Articles in the August 2010 issue

More help with a hard sentence (full text available on members‘ pages)

Each year more children in Scotland experience a parent's imprisonment than a parent's divorce. Yet support for these children can be thin on the ground. Nancy Loucks asks what we could be doing better

Gangs are nothing new. But if we are to limit the impact gang membership, violence and increasing criminality has on young people and their communities we need to be well informed, says Stan Godek

Outdoor learning has major benefits for health, wellbeing and environmental awareness. Carrie Lindsay tells us how one Scottish authority is making outdoor activities part of school life from the very beginning

Nobody must be hurt – but every life holds risks. Roger Prott looks at how parents and carers in Germany square the two legal duties of supervising children appropriately and supporting the free development of personality

Long days, glorious weather and a carnival atmosphere in Aberdeen. It can only mean one thing – Aberdeen International Youth Festival is ready for its 38th summer extravaganza, as Lynn Gilmour finds

As part of a focus on Equal Futures – the eventorganised by Children in Scotland in conjunction with the Commission for Racial Equality and the Scottish Executive - Kay Hampton shares with us her views on what needs to be done to ensure that everyone in Scotland meets the challenges being set for us by the young people involved in the event. Kay has recently been appointed as Commissioner for Scotland at the Commission for Racial Equality.

David Strang has been Chief Constable of Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary since August 2001 and is currently chair of the General Policing Standing Committee of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS). He is the lead officer nationally with responsibility for the ACPOS Youth Strategy. In Dumfries and Galloway he recently helped to launch the region's action plan to tackle race issues, Getting It Right.

Here Mr Strang discusses the importance of involving children and young people in decisions that affect them and why we must build bridges in order to break down barriers in Scottish society.

Following Children in Scotland's annual conference, Dr Jim McCormick, Director of the Scottish Council Foundation and one of the conference speakers, rounds up some of the issues that came out of the two day event.

Professor Mike Lean from the Department of Human Nutrition at Glasgow University was one of the keynote speakers at Getting round the table: children, young people and food (see Young people have their say at the annual conference on food on page 2). Here, he outlines the vital role food and nutrition plays in the current and future life of Scotland's children and young people.

The first day of Children in Scotland's annual conference focuses on services and projects in the hosting local authority. This year, with North Ayrshire Council as our partners, we offered a wide range of visits and presentations. Here, Lesley Owens, Head of Educational Services at North Ayrshire Council, brings us a flavour of the visits and presentations which were on offer to the conference delegates.

As the Carnegie Young People Initiative launches an update of its report into involving young people in public decision making, David Cutler, Director of the organisation, outlines some of the ways in which the situation in Scotland differs from the rest of the UK.

None of us can afford to ignore the obesity statistics, least of all as they apply to children: a third of all girls aged 11 are overweight, one in eight are obese and 20 per cent of 11 year old boys are overweight.

Nor can we can be sanguine about figures that are harder to come by: the number of children caught up in serious eating problems which can lead to years of struggle with anorexia, bulimia or compulsive eating.

Similarly the statistics for adults shows us that one in five of us is measurably and visibly obese and uncountable and invisible numbers of women, in particular, are suffering severe eating distress.

Here Susie Orbach, author of On Eating, The Impossibility of Sex and the groundbreaking Fat is a Feminist Issue explains some of the reasons behind these problems, and what we can do to tackle them.

Kaisa Isotalo, Principal of Seinäjoen Junior High School in Seinäjoki, Finland is one of the speakers at Children in Scotland's annual conference - Getting round the table: children, young people and food - in November 2002. Here she outlines the nutritional recommendations set out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Finland, and some of the ways in which the Finnish government has tried to turn around the diet of the Finnish people.

Lynne Campbell, a sixth year pupil at Websters High School in Kirriemuir attended a young people's mental health seminar in September. Here she shares with us her impressions of the day.

There can be no health without mental health is the premise on which the national programme to improve the mental health and well-being of Scotland's population is based. Gregor Henderson, director of the Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health, has been seconded to lead the programme that was announced by the Scottish Executive in October 2001. Here, he outlines for us the main aims of the programme in relation to Scotland's children and young people.

