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Insight magazine Issue 3 now available for non-members

1 Dec 2023

As part of our commitment to supporting professionals and practitioners across the children’s sector, we open access to previous editions of our member magazine, Insight, one year after publication, allowing non-members to read the digital edition for free. 

The third issue of Insight, originally published in November 2022, is packed with profiles, interviews and features, which take a critical look at some of the big issues facing children, young people and families today.

In the magazine's lead four-page interview, Kenny Murray, Director of Inclusion and Engagement at Who Cares? Scotland (click here for more), shares why accountability is key when supporting Care Experienced people.

Since the late 1970s, Who Cares? Scotland has been a source of support, a champion of rights and a powerhouse of progress for Care Experienced people throughout the country.

The charity has passionately pursued legislative change and was instrumental in ensuring the right to remain in care extended upwards to the age of 26, as outlined in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. It is the driving force behind an ongoing campaign to recognise Care Experience as a protected characteristic and played a key role in the Independent Care Review, leading to the establishment of The Promise.

Who Cares? Scotland is committed to ensuring that the voices of Care Experienced people are listened to, and advocacy is a crucially important part of their work.

A recent development of its advocacy service has been the introduction of a helpline available to anyone of any age who is Care Experienced, recognising that the challenges of having been in care can be carried well into adulthood.

It has had significant influence in challenging stereotypes through work with leading media outlets on their representation of Care Experienced people and was involved in a sensitivity read of the popular Tracy Beaker TV series. The charity encourages Care Experienced people themselves to challenge misrepresentation – or better yet, provide their own alternative.

A national representative body, made up of Care Experienced people, guide its work and the Who Cares? Scotland board has strong representation of Care Experienced people.

Writer, campaigner and media consultant Kenny Murray embodies all of this. He is open about his own experience of being in care and the frustrating lack of progress since he left the system 18 years ago, arguing that, whilst policy change is welcome, the real progress needs to be cultural and societal, encompassing how Care Experienced people are treated, represented and supported throughout their lives.

To read the full interview with Kenny, click the link below, where you'll also find:

  • A piece by Dr Lynn McNair, who reflects on the opportunities a later school start age could bring
  • Alison Watson, from Shelter Scotland, commenting on the record number of children in temporary accommodation
  • And Magic Torch Comics on how sequential storytelling can help unlock literacy.

Insight Issue 3 is now available, click here to read

Are you a Children in Scotland member? Click here to access the latest edition of Insight, Issue 5  (log in required)

Insight Issue 3

Read the third edition of Insight, including an interview with Kenny Murray

Click here to read

Insight Issue 5

Read the current issue of Insight, featuring 40-pages of interviews and features

Click here to read

Join us in membership

Insight is just one of many benefits of membership of Children in Scotland

Click here for more

Enquire

Find out more about Enquire, the national advice and information service for additional support for learning

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Reach

The website for young people offers advice and support on accessing their rights

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"Climate justice offers us a pathway to a world where all of us are free”

29 Nov 2023

At just 25-years-old, Mikaela Loach has already achieved more than many people could manage in a whole lifetime. And yet, freshly graduated from university, she’s just getting started.

Alongside fellow Paid To Pollute campaigners, in the past few years, the young activist has taken the UK government to court over its public payments to fossil fuel companies, built a social media community of more than 180,000 like-minded people, launched a successful podcast, and penned a bestselling book, It’s Not That Radical, which explores the intersectional issues of capitalism, white privilege, poverty, and climate change.

If all that wasn’t enough, the articulate campaigner has also taken part in countless protests, including camping outside Westminster Abbey, alongside studying for a medical degree at the University of Edinburgh, which involved completing clinical placements throughout the pandemic.

Here, Mikaela, who has been named as one of the most influential women in the UK climate movement by the likes of Forbes, Global Citizen and BBC Woman’s Hour, speaks to Children in Scotland about her journey from teen activist to fighting for climate justice on a world stage – and how our young people can do the same by working together for collective change.

Alice Hinds: Many children and young people feel their opinions are not valued. Having got involved in activism at a young age, what helped you find your voice?

