Children and Families – Page 22 – The NEN

Spring into Easter with Dobbies’ Edinburgh store

Garden centre invites families to hop along to its children’s breakfast event

Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre, is bringing back its much-loved Easter event, inviting families to hop along to its Edinburgh store and enjoy an Easter Bunny Breakfast egg-stravaganza.

Taking place between Thursday 28 March and Monday 1 April, this is a great chance to get the whole family together for a breakfast to remember with a special guest appearance from Dobbies’ Easter Bunny after breakfast has been enjoyed.

Whether you’re taking your own kids along to Dobbies’ Edinburgh store, or it’s the grandparent’s opportunity to take them out, everyone can get stuck into an egg-cellent breakfast and hop-tastic games.

Children and adults can enjoy a traditional cooked breakfast, a vegetarian breakfast or a breakfast roll. Kids will have the choice of an apple juice, orange juice or water, and adults will be able to choose from a pot of tea or regular coffee. Kids will get to finish on a sweet note with a chocolate rice crispy cake.

After everyone has eaten, the kids will seek out the Easter Bunny, who will be hopping about the Edinburgh store, and get involved in some spring inspired activities and games.

The Easter Bunny will encourage kids to hop back to the restaurant, learn about their favourite wildflowers and get the chance to plant their very own miniature wildflower meadow to take home, with the help of Dobbies’ gardening colleagues.

Dobbies’ Easter Bunny Breakfast event in Edinburgh is great for children aged 3-10, and for families with kids aged 5 and under, there is a dedicated session on Thursday 28 March.

Sarah Murray, who developed this year’s Easter Bunny Breakfast, tells us why this event makes a fantastic, family-friendly day out. She said: “We’ve got a spring in our step as we launch our Easter Bunny Breakfast, and we’re delighted to be adapting this experience for the first time for families with children under 5 years old.

“Our Easter event this year is all themed around wildflowers, which is a lovely way to introduce young gardening fans into ways they can encourage wildlife into their gardens and create a pretty mini wildflower meadow at home. With a fun and lively group setting, we hope that families in Edinburgh will have a memorable time with us.”

Tickets are priced at £10.99 per child, and adults can enjoy breakfast from £8.60. The under 5s session is taking place on Thursday 28 March and the 3-10 years old session is happening between Friday 29 March and Monday 1 April.

For more information about Dobbies’ Easter Bunny Breakfast and to make a booking, visit dobbies.com/events

Lock Up Your Loved Ones!

THE EDINBURGH DUNGEONS ARE GIVING THE GIFT OF RELAXATION THIS MOTHER’S DAY BY LOCKING MUM OUT OF THE ATTRACTIONS

Forget dire supermarket flowers and last-minute grab-and-go chocolates this Mother’s Day, as The Dungeons is treating motherly figures to the gift that many actually want … a day of uninterrupted peace and quiet!

This Sunday 10^th March, The Edinburgh and York Dungeons are giving families the opportunity to treat their mothers, caregivers and loved ones to a day of peace and pampering by temporarily banning them from the attraction.

So bid farewell to your mum, loved one or person that generally picks up your mess at every turn as they are officially exiled from the depths of the dungeons, allowing them to bask in the serenity of their own home whilst their families can journey into the gruesome attraction which brings to life the deepest and darkest secrets from the city’s history.

Whilst this may be the ultimate gift for any hard-working family members who deserve some rest and relaxation on this special day, fear not as those organised peasants who have already pre-booked to bring their mum or those who’d still like to step back in time together will be allowed to enter, they’ll just have to pretend to be your ugly sister or plague-ridden granny!

Kathryn Adam, General Manager at The Edinburgh Dungeon, said: “While most people give cards, chocolates or flowers for Mother’s Day, we wanted to go one step further by giving mums and loved ones the gift that they often truly want yet won’t admit – some peace and quiet!

“While our attraction is full to the brim with haunts and exciting tales, we also recognise the importance of taking a break and recharging, especially for those who dedicate themselves tirelessly to caring for their families. So put your feet up and relax while your family enjoys a day of frights and fun.”

