AS coronavirus restrictions tighten, charity Children 1st is making sure that parents and carers can always get the support they need through their Parentline service.
Children 1st Parentline helps families with emotional, financial and practical support, over the phone and online. Throughout the pandemic Children 1st have helped families come together, deal with stress and cope through the continued changes to everyday life.
Families can also be put in touch with Children 1st Money Advisors, who help parents and carers deal with money worries and take control of their finances.
Mary Glasgow, Chief Executive, Children 1st said: “Parents and carers are telling us that they feel like they’re at the end of their tether. After so long living with restrictions, they’re exhausted. Many families are struggling to make ends meet and are looking for support to keep the lights on and put food on the table.
“We want families to know they don’t need to go through this alone. Children 1st Parentline is here. Our staff and volunteers give confidential, non-judgemental support over the phone or online. You can call free on 08000 28 22 33 or start a webchat at children1st.org.uk/parentline”
One parent who reached out to Parentline said: “I would have been in a totally different place if it hadn’t been for these conversations.
“No one seems to be there to support the people who are supporting the children. I was really struggling. It’s fine talking to friends and family, but they aren’t in your shoes.”
Another parent said: “It feels really good just to be heard and not feel judged.”
Children 1st Parentline is open seven days a week, from 9am-9pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 12 midday Saturday and Sunday.
If your family are struggling get in touch by calling free on 08000 28 22 33 or visit children1st.org.uk/parentline to start a webchat.
How to help your child find emotional intelligence
The global pandemic and lockdowns on top of all the usual life challenges can affect children just as much as adults. To mark World Mental Health Day on 10 October, former primary school teacher CATHERINE LYNCH of education resources experts PlanBeeprovides six stepping stones, and free downloadable resources, to help parents support youngsters to develop good mental health:
Name emotions and feelings
Until someone has the vocabulary associated with emotions and feelings, they will not be able to explain how they feel or identify how others are feeling. Name emotions when your child experiences them, it might feel like you are stating the obvious, but you are giving your child an important tool to becoming emotionally intelligent.
Explain the physical sensations linked to emotions and feelings
Help children to recognise how different emotions present in their bodies. Do they normally feel a bit sick when they are anxious? Do their shoulders feel tight when they are stressed? Do they become very busy when they are avoiding something? By helping them notice these physical representations of emotions they will begin to recognise when they are starting to feel something and might be able to react before their brains get flooded with the stress hormone cortisol.
Understand when and why a feeling or emotion is felt
The better children become at naming and spotting their emotions the easier it will become for them to notice the triggers for their emotions. If they always get a knot in their stomach on the way to school and know it is because they feel anxious you can start to explore where the anxiety comes from. Are they worried about the moment of goodbye, is it walking into a formed group of people or is it something else? By pinpointing the cause of the feeling, you and your child will be able to understand it better.
When you and your child are able to notice, name and understand the source of a feeling or emotion you can begin to work out ways to help them regulate. Is a big calming and focusing breath needed? Or maybe a few star jumps? There isn’t one route to regulating the child’s emotions, what works best for your child will be something you need to figure out together.
Rules that maintain safety should be non-negotiable. These will vary depending on the age and developmental stage of a child. When a child is feeling a big emotion, their brain will not be working in the same way it does when the child is calm. Expectations and language may need to be adjusted to help the child stay safe. Rather than seeing a rule as something that a child should be punished for breaking, work with your child to help them succeed in staying safe and maintaining the boundary.
Relate with your child
Once they have calmed down and are able to listen, empathise with your child. Talk to them about a time you felt the same way and what happened. This will help them to understand their own feelings and feel like you understand and care about them.
“I am wondering if you are excited about seeing your friend.”
“Take a deep breath with me.”
“I can see you are finding it tricky to stay close by. Hold my hand as we cross the road to keep us safe.”
“One time I was so excited I had so much energy that I thought I might be able to fly.”
Angry
“I can see you are really angry.”
“Your face is scrunched up and your fists are clenched.”
“I am wondering if you are angry because someone didn’t let you play.”
“Take a deep breath with me.”
“I cannot let you hit me. If you need to get your angry out try hitting this cushion or blowing away the clouds in the sky.”
“Once I was so angry I wanted to throw everything I could see but your grandad helped me calm down by giving me play dough to squeeze.”
Sad
“I can see you are really sad.”
“Your eyes are hidden and your shoulders are hunched.”
“I am wondering if you are sad because it is time to leave.”
“Would you like a hug?”
“It is ok to feel sad. We need to go home now to have dinner.”