Mikaela Loach: I think it was just knowing that nothing has ever changed passively in this world. If we want things to change, we have to make them change.

As young people, we’re often told that we are naive or immature, and we don’t understand the world for wanting things to be different, wanting a world where everyone is safe and has dignified and free lives. But, actually, what is often characterised as naivety is our greatest strength. We can see that so much of this world doesn’t make any sense, and rather than allowing ourselves to be shut down by other people, we should instead say over and over again – ‘this world does not make sense and that we want something different. We want something safer and better. We deserve that and we can get that.’

 When it comes to climate crisis, young voices in particular are so important. We are one of the most impacted groups in this world, and we are going to be impacted disproportionately by this crisis. It’s so important that we do speak out, and realise that so many of the liberties and freedoms that we have now are because other people chose to be brave. Whether it was the civil rights movement, women’s rights and suffrage, or disability justice, people put their heads above the parapet and spoke out – and that’s how change happens.

AH: Within your best-selling book, It’s Not That Radical: Climate Action to Transform Our World, you talk about “active hope”– do you think there is a risk of young people, in particular, struggling with eco-anxiety and feeling hopeless about their future?

MK: I talk about active hope because I see hope as an active stance. Often, we’re told that things, the world, will just get better over time – but it’s not passive, it’s an active process, and we all have to be part of making the world better.

Eco-anxiety is rife in young people, we feel so anxious about our future. That anxiety comes from feeling that there’s nothing that we can do about it, as if the future has already been written and we have to just be OK with it. We can combat that by realising that we do have agency, we do have power, we can do things, and the future is not written – we are the ones writing the future, so we have to have the bravery to write something different.

AH: Alongside climate change, Scotland’s younger generations are facing a plethora of injustices that will impact their future. How do you remain optimistic in the face of so many challenges?

MK: It’s hard. All the oppressive issues in this world are connected to each other. There is no single issue struggle because we do not live single issue lives, as the great [American writer] Audre Lorde said. I understand that if all these issues are connected – and in my work I have an intersectional lens that sees these connections – then I’ll know that the work I’m doing to unravel one part of the oppression will unravel the whole tapestry. It reminds me that what we’re fighting for is not just one siloed liberation, it’s the liberation of all of us – and that’s exciting. Climate justice offers us a pathway to a world without misogyny, without homophobia, without racism, without classism, without transphobia. A world where all of us are free. We can do that, but we have to fight for that. Even just saying that has brought me some more hope.

AH: Do you believe politicians and world leaders have a responsibility to future generations when it comes to actively tackling climate change?

MK: Absolutely. Politicians and world leaders should always have a responsibility to future generations when they’re making any policy, but especially with the climate crisis because it is so urgent. For future generations, we need to have a policy of no new oil and gas and scaling down fossil fuels rather than scaling them up. Having no new oil and gas is key if we want to have future generations and if we want to have a world for us to live in.

This excerpt was taken from Issue 5 of Insight, the bi-annual publication for Children in Scotland members.

To read the full interview, you'll need a digital subscription, which costs just £10 per year and provides access to two issues. For more information, contact Alice Hinds: ahinds@childreninscotland.org.uk

Already a member? Click here to read Insight Issue 5

About the author

Mikaela Loach is a climate justice activist and best-selling author

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Insight Issue 5

Find out what's inside the latest issue. Illustration by Ally McKay

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The Learning Guide: July-December 2023

Discover the latest learning opportunities

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Join us in membership

Insight is just one of many benefits of membership of Children in Scotland

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Our staff

Find out more about who works at Children in Scotland

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Changing our World

Find out more about our children and young people's advisory group

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Taken from a Scottish Government campaign poster, the image features a young person with blonde hair. They are wearing a generic school uniform and a hand, make of vape smoke, is touching their shoulder

Magazine /

Scottish Government launches Take Hold campaign to raise awareness of vaping harms

Posted 24.11.23 by Alice Hinds

changing our world consultation health and wellbeing Scottish Government

The Scottish Government has launched a new marketing campaign to inform parents, carers and school pupils about the dangers of vaping and e-cigarettes.

