Stirling and Edinburgh. It will also offer holistic therapy and wellbeing services to those in the home.

LOVE Care has previously been vocal about the need to improve the care sector standards in Scotland and ensure that not only the services offered are up to the highest standards but that carers themselves receive high levels of training and fair wages.

As such, LOVE Care train their staff following a unique hybrid model where workers are not only trained in residential childcare but also put through Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) accredited training in education delivery, providing them a greater level of formation to interact with children.

LOVE Care is a national living wage employer and facilitate internal routes to additional training and promotion within the organisation and the overall sector, making the prospect of a career in the care sector more attractive to possible applicants.

Lynn Bell, CEO of LOVE Care (pictured) commented: “We are delighted to expand our services into residential care. This will allow us to be providers of every tier of care services to vulnerable children in our country.

“Our aim as a social business is to bring love and support into children’s care services, ensuring that no matter what their background is, our children will be given the best possible start in life.

“We offer unique family support plans for children in our residential homes as well as a range of resilient support plans to enable their future success through a number intensive and holistic therapy and wellbeing services.

“We strongly believe in the need to improve the care standards of Scotland and urge all providers to raise their game and look at solutions to create a sustainable and successful care sector.

“As an example, the career pathway we provide through training supports individuals gain the qualifications to move through the ranks of the care sector and help establish this as a career of choice, helping to improve people’s lives.”

Concerns over playpark openings

Jon Dalton, Board Member of the The Register of Play Inspectors International (RPII), said: “While we are pleased that the Scottish Government have announced the date for the re-opening of outdoor playgrounds in Scotland on Monday (29th June), we are aware that some owners and operators of playground facilities have halted safety inspections of playgrounds altogether during the lockdown period.

“The Register of Play Inspectors International (RPII) is calling for all playground owners in Scotland to make sure they have carried out an in-depth inspection prior to the re-opening of any facility and ensure that all inspection schedules are brought fully up to date.

“The RPII is expecting playgrounds to be very heavily used during the Scottish summer holidays and the eagerness of the public to start using them again, so it is vital that playgrounds are thoroughly inspected to ensure a satisfactory level of safety is in place.

“Owners and operators of playground facilities also have a responsibility to open playgrounds safely and remove any temporary barriers that may have been put up during lockdown which may also be hazardous.”

The RPII is providing the following guidance for families that plan to visit a playground safely:

1.     If the playground facility you visit has not yet officially been opened, please do not attempt to use, or access the equipment or area.

2.     Do not remove any temporary barriers to the playground or plastic fencing or unravel any swing seats or cables that may have been secured to put them out of use – this must be done safely by the owner or operator of the facility.

3.     Follow the current social distance guidelines when visiting and encourage your children to do the same.

4.     If the playground is busy, consider coming back at a later time. Talk to your children about this possibility before visiting.

5.     Wash your and your children’s  hands before and after visiting. Take hand sanitiser with you and consider taking a bottle of water for if your children’s hands get covered in mud. Ensure your children are using hand sanitiser frequently.

6.     Follow and adhere to all current government advice in addition to the above guidance.

Keep Scotland Beautiful launches new online summer education programme

Environmental charity, Keep Scotland Beautiful, launches new online summer education programme.

Ten brand new interactive online learning courses will be available for young people across Scotland during the month of July. These exciting new online learning programmes have been developed to provide a fun and enjoyable way for young people to continue their environmental learning during the summer holidays.

The courses cover a range of topics and environmental activities which encourage young people and families to explore the world around them and to think how to protect and improve the places they love. Included are courses on Eco-Schools, heritage, food and the environment and climate change, as well as other environmental topics.

Each course consists of a combination of online learning and practical, fun activities, and all those who complete a course will be rewarded with a certificate of involvement.

Registration is now open for each course and the full list, more information and details about how to take part, can be found at: https://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/learning

Daniel Barrie, Education and Learning Manager, said: “Following the huge demand for our online environmental education programme during lockdown from both educators and young people, we have developed a series of exciting and interactive courses for children to take part in during the summer holidays.

