Tag: NSPCC Scotland

NSPCC Scotland receives boost from Amazon team

Volunteers and staff at NSPCC Scotland received a special delivery when the team from Amazon’s delivery station in Bathgate stopped by with a £1,000 donation. 

The Bathgate team also held a collection at the delivery station and raised a further £1,000 for the charity.

The NSPCC is the UK’s leading children’s charity fighting to end child abuse. The charity offers free, confidential advice and support to children and young people through its Childline service, visits primary schools across the country to deliver ‘Speak Out. Stay Safe’ assemblies and workshops and works directly with families in local communities through its specialist teams.

NSPCC Scotland works specifically with local services and communities and attempts to influence national policy developments and political processes to protect the future of Scotland’s children.

The charity received the donation as part of the ‘Amazon In The Community’ programme, where the company supports the communities around its operating locations across the UK.

The donation will enable NSPCC Scotland to answer 500 more calls to Childline.

To celebrate the donation, members of Amazon’s Bathgate Delivery Station team visited the charity’s Glasgow headquarters.

Amazon’s Bathgate Delivery Station Manager, Scott Cartwright, said: “We are really pleased to be able to support NSPCC Scotland with this donation.

“The charity does such important work in our local area and we wanted to recognise that by offering our support. We had a great time meeting with the team in Glasgow to hear more about their efforts to stop child abuse for good.”

Jen Lindsay, from NSPCC Scotland, said: “On behalf of myself and NSPCC Scotland I want to say a big thank you to Scott and the Amazon team.

“The NSPCC receives 90% of its funding from supporters, so this donation will go a long way to help us make sure we can keep every child who needs us safe. We loved having the team down to meet us and hope that they know what a difference this donation will make in our community.”

Amazon Logistics is helping independent local delivery companies to grow their businesses and adds capacity and flexibility to Amazon’s delivery network to meet increasing customer demand.

Amazon has created more than 75 permanent jobs at the delivery station in Bathgate and works with around 15 independent delivery companies with hundreds of drivers to provide the fast and reliable delivery Amazon customers love and trust. Packages are shipped to the delivery station from Amazon fulfilment and sortation centres and loaded onto vehicles to get delivered to customers. 

Cyber-bullying revealed as children’s greatest online fear

  • More than a quarter of children and young people are worried about cyber-bullying, a survey reveals – topping the list of online fears
  • 89% also think talking to parents would help keep them stay safe online, but parents reported that only 35% had done so in the last 12 months.
  • Survey of more than 4,000 children and young people and 4,000 parents and carers conducted on behalf of O2 and NSPCC ahead of Safer Internet Day 

Being cyber-bullied is children’s greatest fear when they go online, according to a major survey conducted on behalf of O2 and the NSPCC ahead of Safer Internet Day (Tuesday 11 February).

When questioned, more than a quarter of children (27%) said bullying or someone being unkind to them was what worried them the most when using the internet.

The survey of more than 4,000 young people also revealed being contacted by someone they don’t know was the second biggest online concern (16% of respondents).

Speaking to parents or carers is overwhelmingly seen by children (89%) as the thing to do to help them stay safe online, but parents reported only 35% had raised internet safety with them in the past 12 months.

The survey of more than 4,000 parents and carers also revealed that 92% felt they knew how to advise their child on staying safe online, but less than half (42%) had agreed guidelines on what they do when using the internet.

To mark Safer Internet Day, O2 and the NSPCC have created a new online family agreement for parents and children to fill-in and sign together to help encourage more regular conversations about internet safety.

The agreement provides families with the opportunity to make a joint pledge on things both parents and children will do when online.

O2 and the NSPCC also offer free online resources in the form of Net Aware, a website which explains the social networks, apps or games that children are using most frequently.

Laura Randall, Associate Head of Child Safety Online and Innovation at the NSPCC, said: “Children and young people are becoming increasingly aware of the risks they face when going online and the vital role their parents or carers can play in ensuring they stay safe.

“As a result, parents and carers need to take the initiative and set up regular conversations with their child about their online life, with our family agreement being a great way to kick things off.

“To ensure they are as well informed as possible parents and carers can also access free tools like Net Aware, where they can learn about the latest games, apps and social networks their children are using.”

Nicola Green, Corporate Affairs Director at O2 said: “The digital world is an amazing place but it’s important that as parents we have regular conversations with our children so they’re aware how to safely navigate any potential dangers online.

“As a mum, I know it can sometimes be difficult to know where to start, which is why for Safer Internet Day this year we’ve created a family agreement, available in-store and to download online for free, as a handy tool for parents to explore what their children like doing online and agree to set some guidelines.”