For further information and to book a visit to The Edinburgh or York Dungeons, please visit the website here: https://www.thedungeons.com

Preventing childhood obesity

Scottish Government funding to help families

Projects that work with children and families to prevent childhood obesity and reduce health inequalities are benefitting from more than half a million pounds of investment.

Ten projects across Scotland will share £538,141. The funding is allocated to initiatives such as Little n Lively – run by NHS Lanarkshire – which provides families and young children in the area with practical skills and information on nutrition and cooking and increased opportunities for physical activity and expanding social networks.

This year a number of health boards, including NHS Orkney and NHS Shetland, are continuing or implementing the ‘HENRY – Healthy Families Right from the Start’ programme which helps parents and carers with children up to five years old to provide a healthier, happier start in life.

The internationally adopted, evidence-based package provides support with family emotional wellbeing and information about nutrition, physical activity and oral health.

The funding is part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to ensure all children have the best start in life and the projects support the ambition to halve childhood obesity in Scotland by 2030.

Speaking on World Obesity Day (Monday), Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “Preventing the causes of ill health is an important part of our efforts to make the health service sustainable in the years to come. That includes addressing obesity, particularly as we know good nutrition and physical activity is crucial for children’s health and development.

“We want Scotland to be the best place in the world for a child to grow up, and these early years projects are crucial to our bold ambition of halving childhood obesity by 2030.

“These ambitious and effective projects will also help tackle inequalities by working with families and communities to encourage healthy eating and offering support for those experiencing food insecurity.”

Health Improvement Adviser for NHS Shetland, Fern Jamieson said: “The continued early years funding from Scottish Government has enabled NHS Shetland and partners to continue delivery of the HENRY ‘Healthy Families Right from the Start’ programme to more families across Shetland.

“Healthy Families Right from the Start is an 8-week programme to support parents and carers with children between 0-5 years to provide a healthier, happier start in life. Parents and carers have the opportunity to join online or face-to-face groups, providing improved access across Shetland.

“We have had reports that the programme is very interesting, enjoyable and a good opportunity to share ideas with others which has helped in making healthy changes across the whole family.

“With over 20 groups across Shetland, we are engaging with communities to deliver our standalone HENRY workshops. Feedback has been very positive and parents and carers feel more confident at mealtimes, understanding behaviours and cooking cost effectively.”

Projects receiving funding in 2023/24 are:

NHS Ayrshire & Arran: JumpStart Tots – £76,828

NHS Dumfries & Galloway: A whole systems approach with a focus on Early Years – £11,400

NHS Grampian: Training and support for a group of multi-agency professionals across Aberdeenshire to deliver the HENRY approach – £15,000

NHS Grampian: Upskill relevant teaching staff to deliver the Grow Well Choices Early Years programme – £15,000

NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde: ‘Thrive Under Five’ programme – £66,000

NHS Lanarkshire: ‘Little n Lively’ programme in partnership with Healthy Valleys – £141,492

NHS Lothian and NHS Fife: Continued delivery of HENRY core training to early years workforce – £115,700 (£96,400 for Lothian, £19,300 for Fife)

NHS Orkney: Training and support for practitioners to deliver the HENRY approach – £24,058

NHS Shetland: Training and support for practitioners to deliver the HENRY approach – £23,400

NHS Tayside: Refreshing the Eat Well Play Well programme – £49,263

The Scottish Government published the Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan in July 2018.

New Funding Announced to Tackle Underage Drinking in Scotland

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has announced a new partnership with Community Alcohol Partnerships (CAP), in a targeted initiative aimed at tackling underage drinking in key areas across Scotland. The SWA will provide £300,000 of funding over the next three years, funded via its Scotch Whisky Action Fund.

Community Alcohol Partnerships are tailored to address local requirements, with a focus on three key pillars of activity to support an overall reduction in alcohol harm. These include the provision of positive activity for children and young people; creating retail signage and conducting training to prevent underage sales and proxy purchase; and providing alcohol education in schools and for parents.

This new SWA funding will help establish CAPs in areas of high harm that have been identified throughout Scotland. The results of future work in these areas will be regularly monitored, evaluated, and reported on.

CAP has a robust evaluation framework and proven track record with consistent evidence of significant impact. To date, more than 250 CAPs have been established across the UK. Evaluation shows that they achieved an average of 62% reduction in regular drinking among 13-16 year olds; a 42% reduction in youth alcohol-related anti-social behaviour; and 77% of reductions in proxy purchases.