“These courses will provide a fun and engaging way for young people and their families to explore some important environmental issues, such as climate change and sustainable food, and the work completed can contribute towards their school’s next Eco-Schools Green Flag award. We have something exciting available for all ages – from nursery through to S6.”

As well as the online summer courses, Keep Scotland Beautiful will also be providing environmental education support to educators once blended learning begins in August. This will build on the existing partnership with E-Sgoil and will include a range of online learning activities for pupils coupled with professional learning for staff.

Pupils being driven to school at the highest recorded levels

Edinburgh: Cycling at highest recorded levels (was 4.5% in 2010, is 7.0% in 2019). Has more than doubled since the first survey in 2008, in which it was 3.3%

The percentage of pupils travelling to school by car reached its highest ever recorded level in 2019, according to new data released by Sustrans Scotland.

More than a quarter of pupils said they used private motorised transport to get to school each day, with 23.8% reporting they arrived by car – the highest level since the survey began in 2008.

And, despite remaining the most frequently reported mode of travel to school in Scotland, active travel fell to its lowest recorded level over the same period. Of the 47.8% of pupils who reported travelling actively to school, 41.0% walked, 4.1% cycled and 2.7% scootered or skated.

Cycling to school is at its highest recorded level, whereas walking to school is at its lowest recorded level.

The findings form part of the annual Hands Up Scotland Survey, an official statistic in Scotland. Funded by Transport Scotland, the survey was carried out in September 2019 by Sustrans Scotland in partnership with all 32 Scottish local authorities. 78.9% of all state schools in Scotland (excluding nurseries) took part in this year’s survey.

Bus use also continues to decline from 18.2% in 2010 to the lowest recorded level of 16.0% in 2019, whilst the percentage of pupils travelling to school by park and stride (driven part of the way and walk the rest) increased to a high of 10.2%.

The findings also reveal a difference in active travel between independent and state schools. 44.5% of pupils from independent schools are driven to school whereas 23.6% of state school pupils are driven.

Commenting on the findings Sustrans Scotland’s National Director John Lauder said: “We want to thank all the schools who took part in the 2019 Hands Up Scotland Survey.

“The report is an incredibly useful indicator of trends in how children travel to school. Helping schools, local authorities and partners identify what needs to be improved to help more children travel actively every day.

“What we have seen during lockdown, with fewer cars on the road, is that people will change their behaviour if they feel their streets are safer.

“Travel patterns will have inevitably changed as a result of lockdown. It is important we make it easier and safer for children, parents and teachers to travel in an active and sustainable way.

“Our streets cannot afford more congestion and air pollution and our children cannot afford more inactivity after months of homeschooling. Let’s bring back something better.

“We need to make it easier and safer for children, parents and teachers to travel in an active and sustainable way, once schools re-open in August.

“Only then will we be able to ensure that walking, cycling and scooting is seen as a viable alternative to the private car.”

Letter: Support for Fathers

Dear Editor,

Looking after a child can be a challenge for all parents at times but even more so in the current situation with measures put in place to contain the Coronavirus.

The lack of respite from children’s needs or relationship strains will be taking their toll on many parents; some will have lost their jobs and be experiencing financial difficulties and there will be those who have suffered illness and bereavement.

These pressures and anxieties will be intensified by the fact that families are having to cope without access to their usual support networks.

This month, as we mark Father’s Day and International Father’s Mental Health Day, we want to send a message to dads that there is help out there and, if you are finding things difficult or you feel you are struggling to cope, it is so important that you reach out for support. Looking after your mental health is vital for your own wellbeing, as well as your child’s.

Earlier this year, NSPCC Scotland teamed up with the Edinburgh Child Protection Committee to launch the All of Us campaign to let families know where and how they can get advice and support.

The different organisations involved in the campaign are working together to gain insight into how they can best support families and protect children across Edinburgh.

Our NSPCC Helpline counsellors are here for fathers whatever their worry. For parenting advice and support contact the helpline at help@nspcc.org.uk or on 0808 800 5000, weekdays 8am to 10pm and weekends 9am to 6pm.