In November 2001, the Department for Education and Skills - acting with the support of the devolved administrations - announced its intention to disband National Training Organisations (NTOs) and to establish Sector Skills Councils (SSCs). Richard Wilkins of the Early Education and Childcare Division at the Scottish Executive outlines current proposals.

The Scottish Council Foundation and Fife Council have been working together to try to come up with design criteria for the building of new schools. Here Graham Leicester, Director of the International Futures Forum and previously Director of the SCF, outlines the thinking which should lie behind these criteria and the challenges involved in establishing them.

As a result of a Best Value Review of primary education, Glasgow City Council has initiated a £22 million pilot programme to rebuild and modernise strategic primary and nursery schools by August 2004. The vision is to promote a Glasgow style, encourage good practice and acknowledge excellence in design, along with a greater involvement and participation of local communities in matters affecting local buildings and the built environment. Ken Corsar, Director of Education at Glasgow City Council outlines for us the city's plans.

While most of us, looking back on our school days, will remember something about the people and the learning process, it is likely that the school buildings will also feature in our memories. So, in order to improve the whole education experience for children and young people, the Scottish Executive needs to examine the physical environment and recognises that school buildings make a real contribution to a child's learning and to the wider community. Here the Scottish Executive tells us how it is going about this.

Claus Jensen, a Danish pre-school social pedagogue, has spent many years studying the design of pre-school centres in Scandinavia and Italy. He currently works in Århus in Denmark with the trade union, BUPL, which represents pedagogues working in different centres across Denmark. He writes here about some of the changes in the design and furnishing of pre-school centres in Denmark and the challenges posed as childhood has moved from the streets into purpose-built institutions.

“Ensuring that every child has the opportunity to meet his or her full potential is an aspiration which I take very seriously”, says Cathy Jamieson MSP, Minister for Education and Young People. Here, she outlines the measures the Scottish Executive have introduced - or plan to introduce - to bring Scotland's children closer to having that opportunity.

Michael Russell MSP, SNP spokesperson on children and education and Brian Monteith MSP, Scottish Conservative Education spokesman give their views on the Scottish Executive's progress in relation to children and young people with special educational needs.

From this month, nursery schools and early years education are subject to the terms of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. We asked Iain Nisbet, Associate Solicitor at Govan Law Centre and Coordinator of its Education Law Unit, to explain what this means in practice, and who might be affected by the changes.

Enquire, the national advice service for special educational needs (SEN) in Scotland, is based at Children in Scotland. It is an independent service operating since 1999 with funding from the Scottish Executive. Its progress is monitored by an independent steering group. The service comprises a number of key elements, including an advice service, a pilot mediation service, preparing and disseminating publications and running local training events

Leisure is of great importance to teenagers, and those with disabilities are no different. Barriers which prevent young disabled people from having access to inclusive leisure can lead to isolation, loneliness and exclusion. Pippa Murray summarises here her recent research into inclusive leisure for disabled teenagers, and shares some of the experiences reported to her as part of that research.

The draft Mental Health Bill, which was published in the last few days of June, is intended to create clearer, fairer and safer mental health law in Scotland. We asked the Scottish Executive to outline the process leading up to the draft Bill, and what lies ahead, with particular reference to children. Work on the Bill will continue over the summer with a view to introducing it in the Scottish Parliament in September.

With the first phase of the Adoption Review at an end, we asked Rachel Gwyon, Head of Young People and Looked After Children Division in the Education Department of the Scottish Executive to outline the review process so far, and to look ahead to phase two.

Barbara J Hudson, Director, BAAF Scotland, offers her perspective on the Adoption Policy Review.

The proposal to set up a Changing Children's Services Fund (CCSF) was announced by the First Minister at the launch of the Social Justice annual report in November 2000 and is a key part of the Executive's strategy to tackle child poverty and deprivation. Almost two years on, we asked Peter Willman, Branch Head, Children and Families Division, Scottish Executive Education Department to bring us up-to-date with the Fund.

The national debate on education provided an unprecedented opportunity to ask the most fundamental and important question What is education for?' This covered four key themes - when, what and where children should learn, and who can help them. The Scottish Executive recognised the need to include voices in the debate that might otherwise not be heard and funded Children in Scotland, in partnership with other agencies, to carry out a series of consultations. We look here at the key points that came out of these events.