Mark Kent, Chief Executive of the SWA said: “The Scotch Whisky industry is committed to promoting safe, responsible consumption of alcohol, and tackling underage drinking.

“Our new partnership with Community Alcohol Partnerships will help to support delivery of this targeted intervention, marking an important and valuable development in the industry’s wider commitment to tackling alcohol harm.

“Our work with CAP will ensure that the funding provided by the industry is directed in the best and most effective way to address underage drinking in Scotland. We look forward to collaborating with the team at CAP and seeing the results of our new partnership.”

Derek Lewis, Chair of Community Alcohol Partnerships said: “Although alcohol consumption by children has declined for many years, more recent data has shown an increase and Scotland still has one of the highest rates of alcohol harm among children and young people internationally.

“The existing Scottish CAPs have already demonstrated real success in reducing these harms by helping local communities introduce action plans tailored to their own needs.

“We aim to accelerate the establishment of CAPs in other high harm areas of Scotland and so help our children grow up with well-informed and responsible attitudes to alcohol. We welcome the support and financial commitment of the SWA and its members as we pursue this ambition.”

Child sexual abuse image crimes at record high in Scotland last year

Child sexual abuse image offences recorded by Police Scotland increased by 15 per cent between April 2022 and March 2023
NSPCC wants robust implementation of the Online Safety Act with Ofcom encouraged to strengthen its approach to tackling child sexual abuse
Meta urged to pause rollout of end-to-end encryption until plans for Facebook and Instagram can be risk assessed under new online safety regulations

The number of child sexual abuse image offences recorded by Police Scotland were at a record high last year – up by 15 per cent from the previous year, data analysed by the NSPCC has revealed.

A total of 765 offences where child abuse images were collected and distributed, were logged in 2022/23 according to Police Scotland data¹.

Since 2017/18, when the NSPCC first called for social media regulation, a total of 3,877 crimes have been recorded while children and families have waited for online safety laws.

The charity said the figures show the need for swift and ambitious action by tech companies to address what is currently happening on their platforms and for Ofcom to significantly strengthen its approach to tackling child sexual abuse through effective enforcement of the Online Safety Act.

The figures come as insight from Childline shows young people being targeted by adults to share child sexual abuse images via social media and the calculated use of end-to-end encrypted private messaging apps by adults to find and share child abuse images.

A 14-year-old girl told the NSPCC-run service: “One night I got chatting with this guy online who I’d never met and he made me feel so good about myself. He told me he was 15, even though deep down I didn’t believe him.

“I sent him a couple of semi-nudes on Snap(chat), but then instantly regretted it. I asked him to delete the pics, but he just kept on making me do stuff for him not to post them – like getting me to strip live on camera. I just want to block him, but if I block him he will just post the pictures.”

A 15-year-old boy told Childline: “A while ago I saw a video on YouTube about how a guy was busting paedophiles and creeps on the internet by pretending to be a kid, and I kind of wanted to do a similar thing.

“I looked around Instagram for the creepiest accounts about kids my age and younger. In the end, I came across this link on one of their stories. It’s a link to a WhatsApp group chat in which [child sexual abuse material] is sent daily! There are literally hundreds of members in this group chat and they’re always calling the kids ‘hot’ and just being disgusting.”

Police Scotland recorded crime data on the Scottish Government website.

Police Force	2017/18	2018/19	2019/20	2020/21	2021/22	2022/23	Total
Scotland	658	554	584	660	662	765	3877

Online Safety Act implementation

The NSPCC said that disrupting online child sexual abuse taking place at increasing levels will require regulated tech platforms to introduce systemic changes to their products to stop them being used to organise, commit, and share child abuse.

A consultation into Ofcom’s first codes for companies to adopt to disrupt child sexual abuse on their platforms closed last week.

The NSPCC want these measures introduced without delay but urged Ofcom to begin work on a second version of the codes that will require companies to go much further.

The charity said companies should be required to use technology that can help identify and tackle grooming, sextortion and new child abuse images.

