Scotland’s kinship carers are often overlooked and undervalued by society despite making huge sacrifices to provide stable homes for vulnerable young people, according to the Kinship Care Advice Service for Scotland (KCASS).
Kinship Care Week (15-21 March) aims to provide these unsung, and sometimes invisible, heroes with the recognition they deserve and to encourage support agencies to work together to provide families with timely and appropriate support.
Research* suggests the vast majority of kinship carers experience some form of hardship after taking over the care of a child of a family member or close friend. Many have to reduce their working hours, or give up work altogether, and they often find themselves in need of emergency financial and emotional support.
Recent Scottish Government statistics revealed there were 4,175 children living in kinship care in Scotland in 2019. However, it is estimated the true number could be as high as 11,000 when taking into account informal and private arrangements. Many of these families are not known to their local authority, meaning thousands of kinship carers could be missing out on vital support.
KCASS helps families in a range of ways, offering practical support and advice to families about finances, housing, education, dealing with trauma, mental health, legal matters, and more. Between September 2020 and February 2021, KCASS responded to 693 calls to its free helpline – more than 100 every month.
Susan Hunter, KCASS Project Coordinator, said: “It is our service’s role, in addition to providing kinship carers with financial, practical and emotional advice, to ensure their voices are heard when decisions are made which affect their lives, when legislation is introduced which impacts on their children’s futures, and when consultations are undertaken which explore the difficulties and struggles experienced by kinship families.”
Kinship Care Week features a range of webinars, training sessions and activities for carers, children and professionals. This year is the first time that KCASS has hosted the week since the service was taken over by Adoption UK in Scotland and the Adoption and Fostering Alliance (AFA) Scotland in September 2020, after previously being provided by Citizens Advice Scotland.
Fiona Aitken, Adoption UK’s Director in Scotland, said: “Kinship Care Week is an opportunity to highlight the amazing job that kinship carers do, along with the challenges that they face.
“We’re proud to work together with our partners to support kinship carers and their families. We hope this week puts kinship care families in the spotlight that they deserve.”
KCASS is funded by the Scottish Government and is committed to keeping The Promise, which pledges that children living in kinship care must receive the support they need to thrive.
Children’s Minister Maree Todd, who is taking part in an online Q&A session as part of the week, said: “Kinship Care Week is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the vital role kinship carers play in providing secure, stable and nurturing homes for children and young people who can no longer live with their parents.
“I’d like to thank all the carers, professionals and partner charities who have supported children and young people in kinship care during this difficult year.
“We are determined to improve the life chances of young people in kinship care through implementing the commitments made in The Promise, so they enjoy safe, fulfilling and loving childhoods. As part of that, the Scottish Government will work with partners, including KCASS, through the Kinship Care Collaborative to better support carers, children and professionals working with kinship families.”
Kinship carers experiencing difficulties or in need of advice are urged to call the free KCASS helpline on 0808 800 0006 from 10am – 2.30pm, Monday to Friday.
New research from think tank, the Institute of Employment Rights (IER), has found the risk of Covid-19 transmission in the workplace remains significant and is being dangerously downplayed by the UK government’s light-touch approach.
HSE and Covid at work: a case of regulatory failure is written by 11 specialists in occupational health and safety and labour law, including academics conducting empirical research into workplace risk factors throughout the pandemic.
The team, from England, Scotland and Wales, carried out a comprehensive review of the latest data on workplace transmission and the response of the government and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to mitigating that risk. Their report identifies a serious mismatch between the risk to workers’ health and the government’s claims to make workplaces “Covid-secure”.
The role of work in transmitting the disease was recognised from the outset of the pandemic. In May 2020, the Office for National Statistics identified 17 high-risk occupations and ‘clusters’ of cases quickly emerged in a wide range of sectors from public services to food processing and retail.
Public Health England (PHE) figures have since revealed the highest-risk workplaces were offices, which accounted for more outbreaks in the second half of 2020 than supermarkets, construction sites, warehouses, restaurants and cafes combined.
Workplace infections account for a significant proportion of all Covid cases. An analysis of PHE data conducted by Professor Rory O’Neill, one of the co-authors of HSE and Covid at work, revealed that 40% of people testing positive for Covid-19 reported prior ‘workplace or education’ activity.