“I sometimes feel really sad about things ending too. Shall we make a plan to come back here again?”
As the saying goes, you can’t pour from an empty cup, so make sure you are getting the support you need to help you support the people around you.
Catherine Lynch is an experienced teacher, play therapist and senior manager at PlanBee, which creates teaching resources for primary school aged children (aged five-11). The resources have been created to meet the English National Curriculum objectives.
As leisure venues start to adapt to the new norm, Edinburgh Leisure has introduced new Family Swim sessions at their five pools that are open, in a bid to offer activities for all ages and stages.
The Family Swim sessions will be available to book at Ainslie Park Leisure Centre, Drumbrae Leisure Centre, The Royal Commonwealth Pool, Gracemount Leisure Centre and Leith Victoria Swim Centre.
To enable customers to safely enjoy the benefits of family swimming, the pool will be sectioned off into ‘pods’, with each family having their own private area. Each pod will cost from £9.60 – £12, depending on type of membership held.
Members can book eight days in advance or seven days for non-members, with sessions starting from Saturday, 17 October 2020. Booking is now live to members and non-members can book from 9pm tonight (Friday, 9th October).
Customers will be able to book a 40-minute session with a maximum of five people, from the same household bubble. However, customers will need to stick to the existing adult: child ratios*.
This will allow flexibility for how customers use the space – e.g. children from 9-12 years who do not need to socially distance, can book to attend with their friends if they wish. During any one sessions, there will be between three to eight pods to book.
Angela McCowan, Swim Development Officer at Edinburgh Leisure said: “We are delighted to be welcoming families back to our pools. We know how popular previous family swim sessions have been so opening up our pools to families in time for the October holidays, will mean that more people, of all ages and stages, can continue to get active with Edinburgh Leisure.
”Things may be a little different than before but we have everything in place to keep families safe and most importantly, enjoy making a splash with us.”
Following guidance from Scottish Swimming and from Edinburgh Leisure’s Health and Compliance Manager, Edinburgh Leisure has introduced the following guidelines to keep everyone safe:
All Family Swim Sessions must be pre-booked online or via the Edinburgh Leisure app. To book a session, an Edinburgh Leisure account is required. (This will be in place if a person is an Edinburgh Leisure customer of hold a discount or loyalty card). For customers who do not have an account, one can easily be created by visiting the Edinburgh Leisure website.
Customers are encouraged to arrive ‘beach-ready’, wearing their swimwear underneath their clothes to minimise time spent in changing areas. Lockers will be available for customer use but customers should bring their own token. (These are also available to buy at reception with cashless payment.)
Customers will be asked to follow the COVID-19 guidance, and maintain physical distancing, sanitising hands before and after each session, and following any signage guidance around the venue. Masks are mandatory when moving around public places, unless exempt due to age or health conditions.
Customers are asked to arrive only 5 minutes before their swim time. Any earlier, they will be asked to wait outside the venue, physically distanced in their groups.
No toys or equipment will be provided or loaned by Edinburgh Leisure. However, customers will be allowed to bring their own toys with them to the session, including floats, sinkers, armbands – but they must be washed before entering the pool. Large inflatables are not allowed. There will also be items available to purchase, using cashless payment only.
Once a family session has finished, customers will be asked to exit the pool safely and ensure they maintain distancing from other family groups. Although showers will be available to rinse off after the session, the use of soaps, shampoos and conditioners is discouraged. This is to maintain physical distancing. Hairdryers and costumer drying will not be available.
Customers or any family group/household displaying symptoms of COVID-19 are asked not to book or to cancel any pre-booked sessions.
The number of adults allowed to attend parent and baby groups has been increased, subject to certain conditions, following the publication of updated public health advice.
When all children in a group are less than 12 months old, and other health and safety criteria are met, groups will now allow up to ten adults to be present at one time. Where children are over 12 months, the maximum number of adults allowed will remain five.
Announcing the updated guidance, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “We understand the vital importance of parent and baby groups, especially for supporting mental health and wellbeing in the early months after having a baby. That is particularly important just now, as we know the pandemic has the potential to increase stress and anxiety for new mothers.
“We are also, however, trying to keep an extremely infectious virus from spreading and protect the health of families and the wider community.
“I hope that this updated guidance will help us to strike the correct balance. No one wants restrictions in place a moment longer than needed, but until then we are all having to accept circumstances that we would not normally ever want to.”