They also want tougher measures for private messaging services to make child protection a priority, including in end-to-end encrypted environments.

The NSPCC warned that Meta’s roll-out of end-to-end encryption on Facebook and Instagram will prevent authorities from identifying offenders and safeguarding victims.

The charity wants plans paused until Meta can prove child safety will not be compromised and have urged parties to find a balance between the safety and privacy of all users, including children. The NSPCC said further rollout should be delayed until Ofcom can study Meta’s risk assessment as part of the new regulatory regime.

Sir Peter Wanless, NSPCC Chief Executive, said: “It’s alarming to see online child abuse continue to rise, especially when tech companies should be acting to make their sites safe by design ahead of incoming regulation.

“Behind these crimes are children who have been targeted by adults who are able to organise and share sexual abuse with other offenders seamlessly across social media and messaging apps.

“The Online Safety Act sets out robust measures to make children fundamentally safer on the sites and apps they use so they can enjoy the benefits of a healthy online experience.

“Ofcom has been quick off the blocks but must act with greater ambition to ensure companies prioritise child safety in the comprehensive way that is so desperately needed.”

Susie Hargreaves OBE, Chief Executive of the Internet Watch Foundation, the UK’s front line against child sexual abuse imagery online, said: “This is a truly disturbing picture, and a reflection of the growing scale of the availability, and demand, for images and videos of children suffering sexual abuse.

“The people viewing and sharing and distributing this material need to know it is not a victimless crime. They are real children, suffering real abuse and sexual torture, the effects of which can linger a lifetime.

“That more and more people are trying to share and spread this material shows we should all be doing everything we can to stop this, building more, and innovative solutions to keep children safe.

“The IWF is ready to support technology companies and Ofcom in implementing the Online Safety Act to help make the UK the safest place in the world to be online.”

Letters: RNIB offers free books for children with vision impairments this World Book Day

Dear Editor,

Children across the UK will be exploring the wonderful world of reading on World Book Day®, Thursday 7 March.

World Book Day® aims to encourage reading for pleasure, especially because it is the biggest indicator of a child’s future success in life. It also aims to make sure every child can have a book of their own to read.

For 2024, the theme is ‘Read Your Way’, and children are being encouraged to read any way they like to, whether it be out loud, in their heads, a sentence, a chapter or a page.

Here at the Royal National Institute of Blind people (RNIB), we want to make sure that children with vision impairments can celebrate the power of reading alongside their sighted peers. This means giving them access to the same books and reading opportunities at school and at home.

That’s why we have accessible versions of all of this year’s World Book Day UK titles available in audio and braille as part of our RNIB Library.

This year’s range of books provides adventure, mystery and laughter and titles include Elmer And The Patchwork Story by David McKee, Loki: Tales Of A Bad God by Louie Stowell and The Doomsday Date by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.

There’s something to suit beginner readers right through to confident book lovers.

Children can have their very own World Book Day® copy to keep, in either braille or CD! The books can be ordered in their preferred format from RNIB’s Helpline on 0303 123 9999.

They are also all available to download in audio and braille from RNIB Reading services at https://readingservices.rnib.org.uk

On behalf of all at RNIB, we wish you an amazing, book-filled World Book Day!

James Bartlett

Senior Manager Reading Services at RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People)

18 years and counting: Foster carers share their fostering journey

Mary and Billy have been fostering with FCA Scotland for over 18 years now. They are now sharing their fostering story with us.

Billy and Mary have built lifelong connections with the children they have fostered over the years. Although they are all independent adults now, the couple still stays in touch with most of them.

When they first began their fostering journey, Billy was ready for a career change after working in the leisure industry for a number of years and decided to take up fostering full-time. He was the main carer for the first 10 years while Mary continued to work full time in housing but supported Billy in the mornings, evenings and at weekends.

Billy wants people to understand that men can make brilliant foster carers, too.

He said that fostering doesn’t mean only giving a child a roof, there’s a lot more to it. He shared how to manage expectations and work towards a successful outcome, saying: “You’re not going to get a ‘perfect’ child. It’s a challenging job, but it’s a very rewarding one.”

It is important, as Billy explained, to look at the situation from the foster child’s perspective. He said: “Your foster children may not be well equipped to receive the love and care you are giving them and so it’s very important to be patient and be able to support them in the right way.”

