Families of children from P4 to S6 who receive Free School Meals, and those in P1 to P3 who are entitled to clothing grants, will receive a fortnightly electronic payment during term time and the Easter Holidays equivalent to the cost of a school meal.
Payments are £22.50 per child every fortnight until further notice from 23 March.
All children in primary 1 to 3 receive free school meals if they are attending school, but not free milk or a clothing grant. In the present circumstances, those families won’t receive the £22.50 fortnightly payment unless they are eligible to get the clothing grant and free milk due to low income.
The criteria is the same as for P4-7s.
IT’s NOT TOO LATE TO CLAIM
Parents may still apply for the current academic year and, if eligible, awards will be backdated to 23 March, the start of school closures.
The eligibility for free school meals and/or substitute payment (including P1-3s) depends on the family’s income and they need to be in receipt of one of the following benefits:
Universal credit (with monthly earnings up to £610)
Income Support and Income Based Job seekers Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance
Child Tax Credits only with gross income up to £16105
Child and Working Tax Credits with gross income up to £6900
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
Some families will get an automatic award for 2020-21 but others will have to apply when the time comes (they are not receiving applications yet).
Clothing grants applications closed on 31 March but will reopen for the next academic year later.
Measles in India A newborn receives a routine vaccination at an immunization site, in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh India.
COVID 19 is disrupting life-saving immunization services around the world, putting millions of children – in rich and poor countries alike – at risk of diseases like diphtheria, measles and polio.
This stark warning comes from the World Health Organization, UNICEF and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance ahead of the Global Vaccine Summit on 4 June, at which world leaders will come together to help maintain immunization programmes and mitigate the impact of the pandemic in lower-income countries.
According to data collected by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Gavi and the Sabin Vaccine Institute, provision of routine immunization services is substantially hindered in at least 68 countries and is likely to affect approximately 80 million children under the age of 1 living in these countries.
Since March 2020, routine childhood immunization services have been disrupted on a global scale that may be unprecedented since the inception of expanded programs on immunization (EPI) in the 1970s. More than half (53%) of the 129 countries where data were available reported moderate-to-severe disruptions, or a total suspension of vaccination services during March-April 2020.
“Immunization is one of the most powerful and fundamental disease prevention tools in the history of public health,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
“Disruption to immunization programmes from the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to unwind decades of progress against vaccine-preventable diseases like measles.
“At the 4 June Global Vaccine Summit in London, donors will pledge their support to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to sustain and accelerate this lifesaving work in some of the most vulnerable countries. From the bottom of my heart, I urge donors to fully fund the Alliance. These countries, these children especially, need vaccines, and they need Gavi.”
The reasons for disrupted services vary. Some parents are reluctant to leave home because of restrictions on movement, lack of information or because they fear infection with the COVID-19 virus. And many health workers are unavailable because of restrictions on travel, or redeployment to COVID response duties, as well as a lack of protective equipment.
“More children in more countries are now protected against more vaccine-preventable diseases than at any point in history,” said Dr. Seth Berkley, Gavi CEO.
“Due to COVID-19 this immense progress is now under threat, risking the resurgence of diseases like measles and polio. Not only will maintaining immunization programmes prevent more outbreaks, it will also ensure we have the infrastructure we need to roll out an eventual COVID-19 vaccine on a global scale.”
Transport delays of vaccines are exacerbating the situation. UNICEF has reported a substantial delay in planned vaccine deliveries due to the lockdown measures and the ensuing decline in commercial flights and limited availability of charters.
To help mitigate this, UNICEF is appealing to governments, the private sector, the airline industry, and others, to free up freight space at an affordable cost for these life-saving vaccines. Gavi recently signed an agreement with UNICEF to provide advance funding to cover increased freight costs for delivery of vaccines, in light of the reduced number of commercial flights available for transport.
“We cannot let our fight against one disease come at the expense of long-term progress in our fight against other diseases,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director.
