Babies and children in Edinburgh approved for adoption will benefit from newly launched service

Babies and children from Edinburgh who are approved for permanent homes through adoption will benefit from a new service launched by leading children and young person’s charity, Kibble.  

Unlike many others, the new adoption service will work nationwide and collaboratively with local authorities and other registered adoption agencies, to recruit and match adopters with children waiting to find their forever homes in a bid to modernise and streamline the process for both children and adopters.   

The service will join Kibble’s well-established range of trauma-informed care and support which includes fostering, residential care, education and specialist therapeutic support.   

Another unique move from the care provider, Kibble will also be offering adopters and adopted children lifelong access to its services and support which includes therapists, psychologists and behavioural experts among many other industry-leading services available through the charity’s network of expertise.  

Paula Harkins, who is leading the Kibble Adoption service, said: “This launch is an incredibly important step in expanding Kibble’s commitment to children and young people across Scotland. 

“Our vision is to set a high standard of practice within the sector, ensuring that every step of the adoption process is thoughtfully tailored to the needs of the child and the family.  

“Modernising adoption is long overdue, and we must ensure we are respectful of the unique dual identity that an adopted child has, as well as the need for ongoing therapeutic services throughout their lives – a right that all children and families who are affected by adoption now have under the 2007 Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act.” 

In addition to supporting the placement of all children considered suitable for adoption, Kibble will provide a focused service for many of the babies and children currently on the adoption register recognised in the sector as ‘harder to place’.  

This often includes large sibling groups, children with additional needs and older children. Sadly, these groups often spend longer than necessary waiting for their forever home due to a lack of suitable adopters being recruited that can meet the needs of the children. 

Kibble’s newly established adoption service is uniquely positioned to respond to these challenges by working across Scotland to recruit adopters, while also offering lifetime support for all children, adopters and families.  

Jim Gillespie, Chief Executive Officer at Kibble, emphasised how the newly formed adoption service is a natural progression of the already-established extensive range of services available to young people through Kibble that contributes to its mission of providing early-intervention and support of young people across Scotland.  

He said: “The launch of our Adoption Service complements our existing residential, fostering and community-based programmes, providing a full spectrum of care options for young people in Scotland.  

“This expansion reinforces Kibble’s long-standing commitment to early intervention and support, ensuring we can meet each young person’s unique needs and offer them the best possible chance at a bright, stable future. 

“This is an important step in our mission to build a foundation that will support young people and families across Scotland for years to come.” 

For those considering adoption, Kibble’s new service offers full support from initial enquiries to post-adoption care, enabling families to provide loving homes for Scotland’s children in need of a family to belong.

With extensive experience in trauma-informed care and early intervention, Kibble is uniquely positioned to support adoptive families and children, creating positive, lifelong outcomes.  

For further information about Kibble’s new adoption service and for those looking to start their own adoption journey, visit: Kibble Adoption — Transforming lives, families and our communities.  

999 BSL service could “prove to be life-saver” says charity

The 999 BSL UK emergency video relay service for deaf British Sign Language (BSL) users has been launched today, Friday 17 June. 

The service gives deaf BSL users the option of calling the emergency services using BSL, via the 999 BSL website and app.

Susan Daniels OBE, Chief Executive of the National Deaf Children’s Society, said: “Calling for help quickly is vital in an emergency and no one should ever have to worry about communication when they do so. 999 BSL should remove these barriers, so we strongly welcome its launch.

“It’s now crucial that the developers do everything they can to make sure that every BSL user in the country knows it exists.

“We’d urge every deaf child and young person who uses BSL to download the app without delay. Having the option to get help so quickly, in their first language, could one day prove to be a life-saver.”

New TransPennine Express connects communities between Edinburgh and Newcastle

Communities in East Lothian, the Scottish Borders and Northumberland have today been connected via rail for the first time in almost decades thanks to new services operated by TransPennine Express (TPE).

The train company has launched five services per day (Monday to Saturday) in both directions, calling at Edinburgh Waverley, Dunbar, Reston (once opened), Berwick-upon-Tweed, Alnmouth, Morpeth, and Newcastle, with one service per day calling at Cramlington.