Subject to content of the guidance and the following conditions being met, the maximum number of adults who can attend has been set to 10:
o where all children in the group are less than 12 months old
o where the space allows for appropriate physical distancing
o where face coverings must be worn at all times by anyone, except when sitting down
o where the service provider meets all the health and safety criteria and can comply with any specific conditions set out by the venue provider at all times
o where the duration of the activity is kept to a minimum and other blended delivery options are considered including use of outside space and digital delivery
o where group attendees and facilitators, as far as possible, are kept consistent and do not change regularly
Scotland must show “bolder ambition” if it is to meet targets for tackling child poverty, a new report by the Joesph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has warned.
Over one million Scots – one in six people – are living ‘precarious and insecure’ lives, according to JRF’s latest Poverty in Scotland annual report – and the situation is likely to become even more critical with the ongoing cornavirus and the imminent end of the furlough scheme this month.
Child poverty now stands at 24% – almost one in four of our children now lives in poverty. The Scottish Government’s target is to reduce this figure to 18% or less by 2023 – 24 -but unless there is radical action this target is unlikely to be met.
JRF’s associate director for Scotland Jim McCormick, who also chaired Edinburgh’s Poverty Commission, said we are at a “crucial moment”.
“The decisions we make will determine whether we reach our ambitious child poverty targets by the middle of the next parliament,” he said. “As the shape of our economy changes, it is vital to do all we can to protect people’s jobs, homes and living standards, so more families are not pulled into poverty.”
The JRF report calls on the Scottish Government to be more ambitious.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said the government is ‘absolutely committed’ to tackling child poverty and said initiatives including Scottish Child Payments, Best Start Grants and Best Start Foods are evidence of this. The spokesperson called for the UK Government to match Scotland’s ambition.
New legislation to improve the benefits system to help those who need it most has been unanimously passed by the Scottish Parliament.
The Social Security Administration and Tribunal Membership (Scotland) Bill supports the delivery of the new Scottish Child Payment, to provide low-income families with an additional £10 per week, initially for each child aged under six.
The Payment, together with Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods, will provide over £5,200 of financial support for families by the time their first child turns six. For second and subsequent children this will provide over £4,900.
Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “When I brought this Bill forward, the driving force was to have the Scottish Child Payment in place as soon as possible to make an impact on child poverty.
“I am pleased and proud that, in the teeth of a global pandemic, the Scottish Child Payment will open for applications in November with first payments to start from February 2021. Vitally the bill passed today ensures that the Payment will be up-rated every year in line with inflation, from April 2022 onwards.
“This Bill also ensures that there is a duty to inform people of their potential eligibility for benefits such as our Child Payment. Promoting the take-up of Scotland’s social security benefits is a major part of our strategy to make sure people access the financial assistance they are entitled to.”
The Social Security Administration and Tribunal Membership (Scotland) Bill makes a number of improvements to the social security system, and expands the range of judges allowed to sit on Scottish Tribunals.
It allows Ministers to appoint a person to receive benefit payments on someone else’s behalf if the claimant is a child or – in the case of an adult – if the claimant agrees to the appointment.
The Bill also allows appropriately qualified medical professionals other than just doctors to confirm that a person is terminally ill for the purpose of ‘fast tracking’ their benefit claim. The first benefit to which this will apply is the Child Disability Payment.
The Bill applies the rules for dealing with fraud consistently across different kinds of social security.
The Scottish Fiscal Commission estimates that the Scottish Child Payment could support up to 194,000 children this year. This number has increased by 14 per cent since the Scottish Government released forecasts in June 2019, largely due to the increased Universal Credit caseload as a result of COVID-19.
Initially introduced for children under six, the Payment will be rolled out to under 16 year olds, eventually helping up to 499,000 eligible children.
The lives of some of the UK’s most vulnerable children are being devastated by a string of missed opportunities to provide them with timely and adequate support, a new report reveals today.
The Adoption Barometer, published by charity Adoption UK, also describes the dramatic impact the right support can have. Now in its second year, the Barometer is based on the biggest ever survey of adopters. This year, 5,000 people responded to the survey.
One of the main themes to emerge is the failure in diagnosing and treating brain damage caused by children being exposed to alcohol in the womb. The report reveals more than one in three adopted children in Scotland (35%) are either diagnosed with or suspected to have Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).
Almost two thirds (63%) of families polled in Scotland had waited two years or longer for a diagnosis, and more than half (53%) felt healthcare professionals lacked even basic knowledge about the condition, even though FASD is more common in the general population than autism.
Adoptive mother Gemma (below) said: “When Isabelle came to us at eight months-old she was described as a perfect baby. At two and a half she started headbutting, kicking and biting. Then she became obsessed with sharp knives.