As well as making use of radio and outdoor advertising, the Take Hold marketing campaign will see schools around Scotland provided with digital guidance packs and resources for posters, reinforcing the key message that vapes may quickly become harmfully addictive for children and young people, affecting everything from concentration and mental health to overall mood.

The information campaign comes as a new Tobacco and Vaping Framework is published, setting out key actions to create a tobacco-free generation by 2034, including raising the age limit for sales of cigarettes, and improving services to help people quit.

In addition, the Scottish Government will continue to review what further action is needed to limit the appeal of vapes to children, young people and non-smokers during the first phase of the framework, which will run until November 2025.

Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “Smoking damages lives for people across Scotland, and is responsible for one in five deaths – more than 8,000 lives a year. It causes preventable ill health and loss of life of loved ones, is a significant burden on our NHS and social care services, and is the leading preventable cause of health inequalities and costs the economy millions each year in lost productivity.

“Although we have seen smoking rates decline, and Scotland has already introduced a range of world-leading tobacco control measures, we want to do more to help us achieve our goal of being tobacco-free by 2034. This framework will provide direction for a decade and allow us to be more responsive in dealing with a variety of nicotine and tobacco products.

“E-cigarettes are one of a range of tools for adult smokers to quit smoking, but should never be used by young people or adult non-smokers. We must take action to prevent young people using vapes and becoming addicted which will damage their health, and that’s why we’re launching a marketing campaign. It is much easier to never start than it is to give up.”

Changing our World (click here for more), Children in Scotland’s young people’s advisory group, recently produced an evidence paper sharing views on vaping, exploring topics such as the impact of vaping on health and wellbeing, and how the names, packaging and flavours of many vapes are attractive to children and young people. It will be published in November 2023.

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Insight: the bi-annual magazine for Children in Scotland members

Insight is Children in Scotland’s magazine for its members, providing a space for inspiration, reflection, dialogue and sharing of knowledge.

Published biannually, in May and November, Insight:

  • celebrates changemakers across the children’s sector
  • promotes best practice
  • analyses policy
  • brings together diverse perspectives on how to improve children and young people’s lives.

It is a key element of our member offering and an invaluable tool for the children's sector workforce, supporting critical thinking and continued professional development.

The first edition was published in November 2021.

Don’t take our word for it! Here’s what you told us:

‘It has a really great look and feel and really interesting range of topics’ (Member – Organisation)

‘I enjoyed the entire magazine and found it easy to read, interesting and informative’ (Member – Individual)

‘Brilliant in terms of layout and content. Definitely the kind of magazine you want to sit down with and enjoy over a cuppa!  (Member – Organisation)

‘What a cracking job! Brilliant range of topics covered and reporting styles too’ (Other)

Click here to read Issue 1, published in November 2021

Click here to read Issue 2, published May 2022

Click here to read Issue 3, published November 2022

Click here to read Issue 4, published April 2023

Click here to read Issue 5, published November 2023

Issue 5 – November 2023

Read the current issue of Insight, featuring 40-pages of interviews and features

Find out more

Issue 4 – May 2023

Read the fourth edition of Insight, including an interview with Dr Khadija Mohammed

Find out more

Issue 3 – November 2022

The third edition of Insight features an interview with Kenny Murray

Find out more

Issue 2 – May 2022

Read the second Insight with contributors including Angela Morgan and Bruce Adamson

Find out more

Issue 1 – November 2021

Contributors to our first issue include MSP Pam Duncan Glancy

Find out more

Guide to membership

Find out more about all the benefits of membership

Click here to learn more

Listen, learn and act: New magazine calls for "young voices" to shape the children's sector

14 Nov 2023

The autumn issue of 'Insight', the biannual member magazine from Children in Scotland, is available now, bringing together expert commentary, interviews and features on topics from across the sector.

Inspired by contributors, the theme of the fifth edition of 'Insight' is “young voices”, with articles in the 40-page issue exploring the importance of listening to young Scots to improve their lives and uphold rights – a value that’s at the heart of Children in Scotland’s work.

In a four-page interview, for example, best-selling author, Mikaela Loach, shares her journey from teen activist to fighting for climate justice on a world stage, and she also discusses why young people are vital to the environmental movement in a quick-fire Q&A with Changing our World (click here for more).