The introduction of the new services means that for the first time in decades, communities in Morpeth, Alnmouth, Berwick and Dunbar now have a rail link, providing new journey opportunities for residents between towns in the regions and into Edinburgh and Newcastle.

Matthew Golton, Managing Director for TransPennine Express said: “We are thrilled that, as of today, communities across East Lothian, the Scottish Borders and Northumberland are connected once again, and we are looking forward to welcoming customers onboard.

“Working with Transport Scotland and Rail North Partnership we’re delighted that these additional services will now significantly improve connectivity on this route, providing communities with enhanced access to work, education and leisure opportunities.”

Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris said: “Our railways are vital in connecting communities and empowering our towns and cities to flourish, which is why we have announced our historic £96bn Integrated Rail Plan to help level up the North and Midlands.

“It’s fantastic that Transport Scotland and the Rail North Partnership have come together with TransPennine Express to launch these new services, which will bring people together, drive growth, and provide an important link between two of the UK’s greatest cities.”

Transport Minister Graeme Dey said: “This is very good news for the local communities along the route and a great example of collaborative working.

“Improving access to work, education and leisure opportunities by connecting communities is at the heart of our transport priorities. These additional rail services, particularly at intermediate stations, will also make a real difference in encouraging more people out of their cars and onto trains as we strive towards achieving our Net Zero goals.”

Cllr Martin Gannon, Chair of the North East Joint Transport Committee, said: “I’m pleased to welcome this new TransPennine Express service which will help to improve connectivity for local people – particularly for communities in Northumberland.

“Better access to employment, education and leisure is a key objective of our regional Transport Plan, so I’m delighted to see this additional service begin.”

The new services will be operated by TPE’s modern, five carriage Nova 1 trains featuring spacious interiors, plenty of leg room, free Wi-Fi in both Standard and First Class as well as access to onboard entertainment system, Exstream.

Customers can travel with confidence onboard TPE’s services with enhanced cleaning in place to keep everyone safe. Face coverings must be worn on trains and at stations (unless exempt).

For those looking to travel, tickets can be purchased online via our website or using the TPExpress App where people can pay using Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal.

E-tickets are also available allowing customers to use their phone instead of a paper ticket. 

Independent advocacy support service for disabled people

New service will launch in the New Year

Disabled people are to benefit from a ground-breaking new advocacy service which will support access to Scotland’s social security services.

The Scottish Government has committed £20.4 million over the next four years to the provision of the new and free programme, unique in the UK.

It will offer advocacy support to disabled people looking to access Scottish social security benefits.

These include current and future disability benefits such as Child Disability Payment, Adult Disability Payment and Pension Age Disability Payment.

The service will be operational in the new year and is entirely independent of the Scottish Government and Social Security Scotland. It will be available in each NHS board area and will create up to 100 new jobs across the country.

Social Security Minister Ben Macpherson said: “The service will provide advocacy to anyone who is disabled and requires support to communicate their needs when accessing Scotland’s social security services.

“This assistance will be person-centred and advocates will provide the most appropriate form of support to each individual based on their circumstances.

“This is a new and independent free service, with no equivalent provided by DWP.

“It builds on our human rights-based approach and makes social security more accessible to disabled people in Scotland, ensuring their voices are heard.”

VoiceAbility, a charity with 40 years’ experience delivering advocacy services, has been awarded the contract to provide the service.

They will establish a new base and training centre in Glasgow and create up to 100 jobs over the four years. There will be at least one advocate in each NHS area at launch, with more jobs to be created as disability benefits are introduced.

VoiceAbility CEO Jonathan Senker said: “We are proud to launch this new independent advocacy service and we look forward to establishing a base in Scotland and taking on the staff to deliver it.

“The advocacy we provide will support disabled people to make sure their voices are heard when it matters most and that more people will get the support they’re entitled to.”

Brian Scott of the Glasgow Disability Alliance added: “Our members have highlighted the barriers that many disabled people face in accessing support to find out about the social security benefits they are entitled to – and to apply for them. 

“We welcome this free advocacy service as it will ensure disabled people are more involved in the processes and decisions which affect them. 

“In making social security more accessible to disabled people, it shows real evidence of a rights-based approach to providing services.”