“We have effective vaccines against measles, polio and cholera. While circumstances may require us to temporarily pause some immunization efforts, these immunizations must restart as soon as possible, or we risk exchanging one deadly outbreak for another.”
Next week, WHO will issue new advice to countries on maintaining essential services during the pandemic, including recommendations on how to provide immunizations safely.
Mass immunization campaigns temporarily disrupted
Many countries have temporarily and justifiably suspended preventive mass vaccination campaigns against diseases like cholera, measles, meningitis, polio, tetanus, typhoid and yellow fever, due to risk of transmission and the need to maintain physical distancing during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Measles and polio vaccination campaigns, in particular, have been badly hit, with measles campaigns suspended in 27 countries and polio campaigns put on hold in 38 countries.
At least 24 million people in 21 Gavi-supported lower-income countries are at risk of missing out on vaccines against polio, measles, typhoid, yellow fever, cholera, rotavirus, HPV, meningitis A and rubella due to postponed campaigns and introductions of new vaccines.
In late March, concerned that mass gatherings for vaccination campaigns would enflame transmission of COVID-19 WHO recommended countries to temporarily suspend preventive campaigns while assessments of risk, and effective measures for reducing COVID virus transmission were established.
WHO has since monitored the situation and has now issued advice to help countries determine how and when to resume mass vaccination campaigns. The guidance notes that countries will need to make specific risk assessments based on the local dynamics of COVID-19 transmission, the health system capacities, and the public health benefit of conducting preventive and outbreak response vaccination campaigns.
Based on this guidance, and following growing concerns about increasing transmission of polio, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), is advising countries to start planning for the safe resumption of polio vaccination campaigns, especially in polio high-risk countries.
Despite the challenges, several countries are making special efforts to continue immunization. Uganda is ensuring that immunization services continue along with other essential health services, even funding transportation to ensure outreach activities. And in Lao PDR, despite a national lockdown imposed in March, routine immunization in fixed sites continued with physical distancing measures in place.
City council leader Adam McVey has outlined the measures the Council will take following a report from the Edinburgh Poverty Commission into the impact the Covid-19 pandemic is having on residents in the city.
The interim Poverty and Coronavirus in Edinburgh report has taken testimonies from people directly affected by the pandemic focussing on areas such as jobs, people’s incomes, housing, homelessness, the cost of living, health and social isolation.
Leader Adam McVey pledged the Council will do everything it can to support those most in need and welcomed the report which will inform the future direction the Council takes in tackling poverty in the city.
He said: “I welcome that this report recognises the work done by the Council, partners, third sector and volunteers across the city to respond positively and quickly to deliver lifeline services including vital food and medical supplies for citizens affected by the coronavirus measure that have been put in place.
“Today’s report contains important findings with vital and timely testimonies on the real impact that lockdown is having on people’s lives. While we have all been affected by the ongoing situation, it is clear from this report that this pandemic has been particularly challenging for those who were already in or at risk of poverty in the city.
“We’re absolutely committed to making sure this evidence shapes our continuing response to this emergency over the coming months, as well as the planning for how we will rebuild the city when this crisis has passed.
“It’s so important that while we look to address the additional hardship and pressures this crisis has brought, we also build on the renewed sense of community and collaboration we have witnessed across the city.
“As we plan for Edinburgh’s recovery, we will continue to be ambitious and make sure our responses are guided by our long-term commitment to boosting sustainability, tackling poverty and improving residents’ wellbeing.
“We will continue working with the Scottish and UK Governments to secure the right level of ongoing financial support to allow us to rebuild and create a fairer city for all going forward.”