Advances in human genetics are being made rapidly. Following a comprehensive review of the regulatory and advisory framework for biotechnology in the spring of 1999, the UK government established the Human Genetics Commission (HGC) to advise it on current and potential developments in human genetics and the likely impact on human health and healthcare as well as the social, ethical, legal and economic implications.

At the end of May this year, the HGC published a major report into the storage and protection of personal genetic information. The report - Inside Information: balancing interests in the use of personal genetic data - contains recommendations to the government. If these are implemented, they will improve public trust while enabling exciting advances in medical science.

The main recommendations are:

it should be a criminal offence to test someone's DNA or access their genetic information without their knowledge or consent for non-medical purposes;

employers must not demand that an individual take a genetic test as a condition of employment or employment benefits;

measures should be introduced to protect individuals from unfair genetic discrimination.

We asked Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, Chair of the HGC, to outline the reasons behind the first of these recommendations for us, with a particular emphasis on the implications for children, young people and families.

There is considerable diversity in the experiences of young people leaving home in different parts of Europe. But we know little of the causes of this diversity and its implications. David Morgan from Keele University is currently working on a comparative research study, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, into this subject. He, and his research partners, conducted just under 100 interviews in Bilbao (Spain), Liverpool (England) and Trondheim (Norway) with young people who are still at home, who have left home and, where possible, with their parents. Here he shares some of the initial findings from the research. The full research is due for completion towards the end of this year, and we will bring you the final results when they are available.

In this section of the magazine, we ask young people who feel strongly about a particular issue to share their views with us. This month, Derek Marshall tells us what leaving care at 16 was like for him

Michael O'Neill, Director of Education at North Lanarkshire Council and Chair of the Scottish Executive's Expert Panel on School Meals outlines the panel's findings and recommendations.

One of the core objectives of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill, published in March 2002, is the protection of vulnerable babies, toddlers, and children from physical abuse. The legislation makes provision for the removal of the defence of reasonable chastisement' if a parent/carer: hits a child under three; hits a child of any age with an implement; inflicts blows to the head of any child; or shakes a child of any age.

The Children are Unbeatable! Alliance, encompassing more than 300 organisations throughout the UK including Children in Scotland, is working together to promote the idea that it is no more acceptable to smack a child than for one adult to hit another. The Alliance is seeking a public information initiative on positive, non-violent discipline.

The debate on the physical chastisement of children is gathering pace as the Scottish Parliament's Justice 2 Committee considers the Bill at Stage 1. We asked the Minister for Justice, Jim Wallace QC MSP, to tell us why he thinks the current law should be changed.

In setting out his hopes for what the national debate on education will achieve, the Director of Children's Services at Stirling Council focuses on the role of the community. Gordon Jeyes outlines his theories for the future of education, and the part that wider society should play in these.

Kirstie Maclean, Director of the Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care looks at how the national debate on education could best address the needs and interests of looked after young people.

As part of the national debate on education, Margaret Orr, Senior Education Officer with City of Glasgow Council outlines her views on the challenges and opportunities presented by inclusion'. She offers some suggestions of what inclusion' might mean, and how education might move towards becoming truly inclusive.

As the end of the first phase of the national debate on education approaches, Betty Terris, headteacher of Brisbane Primary School in Largs, North Ayrshire tells us about her long-standing relationship with education, and what she hopes will come out of the national debate.

Last month, delegates at a seminar run jointly by Children in Scotland and the Scottish Local Government Information Unit, heard about how a small town in Norway set out to engage its youngest citizens in the democratic process. Rosemary Milne, Beyond School Co-ordinator at Castlemilk Economic Development Agency in Glasgow, reports on the extraordinary success, which has come from child participation being built into the city's planning for over 12 years now.

In January, Children in Scotland featured an article by Professor Judy Dunn from King's College, London on the research she undertook for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on children's views of changing families. As a follow-up to that piece, we have asked Marjorie Smith from the Thomas Coram Research Unit at the Institute of Education in London to outline her research into stepfamilies.

