Tag: Children and Families

Utilita launches Energy Efficiency Guide for New Parents

Reduce your energy bills: essential tips for new parents

The UK’s leading Smart PAYG energy supplier, Utilita, has launched an Energy Efficiency Guide to help new parents reduce their energy use and see where they could save money.

Officially launched at Pregnancy Counselling and Care (Scotland) this week, the new guide will be rolled out at Utilita’s 12 energy hubs located across the UK.

The cost of general living inevitably goes up when you’re welcoming a child into the family – thanks to the use of electric appliances such as bottle sanitisers, electric baby bouncers, baby monitors and an increased wash load.

Sasha Dixon, Utilita’s Partnerships Manager, explained: “Our Energy Experts are on hand to help you with any questions you have about your account or energy usage. Plus, they can help you top-up your meters and offer advice on schemes and benefits that may be available to you.

“As new parents, you want to save money anywhere you can, and one of the first thought for many is about how to reduce your energy bills. Whether you’re a Utilita customer or not, we’re keen to help new parents take advantage of the quick and easy ways to reduce energy bills without compromising your baby’s comfort.”

Lucy Aitchison, Operations Manager at Pregnancy Counselling and Care Scotland, added: “We’re delighted to be able to share such a helpful resource for new parents, as it will help them not only to keep their baby safe, but also possibly save money on their energy costs. 

“All of the families that are referred to the Baby Bank are struggling with the high cost of living, and the helping hand we provide with our newborn packs, which would cost the equivalent of over £2,500 is a real lifeline.  

“We’ve seen demand increase hugely this last year, as we have more than doubled the number of Baby Packs that have been sent out around the region.  In 2023 we gave out over 22,000 items of baby toys, clothes and equipment, and this last year it is over 58,000 items!  

“We need funding support each year to continue this valuable service, that not only helps families, but recycles so much and prevents it from being sent to landfill.  Please get in touch with us if you can help support us www.counsellingandcare.co.uk.”

Utilita Energy Hubs are high street locations where customers can top up their accounts, check their balances, and get energy-saving advice – based in Edinburgh, Blackburn, Derby, Gosport, Hartlepool, Huddersfield, Isle of Wight, Leicester, Luton, Sheffield, Southampton, and West Bromwich.

See more on Utilita Energy Hubs at https://utilita.co.uk/energy-hub.  

Celebrate Mother’s Day with a Taste of Latin America at Somewhere by Nico!

This Mother’s Day, treat Mum to an unforgettable dining experience with the bold and vibrant flavours of Latin America at Somewhere by Nico.

Available for a limited time only in both the Glasgow and Edinburgh venues, this exclusive offer lets you celebrate in style with three delicious dishes and a Latin American cocktail of your choice for just £35 per person.

What’s Included:

  • A selection of three Latin American-inspired dishes
  • A Latin American cocktail of your choice
  • Live music from Verde to set the perfect atmosphere

When & Where:

  • Edinburgh: Live music from Verde 2pm – 4pm
  • Glasgow: Live music from Verde 6pm – 8pm

How to Book:

This exclusive Mother’s Day offer is available to book in the Glasgow and Edinburgh venues through the below links:

Somewhere by Nico’s Latin America menu is available to view here.

Coalition raises concerns as new figures highlight cuts in specialist support for vulnerable children to a record low

  • Decline in the number of specialist ASN teachers to a record low
  • More than doubling in the number of pupils with additional support needs since 2014

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers of specialist care and education to vulnerable children and young people, has raised concerns over cuts in specialist support being provided to those with additional support needs (ASN).

The call comes as new figures from the Scottish Government’s annual teacher census indicate that the number of specialist ASN teachers has fallen to a record low of 2,837 in 2024.1

In contrast, the number of those pupils with ASN has soared to a record high, now amounting to 40.5 per cent of the pupil population. 2 This includes those with mental health problems, learning disability, autism and dyslexia.

These numbers have been increasing for years. Indeed, more than doubling(102.4 per cent) over the last decade to 284,448  pupils, a rise from 140,501 in 2014, when those with ASN represented 20.8 per cent of all pupils.