Meanwhile, a survey of call centre workers by co-author Professor Phil Taylor revealed that over one in three (35.4%) were seated less than two metres away from their colleagues in contravention of social distancing rules. This is despite a warning from the government’s own SAGE advisors that reducing social distancing to one metre rather than two could increase transmission ten-fold.
In May 2020, the government declared workplaces “Covid-secure” and reassured workers that this would be enforced through a £14m package for HSE ‘spot checks’. But IER’s analysis found strong evidence that risk was not sufficiently mitigated in workplaces because Covid-19 rules were not adequately enforced.
The IER’s analysis of the government’s strategy reveals an underfunded, light-touch approach through an understaffed agency which failed to regulate the risk to workers and, by logical extension, to communities, including carers, pupils and students in education and their parents.
The magnitude of this risk has since been tragically borne out by large workplace outbreaks such as that seen at the DVLA’s Swansea offices, while the government’s underwhelming response is reflected in the complete absence of prosecutions of employers known to be breaking Covid rules.
Andy McDonald, Shadow Secretary for Employment Rights and Protections, said:“In a time of national crisis it is more important than ever that the government’s actions are held up to scrutiny. The findings of this report are deeply concerning – if health and safety laws and Covid-19 rules are not enforced, they are not worth the paper they are written on.
“When a deadly disease sweeps the country we need worker protections more than ever, yet the government has effectively shielded employers from prosecution even while coming down hard on individual citizens who break the same rules. We have seen the tragic results of under-regulated workplaces in outbreaks across the country, including at the DVLA offices in Swansea.
“The workers affected – and those in our emergency services and NHS who fought to save their lives – deserve answers as to how this was allowed to happen.”
Professor Phil James, Professor of Employment Relations at Middlesex University and editor of the report, said:“When the pandemic was declared on 11 March 2020, the government had to decide how it would balance the protection of public health with the protection of the economy. A year later, our analysis suggests it got that balance wrong. Our jobs are among the most important features of our lives, but they are not worth our lives, nor are they worth the lives of colleagues, family and friends.
“This light-touch approach to the regulation of businesses during the worst pandemic we have seen in 100 years must now be subject to a major independent public inquiry to understand what went wrong and how we can do better. It is vital that we learn from the failings of workplace regulation over the last year, because this pandemic proves that workers’ health is also public health – it benefits us all.”
Lord John Hendy QC, Chair of the IER and a co-author of the report, said:“Something has gone very badly wrong when enforcement action has been taken against over 40,000 members of the public and holidaymakers are threatened with ten years in jail but employers known to have put thousands of people at risk are getting off scot free.
“There has been health and safety legislation on the UK’s statute book for over 200 years. The current regulations are well known and could have been reasonably and effectively applied to protect workers. They were not.
“Had employers been reminded of their legal duties and these laws enforced through robust inspections and effective penalties, workplaces could have been made a lot safer than COVID-19 has shown them to be.”
Carolyn Jones, Director of the IER, said:“The government and HSE has neglected perhaps the richest resource at their fingertips in their exclusion of the UK’s nearly 100,000 trained trade union health and safety representatives from their ‘Covid-secure’ strategy.
“Several comparative economies have adopted a co-enforcement approach whereby the State and trade unions work together to ensure the health and safety of those at work and the models that work well internationally should be considered in building a similar approach in the UK.
“In the second stage of our health and safety project, we will take evidence from representatives across the economy and society to understand how better cooperation between all concerned can make a difference in the future.”
Key factors identified in the report
Severe lack of resources
Inspectors were themselves locked down when ‘spot checks’ were announced. Demonstrating the severity of the risk to workers, the HSE barred Inspectors from making workplace visits because of the danger to them of making such visits. As a result, ‘spot checks’ were conducted by phone despite 67% of people in a YouGov survey favouring random in-person checks.
Austerity. Following a 58% funding cut over the last 10 years, which forced the HSE to reduce its staffing levels by 36%, there were too few inspectors to perform ‘spot checks’ on the nation’s 5.5m health and safety dutyholders. The £14m of extra funding barely made a dent in the nearly £1000m lost by the HSE during 10 years of government austerity and covered just 0.5% of HSE activity.
