Out of four nations only Scotland will see child poverty rates fall by 2029 – JRF
Deprivation increases both the likelihood and severity of accidents – RoSPA
A joined-up approach is needed to address uneven level of accidents among deprived Britons
Following the release of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is urging the UK government to adopt comprehensive strategies to tackle child poverty and preventable accidents.
Released this week, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s UK Poverty 2025 Report reveals that without significant investment in social security, the UK government will not ease child poverty by the end of this Parliament. It also highlights that child poverty rates are significantly higher in England (30 per cent) and Wales (29 per cent) compared to Scotland (24 per cent) and Northern Ireland (23 per cent).
It emphasises the critical role of specific welfare policies, such as the Scottish Child Payment, in reducing poverty, with Scotland projected to see a decrease in child poverty rates by 2029. The report calls for targeted policy interventions to address these disparities and improve living standards across the UK.
The release follows the recent publication of RoSPA’s ‘Safer Lives, Stronger Nation’ campaign which showed that accidental deaths in the UK have reached an all-time high, with rates increasing by 42% over the last decade.
Accidents are now the second biggest killer of people under 40. In England alone, accident-related hospital admissions for serious injuries have risen by 48% in the past twenty years, hospitalising over 700,000 people annually.
The economic cost of preventable accidents is staggering, amounting to £12 billion every year due to lost working days and NHS medical care.
Dr. James Broun, Research Manager at RoSPA and author of ‘Safer Lives, Stronger Nation’, said: “Our major review of UK accident data has already uncovered the full scale and true cost of accidents for the very first time.
“We found that deprivation significantly increases both the likelihood and severity of accidents, compounding existing inequalities and creating a vicious cycle of disadvantage.
“This is why we are alarmed by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s findings and support their call for Government action to reduce child poverty, while we reiterate our own call for a national accident prevention strategy to help further reduce economic and health inequalities.”
UK Child Poverty Report 2025
The JRF’s latest UK Poverty shows that under current projections, only Scotland will see a reduction in child poverty rates by 2029, largely due to Scotland-specific welfare policies.
Key findings include:
Child poverty rates in Scotland are projected to fall, while rates in England and Wales remain high.
If the rest of the UK matched Scotland’s reduction in child poverty, 800,000 fewer children would be in poverty.
Specific welfare policies, such as the Scottish Child Payment, are crucial in reducing child poverty.
Deprivation and accident risk
RoSPA notes that deprivation is often linked to an increased risk of accidents. Factors such as unsafe housing, proximity to busy roads, and hazardous work conditions contribute to this risk. Moreover, economic deprivation is associated with health inequalities, which can exacerbate the severity of injuries from accidents.
Key points include:
Deprivation increases both the likelihood and severity of accidents.
Health inequalities linked to economic deprivation can compound injury severity.
Accidents can further entrench material inequalities by disrupting education and employment, creating a vicious cycle of disadvantage.
A Call for a National Accident Prevention Strategy
RoSPA calls for a National Accident Prevention Strategy to address these issues comprehensively. Such a strategy would focus on improving housing safety, reducing road traffic risks, and ensuring safer working conditions, particularly for those in hazardous jobs.
The Need for Government Action
Both JRF and RoSPA stress the urgency of government intervention. A credible child poverty strategy must include policies that rebuild the social security system, while a national accident prevention strategy is essential to reduce preventable injuries and deaths.
By linking these strategies, the UK can create a more holistic approach to improving public health and social welfare, ensuring that both poverty and preventable accidents are addressed through comprehensive, targeted policies.
BARNARDO’S OUTLINES NEW APPROACH TO FOSTERING TO GOVERNMENT MINISTER
Foster carers representing the country’s leading children’s charity today met with the Scottish Government’s Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise, Natalie Don-Innes MSP, to outline a pioneering new “extended family” model approach to foster care.
To tackle the ongoing crisis in fostering, Barnardo’s Scotland first unveiled the ‘Mockingbird model’ in 2021 in collaboration with The Fostering Network which is inspired by the support and relationships of an extended family. Today, the Minister met with several foster carers who undertake care for children using this exciting model.
Speaking about the Mockingbird model, Natalie Don-Innes MSP said: “All children should have the support, love and stability they need throughout their childhood, to enable them to have the opportunity to thrive.