Between 2014 and 2024 the number of ASN teachers (publicly funded primary, secondary, special and centrally employed) has fallen from 3,077 to 2,837, a record low and a decrease of 240 teachers.

In 2014, while each ASN teacher was supporting 40 pupils with ASN, by 2024 this figure had risen to each teacher now supporting 100 such pupils.

Against a background of spending cuts and reduction in specialist support, the SCSC has called for greater resourcing from both the Scottish Government and local authorities to ensure that those with ASN, who are disproportionately drawn from poorer neighbourhoods, are getting the care and support that they need. 

The coalition has also raised concerns about the effectiveness of a presumption of mainstreaming, meaning that all pupils are educated in a mainstream educational environment unless exceptional circumstances apply, without the necessary support.

A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “It is vital that those with ASN get the care and support they need. This is also key if we are to genuinely close the educational attainment gap as we know that those with ASN are disproportionately drawn from poorer neighbourhoods.

“With cuts in support, including in the number of specialist teachers, it is going to be extremely challenging to reduce the current inequalities faced by those with ASN.

“While we also support the presumption of mainstreaming, which means that all children and young people are educated in a mainstream educational environment unless exceptional circumstances apply, it is clearly difficult to see how this is functioning properly given the fall in specialist support and increase in the number of those with ASN.

“The Scottish Government and local authorities need to work together to provide the necessary resourcing to address the needs of those children and young people with ASN, who represent some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society. “

1 Scottish Government, Teacher census 2024 supplementary statistics, 25th March 2025, table 6.7. Available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/teacher-census-supplementary-statistics/ (accessed 25th March 2025).

2 Scottish Government, Pupil Census 2024 supplementary statistics, 25th March 2025, table 1.5.

Available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/pupil-census-supplementary-statistics/ (accessed 25th March 2025).

Pilot walk-in mental health and wellbeing service to close its doors

‘NO FAMILY RECEIVING SUPPORT WILL BE LEFT ALONE’

“The Haven passes the baton to SAMH, leaving behind a wonderful legacy, proving Scotland’s mental health crisis can be reversed.” – Roslyn Neely – CEO, Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity 

A walk-in wellbeing and resilience pilot, developed to tackle Scotland’s mental health crisis will come to an end in the summer, after demonstrating unquestionably that early intervention can reduce mental health challenges among children and young people. 

The Haven opened at The Fraser Centre, Tranent in September 2023 under Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity’s ‘No Time To Wait’ strategy. It later moved to bigger premises in Haddington due to demand, and since opening the service has attracted 3,461 visits. Of these, 2,041 were children and young people and 1,420 were their affected family members. 

Roslyn Neely, CEO of Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity said: “We are incredibly sad that our pilot wellbeing and resilience service is coming to an end, but that was always our intention, as a charity we couldn’t fund this forever. 

“However we will close our doors with a huge sense of pride in what The Haven has achieved and a promise to all families receiving support that we will not turn our backs on them, we will continue to provide vital assistance, ensuring that the care and connection established through The Haven remain a core part of our work.”

Scotland’s national mental health charity, Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH), has recently announced The Nook, a network of mental health support hubs, which will build on the foundations laid by ECHC and the team at The Haven, marking a significant step forward for mental health support in Scotland, and beyond. 

Roslyn Neely continued: “We are delighted that our work will now contribute to a long-term, sustainable national approach to Scotland’s mental health crisis.

“The Haven passes the baton to SAMH, leaving behind a wonderful legacy, proving Scotland’s mental health crisis can be reversed, and we celebrate the fact that a major organisation like SAMH is stepping in to continue this important work. 

“Their ability to advocate for long-term government support means that children’s mental health remains firmly on the national agenda, and we wholeheartedly support this.”

The Haven is a groundbreaking two-year pilot which has successfully supported hundreds of families who have a child struggling with their mental health. Critically, it uses a walk-in format with no waiting lists.

The Haven takes a unique whole family approach, supporting not just the individual struggling with mental health challenges, but their parents, grandparents, siblings and carers.

Festival of Movement this Saturday

SATURDAY 29th MARCH in LINLITHGOW

📣 Scotland’s first Festival of Movement will soon come to Linlithgow! We are delighted to now reveal the full programme for the day.