“She told me she wanted to ‘cut me open and see me bleed’. We went to countless GPs, health visitors and social workers but we got nowhere. We finally got a diagnosis of FASD when she was four years old. It has made a huge difference to the support we’ve been able to access.”
Scotland is leading the field in the UK, as the first nation to establish an FASD diagnostic pathway. In 2019 the Scottish Government backed Adoption UK in Scotland to launch FASD Hub Scotland, supporting all parents and carers of people who were, or may have been, exposed to alcohol during pregnancy, including Gemma and her family.
The service includes a helpline, online support communities, one to one support, access to enhanced therapeutic support, training and information, as well as training and resources for professionals.
FASD Hub Scotland Project Manager, Aliy Brown, says: “During the month of September (FASD Month) we have been working closely with professionals within Scotland, other parts of the UK and further afield to drive the campaign around the need for awareness of FASD, both for prevention as well as support for families, which is so badly needed, as evidenced in the report.
“We are committed to doing everything we can to see the condition recognised in the same way the other neuro-diverse conditions are, and enable both individuals and their families to access early diagnosis, support and intervention to promote positive outcomes for life.”
Around three-quarters of adopted children experienced violence, abuse or neglect while living with their birth families, often with life-long impacts on their relationships, their health and their ability to learn. Despite the considerable challenges, the report shows that adopters remain positive and resilient – 73% of respondents in Scotland would encourage others to consider adoption.
But failures in policy and practice and missed opportunities to intervene mean that problems often build into a crisis. Almost half (48%) of families with older children report severe challenges, such as being drawn into criminally exploitative behaviour, including child sexual exploitation and county lines activities.
Almost two thirds (62%) of respondents from Scotland with secondary aged children anticipate they will leave school with few or no qualifications because they lacked the right support.
Director of Adoption UK Scotland, Fiona Aitken, said: “It is crucial that adoptive families are given the right support from day one, from both a moral and economic perspective.
“The survey shows 68% of adoptive families had no support plan in place, which we know can lead to crisis situations. The cost of a family breakdown is too high for all involved, particularly the children who have already experienced so much.”
The Adoption Barometer also assesses the government policies that regulate adoption. Welsh policies scored best, with three areas of policy scoring ‘good’. However, all nations score poorly in at least one area of policy. Policy relating to finding families for children scores best across the board.
Policy relating to FASD scores worst, with all nations assessed as ‘poor’, and adopter experiences also ‘poor’ in all nations, however Scotland does come across better than the other three nations in respect of their nationwide strategy.
There has been some progress since last year’s Barometer, including the extension of the English Adoption Support Fund (ASF) and the first experimental data collection on school exclusions in England, both of which were recommendations from last year’s report. In Wales there has been a £2.3m investment in adoption services.
Although respondents in Scotland were most likely to consider their social worker to be knowledgeable and understanding they were least likely to be satisfied with the range of support services on offer, perhaps reflecting the comparatively low proportion who were able to access enhanced support services.
Currently all support services are expected to be provided by agencies, with the exception of the Big Lottery Funded Therapeutic and Education Support Services in Adoption (TESSA), hosted and provided by Adoption UK Scotland.
The Adoption Barometer calls on the governments in all four nations of the UK to provide detailed therapeutic assessments for every child before they arrive in their new family, with up to date support plans to be maintained into early adulthood.
All Muirhouse Medical Centre patients eligible for the Flu Injection are invited to attend a walk in or drive through clinic. These clinics are being held on Saturdays and Sundays in October and November.
You may attend any clinic, at the time allocated to your surname. Please be aware that the first clinics are likely to be very busy.
Walk-In clinics will be at Pennywell All Care Centre. They are on Saturday 10th, Sunday 11th, Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th October. Please go to the clinic at the allocated time-slot for the first letter of your surname (listed below).
Drive Through Clinics will be held on Saturday 24th, Sunday 25th and Saturday 31st October and Sunday 1st, Saturday 7th, Sunday 8th, Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th November at Scottish Gas, 1 Waterfront Avenue, Edinburgh EH5 1SG
You can attend on any of these dates. Please go to the clinic at the allocated time-slot for the first letter of your surname. If there is more than 1 person in the car, come at the time allocated by the surname of the driver.