To find out more about the campaign and about available local support visit www.edinburgh.gov.uk/allofus

CARLA MALSEED, 

NSPCC Scotland campaigns manager,

on behalf of the All of Us campaign being run with Edinburgh Child Protection Committee

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Dads Rock all set to celebrate Father’s Day

It’s here! The full list of everything that’s happening on Father’s Day!

We’ve got some great free fun for all the family. For kids aged 0 up! Ballet, Cooking, Dads massage, Drawing, Face painting, First aid, Junk play, Messy Play, Music, Stories and Songs and Yoga!

You need to sign up for activities, and can do so following this link: https://www.dadsrock.org.uk/fathers-day-2020

Step Up and Speak Out For Children plan Father’s Day protest

A newly-formed campaign group is to hold a protest outside the Scottish Parliament tomorrow to highlight their campaign for equal parental custody.

The Step Up & Speak Out for Children event at Holyrood will take place from 10am – 1pm:

Dear Editor

We are a new campaign group aiming to change the Children Act 1989. We have recently discovered that non-residing parents are being consistently let down by the current family law system.

Parents are still using their children as a way of revenge for the breakdown of their relationship and are getting away with it. I, myself was a child victim of the system 30 years ago. And not one thing has improved.

60% of women have admitted to obstructing contact between a child and their father.

Over 1 million children in the UK have zero contact with their father.

Only 21% of child arrangement court orders award joint custody.

Women fight every day for equal rights and opportunities, me being one of them.

However, they still want to hold power over men using dirty tactics and playing God with their children’s lives. We can’t have it all ways.

There has been a significant rise in mothers and fathers violating court orders since the lockdown began. Even though government legislation states that contact can be maintained. By the time the family courts get around to enforcing these orders, lockdown will be over. That is months of love and support lost for a child who needs both parents in their lives.

Women are being encouraged by lawyers to lie in court about domestic abuse so they receive legal aid. This in turn, is preventing the child access to their loving parent for months, sometimes years before the matter is resolved by a judge.

We are fighting to make shared custody mandatory in the breakdown of a relationship, proving that the non-residing parent has parental responsibility to said child.

We are holding a protest this Fathers Day outside the Scottish Parliament Building in unison for all the fathers who are being held hostage by the system and cannot be with their children on Sunday.

It is time that this issue is brought back into the forefront of peoples minds. We need to stand up for our children.

Thank you for reading.

Kindest Regards

Stacey Menelaws,

Step Up & Speak Out For Children

 

Pre-virus Walk to School rates plummet in Scotland

Living Streets Scotland, part of the UK charity for everyday walking, is calling for street improvements around schools ahead of them reopening to avoid gridlock and promote a green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.   

It comes after new data reveals record lows in the number of children walking to school pre-lockdown.

The Hands Up survey – published today but conducted in September 2019 – shows that just 41 per cent of primary school aged children were walking to school before the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak – the LOWEST recorded level – whilst pupils being driven to school was at its HIGHEST recorded level since the survey began at 23.8 per cent.

Living Streets, the UK walking charity behind the biggest walk to school campaign, wants more local authorities to use available funding to implement measures to make walking to school more attractive, including 20mph limits, safer crossings and School Streets – which see cars banned from outside school gates at peak drop off and pick up times.

Stuart Hay, Director of Living Streets Scotland, said:  “These results are incredibly disappointing and shows that there is a lot of work to be done to make walking to school a viable option for families across Scotland. 

“We know from our work with schools across Scotland that families are put off walking to school by traffic, road danger and air pollution. By removing cars, we remove these barriers.

“When pupils start to return, it’s crucial that our roads aren’t gridlocked and our schools surrounded by dirty air. And by giving space to people – not cars – we can ensure families can physically distance at pick up and drop off.

“School Streets have been successfully implemented by many Scottish local authorities and we want to see others using the funding made available during the pandemic to follow their lead. We need to come out of this crisis stronger than before and we won’t do that by replacing it with crises around inactivity, air pollution and road danger.”

Living Streets Scotland runs WOW – the year-round walk to school challenge in 22 Scottish local authorities. On average, schools which take part in WOW see a 23 per cent increase in the number of children walking to school and a 30 per cent decrease in the number of cars driving up to the school gates.

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