Join us across Linlithgow, from the West Lothian Cycle Route to The Cross, on Saturday 29 March for a free, fun-filled day of opportunities to get moving, from in-line skating to led cycles, as well as talks, discussions and creative workshops for all ages and abilities.

Discover the programme here: https://bit.ly/4iD9z3J

This one-day-only event is organised by Move For Good, Linlithgow Community Development Trust’s project for active and sustainable travel.

Follow @moveforgood_ on Instagram for all updates!

Festival-of-Movement-2025-ProgrammeDownload

£25 million for play park renewal

First Minister John Swinney is set to announce £25 million of funding to local authorities to invest in the renewal of play parks across Scotland. 

All councils will receive a share of the funding to improve the standard of existing play parks – helping to ensure children have access to safe environments to play and socialise in. 

The funding is supported by the Play Vision Statement and Action Plan for 2025 – 2030, which has been published today.  

Speaking ahead of a visit to Woodhead Park in Kirkintilloch, as part of the East Dunbartonshire Travelling Cabinet event, the First Minister said: “Playing is key to a child’s healthy development, and by enabling councils to invest in outdoor play parks, we will ensure families can access a safe, high-quality place to play within their communities.

“This is all part of my driving mission to eradicate child poverty. Other steps we are taking include investing £3 million to develop mitigations for the UK Government’s two-child benefits cap, £37 million to deliver the expansion of the free school meals programme, and putting more money in families’ pockets through the Scottish Child Payment.”   

COSLA Spokesperson for Children and Young People, Councillor Tony Buchanan said: “COSLA welcomes today’s launch of the Play Vision Statement and Action Plan, play is very important not just for the enjoyment it brings, but also for the part it plays in developing children and young people’s social skills, interests, and curiosity.

“It also assists in developing relationships between parents, carers and other children and young people. The Play Vision Statement and Action Plan provides a good roadmap for how play can be encouraged and supported.”

Marguerite Hunter Blair, CEO Play Scotland and Chair of external Play Strategy refresh group said: “We are delighted to be celebrating this clear commitment from the Scottish Government to play opportunities and experiences for all our children and young people.

“It is fantastic that children’s rights and voices are at the heart of this new vision for play alongside an enthusiastic cross-sectoral collaboration.

“The clear message coming from the versions of the plan that children have co- produced is simple – more play and better play is good for everyone.” 

The 54th Travelling Cabinet will meet at Kirkintilloch Town Hall today – Monday 24 March – and hear from the local community at a public discussion at 2pm.

Keeping Your Child Safe Online

Keeping Your Child Safe Online: Porn, Nudes & Online Sexual Harm 📱⚠️💻

With Lucy Faithfull Foundation Scotland & Police Scotland

🆓️ safety ℹ️ sessions – valuable advice on the challenges of the digital world our kids live in

🗓Tues 25 March ⏰️ 7-8pm online 👉🏻 for parents/carers of kids with ASN

🗓 Wed 26 March ⏰️ 7-8pm in person at Drummond Community High School 👉🏻 for parents/carers of S1+

Book ➡️https://shorturl.at/ix185

#supportingparents

#beinformed

#staysafeonline

Nearly all adults in Scotland believe emotional abuse in childhood can have a lasting psychological effect but one in six cannot spot the signs

  • The NSPCC is releasing this data as part of its Listen up, Speak up campaign, aiming to inspire a million people to take action to keep children safe.
  • The SSC (A Club for the Youth in Scotland) is one of many businesses, community groups and organisations across Scotland who have taken part in Listen up, Speak up workshops.

New findings reveal that 96% of adults surveyed in Scotland believe that emotional abuse in childhood can have a lasting psychological effect well into adulthood. 

A YouGov survey of 4,242 UK adults, commissioned by the NSPCC – including 352 in Scotland – also gave participants a series of behaviours and asked them to correctly identify what was deemed as emotional abuse.