The main aims of the study, funded by the Department of Health, were to investigate how children in stepfamilies were parented and how this differed from parenting in other families, and to see what variables were associated with a good outcome for children. Previous research into stepfamilies had tended to compare stepfamilies with two parent non-stepfamilies, rather than looking at how normal' stepfamilies functioned. As you will see here, the results were very interesting.

Progar - a multi-disciplinary group with representatives from the Association of Directors of Social Services, Barnardo's, British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering, British Association of Social Workers, British Infertility Counselling Association, Donor Conception Network, the Children's Society, SE Post Adoption Network and adult donor offspring - is holding a day conference in London on 16 May 2002 on the donor information consultation.

One of the conference speakers, Eric Blyth, Professor of Social Work at the University of Huddersfield, examines here what research says about the experiences of people conceived following donor assisted conception.

As previously mentioned in Children in Scotland, the National Debate on Education, launched officially on 20 March 2002 by Cathy Jamieson, Minister for Education and Young People, will consist of two main stages. The first, a round of consultation, will run until June/July. During this period, we will bring you a range of views on what different groups or individuals would like to see come out of the national debate.

Inga Gilmour, a parent from Kirkwall in Orkney and part of Children in Scotland's European Parents as Educators project, shares with us her thoughts - and those of several other parents - on the national debate on education.

Linda Kinney, Head of Early Childhood and Out of School Care at Stirling Council provides a local authority perspective, with a particular focus on the partnership, integration and funding elements of the childcare strategy locally.

Linda Gregson, Head of Legislation, Quality and Training within the Early Education and Childcare Division of the Scottish Executive outlines the progress which has been made so far with the Childcare Strategy - and what challenges still lie ahead.

Dr Helen Penn, who was Assistant Director in charge of Pre-Fives in Strathclyde Regional Council, outlines for us the Strathclyde Pre-Fives initiative. Dr Penn is now Professor of Early Childhood at the University of East London.

Professor Peter Moss from the Thomas Coram Research Unit in the Institute of Education at the University of London and former co-ordinator of the European Commission's Childcare Network examines Scotland's progress on the childcare strategy in an international context

In Scotland today, hundreds of children are affected by HIV through the illness of a parent or another family member, but their voices are rarely heard and their needs go unrecognised. On the 19 March, Thinking positively: children and young people affected by parental HIV, a conference organised by Children in Scotland, will report on recent research findings on the subject and present good practice guidelines. Against this background, David Johnson from Waverley Care in Edinburgh explains how children and young people are affected by HIV and AIDS in Scotland.

Following the announcement in December of a national debate on the future of school education, Cathy Jamieson MSP, Minister for Education and Young People, sets out her aspirations for the success of the debate which egins this month.

At the beginning of April 2002, the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care will take over responsibility for inspections of services to ensure that National Care Standards are being met. Mary Hartnoll, the Convenor of the Commission, was previously an independent assessor of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments and a former Director of Social Work at Glasgow City Council.

Morag Alexander was appointed Convenor of the Scottish Social Services Council for three years from 1 August 2001. Until 31 March 2001, she was Director of the Equal Opportunities Commission, Scotland. She is currently a Board Member of Turning Point Scotland, a member of the Governing Body of Queen Margaret University College, Chair of Fair Play, Scotland, and Chair of the Early Years Advisory Group of Children in Scotland. On the following pages, Morag explains how the new Council will work and what its aims are ...

Save the Children is an international children's rights organisation working in Scotland, the UK and over 70 countries to achieve a better world for children. Here in Scotland, it has over 20 years' experience in working with and supporting children, young people and their families disadvantaged by a range of circumstances. It has been working with the Gypsy/Traveller community for 18 years. Within that community parents and young people regularly suffer discrimination because of their ethnic origins and society's negative view of their culture. Here, Michelle Lloyd from Save the Children explains the background to a recent equal opportunities inquiry involving Gypsy/Travellers.

Cathy Jamieson MSP was appointed as Minister for Education and Young People in November 2001. Here we ask Cathy to spell out her priorities for her new post.