A decline in workplace inspections even as risk increased
Workplace inspections fell rather than increased during the pandemic. The number of workplace inspections completed between May and September 2020 was 40% lower than during the same period in 2019. Even care homes, where the virus presented an extremely lethal threat, were not adequately inspected, with only eight having received a visit by September 2020.
Funding rules forced public money into private hands. The HSE was not permitted to use any of the £14m extra funding to train new inspectors, so more than half of this money was siphoned off to private companies to ‘inspect’ employers. In fact, this was done from call centres staffed by untrained workers who made 15-minute, scripted phone-calls to employers. The ineffectiveness of this strategy was evidenced by the findings of a TUC survey revealing very clear breaches of the law in over a third of workplaces. Meanwhile, the UK’s richest health and safety resource – nearly 100,000 trained trade union health and safety reps – were not invited to participate.
A light-touch approach to employers and the law
No legal standing for “Covid-secure” guidance. In direct contrast to the various emergency laws made in relation to social activities and other forms of pandemic control, the measures employers were asked to take were not backed by the force of law. Instead, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the HSE issued ‘guidance’.
Legal duties to workers consistently downplayed. The IER’s report identifies two Acts of Parliament and seven sets of regulations relevant to the duties owed to workers, but found these were barely mentioned in the guidance given to businesses. As a result, the guidance failed to emphasise the legal obligations of employers to protect the health and safety of workers.
Recommendations
Concluding this initial report, the team made the following recommendations:
The urgent launch of a major independent public inquiry into the future of the regulation of safety and health at work in the UK, with a focus on creating a regulatory system, including an effective regulator, that will better protect the health and safety of all workers in the UK, now and in the future.
A significant increase in investment in the HSE to promote stronger enforcement of legal protections, thereby improving their effectiveness.
A comprehensive review of enforcement strategies employed by the HSE and local authorities, including a critical examination of the – currently rare and diminishing – use of legal sanctions.
Ensure the political independence of the HSE by considering its reconstitution in line with the United Nations’ Paris Principles, which require the involvement of representatives from civil society and the ringfencing of adequate funds to prevent government from imposing its political beliefs through budgetary controls.
Strengthen trade union safety representatives’ rights to access workplaces, undertake preventative work and support the enforcement of the law, such as through the issuing of improvement notices and the bringing of private prosecutions.
Enhance existing safety representative rights relating to the provision of information, consultation, and training (including paid time off to undertake it).
Reform the current statutory framework for health and safety at work to better protect workers in modern, more casualised, forms of employment, including those found in the gig economy.
Reform and enhance current laws permitting workers to stop work in conditions of serious and imminent danger, – provisions derived from EU law and provided under Sections 44 and 100 of the Employment Rights Act,.
Consider adopting international models of co-enforced oversight, that involve State regulators working alongside trade unions and other civil society organisations to monitor and enforce compliance with legal standards.
Explore the value and application of forms of supply chain regulation under which powerful supply chain actors have duties to ensure that they support effective health and safety management and compliance in supplier organisations. This would, for instance, would make fashion retailers buying from dangerous Leicester garment factories partly liable for the dangerous conditions there.
The team behind the report will now establish a Committee of Inquiry that will take evidence from relevant parties to understand how reforms to health and safety legislation could provide better protection for workers in modern workplaces.
Poll shows widescale public support for stronger legislation to protect children from abuse online
Comes as NSPCC report says UK Government’s Online Safety Bill must be more ambitious to comprehensively tackle sexual abuse
Charity chief calls for no compromise on children’s safety being at the heart of new laws
The Scottish public overwhelmingly back robust new laws to protect children from abuse on social media and wants bosses to be held responsible for safety, new polling suggests.
An NSPCC/YouGov survey found that more than nine in ten respondents (95%) in Scotland want social networks and messaging services to be designed to be safe for children.
The poll of more than 2,000 adults across the UK*, of which 179 respondents were from Scotland, shows huge support for putting a legal requirement on tech firms to detect and prevent child abuse, while backing strong sanctions against directors whose companies fail.
91% of respondents in Scotland want firms to have a legal responsibility to detect child abuse, such as grooming, taking place on their sites.
And almost four in five Scottish adults (79%) support prosecuting senior managers of social media managers if their companies consistently fail to protect children from abuse online, while 83% of respondents want social media bosses fined for consistent failures.
