Tag: Children and Families

Planet-friendly Pester Power!

SCOTLAND’S ‘woke’ kids are bullying their parents into becoming more eco-friendly to save the planet, according to new research by leading comparison site Moneyexpert.com.    

Pester power is becoming a force for good as half of mums and dads (48%) say they have been pressured to go green and save energy by the mini-Greta  Thunbergs in their own home. 

And while you might expect vocal teenagers to drive behaviour change – two thirds (65%) of parents say the pressure is coming from kids as young as 4!      

The study, to mark Big Energy Saving Week, may highlight the visibility and influence that the teenage climate-change activist, and recent events such as the Australian bush fires, are having on the nation’s kids, and their family’s energy consumption habits at home. 

Four in five (80%) parents say the ‘mini Greta’ in their home has talked more or asked more questions about the environment and the climate crisis over the past 12 months.     

Wildlife TV presenter and conservationist Michaela Strachan said: “We are in crisis mode when it comes to looking after our planet. We all need to radically change our behaviour to live in a more sustainable way and we need to do it now.

“Last year was a serious wakeup call when we all became aware of just how serious the challenge has become. It is so inspiring to see that children are leading the way, taking action, encouraging their parents to change and becoming future eco warriors.”  

And as a consequence of this planet-friendly pester power, the most common changes made are walking or cycling more (44%), making more of an effort to turn off the lights (35%), turning down the thermostat (21%), washing clothes at lower temperatures (18%), and taking shorter showers (14%).      

However, despite kids heaping on the pressure, four in five (80%) parents say that it’s actually their children who are the biggest energy-wasters. Half (49%) of parents say they still have to nag their eco-warrior kids to switch off lights in unused rooms, and 29% say their child takes longer than usual in the shower.   

Over the past 12 months 92% of parents have made environmental changes to their lifestyle and to the running of their home, with three in five  (61%) admitting that if it wasn’t for their child, they wouldn’t have realised the importance and impact of their current actions.       

However, despite being inspired to take positive actions, only a quarter (27%) of parents say they currently use a renewable energy provider. And it appears they are a little “green” about how it works. 

30% say they won’t switch because they believe green energy is more expensive than their current energy provider, and more than one in 10 (11%) believe switching won’t make a tangible difference to the climate crisis. 

However, recent analysis by Moneyexpert.com highlighted that for the cost of powering a home with average gas and electricity yearly consumption, savings of over £300 per year can be made by switching to green energy rates.   

A fifth (20%) hold the misconception that a renewable electricity supplier sends energy direct from solar and wind farms into people’s homes, when in reality, everyone gets their electricity from the same grid and it’s a question of how a supplier sources electricity that matches what you use.     

Jason Smith, CEO of Moneyexpert.com, said: “Typically the focus of Big Energy Saving Week is about making ethical choices about energy consumption – and in light of the climate crisis, we want to make people aware that it is absolutely possible to save money in an environmentally responsible way. 

“Misperceptions about the cost of green energy are getting in the way of people taking steps that are both purse-friendly and planet-friendly. With a couple more months of winter, and high energy bills ahead, now is a great time to listen to your kids, re-evaluate your current expenditure, and explore whether there’s a better deal available from a renewable energy supplier.”    

For information on how you can save both money and energy and find a green energy provider, visit Moneyexpert.com.   

170,000 children eligible for ‘game-changing’ new benefit

poverty family JRF

Applications will be taken in advance for Scottish Child Payment to help with expected high demand.

An estimated 170,000 children will be eligible for the new £10 weekly Scottish Child Payment when it goes live later this year.

To help manage demand, families will be invited to apply in advance of the benefit being introduced in the autumn. Parents will be able to apply by post, phone and online.

Applications will be assessed for eligibility in the autumn with the first payments made by Christmas.

In an additional move to assist families, Best Start Grant payments, Best Start Foods and the new Scottish Child Payment will all be available through a single application – making it more straightforward for people to access the money they are entitled to.

