Tag: Children and Families

Award-winning author and illustrator Morag Hood announced as Book Club Storyteller this month at The Centre

Award-winning author and illustrator Morag Hood is announced as the next author to read from her books at The Centre, Livingston’s free Book Club on Saturday, 20th January, ahead of National Storytelling Week at the end of the month.

The aim of the monthly Book Club is to encourage families to come together and enjoy interactive storytelling sessions once a month in the shopping centre and meet award-winning authors.

It follows on from the installation of the shopping centre’s free book recycling vending machine last year to enable people to swap their favourite novels.

Previous authors who have taken over the reading chair include Linda Erskine, Justin Davies, Catherine Rayner and Lindsay Littleson.

Edinburgh-based Morag, who has an MA in Children’s Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art and a BA in Costume Design from Wimbledon College of Art, previously worked backstage in theatres before immersing herself in the world of illustration. 

She is the author and illustrator of 12 picture books, including ‘I Am Bat’, ‘The Steves’ and ‘Dig, Dig, Digger’, which is a witty and funny tale about a little digger with big dreams. The follow up, ‘Runaway Cone’, is due to be published later this month. Morag is also the author of the best-seller ‘Sophie Johnson: Unicorn Expert’.

Her books are published internationally and have been translated into multiple languages. She is twice winner of the UK Literacy Association Award, voted by primary teachers, and three of her books have been distributed to every primary one class across Scotland as part of Scottish Book Trust’s school reading programme.

Morag has also had five nominations for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Awards over the years and won the Teach Primary Book Awards for ‘Brenda is a Sheep’.

One of her books, ‘Teapot Trouble’, was narrated by the comedian and presenter, Josh Widdicombe, on CBeebies Bedtime Stories.

Morag’s session’s, which are aimed at kid’s aged 2 – 6 and start at 11am and 1pm, will focus on ‘Dig, Dig, Digger’ with a draw-along digger activity and a reading of ‘I Am Bat’.

The Book Club is located across from Waterstones, where her books can be purchased and signed on the day by the author.

Morag said: “I can’t wait to come to the Book Club at The Centre, Livingston this month and share some of my stories and make some muddy digger drawings together – it is such a great idea to run the sessions in the shopping centre and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”

Patrick Robbertze, Centre Director at The Centre, Livingston, said: “We are delighted to welcome another award-winning author, Morag Hood, to our Book Club this month at The Centre, Livingston and give our visitors the chance to hear readings from her award-winning books and take part in some interactive drawing sessions.

“Our free Book Club, which has been very popular since it started last year, is a great way for us to give families another reason to visit and enjoy some special time together.”

Details of the Book Club can be found on The Centre, Livingston website, www.thecentrelivingston.com and @shopthecentre on Facebook and Instagram.

National Storytelling Week, which takes place from the 27th January until the 4th February, is an annual event to celebrate the power of sharing stories, run by the Society of Storytelling.

NSPCC launches UK-wide campaign to keep children safe

Thousands of child sexual offences recorded in Scotland

  • Data from Police Scotland shows that 5,557 sexual offences against under-16s were recorded in 2022/23.
  • Across the UK, almost 87,000 child sexual offences were recorded by police in this period.
  • Types of offences included rape, sexual assault, sexual grooming and indecent communication.
  • To help tackle this issue, the NSPCC Helpline and the Home Office are launching a campaign to encourage adults to reach out with concerns of child sexual abuse.

New figures compiled by the NSPCC reveal that child sexual offences recorded over the past year by police across the UK and in Scotland remain close to record levels.

The Freedom of Information data totalled 86,962 child sexual offences recorded by police across the UK in 2022/23, which remains one of the highest on record since the charity started the annual research 16 years ago.

In Scotland, 5,557 child sexual offences were recorded by Police Scotland in 2022/23 – close to the record levels recorded in the previous year (5,640). 

Types of offences included rape, sexual assault, sexual grooming and indecent communication.

This comes as the NSPCC launches a new campaign in partnership with the Home Office to tackle child sexual abuse.

Together they are encouraging the public to contact the charity’s UK adult Helpline if they are concerned that a child could be at risk. The partnership will also encourage people to report on instances where there are concerns that a child might be experiencing sexual abuse.