In Scotland, on average one in six participants (17%), failed to correctly identify examples of emotional abuse. The scenarios where adults failed to identify emotional abuse correctly included:

  • Being overly controlling of a child’s life (25%).
  • Never showing any emotions in interactions with a child (21%).
  • Pushing a child too hard or not recognising their limitations (26%).

The research also found that more than two thirds of adults (69%) of adults in Scotland surveyed had not done any training or reading to help them recognise the signs of emotional abuse.

Emotional abuse – which is any type of abuse that involves the continual emotional mistreatment of a child – can often be difficult to recognise, sometimes showing limited external signs.

Research suggests that 1 in 15 children in the UK will experience emotional abuse, highlighting just how prevalent the issue is, and it is a topic that young people contact Childline about on a regular basis.

Last year the NSPCC service delivered almost 3,000 counselling sessions to children and young people where emotional abuse was the main concern, a 5% increase compared to 2022/23.

One girl, aged 17, told Childline: “Mum’s never hit me, but it still feels abusive. She always tells me she hates me, that I’m selfish, that I’m stupid.

“When she’s angry she breaks my stuff and blames it on me. She controls my friendships too; she says no one would want to be my friend anyway. I feel so defeated and drained living with this every day.”

This new data highlights the importance of free resources, like the NSPCC’s Listen up, Speak up workshops and online tips and advice. The SSC (A Club for the Youth in Scotland) welcomed safeguarding experts to lead these free, educational workshops.

The SSC is a volunteer-run organisation that organizes summer camps and other events for children and young people in Scotland.

Listen up, Speak up provides simple tips and advice on signs a child might be at risk and steps that can be taken to help. The tips can be found online, and anyone can take part in a workshop run for free by local NSPCC teams, either in person or online.  

Through a series of everyday scenarios, participants learn some of the signs that a child might be at risk, showing that not all situations are black and white, how to approach difficult conversations, and who to contact if they are concerned about a child or their family. 

The NSPCC local campaigns team delivered 557 LUSU workshops in Scotland.

As part of their partnership with the NSPCC, The SSC, has committed to ensuring their volunteers and members across the region are familiar with Listen up, Speak up.

Cat Robertson, SSC chairwoman, said: “The Listen up, Speak up training was a great experience for the volunteer youth workers of the SSC.

“We believe that all young people should have access to safe, fun and positive experiences – not only at our summer camps and events but in every aspect of their lives.

“The workshop was accessible, interactive and highly relevant to the role of our team.”

NSPCC’s CEO, Chris Sherwood, said: “It is concerning that on average one in six adults in Scotland are unable to correctly identify emotional abuse. We know that emotional abuse can have a devastating and long-lasting impact on children’s wellbeing and development, affecting their mental health, and relationships well into adulthood.

“The NSPCC is here to support any child who has experienced any kind of abuse. We are also fully committed to creating a nation of adults who are passionate about preventing harm from happening to a child. With our Childline service delivering almost 3,000 counselling sessions about emotional abuse last year alone, we understand the scale and seriousness of this issue across the UK.

“That’s why Listen up, Speak up is so vital. In just 10 minutes, we can help adults learn to recognise both the obvious and subtle signs a child might be at risk and take action to support them. Every adult has the power to make a difference.”

To find out more about Listen up, Speak up, visit www.nspcc.org.uk/speakup 

CREATE calm at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre on Friday

Join us for CREATE calm, an inclusive play sessions for children, this Friday 21st March at 2.45pm at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre.

Experience the joy of play in a welcoming, supportive space! Our CREATE calm taster sessions are for local families with children aged 0-7 that might benefit from a smaller group and a calm, quieter experience.

This could include children with disabilities or health concerns; autism; neurodivergent; those struggling with school or other learning environments; challenging family or care circumstances; or other social or emotional support needs.

No diagnosis or referral needed – parents, carers, and siblings are welcome!

🌟 Safe, accessible play space

🎭 Activities tailored to sensory needs and interests

❤ Opportunities for family bonding and connection

👩‍👧 Families can explore and play at their own pace

☕ Tea, coffee & snacks provided

To find out more and register, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/neaevents

*By ‘local families’ we mean families living in the community surrounding North Edinburgh Arts, which includes areas of Muirhouse, Pilton, Drylaw and Granton.