As well as the family agreement, the partnership have developed a booklet offering the latest practical and simple tips on the risks children might face when using the internet, and advice about what parents can do to keep their child safe.

The booklet is now available in more than 450 O2 stores nationwide.

Barratt boost for Edinburgh charities

Barratt Homes, the UK’s largest builder has donated £3,000 to three charities across Edinburgh and the Lothians, helping them with a number of projects in 2020.

A £1,000 donation was made to Libertus Services, Edinburgh North West Food Project and NSPCC Scotland as part of the Barratt Homes Community Fund.

The Barratt Homes Community Fund pledges £1,000 every month to a charity or organisation which supports local people across Edinburgh, The Lothians and Fife. Charities are nominated and voted for by employees of Barratt Homes and the focus for the fund continues to be on organisations that improve the quality of life for those living in the area.

The series of donations follows on from a successful year of volunteering by Barratt Homes. Throughout 2019 employees from across the business completed a grand total of 88 days volunteering for different charities in the region including CHAS, Edinburgh Dog & Cat Home and RSPB.

Part of the Trussell Trust network of foodbanks, The Edinburgh North West Food Project provides emergency food parcels to people living in food poverty. The North-West Edinburgh branch was opened in 2012, based out of its founder’s garage, with only a handful of volunteers, and now has seven foodbanks across Edinburgh with over 190 dedicated volunteers, working with over 230 support agencies.

Ryan Strachan, operations manager, Edinburgh North West Food Project commented: “We can’t thank Barratt enough for their kind donation. Each box we issue costs roughly £5 and we are roughly putting out 1,000 boxes per month.

“The donation will be used towards these boxes and help cover things like stock crates, wheels to move stock around the warehouse, vans plus their upkeep, rent and maintenance of warehouse, as well as electricity and stationery.”

The NSPCC Speak Out Stay Safe assemblies help children to recognise different types of abuse and to feel confident about speaking out to a trusted adult.

NSPCC Scotland began delivering the service to primary schools in Scotland in 2012, and since then its staff and team of dedicated volunteers have spoken to tens of thousands of schoolchildren the length and breadth of the country.

Katie Bruce, corporate partnerships manager for NSPCC Scotland said: “We’re really grateful for the donation and without Barratt Homes’ support, and other organisations like them giving back to their community, we wouldn’t be able to deliver programmes like ‘Speak Out. Stay Safe’ across the East of Scotland.

“Through their donation, Barratt Homes has ensured that NSPCC Scotland will visit another two primary schools in the Lothians, helping children understand about their right to be protected from abuse and neglect and how they should speak to a trusted adult when something worries or upsets them.”

Libertus Services is an Edinburgh-based charity dedicated to supporting people to live independently.

Providing a registered Day Care service to local older people alongside a plethora of recreational, educational, cultural and social projects, the charity is dedicated to empowering its members to make informed choices and to engage with activities which offer a selection of physical activity, reminiscence, games and art as therapy.

Dan Fuller, positive futures project coordinator, Libertus said: “We’re really thankful for Barratt’s donation, which will help support our Positive Futures project. Positive Futures supports people over the age of 50 across Edinburgh to develop and run weekly activity groups in community based settings.

“The donation will specifically help with a number of supplies, from stationery for the craft workshops to equipment for our gym and pilates classes. With this project we aim to reduce social isolation by offering local people opportunities to get involved, meet new people, develop and use their skills.”

Anne Ross, Director for Barratt Scotland East said:  “All three charities provide an invaluable service across Scotland for children, those in food poverty and the elderly.

“At Barratt East Scotland we are committed to supporting the communities we serve, and through this fund and our volunteering days, we hope to make a meaningful contribution to the services that make a positive impact on so many lives.”

Last year £1.2 million was donated across Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes in the UK.

For more information on Barratt Homes visit https://www.barratthomes.co.uk/ 

Online safety campaigner receives NSPCC honorary member of council award

Ruth Moss, a research nurse from Edinburgh, has been recognised as an ‘Honorary Member of Council’ at the NSPCC annual council meeting after years of hard work campaigning for tighter regulations on online safety for children. Continue reading Online safety campaigner receives NSPCC honorary member of council award

Scotland set to make it a criminal offence for parents to smack their children

MSPs have the chance to make history today by voting in favour of Scotland becoming the first country in the UK to end the physical punishment of children when Green MSP John Finnie’s Children (Equal Protection from Assault) (Scotland) Bill will be voted on its third stage in parliament. Continue reading Scotland set to make it a criminal offence for parents to smack their children