“Foster carers have a vital role in this, by providing secure, stable and nurturing homes for children in their care. Foster care is key to delivering The Promise by 2030 and to supporting our collective efforts to tackle Child Poverty and I would like to thank foster carers for all that they do.
“I am grateful for the work Barnardo’s and the Fostering Network have put in to developing the innovative Mockingbird approach, which will enhance the support network available to children, and provide increased resilience for carers.”
Anne Whyte, Assistant Head of Fostering and Adoption at Barnardo’s Scotland, said: “The Mockingbird model helps children, young people and foster families build a strong, caring community. This involves creating a ‘hub home’ with an experienced carer acting as a ‘grandparent’, surrounded by nearby homes that form a ‘constellation’.
“The aim is for the caring community to mirror an extended family, so that children can develop relationships not only with their own carers, but also with other children and carers. Everyday childhood experiences are encouraged, such as sleepovers and playdates.
“The service builds a community around a child, helping to provide stability, and if a foster care arrangement is put under strain, a child can go and stay with the hub home or move into another home within the constellation.
“The young people have the opportunity to go on sleepovers, on a regular basis, to build relationships with other families and children – and this is not just when their main home is under strain.
“There is no doubt that the Mockingbird model is proving to be a huge success in Scotland. We are keen to expand this offering, but, to do that, we need more people to come forward to become foster carers.”
Barnardo’s Scotland has eight families in its 2021 constellation. There are eight foster children and one young person in continuing care. The carers can be couples or single carers and some are short break carers.
The charity’s latest constellation currently has six families with seven foster children and one young person in continuing care. Working with The Fostering Network, Barnardo’s first introduced the Mockingbird model to its service in Edinburgh.
Janet Davidson, a foster carer from Fife, said: “The Edinburgh Mockingbird is more than an extended family to me; it has developed into a group of understanding friends, who themselves are also living with the challenges that fostering presents to its carers and young people.
“The support and knowledge within our group is well beyond what I expected and there is always someone 24/7 available and willing to listen to me, or to give me advice.”
Jackie*, also from Fife, has been a foster carer for more than 25 years, and became a carer for Barnardo’s in Edinburgh in 2021. She is keen to highlight the many positives of the Mockingbird model: “The Mockingbird is an extended family that provides lots of different support, planned and emergency sleepovers and short breaks. It gives our young people peer support, social activities to meet, build friendships and just have fun.
“We are in it together, so we never feel alone. This is because it is modelled on a family setting so other carers become almost like aunties and uncles and the other young people are like cousins once the relationships have been built.
“The aim is to improve the stability of fostering homes and to strengthen relationships between carers, children, young people and siblings who could be nearby with other carers, and extend it to when the young person moves away from their present carer to a home of their own or into an adopted home. This provides them a strong family connection that a lot of fostered children do not have.”
A crisis in fostering in Scotland was identified last year when Barnardo’s pointed to research by The Fostering Network that revealed the number of foster families required stands at 500.
Speaking at the time, Martin Crewe, Director of Barnardo’s Scotland, said: “Fostering in Scotland is in crisis as the numbers of people registered to foster continues to fall year on year.
“A shortage of foster carers leaves hundreds of children without a safe and loving home, and that is something we are keen to address. But we strongly believe that any loving person can make a wonderful foster parent to a child who needs us the most.”
Barnardo’s Scotland is committed to keeping The Promise to care-experienced young people and to ensure every child in Scotland grows up safe, loved and respected. That is why the charity is calling on people to consider joining Barnardo’s Scotland as a foster carer. Barnardo’s has more than 80 years of experience of successfully matching children and young people with families, and there are many benefits to being a carer.
For more information on becoming a foster carer with Barnardo’s in Scotland, please visit www.barnardos.org.uk/foster, or call 0800 0277 280. The charity’s friendly and supportive staff are available from Monday to Friday, between 9am and 5pm.
In the past year, Barnardo’s provided essential support to more than 11,500 children, young people, parents and carers in Scotland through more than 150 specialised community-based services and partnerships across the country. The charity works to ensure that every child has the best possible start in life.
THE First of its kind, Maybury Primary School has this week welcomed its first pupils – 25 excited P1 learners – into the brand-new school building.