The 25-year-old explained: “When it comes to climate crisis, young voices in particular are so important. We are one of the most impacted groups in this world, and we are going to be impacted disproportionately by this crisis. It’s so important that we do speak out, and realise that so many of the liberties and freedoms that we have now are because other people chose to be brave.”

Further reading within the issue:

  • An interview with Kinny Gardner, Artistic Director of Krazy Kat Theatre, a professional children’s theatre company committed to improving access to arts activities for deaf and disabled children through magical, visual-led productions that go far beyond the spoken word
  • Glasgow Women’s Aid CEO, Angela Devine, celebrates 50 years of the organisation’s hard work supporting women, while examining the issues facing girls and young women today
  • Ali Miller, from Shared Lives Plus, explores an innovative project, which enables parents with additional support needs to care for their child at home
  • Amy Hutton, Director of Services at Cyrenians, discusses Scotland’s housing crisis
  • Children in Scotland’s Head of Policy, Projects and Participation at Children, David Mackay, shares how children and young people are speaking out on health-harming products
  • Marie Harrison, Senior Policy Officer at My Rights, My Say, explains how the service is putting young people’s voices at the heart of its vital work.

With the theme of listening to children and young people’s voices, it was also particularly special to continue our collaboration with students at Edinburgh College of Art. Using their creativity to explore the issues and ideas raised in three articles, as well as the edition’s front cover, a group of fourth year illustration undergraduates showcase not only extraordinary talent, but impressive understanding and sensitivity.

Alice Hinds, Editor of 'Insight' said: "While putting together this new edition, I learned so much about the issues facing children and young people in Scotland today, and how we can listen to their voices to, not only make their lives better, but improve vital services.

"From understanding AI to making theatre more accessible, tackling Scotland's housing crisis to play as a tool in healthcare, our contributors cover a wide range of topics, which I hope inform and inspire our readers."

Providing a space to share knowledge and best practice, print and digital editions of Insight are published twice a year, with all Children in Scotland members receiving a free copy.

Click here to find out more about joining us in membership

Non-members can subscribe to Insight for just £10 per year, gaining access to two issues.

Click here to find out more about subscribing to Insight

Insight Issue 5

Find out what's inside the latest issue. Illustration by Ally McKay

Click here to access

Enquire

Find out more about Enquire, the national advice and information service for additional support for learning

Click here for more

Join us in membership

Insight is just one of many benefits of membership of Children in Scotland

Visit the website

The Learning Guide: July-December 2023

Discover the latest learning opportunities

Click here to read

Our members

Explore our member directory to find out more about our network

Click here to read
Image shows the cover of issue 5 of Insight, the magazine for members of Children in Scotland. The colourful illustration image depicts three young people held up by a giant hand, while a spotlight shines down from above

Issue 5 (autumn 2023)

Published November 2023

Inspired by our contributors, the theme of this fifth issue of 'Insight' is “young voices” with many articles and features exploring the importance of listening to young Scots to improve our work and their lives.

In our four-page Changemakers interview, for example, best-selling author, Mikaela Loach, shares her journey from teen activist to fighting for climate justice on a world stage, and discusses why young people are vital to the environmental movement. The 25-year-old explained: “When it comes to climate crisis, young voices in particular are so important. We are one of the most impacted groups in this world, and we are going to be impacted disproportionately by this crisis. It’s so important that we do speak out, and realise that so many of the liberties and freedoms that we have now are because other people chose to be brave.”

Also within Changemakers, Gregory Metcalfe, from Children’s Parliament, explores a special project which is placing children’s views at the forefront of AI implementation in Scotland, while in the Perspectives section, Henry Mathias, Head of Professional Standards and Practice at The Care Inspectorate, discusses the potential of the Bairns’ Hoose model, which recovery, support and justice come together under one roof.

