A consultation on guidance that seeks to make funeral costs easier to understand has been published by the Scottish Government. The consultation sets out measures that burial authorities, crematoriums and funeral directors can take to make funeral costs transparent and more understandable. Continue reading More transparency on funeral charges
Gimmick or Godsend, Baby Boxes are one year old today
A year since the first delivery
As the first Baby Box bairns celebrate their birthday this week, Scotland’s Baby Box has now been gifted to 52,065 newborns in its first year.
85% of expectant parents have taken up the opportunity to receive the Baby Box, while the latest parent survey showed 100% satisfaction.
Greater Glasgow and Clyde has received the most Baby Boxes in the past year, with 12,815 new babies being welcomed by a box, while 199 babies on the Western Isles received boxes.
The boxes have travelled far and wide, with 206 boxes travelling 400 miles from the depot in Leith to Haroldswick in Shetland.
Children and Early Years Minister Maree Todd said: “A year on from when the first Baby Boxes were delivered, we can say these boxes are having a real impact on the lives of those who receive them.
“I’ve heard stories from across the country about how the thermometers have helped parents seek appropriate medical care for their babies, how its contents are providing essential products for babies who arrive early, and much needed comfort for those who might not have family or friends around to shower the little one with gifts when they arrive.
“These boxes demonstrate that, as a society, we value each and every child in Scotland. We’ve had a very successful first year, with 85% take-up, and we want to continue to build on this as we move into year two.
“I’m delighted to have reached this milestone . It’s an honour for everyone involved – from the organisations providing the items to the box packers to the people delivering the boxes – to have been part of something that is having a real impact on the lives of babies and their carers across the country.”
Shelagh Young, Scotland Director of Home-Start UK, said: “Many parents have been telling Home-Start staff and volunteers just how much the items they receive are helping them.
“Being a parent, especially for the first time, can be overwhelming, and many of the families we work with we work with feel isolated and alone. The Baby Box gives the clear message that every child matters, and that parents are not alone.”
NHS Lothian Chief Midwife, Frances McGuire, said: “The Baby Box has been a great opportunity for our midwives and health visitors to chat to expectant parents about its contents and how they can help improve a child’s health and wellbeing.
“Not only that, but the box helps new parents at a time where they may be particularly stretched financially, and can provide crucial support.”
The boxes are a signal of the Scottish Government’s determination that every child, regardless of their circumstances, should get the best start in life.
Each box contains a large number of essential items for parents and babies, while the box itself comes with a mattress and can be used as a safe sleep space.
Research into parents’ views taken in December 2017 shows 100% are either satisfied or very satisfied with the overall quality of the contents.
Ninety-nine per cent of parents are also either satisfied or very satisfied with the range of items, the design of the box and delivery arrangements.
Statistics:
| Â Health Board 19/6-12/8 | Cards Received | Boxes Delivered |
| NHS Ayrshire and Arran | 3551 | 3154 |
| NHS Borders | 1138 | 1033 |
| NHS Dumfries and Galloway | 1373 | 1241 |
| NHS Fife | 3743 | 3366 |
| NHS Forth Valley | 3033 | 2757 |
| NHS Grampian | 6712 | 5932 |
| NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde | 14581 | 12815 |
| NHS Highland | 2903 | 2556 |
| NHS Lanarkshire | 6565 | 5743 |
| NHS Lothian | 10231 | 9172 |
| NHS Orkney | 212 | 194 |
| NHS Shetland | 237 | 206 |
| NHS Tayside | 4105 | 3697 |
| NHS Western Isles | 224 | 199 |
| Total | 58608 | 52065 |
Baby Box to be placed in Museum of Childhood
Scotland’s Baby Box will be preserved in history when it is placed into the Museum of Childhood a year after it was first introduced.
52,065 babies across the country have now received a Baby Box containing essential items aimed at tackling inequality and promoting health.
The Museum of Childhood, in Edinburgh, will place the box into exhibition from next year.
Each box contains a large number of items for parents and babies, while the box itself comes with a mattress and can be used as a sleep space.
Children and Early Years Minister Maree Todd said: “I am absolutely delighted that our Baby Box will have a place preserved in history here at the Museum of Childhood.
“This box has made such a difference to people’s lives in the past year, and to know that this will now be on exhibition as a legacy of the babies of Scotland should make everyone involved in creating, packing and delivering the Baby Box very proud.
“We are committed to ensuring every baby has the best start in life, and I’ve seen over the past year the difference this box and its contents has made to the lives of babies and their parents and carers.”
Sandra Martin, History Curator for Edinburgh’s Museums and Galleries, said: “The Museum houses some extraordinary examples of childhood history from all sides of Scottish society.
“From real silver spoons, a popular gift with babies in Victorian Edinburgh, to makeshift dolls crafted with nothing more than a wooden spoon and some old cloth, by families who couldn’t afford anything more.
“The modern baby box is the great equaliser. The same gifts for baby, available to all new mothers. It’s a pleasure to welcome it into our collection.”