In specific response to the actions the Commission has put forward, the Council will:
continue to deliver compassionate support directly to people in the most need during this period of emergency – this includes support for essential food supplies and medicine deliveries to people self-isolating and offering critical support to people in vulnerable situations through our Resilience Centres
make sure the support mechanisms set up by UK and Scottish Governments reach everyone in Edinburgh who needs them – we’ve already processed over 4,600 applications for Scottish Welfare Fund support, distributed nearly £600,000 in crisis payments to citizens and directed £61m in government grants to organisations in Edinburgh to help employers and the self-employed
make sure safe and secure housing options continue to be available for those people in temporary accommodation and rough sleeping who have been housed through emergency measures during this crisis, and
make sure that the city takes a co-ordinated and joined up approach to responding to and recovering from this crisis.
In the coming weeks the Council will publish its first plans for how the city will adapt and rebuild from this crisis throughout the rest of this year and beyond. A key element of this recovery programme will be ensuring that the twin targets of being fair and green for all lie at its heart.
The council will continue to encourage partners who are invested in the prosperity of the city work with them to achieve a ‘fair and green economic recovery’ which will include the work of both the Edinburgh Poverty Commission and the Edinburgh Climate Commission.
The final report by the Edinburgh Poverty Commission and their findings will be published in the autumn.
Access to additional support for learning specialist teachers has continued to drop in Scotland, the Scottish Greens have revealed. Figures from the Scottish Greens show that there is now only one specialist additional support needs teacher for every 76 ASN pupils.
The number of specialist additional support needs teachers in 2019 was 2,836 [1], while the number of pupils with additional needs rose to 215,897 [2].
The increasing number of children which each specialist teacher is responsible for is partly driven by the loss of hundreds of ASN teachers since 2010, whilst the number of pupils with identified needs has grown by almost 150,000.
The number of pupils with additional needs has increased from 69,587 in 2010 to 215,897 in 2019. By comparison, there were 3,887 ASN teachers in 2010, with just 2,836 now, or 3,462 if primary teachers in Scotland’s handful of special schools are included.
Ross Greer MSP, Scottish Green education spokesperson, said: “Thousands of children in Scotland with additional needs are being failed. I have raised this with the government time and again over a number of years, but the picture still is not improving.
“Specialist teachers are essential to supporting pupils with additional needs but they are gradually disappearing from our schools, at the same time as demand skyrockets.
“We know already that this lockdown is disproportionately hard for young people with additional needs and for their families, with a real risk that the attainment gap will be widened.
“As well as the need for urgent support, the Scottish Government must ensure that when schools do return to normal, it is a new normal where those with additional support needs are given a far fairer opportunity to learn than they have been this past decade.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition, which campaigns to improve services for vulnerable children and young people, commented: “The comments over a cut in specialist teachers reinforce concerns we have raised for some time now about a potential ‘lost generation’ of vulnerable children and young people.
“It is vital that those with ASN get the care and support they need, especially during and as we come out of the current COVID-19 crisis. This is also key if we are to genuinely close the educational attainment gap as we know that those with ASN disproportionately come from lower income families and areas of deprivation.
“Such a situation is clearly challenging during lockdown, when the educational attainment gap will inevitably widen, and with evidence of cuts in spending per pupil with ASN and in the number of specialist teachers supporting this group.
“The cost to society in the long term if adequate support is not provided will far outweigh any potential savings made today.
“Ensuring the adequate provision of educational support for children young people with ASN is critical and yet too many pupils are missing out on the specialist support they require because of cuts in specialist support at a time of increasing need.
“When children and young people with ASN return to school it is vital that we use this as an opportunity to give them the specialist support they need, ensuring that we can address increased inequalities that will have inevitably arisen due to lockdown.”
New survey reveals public concerns about child abuse during crisis but 20% of adults in Scotland are unsure where to go for advice about suspected incidents
Survivors speak out to urge anyone with worries about a child’s welfare to contact the NSPCC’s Helpline
One in five adults in Scotland are unsure where to seek help about suspected child abuse despite worries about the heightened risks to young people during the lockdown.
The NSPCC surveyed over 2,000 adults in Britain, which included 179 in Scotland, and found that north of the border 20% were not confident they would know where to get advice if they thought a child or young person was being abused or neglected.