The group of children, who have been based at neighbouring East Craigs Primary School since August 2024 are the first intake at the new school which will offer capacity for up to three streams, including 630 primary pupils and 128 nursery pupils. The next group of children will join the new school in August 2025.
The school’s catchment area includes the new housing developments in Cammo and West Craigs.
Maybury Primary School is built to the Passivhaus standard, a highly energy-efficient construction method that regulates air temperature in classrooms, creating a more comfortable learning environment. This approach supports The City of Edinburgh Council’s 2030 net-zero target by significantly reducing the building’s energy consumption.
The new primary school is part of the Maybury Community Hub and is the first school in Edinburgh to share a campus with a medical practice. The hub will maximise the use of its buildings, allowing local residents to access services close to where they live in line with the 20-Minute Neighbourhood strategy.
Councillor Joan Griffiths, Education, Children and Families Convener said: “It is great to see that the new Maybury Primary School has welcomed its first group of learners into the building.
“The head teacher and her team have worked hard to ensure that the transition from East Craigs Primary School into the new school is smooth for the P1 children and I know that they are all excited to get settled into their new school environment.
“The new building has been constructed to be fit for the future and the ‘hub’ model means that the building can be used by the whole community, which is fantastic. The construction of Maybury Primary School is part of a broader initiative to meet the needs of new families who have moved into the area, alongside working to achieve the Council’s ambition to meet future demands and support community growth.”
Wrap-around support delivering improved outcomes for families
Lessons learned from innovative work with families in Inverclyde are helping deliver new approaches to eradicating child poverty.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville will visit Home-Start Renfrewshire and Inverclyde in Greenock today (Wednesday 29th January) to see work funded under the Scottish Government’s Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund, which is helping to reshape services locally and elsewhere in Scotland.
The Social Justice Secretary will meet staff at the project as well as parents who have benefited from the work which focuses on providing early intervention to support families, particularly those with children under five and those affected by poor mental health.
Learning from the project is supporting Inverclyde’s Fairer Futures Partnership, which is supporting local services to test and improve how they deliver services to promote family wellbeing, maximise incomes and support people towards education and into sustained employment.
Ms Somerville said: “Eradicating child poverty is the Scottish Government’s top priority and a national mission.
“I’m keen to hear more about how whole family, person-centred support is being developed in Inverclyde through the Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund and the Fairer Futures Partnership.
“Through close partnership between Home-Start and Inverclyde Council, this project provides holistic support so that families can maximise their household incomes, and parents can improve their employment prospects through upskilling and volunteering. Putting this kind of vital support in place means that we don’t just help families in a crisis but enable them to thrive in the longer term.
“The Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund was set up to support local areas to test new ideas and innovate to improve local approaches to eradicating child poverty. I’m pleased to have the opportunity to learn more about how this funding is informing Inverclyde’s overall approach to supporting families out of poverty.”
We are constantly expanding the items we give in our Crisis Packs. Extras like reusable water bottles are an essential part of the kit a young person is expected to have when attending school. Many schools are now no longer able to offer disposable cups for students in need of a drink.
Could you purchase a water bottle for us? We would love to be able to keep adding these to each Crisis Pack requested. One Mum recently reported that her son was drinking water for the very first time because he was so delighted with his special water bottle.
There are a few ways you can help:
Buy a water bottle via our shopping partner Give Today. There are also smaller items that can be purchased. We will ensure every donation gets to a young person in need. Anything purchased will be sent directly to us. https://givetoday.co.uk/edinburghschooluniformbank/
Donate funds and we will purchase water bottles and other items needed for our packs. Every contribution, no matter the size, is appreciated. Donate here: https://edinburghuniform.org/donate/
This February half term, The Real Mary King’s Close invites visitors to step back in time and discover the intriguing stories of Edinburgh’s past with three captivating experiences. From the chilling tales of true crime to groundbreaking medical advancements, there’s something for history buffs and curious families alike.
Beneath the iconic Royal Mile lies a hidden world teeming with history, and the True Crimetour offers a glimpse into the city’s darker side. This adults-only experience delves into the Old Town’s grim tales of crime and punishment.