Further reading within this issue:

  • An interview with Kinny Gardner, Artistic Director of Krazy Kat Theatre, a professional children’s theatre company committed to improving access to arts activities for deaf and disabled children through magical, visual-led productions that go far beyond the spoken word
  • Glasgow Women’s Aid CEO, Angela Devine, celebrates 50 years of the organisation’s hard work supporting women, while examining the issues facing girls and young women today
  • Ali Miller, from Shared Lives Plus, explores an innovative project, which enables parents with additional support needs to care for their child at home
  • Amy Hutton, Director of Services at Cyrenians, discusses Scotland’s housing crisis
  • Children in Scotland’s Head of Policy, Projects and Participation, David Mackay, shares how children and young people are speaking out on health-harming products
  • Marie Harrison, Senior Policy Officer at My Rights, My Say, explains how the service is putting young people’s voices at the heart of its vital work.

With the theme of listening to children and young people’s voices, it was also particularly special to continue our collaboration with students at Edinburgh College of Art. Using their creativity to explore the issues and ideas raised in three articles, as well as the edition’s front cover, a group of fourth year illustration undergraduates showcase not only extraordinary talent, but impressive understanding and sensitivity.

'Insight' is a members’ benefit, with copies included as part of full membership with Children in Scotland. A digital edition can also be accessed via the Member area (log in required).

Not a member?

Click here for more information about membership

Non-members are also invited to subscribe for just £10 per year. To find out more about a digital subscription, email Alice: ahinds@childreninscotland.org.uk

A person sits at a desk drawing on a tablet computer with a stylus pen.

Magazine /

Last chance to enter The Why Not? Trust’s digital showcase

Posted 18.10.23 by Alice Hinds

art care experienced people care system digital

The Why Not? Trust is seeking artwork from parents with care experience, which will be shared through a “digital showcase” on social media.

From poems and paintings to videos, scripts, TikToks, sculptures and photographs, all mediums are welcome, but each artwork must explore the issues, questions, themes and emotions that surround what it is like to become a parent as an individual with care experience.

Entries, which can remain anonymous, will be shared on The Why Not? Trust’s social media platforms throughout Care Experienced Week, which takes place from 22-29 October 2023, and the Trust will also create a dedicated space for artwork submissions on its online hub.

Promoting the importance of relationships across the care-experienced community, The Why Not? Trust says the digital showcase will connect entrants with changemakers, highlighting their messages in their own words.

Submissions made by Thursday 19 October will be entered into a draw to win one of two £25 gift vouchers, and while entries made after this date won’t be considered for the prize, they may still be shared with The Why Not? Trust’s online audience.

For more information and to submit artwork, click here for the entry form

 Alternatively, entrants can contact Aimee: aimee.thorpe-mundt@whynottrust.org

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A small child dressed in school uniform is pictured holding a red backpack. They are wearing a grey pleated skirt, grey socks and black shoes, with only their legs and hands shown in the frame.

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New resources launched for teachers, parents and carers to help support attendance as schools return

Posted 17.08.23 by Alice Hinds

Attainment Education family support schools Scottish Schools

Teachers, families, parents and carers can now access a range of free resources to support children and young people to “be inspired, be involved and be in school” as they return to lessons after the summer holidays.

Created by the Forth Valley & West Lothian Regional Improvement Collaborative (RIC), as part of a new back to school campaign, the Interactive Attendance Guide provides research, information and advice on truancy, bullying, avoidance and anxiety, as well as many more common issues relating to school attendance, which experts say has been in decline since the pandemic.

With more than 100,000 Scottish schoolchildren missing at least one day of lessons every fortnight, according to recent figures from the Commission on School Reform (click here for more), it is hoped the new guide will remove barriers and help to improve both attendance and attainment.

The organisation (click here for more), which aims to improve opportunities and outcomes for children living in the Clackmannanshire, Falkirk, Stirling and West Lothian council areas, say the resources aren’t just about books and tests, but ensuring young Scots develop social skills, learn routines and build friendships for life, too.

As part of their mission to improve attendance, the organisation also recently held a “soundbites” competition, which saw eight school children record voiceover adverts at the Forth One radio studios, while a further poster contest for pupils will be launched soon.