The findings also revealed that more adults in Scotland were worried about the impact of the lockdown on children suffering domestic abuse than any other type of harm, with 81% reporting they were ‘fairly’ or ‘very’ concerned, compared to 79% for emotional abuse and 77% for neglect.
There is growing concern for the safety of vulnerable children during the coronavirus crisis, particularly as teachers and social workers have limited access to them with most not taking up the places at school allocated to them.
The Scottish Government’s update last month on supporting vulnerable children during the pandemic reported a reduction in child protection and domestic abuse referrals in Scotland.
That is why the NSPCC has launched a nationwide campaign, backed by survivors and £1.6million of UK Government funding, to ensure more people know they can raise concerns about child safety and wellbeing to its Helpline. People can also contact the police or their local social work department.
Jess, 29, was emotionally abused by her father who beat her mother throughout her childhood. He was later jailed for an attack on his new partner after Jess and her mother gave evidence against him in court:
“Our lives could have been completely changed. If there had been an intervention earlier on, then we perhaps would have been able to escape sooner. He may not have gone on to carry out the same abuse on his next partner and her son.
“Even if your concern turns out to be something that was misheard or misinterpreted, make the call because it is always better to be safe rather than sorry. One phone call and you have the potential to change a child’s life, to save them.”
Ian, 51, was aged 6 when his father returned from hospital after suffering a heart attack and started becoming violent towards Ian’s mum and later Ian as well:
“Please report anything that’s wrong, or if you suspect someone else might be going through this, then make sure that’s reported also. The long-term effects are lifelong potentially.
I still have regular nightmares now, I always will, but by dealing with the situation as soon as it happens a victim gets that support and help much quicker and a perpetrator is dealt with much sooner. Although I will live with this forever, we can easily prevent someone else from having to.”
Kam Thandi, Head of NSPCC Helpline, said: “It is terrible to think that cases of child abuse and neglect may be going unreported because people don’t know where to go to for help and advice.
“At the moment, we’re increasingly reliant on the public to come forward with their concerns and if reports drop we fear abusers will have free reign to harm children, both physically and emotionally.
“Even if you are not 100% sure, we urge any adult who is worried for the safety or wellbeing of a child to contact our helpline. We can answer any questions and concerns, provide reassurance or importantly take quick action if we feel a child is in danger.”
Spotting the signs of abuse or neglect may be more difficult in the present climate, but indicators can include:
aggressive or repeated shouting
hearing hitting or things being broken
children crying for long periods of time
very young children left alone or are outdoors by themselves
children looking dirty or not changing their clothes
children being withdrawn or anxious.
To help workers who regularly visit homes, such as postal workers and delivery drivers, spot safeguarding concerns the NSPCC has made a 15-minute safeguarding course free.
The NSPCC Helpline is available for advice and support on 0808 800 5000 or via help@nspcc.org.uk. The trained helpline staff can offer advice and make informed decisions about whether further support is potentially needed for a child and their family.
If you suspect a child or young person is in immediate danger call the police immediately on 999. Alternatively, contact the children’s social care team at your local council.
Families with vulnerable children who are shielding at home in Edinburgh are having hundreds of books delivered to their doorsteps thanks to a new charity partnership.
Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC) – which supports the Royal Hospital for Sick Children – has teamed up with Edinburgh City Libraries to help children and their siblings feed their imaginations while shielding for 12 weeks.
With libraries currently closed, Edinburgh City Libraries & Information Services has made available a Book Bus filled with around 1800 books for children and young people to ECHC.
The bus is stationed at the charity’s office, where volunteer delivery drivers collect book packages and deliver them to local families who are known to the Sick Kids hospital on a regular basis.
Through the book deliveries, the charity aims to bring fun and distraction to children and to help improve their mental wellbeing during lockdown.
The book delivery service has also been made possible thanks to generous sponsorship from Baillie Gifford.
Caroline Leishman has been shielding her family of three boys for eight weeks as her youngest son Finlay is on active treatment for Leukaemia.