Visitors will explore the reign of James VI, the witch trials, and the shocking realities of addiction, eviction, and lawlessness in centuries past. Led by a dedicated “True Crimes” guide, the tour even reveals a fascinating connection between Mary King’s Close and the character who inspired The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
Meanwhile, the Medical History tour takes guests on a journey through 17th-century medicine. Visitors can enjoy learning about the city’s last plague outbreak, the unusual diagnostic methods of local apothecaries like Dr Arnott, and Edinburgh’s legacy as a hub for medical innovation.
Guests will hear the inspiring stories of trailblazers like the Edinburgh Seven, who fought for women’s right to practice medicine, and Dr James Barry, the military surgeon who performed the British Empire’s first successful caesarean section.
For those seeking a hands-on adventure, Dr Arnott’s Sampling Sensation offers families a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in historical medicine. After a guided tour of the Close, participants will use all their senses, including taste, to diagnose ailments using 17th-century techniques. Guests will also create their own herbal remedy using authentic recipes.
Paul Nixon, General Manager of The Real Mary King’s Close, said: “We’re excited to welcome visitors this February to experience the real stories of our former residents and their remarkable contributions to history. Whether you’re uncovering the city’s criminal past, delving into medical breakthroughs, or stepping into the role of a 17th-century doctor, there’s something for everyone to discover.”
Recently crowned the UK’s best tourist attraction and ranked 11th best visitor attraction in Europe in the 2024 TripAdvisor® Travellers’ Choice® Awards – Best of the Best, The Real Mary King’s Close continues to captivate visitors with its unique blend of history, storytelling, and immersive experiences.
Polling shows 77% of the public in Scotland would opt for child safety checks on new generative AI products, even if this causes delays in releasing products.
This comes as new NSPCC-commissioned research identifies seven key safety risks to children including sexual grooming and harassment, bullying, sextortion and the proliferation of harmful content.
NSPCC calls on Government to slow down artificial intelligence action plans until they have embedded a statutory duty of care for children.
New research commissioned by the NSPCC highlights the different ways that generative artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to groom, harass and manipulate children and young people.
This comes as polling shows that the UK public are concerned about the rollout of AI. Savanta surveyed 217 people from across Scotland and found that most of the public (86%) have some level of concern that “this type of technology may be unsafe for children”.
The majority of the public (77%) said they would prefer to have safety checks on new generative AI products, even if this caused delays in releasing products over a speedy roll-out without safety checks.
The new NSPCC paper shares key findings from research conducted by AWO, a legal and technology consultancy. The research Viewing Generative AI and children’s safety in the round identifies seven key safety risks associated with generative AI; sexual grooming, sexual harassment, bullying, financially motivated extortion, child sexual abuse & exploitation material, harmful content, and harmful ads & recommendations.
Generative AI is currently being used to generate sexual abuse images of children, enable perpetrators to more effectively commit sexual extortion, groom children and provide misinformation or harmful advice to young people.
From as early as 2019, the NSPCC have been receiving contacts from children via Childline about AI.
One boy aged 14 told the service*: “I’m so ashamed of what I’ve done, I didn’t mean for it to go this far. A girl I was talking to was asking for pictures and I didn’t want to share my true identity, so I sent a picture of my friend’s face on an AI body. Now she’s put that face on a naked body and is saying she’ll post it online if I don’t pay her £50. I don’t even have a way to send money online, I can’t tell my parents, I don’t know what to do.”
One girl, aged 12 asked Childline*: “Can I ask questions about ChatGPT? Like how accurate is it? I was having a conversation with it and asking questions, and it told me I might have anxiety or depression. It’s made me start thinking that I might?”
The NSPCC paper outlines a range of different solutions to address these concerns including stripping out child sexual abuse material from AI training data and doing robust risk assessments on models to ensure they are safe before they are rolled out
A member of the NSPCC Voice of Online Youth, a group of young people aged 13-17 from across the UK, said: “A lot of the problems with Generative AI could potentially be solved if the information [that] tech companies and inventors give [to] the Gen AI was filtered and known to be correct.”
The Government is currently considering new legislation to help regulate AI and there will be a global summit in Paris this February where policy makers, tech companies and third sector organisations, including the NSPCC and their Voice of Online Youth, will come together to discuss the benefits and risks of using AI.