For more information and to access the resources, click here to visit the Interactive Attendance Guide landing page: www.thinglink.com/scene/1680243748908302337

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Two children's hands are shown using a laptop

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Children’s Hearings Scotland launches new child-friendly feedback portal

Posted 11.08.23 by Alice Hinds

Children's rights the Promise

Children’s Hearings Scotland (CHS) is making it easier for children and young people to give feedback on their experiences by launching a new online child-friendly portal.

With young people telling CHS they sometimes left hearings feeling  “unable to express their views”, the Government agency has developed and launched the new tool to streamline the feedback procedure, ensuring children can have their voice heard at all points throughout the hearings process.

Now live on the CHS website, the portal will continue to be tested and refined in collaboration with children and young people, while on-going work with the Scottish Children’s Reporter’s Administration (SCRA) (click here for more) will develop a future “single point of entry” for children and families, removing concerns that young people do not have enough information on which organisation are responsible for the different parts of their care and support.

The implementation of the new feedback system is part of a wider programme of activity focused on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (click here for more) under CHS’s Promise Programme, and comes as the Hearings for Children report (click here for more), published in May, recommended finding new ways to receive and respond to observations, comments and concerns about the Children’s Panel system.

Mel McDonald, from the Practice and Standards Team at CHS, said: "It is crucial that we learn from children’s feedback and to do this effectively we need to remove barriers.

"This can mean getting feedback at a time and a place that works for the child and in an environment where they feel comfortable and have the support of trusted adults.”

For more information, click here to visit the Children’s Hearings Scotland website: www.chscotland.gov.uk

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Green, pink, blue and red bikes sit in a row

Magazine /

UCI Cycling World Championships 2023: events programme gets underway with free activities for children and families

Posted 04.08.23 by Alice Hinds

cycling Cycling Scotland events health and wellbeing

As thousands of professional cyclists from around the world arrive in Glasgow for the UCI Cycling World Championships, families can also get involved, via a free programme of events running until 13 August

Designed to promote cycling and wellbeing to children and young people, and encourage healthy and active lifestyles across sport, culture and the arts, the citywide GO LIVE! programme features everything from “come and try” sessions to trail races, as well as book events at local libraries.

Making cycling more accessible for the local community, while inspiring children to get on their bike and have active fun, here’s just a few highlights of the programme, all of which can be enjoyed for free:

Tollcross, Saturday 5 August

Open from 11am until 5pm, this family-friendly event has activities for all ages and abilities, including Play Together on Pedals (click here for more) sessions for pre-school children, music workshops, a family sports zone, and stunt performances. Plus, there will be a free bike repair service to get your wheels ride-ready.

Family Football Fun with Danny Scott, 10 August

Pop along to Baillieston Library, where Scotland Stars FC author Danny Scott (click here for more) will give a talk on the beautiful game and read an extract from one of his books, while interactive challenges, quizzes and penalty shootouts keep children engaged. Suitable for children aged six to 10.

Cathkin Braes, Saturday 12 August

As well as more “come and try” sessions and live entertainment, Scottish Cycling (click here for more) will hosting the Ride The Worlds Pump Track Finals, which sees youth riders up to the age of 16 compete for the series title.

Official fan zone, George Square, every day until 13 August

George Square will be a centre of excitement, hosting road race finishes, medal ceremonies, live music, cycling taster sessions, and lots of other sporting activities – perfect for getting children interested in active fun.

With around 2,700 riders competing for rainbow jerseys across seven disciplines and more than 200 world titles, the UCI Cycling World Championships is a “first-of-its-kind mega event", which organisers hope will encourage people of all ages to get on their bike.

Bailie Annette Christie, Chair of Glasgow Life, said: “Building on the legacy of previous sporting events that also offered complementary cultural and activity-based programming, GO LIVE! gives us an opportunity to support, grow and develop cycling in our communities.

“The free performances, events, activities and ‘come and try’ elements of the programme widen the appeal of the UCI Cycling World Championships and let us host more local, community-led, events in wards across the city. The festival atmosphere in the city is going to be amazing and I would urge everybody to get involved.”

For more information on the free events available across the city, click here to visit the GO LIVE! website: www.glasgowlife.org.uk/sport/go-live-glasgow

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