Social Security Secretary Shirley Anne Somerville said: “The Scottish Child Payment has rightly been described as game-changing in terms of the potential to reduce child poverty.

“That is why we are doing everything we can to introduce this as early as possible, whilst ensuring we do so in a way that is safe and secure and protects implementation plans for the other social security benefits.

“When we launched the Best Start Grant payments we experienced significant demand with 14,000 applications in the week that we opened the School Age Payment. With 170,000 children from approximately 140,000 households expected to qualify for Scottish Child Payment, eligibility is on a unprecedented scale and, as this is a recurring payment, it also brings additional complexity.

“We are gearing up to process applications carefully, accurately and efficiently. We are building capacity across our processes, systems, premises and people. And with the roll-out plan, we are asking families to help us by getting their applications in early so that we can process and start making payments as quickly as possible once this new benefit has been introduced.”

Major childcare expansion this summer

Families can now enrol children for funded places for August.

A nationwide public information campaign is encouraging families to enrol their children for funded early learning and childcare ahead of a major expansion this summer.

From August, all three and four-year-olds, and around a quarter of two-year-olds, will benefit from 1,140 hours of childcare a year – the most generous offer in the UK.

Parents or carers can register through their local authority and apply for the option that suits their needs, from the choices available locally – whether a local authority, private or third sector nursery, playgroup or childminder.

Backed by an unprecedented £2 billion investment, the increase in funded hours has required significant recruitment and infrastructure – more than 270 nurseries have been built, extended or refurbished since March 2018 and an additional 4,300 full time equivalent staff are already in post.

Due to the phasing in of the increased entitlement, almost 50,000 children are already benefitting from more than the current 600 hours they are entitled to, allowing parents and carers to explore work, education and training opportunities.

Children’s Minister Maree Todd said: “If you’ve got a child who will be two, three or four, now is the time to see what they could receive from this August.

“Tens of thousands of children are already benefitting from high-quality early learning and childcare, and I’ve heard first-hand how it’s helped to boost their confidence and communication skills, and given them access to more opportunities such as outdoor learning.

“I’ve also heard how it has made an enormous difference to families in terms of enabling mums and dads to get back into, or spend more time studying, working or training.

“I would encourage all parents with eligible children to get in touch with their local authority to identify the funded option that is best for their child from the great choices available, and find out when to apply.

“There is no cost to families who take up this offer so the 1,140 hours can save each family as much as £4,500, and we hope that this campaign will let as many families as possible know what they are entitled to.”

Councillor Stephen McCabe, COSLA Children and Young People’s spokesperson said: “Local Government is committed to getting the best outcomes for all our children, and that’s why we are working with our partners to almost double the number of funded Early learning and Childcare hours available to families from August 2020.

“It’s fantastic that over 50,000 children have already benefitted from these additional hours, which will give children new opportunities to play and learn, and give parents the opportunity to return to work, take up training or just have more flexibility in their childcare arrangements.

“With the launch of this new campaign, we are encouraging parents to get in touch with their Council to find out what their options are locally.”

The public information campaign will run for eight weeks from Monday 13 January 2020 across radio, outdoor advertising and social media.

Families should visit the Parent Club website to find out how to enrol for funded early learning and childcare places in their area.

Local authorities have individual application processes and deadlines. The Parent Club website will link to your local authority for more information.

All nurseries, playgroups and childminders providing funded places will be required to meet strict quality criteria as part of the new National Standard, including achieving good or better Care Inspectorate quality evaluations, and are also required to carry out continuous professional development.

Radio Forth’s Mission Christmas raises £1.2 million

RADIO FORTH breakfast presenters Boogie and Arlene have announced that an amazing £1.2Million has been raised to help disadvantaged children in Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and Falkirk this Christmas season. Continue reading Radio Forth’s Mission Christmas raises £1.2 million