NSPCC Chief Executive Sir Peter Wanless said it shows a huge public consensus for robust Duty of Care regulation of social media.
He is urging the UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden to listen by ensuring his landmark Online Safety Bill convincingly tackles online child abuse and puts the onus on firms to prevent harm. He set out the UK Government’s vision for legislation in December.
The survey found that just ten per-cent of Scottish adults think sites are regularly designed safely for children, but 77% support a legal requirement for platforms to assess the risks of child abuse on their services, and take steps to address them.
It found that UK Government is failing on a third of indicators (nine out of 27), with tougher measures needed to tackle sexual abuse and to give Ofcom the powers they need to develop and enforce regulation fit for decades to come.
Sir Peter Wanless said: “Today’s polling shows the clear public consensus for stronger legislation that hardwires child protection into how tech firms design their platforms.
“Mr Dowden will be judged on whether he takes decisions in the public interest and acts firmly on the side of children with legislation ambitious enough to protect them from avoidable harm.
“For too long children have been an afterthought for Big Tech but the Online Safety Bill can deliver a culture change by resetting industry standards and giving Ofcom the power to hold firms accountable for abuse failings.”
The NSPCC is calling for legislation to be more robust so it can successfully combat online child abuse at an early stage and before it spreads across platforms.
They want a requirement for tech firms to treat content that facilitates sexual abuse with the same severity as material that meets the criminal threshold.
This means clamping down on the “digital breadcrumbs” dropped by abusers to guide others towards illegal material. These include videos of children just moments before or after they are sexually abused – so-called ‘abuse image series’ – that are widely available on social media.
The charity also want Ofcom to be able to tackle cross platform risks, where groomers target children across the different sites and games they use – something firms have strongly resisted.
In its report, the NSPCC called on the UK Government to commit to senior management liability to make tech directors personally responsible for decisions on product safety.
They say this is vital to drive cultural change and provide an appropriate deterrent against a lax adoption of the rules.
The charity wants to see senior management liability similar to the successful approach in financial services. Under the scheme, bosses taking decisions which could put children at risk could face censure, fines and in the case of the most egregious breaches of the Duty of Care, criminal sanctions.
They warn that the UK Government has softened its ambition and at present just propose liability for narrow procedural reasons, which will only to be enacted later down the line.
The NSPCC has been the leading voice for social media regulation and the charity set out detailed proposals for a Bill in 2019.
The UK Government’s White Paper consultation response in December set out the framework for an Online Safety Bill that is expected in the Spring.
Abuse survivors in Scotland must not be forced to sacrifice their legal rights to protect the very organisations which allowed abuse to take place in the past, lawyers said today.
Kim Leslie, spokeswoman for the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) and partner at Digby Brown was commenting ahead of debate about the Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Scotland) Bill in the Scottish Parliament today.
“As it stands, survivors of abuse who seek redress through the new scheme will have to waive their legal right to compensation afterwards,” said Ms Leslie. “This, apparently, is to give the organisations where abuse has taken place an incentive to fund the new scheme.
“But many survivors will not be aware until it is too late that the new redress scheme, while well-intended, will not always necessarily be their best option of receiving the compensation they need to help rebuild their shattered lives.
“Childhood abuse can have a lifelong effect, with some survivors finding themselves unable to maintain relationships, or hold down jobs because of the trauma they suffered,” she said.
“Even the maximum £100,000 payment available under the scheme may be nowhere near the appropriate amount of compensation for some survivors. You cannot heal from childhood trauma of this nature in the same way as if you’d broken a wrist or ankle.
“Finding the courage to seek redress in the first place is difficult enough. To then find you are expected to sign away your legal rights is unfair and unjust.”
The replacement Sick Kids hospital will fully open at last this month, Health Secrtary Jeane Freeman announced today.
Answering a question from Edinburgh Pentlands SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald, Ms. Freeman said: “NHS Lothian have now received the final validation reports for the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People remedial works and they are all satisfactory.
“I am therefore pleased to confirm that NHS Lothian will proceed with the migration of outpatients in the week commencing 22 March, this migration plan has been designed in collaboration with the support of medical, nursing and support services such as Laboratories, Radiology and Theatres.