Billy, the main carer in the family at the time, said: “I decided that it was a good career choice for me. I felt that we could really help the children and make a difference in their lives.”

He wants more men to consider fostering as a career and shared some practical advice to get started, he said: “Get all the relevant information about fostering, ensure you have done your research, speak to people about it, and get as much support as you can.”

Currently, the couple cares for a fifteen year old girl who has lived with them for nine years along with her two siblings who have since moved out of their care, become “well-rounded adults”, and even started their own families.

They have kept an open channel of communication with them and said: “If anything happens, you can always come and speak to us and we will deal with it together.”

Alongside her, Billy and Mary also welcome short-term fostering which can be extra challenging but given their experience, the couple are happy to take them in and give them a safe space.

Billy and Mary were well-settled in their lives but always felt like they needed something more out of it. Mary said: “We were both working full-time and had a good life but we always felt that there was something we could offer.”

The couple both had children from other partners but didn’t have the chance to bring up a family together. Mary said: “We thought we could be a good parenting team.”

They saw an advert for fostering with FCA Scotland and decided to have a look into it since their own children were all grown up and had left home.

Billy and Mary’s fostering journey has been a long and successful one but not without its challenges. FCA Scotland provides consistent support, guidance, training and development to all their foster carers, to help manage those challenges and ensure they deliver nothing but the highest quality of care.

Mary fondly talks about one of their foster children who lived with them for eight years before moving out, she said: “As a foster carer, you build a long-lasting relationship with the child.

“We are still in contact with him after all these years and we are always there to support him when he needs it. He remains a member of our family and comes along for Christmas Day and family events.

“We helped these children build up their self-esteem and fit into the world, a journey which was made easier by the support of our social workers, therapists, and the team at FCA Scotland. We would highly recommend them as a fostering agency.”

Billy said: “I’m proud of the work we’ve done since the beginning of our fostering journey, it’s a very rewarding job and we’ve seen the rewards.

“I think we’ve done something worthwhile and have been able to give back to our community.”

For more information about fostering, visit FCA Scotland’s website:

https://www.fcascotland.co.uk/.

Improving Scotland’s diet

Move to restrict promotions on unhealthy food and drink

The public is being asked for views on proposals to restrict the promotion of food and drink high in fat, sugar and salt.

The consultation, which will run for 12 weeks, will outline the detail of proposed regulations aimed at creating a food environment which better supports healthier choices.

Proposals include restricting multi-buys, unlimited refills or selling at locations such as at checkouts and front of store.

Feedback on the proposals will help to inform regulations to be laid before the Scottish Parliament, subject to the outcome of the consultation.

Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “Improving health and supporting people to eat well and have a healthy weight is a public health priority.

“We need to address the high levels of excess weight, obesity and poor diet we know are contributing to worsening trends in Scotland’s health. The association between these issues and health outcomes such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers has been established for some time.

“We want to ensure Scotland is a place where we eat well and have a healthy weight. The Scottish Government is committed to restricting promotions of foods high in fat, sugar or salt at the point of purchase as research shows this is when people make decisions about what and how much to buy, for themselves and their families.

“This consultation, together with our Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan, demonstrates the ambitious and wide-ranging action we believe is needed to address this challenge, and support improvements in diet and health and wellbeing in Scotland.

“The consultation will run in parallel with an extensive programme of inclusive stakeholder engagement, to improve the process of developing, implementing and reviewing regulations to meet our long-term public health and economic aims.”

The consultation will run for 12 weeks, closing on 21 May 2024.

Merchiston welcomes prospective families to Information Morning

9th March 2024

Scotland’s leading all boys boarding school, Merchiston Castle School, is opening its doors for an Information Morning on Saturday 9th of March.

Prospective families are invited to discover more about Merchiston, meet Department heads, and experience the world-class education Merchiston provide.

Held in the school’s impressive Memorial Hall, the Information Morning will be styled as a department fair offering families the chance to chat to Merchiston’s teachers, listen to students enthusing about their favourite subjects, speak to the Academic Leadership Team and find out more about what Merchiston can offer their son.

Merchiston’s Admission Team will be on hand to answer any questions parents may have and guide them through the admission process.