The Home Office is providing funding for the NSPCC Helpline to increase capacity and to raise awareness of the service to the public and professionals.

The NSPCC has also created two films promoting the new campaign. These films show how adults can use the Helpline to share any concerns they may have about a child’s safety or welfare. One of these films is tailored to professionals, and the other reaches out to the general public.

The NSPCC Helpline is the charity’s free advice line for any adult who may have concerns about a child, including professionals who work with children.

The Helpline’s dedicated child protection specialists can advise on a wide range of issues. Adults can contact the Helpline for guidance and support on issues affecting children, as well as for cases of suspected child abuse. People should always contact 999 if they suspect a child is in immediate danger.

One parent in Scotland told the Helpline*: “My son has been a victim of scammers online. He’s so withdrawn and hardly sleeping.

“He believed he was talking to a girlfriend online, the same age as him, and ‘she’ convinced him to send explicit images of himself. These were actually adult male scammers who are now demanding money from him, or they’ll leak his pictures.”

The NSPCC also operates a dedicated Whistleblowing Helpline, which can be contacted for any concerns around child protection issues within the workplace, or other professional organisations.

Childline, the charity’s free child counselling service, hears directly from children on the impact sexual abuse can have on their lives.

One young person in Scotland aged 15 told Childline*: “Today I told a friend about a family member sexually abusing me and it felt like such a weight off my shoulders. I was so young when it started and they’re still in my life; it’s confusing when they’re a normal family member to everyone else. I

“t has caused a lot of tears and self-hate. It’s scary talking about it but I knew I needed to tell someone like Childline.”

The NSPCC is calling on the general public, including those who work with children, to use the Helpline to express any concerns they may have regarding a child, even if they are not certain. In doing this, every person can play a part in keeping children safe from sexual abuse.

Kam Thandi, Helpline Director at the NSPCC, said: “The high numbers of child sexual offences being reported by the police in Scotland and across the UK are a warning to us all that more must be done to tackle this abuse.

“This new Helpline campaign, in partnership with the Home Office, will encourage the general public and professionals to reach out with concerns about child sexual abuse.  All of us must play our part in protecting children.

“The Helpline deals with concerns about children, no matter how big or small, and we’re encouraging adults to contact us. What is shared could be life-changing for a child experiencing sexual abuse.”

Any adults concerned about a child’s safety or wellbeing can contact the NSPCC helpline at help@nspcc.org.uk or by calling 0808 800 5000. Children can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or childline.org.uk.

Call for action as number of legal plans for vulnerable children slumps

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers of specialist care and education to vulnerable children and young people, has called for action following a sharp decline in the number of legally-binding education support plans for those with complex or multiple additional support needs (ASN).

So-called co-ordinated support plans (CSPs), prepared by local authorities, are the only education plans that are legal documents.  

These provide some guarantees of entitlement to additional resources and legal redress, placing statutory duties on local authorities to review and ensure the provisions contained within it are being met.

However, despite a Scottish Government promise that there would be no reduction in the proportion of pupils receiving them since their introduction in 2004, there has been a significant fall in the number of pupils with a CSP.

There were 3,279 pupils with such a plan in 2013 1. In 2023, this had fallen to 1,318, amounting to a drop of 59.8%. 2  This is a reduction from 2.5% to 0.5% of those pupils with ASN, amounting to 0.2% of the pupil population.

This is in contrast with England where the number of those receiving an education, health and care plan (EHCP), the CSP equivalent, is 4.3% of the pupil population. 

Amounting to more than 22 times the percentage of those receiving a CSP in Scotland, this figure is also on the increase.3

A concern raised by the coalition is that local authorities are reluctant to issue CSPs because they are seen as cumbersome and time-consuming, as well as being resource-intensive and subject to enhanced scrutiny. Being legally enforceable, with legal action taken if the needs of the child or young person are not believed to have been met, is also another cause of this reluctance to issue.

This is all set against the backdrop of a lack of resources to support adequate CSP provision, with non-statutory alternatives often being offered in their place.

Also of concern is the fact that CSPs are more likely to be opened for pupils with ASN living in the least deprived neighbourhoods, compared with those living in the most deprived neighbourhoods This is despite the fact that there is a greater prevalence of those with ASN in the most deprived communities.