She said: “Coming up with new and exciting ways to keep everyone occupied and distracted while also looking after a clinically vulnerable child becomes a little bit harder as each week goes by.
“It was such a relief when the book parcel from ECHC arrived on our doorstep. The kids were so excited to open it and discover all the new books they had to read which gave us some much needed breathing space!
“Books are such a wonderful resource for children who are shielding. They let their imaginations run wild so they can go on all sorts of fantastic adventures without ever leaving the safety of home.”
Roslyn Neely, CEO of ECHC, said: “We know from our work in the hospital that taking part in fun and creative activities that feed the imagination is the best way to take away children’s fear and feelings of isolation when they are unwell.
“It must be unimaginably tough for children and their siblings having to shield at home when they already face significant health challenges. We know the power of storytelling and the benefits that brings to children in hospital so we’re positive it will have the same effect in the home.
“We believe that nothing should get in the way of being a child. Even though they can’t physically be out and about in the world right now, children have a huge appetite for adventure and there’s a whole world of creativity and magic in their imaginations.
“Bringing books to their doorsteps through this wonderful partnership with Edinburgh City Libraries is a great way to ensure they still have access to that. We’re also so grateful to Baillie Gifford for their sponsorship and to all our volunteer drivers for making this possible.”
City of Edinburgh Council Leader Adam McVey said: “We’re delighted we can help families known to the Sick Kids and thanks to our library team who have been superb. One of our mobile libraries is filled with about 1,800 children’s books so what better way of putting these books to good use.
“Books are a wonderful resource and will really help families having to self-isolate in their homes for 12 weeks. Reading as a family is a joy and can help to improve wellbeing – a recent study found that six minutes of reading can reduce stress levels by 60%. This is a great example showing how working together with partners in the city can respond to the needs of our communities.”
Book deliveries are one of a number of things that ECHC is doing to support children and families during the pandemic, all of which are being delivered safely in line with government restrictions during this time. All books that are returned to the Book Bus will be held on board for 72 hours for infection control before being recirculated.
The charity is also distributing Emergency Care Packs of food and essential supplies, toiletries and arts and activity items.
Families known to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children who would like any of the emergency care packs on offer are asked to contact Leigh at ECHC on 0131 668 4949 or leigh.drake@echcharity.org.
Although City of Edinburgh Council libraries are currently closed the public can still borrow e-books, e-audio books, e-newspapers and e-magazines online using their library card.
Housebuilder CALA Homes has created a free activity pack to help parents keep children entertained at home. Downloadable from the CALA website, it includes a whole host of fun activities and creative projects to help kids uncover some hidden secrets about where they live.
Tasks include researching the history of their home, looking at the different property styles on their road, identifying the materials their home is made up of and discovering the variety of wildlife that share their outdoor space.
There are also some creative project ideas, from designing a bedroom of the future to writing a poem or short story on what home means to them. There’s even a quick quiz to see if children can name the residents of some famous addresses from Buckingham Palace to Bikini Bottom.
Philip Hogg, regional sales and marketing director for CALA Homes East, said: “Many of us are facing the same challenge of keeping our children entertained and stimulated as we all stay at home. The Your Home Activity Pack is full of ideas to keep them occupied and help them discover more about the place they call home.”
“We’ve designed the pack to cover a variety of different activities so there should be something to suit a range of interests and age groups. We’re asking people to share their completed projects with us and we can’t wait to see their creative ideas!”
To support young people and their parents while at home, Girlguiding Scotland, the leading charity for girls and young women, has launched the ‘Guiding at Hame’ challenge – a weekly online challenge with activities for children and adults alike to get stuck into.
With face to face meetings no longer taking place, Girlguiding Scotland is delivering its unique programme in new and innovative ways. They issued a challenge on 1 May, with activities suitable for anyone from age 5 and up. New activities are released every Friday, and the whole challenge reflects the six themes of Girlguiding’s programme: Know Myself, Express Myself, Be Well, Have Adventures, Take Action and Skills For My Future. In true guiding style, anyone who takes part in the challenge can earn the ‘Guiding at Hame’ badge.