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£1.3 Billion boost for local economy
Prime Minister Theresa May and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon joined council, business and academia leaders to formally sign off the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal yesterday.
The £1.3 billion deal will deliver inclusive economic growth across the region through housing, innovation, transport, skills and culture. The Scottish Government and the UK Government will each invest £300 million over the next 15 years.
The Scottish Government’s investment will contribute towards 41,000 new homes, 21,000 jobs and improve the skills of an estimated 14,700 people.
The Scottish Government’s investment in the City Region includes:
• £60 million towards a Data Driven Innovation programme of investment, including the creation of economic infrastructure across the region to ensure that businesses and communities across the region are fully able to engage in the resulting opportunities
• £65 million towards a regional housing programme, including the creation of a new housing company and housing infrastructure funding to enable the delivery of 41,000 new homes
• £120 million for transport improvements to Sheriffhall Roundabout
• £20 million for public transport improvements in West Edinburgh
• £25 million for an Integrated Regional Employability & Skills Programme to reduce skills shortages and gaps and deliver opportunities for people across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and the Borders
• £10m towards a new concert venue for the city, providing a home for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and reinforcing Edinburgh’s reputation as a leading centre for music and the performing arts.
In addition, the Scottish Government is also providing Edinburgh Festivals with a £5 million investment over the next five years to fund The Platforms for Creative Excellence (PLaCE) programme which supports new innovative programming and skills development opportunities across the capital’s 11 major festivals between 2018-2023.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Edinburgh and the South East of Scotland is an area of huge importance to the Scottish economy. The region contains over a quarter of Scotland’s population and contributes £33 billion to the Scottish and UK economies.
“The Scottish Government’s £300 million investment in the City Region Deal will contribute towards 41,000 new homes, 21,000 jobs and improve the skills of an estimated 14,700 people across the region. Our investments will ensure businesses and communities from across the region benefit from the opportunities created by this the city region deal.
“Taken together these projects will help the region continue to thrive and grow, fulfilling our ambitions for the region to be one of the fairest and most inclusive areas in the country.”
Prime Minister Theresa May said: “It is fantastic to be here at the University of Edinburgh to sign off on the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Deal.
“We are in one of the great cities of our United Kingdom, at a time of year when it serves not just as the capital of Scotland but as the cultural capital of the world.
I had the privilege of experiencing first-hand some of the cultural riches that the Edinburgh Festivals have to offer earlier today, and a great pleasure it was to do so. The Festivals are an international calling-card for Edinburgh and the surrounding area and when people come to take part in them they find a city and a region that has huge potential for the future. You see it clearly in the imagination and creativity on display here every August.
“But you see it too in the innovative and ground-breaking work that goes on in this city and area all year round. In great universities and colleges. In high-tech businesses. In financial and legal services hubs.
This is a city and a region that has so much to offer Scotland, the UK and indeed the world.
“The Edinburgh and South East City Deal is all about building on those strengths to open up new opportunities for the future in the creative industries, in research, in housing, in transport and in skills, and it will have a lasting legacy.
The UK and Scottish Governments are both helping to build the IMPACT Concert Hall – a new venue to cement Edinburgh’s place as the world’s Festival City.
The City Deal partners also want to turn Edinburgh into the Data Capital of Europe.
“So we are providing capital investment to develop new data storage and analysis technology here in Edinburgh. This great new facility, the Bayes Centre, will open in the autumn with UK Government investment, and will provide shared working spaces for applied data science and artificial intelligence research teams.
“It is one of five hubs across the city that will use data technology to support research and development activity in sectors of the future, from fin-tech and robotics to bio tech and health sciences. I want the UK to lead the world in these technologies. I want us to have the best regulation, the most advanced research and the most lucrative commercial applications.
“The City Deal will put Edinburgh at the cutting edge of that work and it is exciting to think about the future possibilities that this investment will open up. UK City and Growth Deals are a key part of our Modern Industrial Strategy. The UK Government has already committed over £1 billion to them here in Scotland.
Five have been signed, and three more are being negotiated.
“Just like the Modern Industrial Strategy as a whole, they are a partnership between Government at all levels, business and academia to combine our resources and to tackle the challenges of tomorrow. Because I believe we can achieve far more together than we ever could apart.
“So thank you to all the Deal partners for your work to get us here: The University of Edinburgh, who have hosted us today, as well as Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Napier University, and Queen Margaret University.
“To the local authorities: Edinburgh City Council, Midlothian Council, East Lothian Council, West Lothian Council, Scottish Borders Council and Fife Council. And of course our colleagues in the Scottish Government.
“This is a great day for the south-east of Scotland and an exciting step towards a brighter future for this wonderful part of the UK.”
Help is at hand from Scotland’s national careers service
https://twitter.com/scotgov/status/1026524722266353667
A free helpline offering advice, information and support for young people receiving exam results opens this morning. Skills Development Scotland’s (SDS) exam results helpline will be available from exam results day until August 15 and is open to all young people and their families seeking careers advice.
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