The coalition has called for an expansion in access to CSPs, with the Scottish Government, local authorities, health and other relevant agencies collaborating more effectively to ensure that those requiring such a legal plan receive one.

This needs to be supported by the necessary resourcing and increased awarness and understanding of CSPs by families/carers and professionals. It has also called for a particular focus on care- experienced children and young people, and those from the most deprived neighbourhoods.

This sharp fall in the number of CSPs contrasts with a dramatic increase in the number of pupils with ASN, such as autism, dyslexia and mental health problems. In 2023 this reached a record high of 259,036.4 This represents 36.7% of the pupil population, rising from 131,593 in 2013, and is a near doubling (96.8%) in numbers from that year.5

If a lower number of those in more deprived communities are receiving a CSP in comparison with least deprived communities, they may not be getting the care and support they need, which has the potential to make closing the educational attainment gap even harder.

A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “We are calling for action following figures highlighting a decline in the use of CSPs, which are designed to support those with the most complex needs.  This is despite a Scottish Government assurance that they would not decline and against the backdrop of a dramatic increase in the numbers of those with ASN.

“By not providing this legally enforceable provision, many of these vulnerable individuals are being failed and not getting the support they are entitled to. This is of particular significance given the devastating impact of Covid-19 and cost-of-living crisis. The Scottish Government, local authorities and other agencies need to collaborate to ensure that those requiring a CSP receive it, with the necessary resourcing in place to support this.

“With those with ASN drawn disproportionately from poorer neighbourhoods, if we are to genuinely close the educational attainment gap, they must get the care and support they need, when they need it.”

Major national drive to improve school attendance in England

Attendance hubs to more than double to support 1,000 more schools and £15 million investment to expand the attendance mentor pilot programme

Driving up attendance and tackling persistent absence is at the centre of new stronger measures launched today as pupils return to school in England.  

More than one million children and young people will be supported into regular education as part of a major expansion of the attendance hubs, which provide a range of tailored support to families and pupils to boost time in school. 

There will be 18 new attendance hubs across six regions, bringing the total to 32 and will see nearly 2,000 schools helped to tackle persistent absence.

Hubs are run by schools with excellent attendance that share practical ideas with other primary, secondary, alternative provision and special schools in England who need help to boost their attendance.

From direct pupil engagement initiatives like breakfast clubs and extracurricular activities, to improving their processes and analysis of attendance data, lead hub schools provide a range of support to schools that they can tailor to their pupils and families.  

The Westminster government is also increasing the direct support offered to children and their families with the expansion of the attendance mentor pilot programme.

With an investment of up to £15million, over three years, this programme will provide direct intensive support to more than 10,000 persistent and severely absent pupils and their families.  

The programme will see trained attendance mentors working in 10 further areas from September 2024. These areas are in addition to the existing pilot programme with Barnardo’s which is already operating in Middlesbrough, Doncaster, Knowsley, Salford, and Stoke on Trent.  

The programme provides intensive one-to-one support to pupils who are persistently absent working with them and their families to find out why the child is skipping school. This can lead to extra support, more intensive work with teachers or in some cases bridge-building between school and family.

Being in school has never been more valuable with standards continuing to rise. 89% of schools are now rated good or outstanding, up from 68% in 2010. We are constantly seeing the success of our reforms rising up the rankings in maths, reading and science.

Just this month, England was ranked 11th in the world for maths, up from 27th in 2009, and in May, England was named ‘best in the west’ for primary reading.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: “The benefits of our success in raising education standards can only be when all children are in school.

“Tackling attendance is my number one priority. We want all our children to have the best start in life because we know that attending school is vital to a child’s wellbeing, development, and attainment as well as impact future career success.

“I am hugely grateful to all our brilliant teachers, heads, and everyone whose worked with us to make the progress we’ve already made with 380,000 fewer children persistently absent.”

Children’s Commissioner Rachel De Souza said: “As Children’s Commissioner, I have made school attendance one of my top priorities because children tell me how much they value their education and want to be in school.

“Every day counts: when children miss school, it’s not just about missing lessons, it’s also about losing valuable moments spent with their friends and teachers.