The time slots are: A & B: 9.00am – 10.00am C & D: 10.00am – 11.00am E – H: 11.00am – 12 noon I – L: 12 noon – 1.00pm M – N: 1.00pm – 2:30pm O – R: 2.30pm – 3.30pm S – U: 3.30pm – 4.30pm V – Z: 4.30pm – 5.30pm
Children’s Flu Vaccine
Children from the age of 2 -5 on 01.09.20 will be offered the flu vaccine and it is strongly recommended that you get your child protected from the flu. You will be sent a leaflet telling you how to book an appointment for your child to get it. (It is a nasal spray, not an injection).
Children at Primary school will be given the injection at school between October and December. They will bring an information leaflet home from school and a permission slip for you to sign.
For more information visit www.nhsinform.scot/childflu or call 0800 22 44 88 .
Over half (51%) of 6 – 15 year olds don’t talk to their parents about choosing what content to watch.
Four in ten (42%) parents say they’re concerned about what effect upsetting or disturbing content might have on their child’s development.
But the majority of parents (63%) agree films and TV shows are good springboards to talk to their children about difficult topics, including mental health and sexuality.
New research by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has revealed that more than half (51%) of children aged 6 – 15 choose what to watch all or almost all of the time, without help from their parents.
The research, by YouGov, showed that as many as half (46%) of 6 year olds are regularly making their own decisions about what to watch without asking mum or dad. Four in 10 (42%) parents say they’re worried about the effect watching disturbing or upsetting content might have on their development.
Six in 10 (63%) parents of 12-15 year olds think that films and TV can be a useful springboard in starting difficult conversations with their children around topics like mental health and sexuality. And interestingly, three quarters of teens agree (72%).
When it comes to parents with young children, two thirds (65%) with 4-11 years olds say that content can help them start conversations about relationship breakdown, death, illness or bullying. And their children also agree (66%).
David Austin, Chief Executive of the BBFC, said: “It’s clear from our new research that young people and their parents need the right information to help them choose content well. It’s vital for children’s healthy development, and parents’ peace of mind, that they’re confident they’re pressing play on something that won’t cause harm or upset.
“It’s very encouraging that parents – and their children – are approaching each other to talk about depictions of issues they see on screen. That’s why we have comprehensive ratings info on our website, alongside our trusted and well known age ratings, which gives everyone an idea of what to expect.”
Girls are much more likely to talk about their mental health with a parent after watching content on a streaming service – with a quarter of 6 – 15 year old girls (25%) saying they’ve approached a parent after seeing something, compared to less than one in five (19%) boys.
Find out more information on the BBFC website www.bbfc.co.uk
New legislation which would incorporate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into Scots law and allow children to take public authorities to court for breaches of their rights is to be considered by a Holyrood Committee.
The Bill legally obliges public authorities – including Scottish Ministers – to respect children’s rights, placing them under a duty not to act incompatibly with the UN Convention, while Ministers will also be required to make a Children’s Rights Scheme to set out how it will comply with the duty.
Children and representatives acting on their behalf will be able to challenge public authorities in court for infringing their rights, and the new legislation will allow the courts to strike down legislation that is incompatible with any UNCRC requirements.
The Bill also provides new powers to the Children and Young People’s Commissioner in Scotland (CYPCS) to litigate in the public interest, which would enable the Commissioner to take cases to court on behalf of children and provide advice to courts about the Convention.
Committee Convener, Ruth Maguire MSP, said: “The UNCRC is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world and this Bill aims to incorporate the treaty into domestic law so that all children in Scotland – whatever their ethnicity, gender, religion or abilities – have their rights respected.
“We want to hear from children and young people, as well from public authorities and third sector organisations, about whether they think this legislation will make it easier for children to access and enforce their rights.
“Children have different experiences and backgrounds, so we want to explore the existing barriers which currently prevent young people from making sure their rights are respected.
“We also want to consider whether the Bill goes far enough and if there is anything more that can be done to make children’s rights stronger in Scotland.”
The closing date for responses to the committee, which is expected to be designated lead committee for stage one of the Bill, is Friday 16 October 2020.
The UNCRC was adopted by the General Assembly of the 1989 and ratified by the UK Government in 1991. Since then the UK has been obliged under international law to give effect to the rights set out in the UNCRC.
It sets out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that all children are entitled to and is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world. The rights in the UNCRC, which consists of 54 articles, are guaranteed to every child whatever their ethnicity, gender, religion, language, abilities or any other status.
The UK has also signed two out of three optional protocols: (1) on the involvement of children in armed conflict; and (2) on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
The third optional protocol, which allows complaints to be made to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, has not yet been signed by the UK.
While the UK is bound by the UNCRC in international law, because the UNCRC has not been incorporated into domestic law, those rights are not part of the law which can be enforced directly in Scottish courts.