“This is the final phase of the plan and from that date, all relevant clinical services will be delivered from the new hospital.
“I want to record my thanks to all those involved in delivering a project that has resulted in a safe hospital for the patients, families and staff of NHS Lothian.”
Lothian Conservative MSP Miles Briggs said:“The opening of the Royal hospital for Sick Children has been a long time coming and I am pleased for families in Edinburgh and the Lothian’s that it has finally arrived.
“I hope that the new hospital will be a centre of excellence for treating children and young people in the region for a long time to come.
“All the best to NHS Lothian paediatric staff in their overdue new home.”
NHS Lothian confirmed that the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People will fully open on Tuesday 23 March.
From this date, the remaining Children’s services presently located at Sciennes, including A&E, will move to the stunning and world-class Royal Hospital for Children and Young People located next to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh at Little France.
The new facilities are already home to the majority of the Children’s Outpatient services and the Department of Clinical Neurosciences (DCN), which both migrated to the Little France site in July 2020. Earlier this year, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) inpatient facilities and some outpatient services also moved to the new hospital.
The Royal Hospital for Children and Young People will deliver local, regional and national services in some of the most modern and best-designed healthcare facilities in the world.
With the new facilities connected to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, paediatric care, specialist neonatal care, neurosciences and both Emergency Departments are now all on the same site. This reduces the need for emergency transfers between hospitals, and ensures that our teams can share skills and expertise for the benefit of all our patients.
Calum Campbell, Chief Executive, NHS Lothian said, “I am delighted to announce that the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People will fully open on the 23 March 2021, bringing world class clinical facilities to the people of Lothian.
“Our wish for this project was for it to be designed in collaboration with patients and their families, as well as our staff, and the facilities that are available within the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People are testament to the success of that approach.
“The spaces are welcoming, but also fun; intended to put children and young people at ease at a time when they might otherwise be frightened, unsure or upset. The designed space is complemented by the inclusion of the latest clinical thinking and technology, enabling our teams to provide the best treatment and care for our patients not just now, but for years to come.”
The full opening of the site, follows a commissioning stage, where the remaining facilities were extensively checked, equipment was tested and staff orientation took place.
Ms Susan Goldsmith, Director of Finance and Executive Lead for the project explained that a huge amount of work had taken place to get to this point. Ms Goldsmith said, “Many teams and individuals have helped with this incredibly important project and I would like to take a moment to express my thanks to them all for their diligence and commitment.
“I am delighted that the remaining services will soon move to the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People. It will be a fantastic moment to see the building fully open and for our patients to benefit from the amazing facilities that are on offer.”
The remaining Children’s Services that are presently located at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Sciennes will move to the new hospital by Tuesday 23 March.
From 8am on Tuesday 23 March, all patients and any child or young person requiring access to A&E, must go to the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People at Little France.
The new hospital includes:
Children’s Emergency Department, next to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh Adult Emergency Department
242 Beds
10 Theatres
10 Wards (Inpatient and Day Care)
Therapy departments
Outpatients
Outdoor play areas
Physical and mental health specialities on one site
Modern Imaging equipment
An Art and Therapeutic Design programme worth over £5million, which enhances the environment and experience of the hospital. This programme has been funded by Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (www.ECHCharity.org) and Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation (www.elhf.co.uk)
Ronald McDonald House (accommodation for families of paediatric patients)
Two kidney transplant recipients have spoken about the reality of living with kidney disease ahead of World Kidney Day (Thursday 11 March 2021).
Fiona Davies, 39, from Airdrie, and Ross Young, 48, from East Calder, both diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), have shared their gratitude for the transplants that have given them their lives back, and the chance to see their children grow up.
Fiona and Ross have backed the campaign to raise awareness of the forthcoming organ and tissue opt out law, in the hope that it will get people thinking about their donation decision.
There are currently around 420 people in Scotland waiting on a kidney transplant, many of whom are on dialysis to keep their kidneys working.
Ross was diagnosed with PKD in 2003, and has since found that his two sons, now 13 and 16, have the same hereditary condition. His kidney function deteriorated to the point that he was listed for transplant in March 2010, and received his transplant in November 2010 after only ten weeks on dialysis.
