Are you an ‘Unfeartie’?

To mark Children’s Parliament’s 21st birthday, the Children’s Parliament initiated the inspiring and brave band of’ Unfearties’. ‘’

‘Unfearties’ are individuals who are courageous in discussing children’s issues, are making a difference in children’s lives, and are willing to speak up for, and stand alongside, children.

Since 2017, more than 1000 people, including doctors, nurses, teachers, parents, carers, civil servants, local authority workers, third sector practitioners, United Nations deputy high commissioners, and even the First Minister of Scotland, have joined the movement’ (Children’s Parliament Website).

As part of the 25th birthday celebrations of the Children’s Parliament which coincide with World Children’s Day on the 20^th November 2021, CALA will be holding a ‘Unfeartie Conversation’ to discuss Children’s Rights and what else we can do.

Join us for our ‘unfeartiness’ conversation on Thursday 18th November, 4 pm.

To receive the link to join, click here

Children’s understanding of gender is influenced and reinforced from a very young age through interactions and experiences with family, culture, lifestyle, the media, education, childcare environments and the wider community.

As parents and or practitioners nurturing children, we are in a unique position to make a significant difference by considering both the physical and psychological environments and interactions we provide.

Would you like to know more about this?

Why not try CALA’s e-module for parents and practitioners working with children and young people. The module will support your understanding of how to support gender equality through nonbiased practice with young children.

The module is a mixed media presentation that will guide you through key messages in a clear, straightforward and interesting way. Video, audio, simple interactive tasks, links to national and relevant guidance, along with suggested further reading are suggested are used to explain and illustrate important learning points and consolidate your learning.

To find out more visit www.calaelearning.co.uk

Bumps to Baby Steps

Barnardo’s Works Highlands & Islands provides young people with a unique blend of personal support and accredited training, matched with quality work experience and the opportunity for sustainable, independent employment.

Bumps to Baby Steps provides specific support for lone parents aged 16-24, with childcare and travel cost covered for the duration of the programme.

Click here to find out more.

Following the First Ministers statement on the 4/8/21, Scottish Government and Care Inspectorate have updated and issued further guidance for:

• Early Learning and Childcare provision
• Childminders
• School-Aged Childcare

The Scottish Government has also published a checklist summarising the COVID-19 risk mitigations for ELC settings. The Scottish Government state:

“This should not be used as a substitute for reading the full guidance. This is especially true for managers of settings who must read the full guidance to understand the measures that they should implement in service planning“.

With updates to guidance ongoing CALA continues to update their Practitioner Portal to make it as easy as possible for childcare services to access the information and guidance in the one place.

For the updates mentioned above and other guidance visit: https://www.careandlearningalliance.co.uk/practitioner-portal/

Supporting Parent, Baby & Toddler Groups Grant

Early Years Scotland and the Care and Learning Alliance are excited to be administering a fund for Parent, Baby and Toddler Playgroups.

This fund will support Parent, Baby and Toddler Playgroups to be part of the Get Into Summer Campaign. This is a fantastic opportunity for groups to apply for a grant of up to £500.

We would be grateful if you could share this information with any contacts that are involved with one of these groups.

We have created an extensive list of FAQs to support applicants, which can be found on the webpage, along with the online application.

Funding is not limited to the provision of activities, find out more details in the FAQs. 

Applications open on Thursday 10 June at 10 am and close at midday on Monday 21 June.

Enquires are welcome and details of how to get in touch with CALA or Early Years Scotland can be found below.

Click here to contact details for Care and Learning Alliance

Click here for contact details for Early Years Scotland

The Family Services team have supported community Baby and Toddler groups around the Highlands over this last year.  Despite the past 12 months being far from ordinary, our member groups have continued to benefit from their membership in lots of ways.

Family Practitioners continue to support committees with up-to-date Scottish Government guidance.  A representative from CALA has been present at government meetings throughout the year, not only ensuring our advice is current, but also advocating the importance of support for families with young children and reflecting pressures on community toddler groups.  With this knowledge, our practitioners have been supporting those who were able to meet as regulations allowed both outside and inside.  One Chairperson said “We would not have managed to reopen our toddler groups without your help. We would not have felt confident enough about all the rules or even thought it possible. It was only through your help and encouragement that the groups re-opened.”

Family Practitioners have also been constant support for families as they navigate parenting and family life in such different circumstances.  Outdoor and online groups have provided key support to families as places to meet and to make connections with others, which supports the health and wellbeing of parents and carers.  They have also become forums to discuss home-based activities to support their child’s development.  Many families have also explored the ever-expanding resources on our CALA website, including our dedicated Parent Portal, Family Services page and Play and Learning page which encourages play and learning opportunities at home.  Most recently on the Family Services page, we have begun a series of short clips focusing on supporting children’s early communication.  The members-only Facebook page gives further useful tips and links. 

Member groups also have access to the MembersZone section of the website, which has useful templates and documents, to support the running of groups and a committee induction pack, with top tips for new committees.  As part of their membership, groups receive three vouchers to take part in further training from CALA’s e-learning zone. 20 courses are available, with topics ranging from an Introduction to Risk Assessment to Top Tips for Interacting with Young Children, or Gender Equal Play, there is plenty to choose from.  You can also currently access the ‘Supporting Young Children’s Behaviour for Parents’ e-module here, currently being gifted for free during COVID.

The family Services team have also recently undertaken Walk Leader training with Paths for All.  Partnering with other organisations, we can’t wait to offer member groups the chance to take part in Buggy Walks and Toddler Toddles, as a way to increase health and wellbeing; enjoy the outdoors and support child development. These walks are now permitted under government regulations and plans are being made to establish these early next term.

If you would like to explore membership for your community group click here or contact the Inverness Office 01463 222569.

As restrictions begin to ease and we can begin to get out and about more, our Family Services Practitioners would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Easter holiday and look forward to seeing you next term – Happy Easter!