“I very much welcome the government’s announcements today which include the recommendations made last year in my report on school attendance.

“I am hopeful that these measures will arm local authorities and schools with real-time information about school absence rates and provide vital support for children who face barriers to attending school.”

Chief Executive of Barnardo’s, Lynn Perry MBE, said: “Our Attendance Mentoring pilot scheme shows that one of the best ways to improve attendance is working individually with children, building trust and listening to their concerns.

“Our mentors encourage children to talk openly about issues such as family finances, bullying, or mental health worries – anything they feel may be preventing them from going to school.

“In Middlesbrough, 82% of the children we have worked with improved their attendance through one-on-one support from an attendance mentor, with almost two-thirds of the children saying their mental health also improved.”

Rob Tarn CBE, Chief Executive of Northern Education Trust said: “We are delighted that the hard work around attendance at North Shore Academy has led to significant impact for our students and their outcomes.

“The fact that this work was recognised as a best practice model meant we felt compelled to share what we are doing with other schools and academies in similar contexts and help where we could.

“This was, in essence, the beginning of the attendance hub programme. Seeing this work extended, with more hubs supporting more schools, is a source of great pride for the trust.”

A national communications campaign on the importance of attendance is also launching today targeting parents and carers.

Under the strapline ‘Moments Matter, Attendance Counts’ it outlines the importance of attendance for attainment, wellbeing, and development as well as signposting to advice for further support.  

Key advice includes a recent letter from the Chief Medical Officer that outlines best practice when it comes to attendance and illness.

The intention is to ensure that parents have the guidance they need when it comes to making decisions when deciding to send their child to school or when to keep them home. 

The UK government has also committed to further legislation in the coming months that will mean all schools will be required to share their daily school registers.

This, together with reforming pupil registration practice, will modernise how schools record and share data on attendance and support them to understand what is driving absence in their school and provide early support and intervention where pupils are displaying worrying trends of absence.

St Columba’s: Supporting Your Child In Grief session

Our next ‘Supporting your child in grief’ session takes place on Thursday 11th January at 11am.

The session offers an opportunity for you to join other parents and carers to talk, share feelings and connect with one another. You can simply say it how it is, seek advice and hopefully pick up some tips from each other.

Register for free today at http://bit.ly/3vtaTTC

New Year, new career? Scottish foster dads needed

Fosterplus is encouraging more men in the Edinburgh area to become foster carers.

Sadly, there are more than 80,000 children and young people in care, and that number is set to rise to more than 100,000 by 2025. Thousands more foster parents are needed throughout the country to keep up with demand.

“At first, it didn’t matter to me that I was going to be a male foster carer, I was just going to be a foster carer but now I understand just how important it is.”

Steven is an electrical engineering lecturer and has been fostering with his partner, Jill, since September 2022.

The Scottish foster carers now look after one little boy, a ‘curious and cheeky’ 10-year-old and are based in Bathgate. He’s the first foster child that they have looked after, and they both balance his care between working full time at a local college. 

So, why foster? Steven said: “We talked about fostering for quite a number of years and then we just took the plunge and went for it. We just wanted to try and give someone a better start in life or to change their circumstances.”

Why male foster carers are so important

For Steven, giving someone a better start isn’t limited to their physical needs but also extends to being a positive male role model for his foster child.

Male foster carers are incredibly important for a variety of reasons, but especially with the decrease in Scottish foster care households (down 4.8% in December 2022 from 2021). 

Boys and young men in the foster system may not have any good male influences in their lives, and this can prove to be pivotal for young people who may identify more with and learn from male role models. The diversity that male foster carers can bring to the role can also help provide different and balanced perspectives for young people needing guidance and support.

“I thought I could be someone to look up to. At first, it didn’t matter to me that I was going to be a male foster carer, I was just going to be a foster carer but now I understand just how important it is. Not just for a child that might be in your care, but also for the entire fostering community.

“The sooner we can normalise men fostering, the sooner we can be rid of stigma and the sooner we can get more positive father figures for vulnerable young people.”