Fiona was diagnosed with PKD as a teenager, which she successfully managed until the birth of her son James in 2012 impacted on her kidney function. She reached end stage kidney failure in October 2016, and was listed for transplant in March 2017. Her transplant went ahead just three weeks after she was put on the waiting list.
Scotland’s opt out law, which will be introduced on 26 March, means that if people aged 16 and over haven’t recorded a decision about donation, they will be considered a possible donor if they die in circumstances in which they could donate.
People have a choice – to be a donor, or to opt out of donation – and the campaign is encouraging people to record their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register, and share it with family.
Informing family is important, as under the new law, they will still be consulted to check what their loved ones latest views on donation were. This is to ensure donation doesn’t proceed where the individual didn’t want it to.
Speaking about the impact kidney disease and her subsequent transplant had on her life, Fiona said: “Looking back, I had no idea how ill I actually was towards the end. I was getting through life, but was constantly tired and had no concentration. Motivating myself to do things became harder and harder.
“I wanted to hold off dialysis until my son started school, but could start to feel things dipping. I had restless legs and couldn’t sit for any length of time, I felt sick when I ate and was in bed for 7.30pm every night.
“I got the call just minutes after my son’s fifth birthday party and the transplant surgery all went to plan. I was home six days later and things just got better and better. It’s quite unbelievable the change it’s made to my life and I have my donor to thank for that.
“I am very pleased that Scotland is moving to an opt out system. You don’t truly understand the impact of organ donations until your life is touched by it and I hope that the move will help increase the number of viable organs available and help those waiting. Because of organ donation, my son has his mum back, and I have a future.”
Talking about the law change to an opt out system from 26 March, Ross said: “I wouldn’t say life on dialysis was easy, but I knew it was keeping me well, and then the transplant changed everything.
“I have always felt strongly about the law changing to an opt out system, and I even approached the Scottish Parliament, which is when I learnt the wheels were already in motion for the Bill.
“I am really pleased to see the law finally coming into action. It’s the simplest way to make a difference while making sure everyone knows they’ve got a choice. If you don’t want to be a donor you just have to opt out.
“Knowing that both my sons have the same condition as me, I’m grateful for developments like the law changing before either of them finds themselves in the position I did.”
For more about the law change, and to record your donation decision, visit organdonationscotland.org or call 0300 303 2094.
Kidney Care UK is hosting a webinar tomorrow (Thursday), which will involve a range of speakers and experts answering questions around living well with kidney disease, kidney health, and the forthcoming organ and tissue donation law change in Scotland.
Lothian Conservative MSP Miles Briggs said:“Every health board in Scotland has been significantly impacted by Covid-19, but none more than NHS Lothian.
“Consecutive years of chronic underfunding for NHS Lothian by SNP Ministers has meant that the health boards was the least prepared for Covid-19, with lengthening waiting times pre Covid-19.
“A recovery plan to restore performance targets will be important across Scotland, but especially for NHS Lothian and the formula for funding health boards needs urgently reviewed.
“It is time for NHS Lothian to receive their fair share of funding, so that patients in Edinburgh and the Lothian’s don’t have to suffer exceptionally long waiting times for treatments.”
Medics against Violence, a charity founded and led by senior clinicians, are partnering with NHS Lothian and Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation to deliver Youth Navigator, a Youth work based community outreach service which will be based in the Acute Receiving Unit at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and St John’s Hospital, Livingston.
Youth Navigator aims to support young people through a joined-up hospital and community youth work approach with some of the life challenges they face that can bring them into contact with health services.
Presentation to hospital at a time of crisis is known to be a ‘reachable moment’. This is when people are more open to accepting support. The Youth Navigator will work alongside the medical and nursing staff to make sure that those important opportunities are not missed.
Dr Christine Goodall, Director of Medics against Violence said: “We are really looking forward to being able to offer the Navigator service to younger people.
“We will also have the opportunity, with the adult and youth Navigator services co-located in Lothian, to offer holistic support to the whole family should they need it.”
Tam Begbie National Co-Ordinator for the Navigator service said: “Starting up a Youth Navigator service just makes sense to us, we’ve seen many people within the adult service who would really have benefitted from this had it been available to them when they were younger.
“We hope it will give the young people who are supported by the service the connections and tools for a happier and healthier future.”