The NSPCC is calling on the Government to adopt specific safeguards for children in its legislation. The charity says four urgent actions are needed by Government to ensure generative AI is safe for children:
Adopt a Duty of Care for Children’s Safety
Gen AI companies must prioritise the safety, protection, and rights of children in the design and development of their products and services.
Embed a Duty of Care in Legislation
It is imperative that the Government enacts legislation that places a statutory duty of care on Gen AI companies, ensuring that they are held accountable for the safety of children.
Place Children at the Heart of Gen AI Decisions
The needs and experiences of children and young people must be central to the design, development, and deployment of Gen AI technologies.
Develop the Research and Evidence Base on Gen AI and Child Safety
The Government, academia, and relevant regulatory bodies should invest in building capacity to study these risks and support the development of evidence-based policies.
Chris Sherwood, CEO at the NSPCC, said:“Generative AI is a double-edged sword. On the one hand it provides opportunities for innovation, creativity and productivity that young people can benefit from; on the other it is having a devastating and corrosive impact on their lives.
“We can’t continue with the status quo where tech platforms ‘move fast and break things’ instead of prioritising children’s safety. For too long, unregulated social media platforms have exposed children to appalling harms that could have been prevented. Now, the Government must learn from these mistakes, move quickly to put safeguards in place and regulate generative AI, before it spirals out of control and damages more young lives.
“The NSPCC and the majority of the public want tech companies to do the right thing for children and make sure the development of AI doesn’t race ahead of child safety. We have the blueprints needed to ensure this technology has children’s wellbeing at its heart, now both Government and tech companies must take the urgent action needed to make Generative AI safe for children and young people.”
You can read Viewing Generative AI and children’s safety in the round on the NSPCC website.
80% of parents who participated in mediation said communication with the other parent had improved
Parents living in Scotland are being urged to consider mediation as a way to resolve conflict and create a more positive future for their family. The calls come as Family Mediation Week gets underway, running from 27th to 31st January.
Relationships Scotland is the country’s leading relationship support charity. Figures from its Measuring Outcomes Report 2023-24 show that 80% of parents who participated in mediation said communication with the other parent had improved, while 88% saw a reduction in conflict after mediation. Furthermore, 97% would recommend the process to others.
Relationships Scotland is encouraging couples who are considering separation or divorce to seek an alternative to a courtroom confrontation to settle parenting arrangements.
January traditionally sees an increase in the number of parents deciding to live apart as the various pressures that go hand-in-hand with the Christmas period act as a final straw for their relationships.
Janie Law, Head of Practice for Mediation at Relationships Scotlandsaid: “Often families who are experiencing challenges in their relationships will automatically think of court as their only option to resolve these difficult issues, but mediation can be hugely beneficial in helping separating couples agree what works for them, whilst avoiding the court process with all the stress, delay and cost it can bring.
“Family Mediation Week is about raising awareness of the benefits of mediation as a way of helping parents make decisions together, which can result in more positive outcomes for the whole family that would be the case with court action.
“Here in Scotland we find that parents in this position simply don’t know which way to turn. Their life-changing decision to separate brings with it so many tough questions: Where will the children live, and how will we make sure we each spend time with them? How will we sort out the money issues? What about debts and pensions? And even the family pet?”
Family mediation is a process where an independent, professionally-trained mediator helps separating or separated couples work these things out, enabling them to avoid courtroom confrontation. Professional mediators help empower families to take control of their individual circumstances, rather than leaving it to a court to make decisions on their behalf.
A parent who has been using mediationadded: “We are talking in mediation now. It’s completely changed days between us.
“I couldn’t have imagined us being able to do that when we started. We can be civil now and focus on the children together.”
The Scottish Government fund Relationships Scotland to provide family mediation at low cost where children are involved, and Legal Aid may also be available.
Anyone wanting to know more about the benefits of family mediation can visit www.relationships-scotland.org.uk or call 0345 119 2020.
Family Mediation Week takes place from Monday 27 – Friday 31 January 2025.
We will have face-painting, slime-making, a magic show, a drop-in sewing workshop and the opportunity to meet the Muirhouse Library team and lots of great local organisations! It’s totally free – just pop by! We can’t wait to see everyone.
… and much more!
We need your help!