Small Acorns grow to mighty oaks

Steven is also part of a group, Acorns, where male foster carers and their foster children gather to socialise. Thanks to Steven’s help, the group now meets at one of the local colleges to take part in activities that require more specialist equipment. It gives them the opportunity to do things like cooking, joinery, motor vehicle maintenance and repair and beauty therapy. 

He described Acorns as being a safe place for carers and foster children.

“Sometimes people see fostering as a ‘woman’s job’, and it can be a difficult thing to do, even without all of the stigma. For me, one of the best parts of Acorns is that a group of men, all foster carers, can meet up, have a chat, and even rant if they need to, to people that ‘get it’.

“All while enjoying really valuable bonding time with their foster child. We have something really special and I feel grateful to be a part of it.”

Landmarks in Scotland go green in support of the NSPCC and Childline this Christmas 

Landmarks across Scotland shone green on the longest night of the year in support of the NSPCC and its Childline counselling service, which will be there for children across the country this Christmas.

Buildings and landmarks lit up on Friday, December 22, for the charity, including the Falkirk Wheel, Glasgow Science Centre, Glasgow Botanic Gardens and Edinburgh’s Camera Obscura as a reminder that the Childline offers a beacon of light to young people in their darkest hours.

Other sites in Scotland that lit up for the NSPCC include Dalkeith Country Park, West Lothian Civic Centre, Dundee Science Centre, Marischal College, Aberdeen and the Titan Crane in Clydebank.

Also, on December 22, people across the country took part in the NSPCC’s Walk for Children – a 5k fundraiser.

Caroline Renton, NPSCC Scotland Fundraising Manager, said: “Our Childline service is expecting a child to contact them every 45 seconds this Christmas. 

“For children facing abuse, the winter nights are dark, long and lonely, and we want all children to know that Childline is here for them, even on the darkest nights.

“We’re grateful to everyone who raised funds through walking and all those who helped with lighting up these landmarks and buildings as a reminder that Childline is here throughout the Christmas period.”

Childline counsellors are on hand around the clock to talk to young people throughout the festive period, including Christmas Day.

With schools closing their doors and children having reduced contact with wider support networks over the festive season, many vulnerable children face increased risks at home.

For those children and young people for whom Christmas means abuse, Childline is a lifeline.

Childline delivered 240 counselling sessions to children in Scotland during the 12 days of Christmas last year1.

During this period, Childline delivered more than 1,000 high-risk counselling sessions across the UK, with 64% of high-risk calls and web chats during that period coming in after dark. Childline is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, even over Christmas.

Last year, hundreds of people walked 5k on the longest night of the year and raised over £100,000 to help fund vital NSPCC services, like Childline.

Fort Kinnairs hosts local charity for festive film screening

Fort Kinnaird has partnered with local charity Magdalene Community Education Centre to treat young people in the city to a free screening of the newly released Wonka film and bring a smile to their faces this festive season.

Twenty children, aged between six and fourteen, were invited to see the highly anticipated movie and were also treated to popcorn and a range of other goodies to tuck into.

Magdalene Community Education Centre offers a weekly programme of activities for children, teenagers, adults and older people who face social and economic barriers, helping to bring local people together.

The centre plays a vital role in supporting the East of Edinburgh community and is run in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council.

Rab Hogg, Senior Youth & Children’s Work Organiser at Magdalene Community Education Centre, said: “There were lots of happy faces as our young people enjoyed a trip to Fort Kinnaird’s Odeon cinema to see the new Wonka movie.

“Like many across the country, the families we work with are experiencing enhanced financial pressures at this time of year, so it is very important to have established partnerships like this to help take the pressure off those struggling in the community and spread some festive joy.”

Liam Smith, centre director at Fort Kinnaird, said: “Supporting our local community and giving back to those that work tirelessly to help make it a better place is extremely important to us.

“It was fantastic to welcome Magdalene Community Education Centre to Fort Kinnaird and work together with our partners at Odeon Cinema to put on a fun day out for the young people and volunteers.”

For more information on Fort Kinnaird, please visit www.fortkinnaird.com/

Spartans Holiday Programme

The holidays may be about to start but our Christmas programme will ensure that there are activities available during the festive season, beginning with Fridays FooTea Christmas dinners!

Check the information and remember there’s food etc available each day!

#HereForGood