The challenge is open to everyone – you don’t need to be a member – just download the activities from Girlguiding Scotland’s website to take part. This is a great way to give guiding a go and get a taster of what’s on offer.
Scottish Chief Commissioner, Moira McKenna, said: “Girlguiding Scotland is a resilient community and we want to support as many children and young people across Scotland right now with our new Guiding at Hame challenge.
“Our programme is all about empowering girls and young women to try new things, care for those in their communities and have fun outside of school. None of this could happen without our amazing volunteers and we want to say a big thanks to them for keeping guiding going during this challenging time.
“It’s everyday folk who are working hard to make sure that families are supported and we hope that those taking part in the activities will be inspired to join our guiding community in the future.”
The challenge can be found on Girlguiding Scotland’s website in the new ‘Guiding at Hame’ hub with advice on how to move to virtual guiding meetings and blogs on wellbeing and resilience resources for children and young people.
Girlguiding Scotland is encouraging anyone who takes part in the challenge to tag them on social media @GirlguidingScot.
The activities can also be done with Girlguiding units. Already, many Girlguiding Scotland volunteers have been delivering virtual guiding with girls, running their weekly meetings using technology like Zoom and Whatsapp.
Girlguiding is open to all girls aged 5 to 18, giving them the opportunity to explore new interests and build their confidence.
Children can learn and develop mindful habits to help them through these unprecedented times with the launch of Your Mindful Garden, a new CBeebies activity voiced by Stephen Fry.
Developed with a mindfulness consultant, and available now for free in the CBeebies Go Explore app, it lets little ones discover three fun activities each day that introduce focus, creativity and calm.
Your Mindful Garden teaches valuable techniques to help children de-stress and unwind – useful skills both in these tough times and for later in life.
Your Mindful Garden gives children three daily activities to complete, each one addressing a different aspect of mindfulness: focus, creative and calm. Whether it’s playing hide and seek with the CBeebies bugs or helping some friendly fish to pick up colourful scales, the focus activities aid concentration, and in turn help to clear and relax the mind.
The creative activities include recalling happy memories to grow a feelings flower, or calming the mind by raking patterns in a zen garden.
The final activity of each day is always something calming. From learning to stretch with a new monkey friend to breathing along with a frog, it’s all about learning valuable techniques that can help improve children’s wellbeing.
When starting Your Mindful Garden for the first time, little ones are asked to dig a hole to plant their own mindfulness tree. Completing the three daily activities gets them a surprise for their tree, with a new reward available to make their tree look more exciting every day.
Stephen Fry says: “It was such a pleasure to be involved with a simple, but beautifully designed idea like this. I hope and believe that many children will find the game fun, engaging and helpful in their journeys through life.”
Rachel Bardill, executive editor, BBC Children’s, says: “Giving kids the tools they need to help them prepare for school and beyond is at the heart of Go Explore, and Your Mindful Garden is a really fun way for children to discover mindfulness from an early age.
“Any parent knows that learning to focus, be creative and keep calm are important at any age – and growing their mindfulness tree gets children off to a great start with this.”
This mindfulness experience is the newest addition to the Go Explore app, which comes packed with activities helping children to develop life skills and prepare them for primary school. Featuring characters from Alphablocks, Hey Duggee and Go Jetters, the Go Explore app draws on the Early Years curriculum.
Following the launch of a whole new children’s iPlayer experience, as well as an expanded education offering across BBC Bitesize, iPlayer, Sounds, Red Button and BBC Four, Your Mindful Garden is the latest part of the BBC’s commitment to keep children educated and entertained during these unprecedented times.
Your Mindful Garden was developed by BBC Children’s and Mobile Pie with the help of a mindfulness consultant. Download the Go Explore app now via the Apple, Google Play and Amazon app stores.