Registration for the event is open via the website:

https://www.merchiston.co.uk/admissions/open-events/information-morning-9-march

One in four adults in Scotland have had concerns a child was being abused or neglected

New survey findings also show more than two in five parents in Scotland have experienced difficulties as a parent they found hard to manage alone.
The NSPCC is releasing this data as it aims to inspire a million people to take actions that keep children safe through its Listen up, Speak up campaign.
Workshops being offered to groups and organisations across Scotland to help public understand some signs a child might be at risk and the steps to take.

As a quarter of adults (26%) in Scotland say they have had concerns a child may be experiencing abuse or neglect, the NSPCC offers workshops to help people take action.

The YouGov survey of 3,999 adults across the UK, including 344 in Scotland, also revealed that one in five UK adults who have had a concern did not take action.

Survey results show that the main barriers that prevented people from acting are being unsure about if what was happening was abuse, being worried about making things worse and not being able to prove it.

The children’s charity is releasing this data to show why its new campaign is needed. Listen up, Speak up – through workshops and online training – aims to inspire adults across the UK to play their part in keeping children safe, by taking action to support children and families.

That might mean stepping in to help juggle childcare, providing a listening ear to a struggling teen, or calling the NSPCC Helpline if they think a child is at risk.

The NSPCC recognises that parenting can be challenging, and the new poll also found that of the 175 parents in Scotland surveyed:

More than two in five (47%) said they have experienced difficulties as a parent that they found hard to manage alone.
One in four (25%) said the fear of being judged would stop them seeking help.
Almost three out of five (59%) said that if someone offered support they had not asked for, they would be glad someone had stepped in (18%) or be reassured to feel someone was on their side (41%).

The Listen up, Speak up workshops, which are led by the NSPCC and being offered to schools, businesses, organisations and community groups, advise participants on some of the signs that a child might be at risk, how to approach difficult conversations and who to contact if they are concerned about a child or their family.

The workshops are being offered face-to-face and online and people can also complete a 10-minute digital training session.

Carla Malseed, Local Campaigns Manager for Scotland, said: “We believe that everyone can play a part in keeping children safe, if armed with the knowledge of what to do when concerned a child is at risk.

“This can range from practically supporting a family, being a listening ear or letting someone know about your concerns, such as a parent, a child protection lead for a sports club, or even contacting the NSPCC Helpline.

“In our Listen up, Speak up workshops, we run through different scenarios, talk about the things that stop people raising concerns and give some advice about broaching these conversations, which can be difficult.

“We are really keen to reach as many people as possible through our workshops and would love to hear from any community groups, businesses or organisations that would like to host one.”

The advice is based on the mnemonic DOTS which is designed to address the barriers to people acting on concerns.

DOTS stands for:

Don’t ignore it
Observe the situation
Think: If not you, then who?
Speak up.

Workshops are already set to take place across Scotland in the coming weeks, including several at Sanctuary Housing sites in Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen. Sessions are also set to take place at Montrose Playhouse, House of Bruar, Bike for Good in Glasgow and more.

A series of follow-up emails to the online training will share more advice on how to listen to and support children and families and will introduce some helpful services and resources.

That includes advice on everyday challenges that families may be facing such as bonding with their baby, parental mental health and keeping their children safe online.

So far, more than 25,000 people have signed up to Listen up, Speak up digital training. The charity is striving to reach one million people and organisations across the UK over the next 10 years, inspiring them to take actions in their community.

NSPCC’s CEO, Sir Peter Wanless, said: “All of us come across children in our daily lives, be this in our neighbourhoods, at our places of work, on our commute or at the supermarket.

“At the NSPCC we understand it can be hard to know what to do in a situation where you have a niggling concern about a child’s wellbeing.

“Findings from our survey show 73% of UK adults agree that there is a lack of training on what individuals can do to prevent child abuse and neglect, which is where our Listen up, Speak up programme can help.

“In just 10 minutes, you can equip yourself with a little bit of knowledge, which can go a long way in helping to keep children and young people safe.”

To find out more and sign up for online training, visit www.nspcc.org.uk/speakup. To host a workshop, email localcampaigns@nspcc.org.uk