When:

Wednesday 11^th March 2020 – 5pm – 7pm

Where: Inverness College UHI,

1 Inverness Campus, Inverness. IV2 5NA

About this event:

This is a presentation on the research findings from a 9-month study exploring innovative models of ELC and an opportunity for you to provide your views/feedback.

Exploring innovative models of ELC to sustain rural communities is a 9-month research project funded by the Scottish Government and EU Innovation Fund at a time of major changes in the funding and provision of ELC services. It has been led by Care and Learning Alliance (CALA) in partnership with The Shieling Project, University of Highland and Islands (UHI), University of Edinburgh, NHS Highland, Highland Council, Skills Development Scotland, Cantraybridge College and Connecting Communities.

The research is due to complete at the end of March 2020 and has been focused on 4 main strands of work:

• A strong and sustainable workforce
• Alternative places and times
• Intergenerational partnerships
• Transport, including mobile nurseries.

To book your place and further information visit: https://elc-explore-innovative-models.eventbrite.co.uk/

The Scottish Government are consulting on the Parental Involvement Act – Statutory Guidance.

“The Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006 sets out the role parents, schools (including nursery classes) and education authorities must play in ensuring all parents are fully involved in the life and work of the school and engaged in their children’s learning”.

The Scottish Government is seeking views to refine and update the statutory guidance on the Act.

Click here to access the current Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Statutory Guidance

Click here to access the updated Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Statutory Guidance

The consultation runs from 24^th January 2020 – 30^th April 2020. To access the consultation questionnaire, click here

This week is Children’s Mental Health week and this year the theme is ‘Find your Brave’. 

Place2Be, the children’s mental health charity has some useful tips for parents and carers to help encourage children and young people to ‘find their brave’ and overcome challenges. 

It seems that 1 in 8 children and young people could have a mental health problem so we probably all know someone who might benefit from some support. 

Check out their website  for more information and spread the word – Click here to access

Highland Council shared reviewed guidance on deferred and early entry to school on their ‘elchighland blog’ Click here to access the post for full information and download the guidance.

We wanted to share a lovely example of how our Family Service workers are promoting early literacy and family learning through PEEP sessions which support parents and children to learn together. 

At a recent PEEP session, one of our FS practitioners was talking with parents about the benefits of sharing books with babies.  Parents of a 5-month-old baby were there and the Dad thought this a strange idea as his baby was far too little.  Staff encouraged him to try reading a story: he did so, and the little one was mesmerised!  When the story was finished he kept staring at his Dad until Dad read him another book!  Mum was so impressed with this she went out and bought some books for the little one and is now reading to him every day!

It’s never too early to share stories with a little one and there are a useful video and information for parents on the Parentzone website at https://education.gov.scot/parentzone/learning-at-home/supporting-literacy-at-home/  which also includes information about accessing libraries. You can find out about Bookbug bags available from the Scottish Book Trust here: https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading-and-stories/bookbug/bookbug-bags

 

You can find out more about PEEP here: https://www.peeple.org.uk/

The following is a letter from Mollie Rawnsley sharing the details of her exciting project has come to us via ‘Generations Working Together’ – If you are interested in taking part, or feel like you might know someone who might like to write to you, please get in touch either via e-mail: [email protected] or by following the project on Instagram @letters_to_our_grandchildren,

 

Hello to everyone

My name is Mollie Rawnsley, and I have set up a unique project aimed at bringing together two very different, yet equally interesting generations. As part of a new initiative, entitled “Letters to Our Grandchildren”, I am asking those aged 65+ to write letters addressed to younger people in their lives aged 18-35. It is my goal to then compile these letters into a moving and thought-provoking book that will engage young people and connect them with an older generation.

Letters To Our Grandchildren is directed at bringing together two generations that currently have been pulled apart by cultural stereotypes. It is my hope that by compiling a collection of letters written by those aged 65+, that young people may develop a better understanding of their older counterparts. This seems particularly important in present times when mistreatment of the elderly is rife in our society, a problem exasperated by the fact that the proportion of older people is growing at an increasing rate.

I launched the project last month and have since attracted the attention of a number of newspapers, as well as the BBC, who excitingly, is coming to film an interview with me about the project this week.  To give a few more details, the letters should include words of advice about a specific life topic (some suggestions are listed at the bottom of this article) and should be a maximum of 1 side of A4 paper (small to medium handwriting or size 12 font).

The inspiration for this project came from frustration. I think we, the young, can often express such contemptuous and patronising behaviour towards the elderly which I find very sad and such a great shame. I believe that our generation has been brought up in a culture that doesn’t encourage us to always appreciate the wisdom that older people have to offer and we, therefore, take those older individuals around us for granted. I wanted to find a way of addressing this by making a more engaging and interesting way for young people to connect with this issue and to better understand their elderly friends and family. I am passionate in the belief that this project could really connect two very remarkable and passionate generations in a completely unique and exciting way.

If you are interested in taking part or feel like you might know someone who might like to write to you, please get in touch either via e-mail: [email protected] or by following the project on Instagram @letters_to_our_grandchildren.

Suggested topics for letters:

• How to find happiness in life
• The importance of family and/or friends
• How to find lasting love
• How to cope with loss
• Hopes for a future world

Please note these are merely suggestions, writers are more than welcome to write about a topic of their choice.

Happy writing!

Mollie x