Sanjay Singh, Head of Funding Programmes at Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with NHS Lothian and Medics against Violence to provide match funding for this innovative programme.
“Having the Youth Navigator service available at such a critical point will really benefit vulnerable young people, particularly during these times of increased stress and anxiety.”
Dr Alison McLuckie, Lead Clinician for Youth Navigator in NHS Lothian said: “We are really excited to be able to offer this new service to our adolescent patients which will build on the success of the adult Navigator service and be based around the ethos of one trusted adult and community based outreach to provide the right care at the right time.”
The Heart of Scotland appeal, launched by national charity Heart Research UK, has partnered with Scottish Women in Sport (SWIS) in a bid to increase the activity levels of women across Scotland.
Every year, coronary heart disease, including heart attacks, kills around 2,600 women in Scotland – seven women every day.
The Heart of Scotland appeal was launched in 2019 to raise awareness of the problem of heart health in Scotland, as well as generating vital funds for pioneering research at Universities’ and hospitals across the country.
Coronary heart disease is Scotland’s single biggest killer, with lifestyle factors such as obesity and lack of exercise directly impacting upon a person’s risk.
In an effort to combat the statistic that more than a third of adults in Scotland do not achieve recommended levels of physical activity, the Heart of Scotland appeal has teamed up with SWIS to inspire women across Scotland to get more active.
Today, the Heart of Scotland Appeal and SWIS will be celebrating International Women’s Day by featuring inspirational video interviews with some of Scotland’s leading female athletes, including Hannah Rankin, Katie Archibald MBE, Jasmin Paris, Rebecca Sellar, Samantha Kinghorn and Rachel Corsie.
They will share their experiences of reaching the pinnacle of their respective sports and their advice for any young person wishing to follow in their footsteps.
Heart Research UK have collaborated on this latest campaign, which has been backed by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, to highlight the relationship between an active lifestyle and a healthy heart whilst encouraging more women in Scotland to get active.
This is the second collaboration between Heart Research UK and Scottish Women in Sport who together produced a series of video interviews with four of the leading Scottish female researchers, academics and practitioners who have devoted their time and expertise to taking on heart disease for International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
Maureen McGonigle, Founder of Scottish Women in Sport, said:“It is a privilege to work with Heart Research UK, as they are such an established and passionate organisation.
“Together along with some of Scotland’s top sportswomen, we hope to raise awareness of the impact of heart disease on women, and hopefully encourage more women to get active and take on heart disease.”
Dr Helen Flaherty, head of Health Promotion and Education at Heart Research UK, said: “We all know how important it is to be active – it’s one of the best things we can do to improve our heart health.
“However, many people find it difficult to get motivated, or struggle to fit the recommended 150 minutes of exercise into a week.
“Women often find it difficult to engage with physical activity due to a lack of confidence and time. Through this partnership with SWIS, we hope to be able to encourage women all across Scotland to increase their activity levels, and also to encourage the next generation of Scottish sportswomen, as well as helping to reduce the gender gap in physical activity and sport.”
Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK
It’s never too late in the year to think about setting some personal targets. Research indicates that the first key step to making positive changes to our lifestyle is setting a goal.
With this in mind, here are some of the things you may consider when setting a target to improve your heart health:
Be Clear About What You Want to Achieve
Detailed, specific goals that use some sort of framework such as SMART can help us to set correspondingly clear actions on how to achieve our goal. Try and avoid goals which include statements such as ‘do your best’ and rather opt for an objective measure to assess your performance against such as ‘score above 80%’.
Be Like Goldilocks
We know that setting goals that are either too challenging or too easy will reduce your likelihood of success. Goals need to be ‘just right’ by offering a level of challenge whilst also being realistic.
Break It Down
Try to include regular check-ins to assess your progress and adjust your goal if necessary. For example, if you are looking to lose weight, you may schedule a monthly weigh-in.
Write It Down
It can be useful to commit to your goal with a pencil and paper. Interestingly, those who sign a ‘contract’ of commitment to their goal will typically improve their chances of goal achievement; this could be a post-it note on the fridge or a handwritten pledge that you keep on your desk.
Share It
Research also indicates that sharing our goal with someone else can improve accountability, and thus increase our likelihood of success.
For more tips on how to improve your heart health, visit the ‘Healthy Tips’ page on our website.