Last October, we asked our readers to send in questions for Jack McConnell, Minister for Education, Europe and External Afffairs. Following the changes in the Cabinet, we gave a selection of those questions to the new Minister for Education and Young People, Cathy Jamieson. Here are her answers ...

In December, HM Treasury published the strategy paper Tackling child poverty – giving every child the best possible start in life. The paper emphasises the need for further action from government to improve both income and services for children and their families as it works towards its commitment to halve child poverty by 2010 and abolish it within a generation. The paper was launched at a seminar at No 11 Downing Street in December, hosted by Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, and ministerial colleagues and attended by religious leaders and charitable organisations. We asked the Treasury to set out the context of this work.

Linda Rosborough, Head of Social Inclusion Division at the Scottish Executive gives the Scottish perspective on the government's plans to reduce child poverty.

In December, Children in Scotland reported on the EU Social Platform's preparations for the next review of the European Treaties in 2004. This included the Social Platform's efforts to focus attention on the implementation of Article 13 (on non discrimination), and on the need for the fight against discrimination to begin with children and in childhood.

This month, Simon Wilson, Director of the Social Platform, reports on the Citizens' Assembly. This was held for the first time during the Laeken summit in December, when EU heads of state met in Brussels. Simon raises the question of whether there can be common ground between civil society and politicians?

Professor David J Smith, Professor of Criminology at the University of Edinburgh is co-director, with Lesley McAra, of the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime, a research programme funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Here he outlines the project for us, and reveals some of the initial findings.

Professor Judy Dunn from the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, together with Kirby Deater-Deckard, has recently undertaken research on children's views of changing families for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. We asked her to share some of her findings with us.

What is mediation, what services does it offer to families and children, and how could it help you? We asked Elizabeth Foster, Director of Family Mediation Scotland to outline what is available.

Caroline Dunmur, Policy Officer at Children in Scotland, outlines a new project which examines citizenship and barriers to participation.

Professor Sheila Riddell, Director of the Strathclyde Centre for Disability Research at Glasgow University outlines the new legislation and explains how it will work in practice.

Gillian Kynoch was appointed as Scotland's first Food and Health Co-ordinator at the beginning of October this year.

An experienced dietician, Gillian's role is to work with the food industry to expand on a range of current ideas which have included free fruit in nurseries and schools, and the expansion of school breakfast clubs.

We asked her to outline some of her plans, and the reasons behind her appointment.

Danny Philips from the Child Poverty Action Group in Glasgow sets out the group's case for free school meals for all of Scotland's children

The Scottish Consumer Council has a long standing interest in food related issues. This interest extends to children and young people and the food they eat in schools. Following on from the Diet Action Plan (1996), a government blueprint aimed at improving the diet and health of people in Scotland, two projects emerged that were subsequently based at and managed by the SCC. These are the Scottish Community Diet Project (SCDP) and the Scottish Healthy Choices Award Scheme (SHCAS). Earlier this year, supported by the Scottish Executive, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and HEBS, the SCC organised a conference on food in schools.

We asked Donna Heaney, Policy Manager at the Scottish Consumer Council to outline the SCC's position on food in schools.

Bente Ingvarsen, Director of the National Council for Children in Denmark, who spoke at Children in Scotland's annual conference last month, writes about giving children and young people a voice at national level.

Susan Grant, Senior Policy and Research Officer (Special Needs). Children in Scotland, examines the new Education (Disability Strategies and Pupils' Records) (Scotland) Bill (Draft)

Leading the Way by Trond Waage Ombudsman for Children Norway

Pat Petrie, Reader in Education at the Institute of Education, University of London, explains the term padagogy for our readers

Following on from Naomi Eisenstadt's article in Children in Scotland in September, we hear now from Rachel Sunderland from the Scottish Executive team responsible for Sure Start Scotland.

Having heard from the Sure Start teams in both London and Edinburgh, we asked Winnie Delaney, Project Manager at CLASP, a Sure Start project in the Falkirk Council area to tell us how one specific project works in practice.

Councillor Catriona Renton, youth spokesperson for Glasgow City Council, has recently been involved in the launch of the Glasgow Kidz Card and the Glasgow Young Scot Card. Here she outlines for Children in Scotland the background to the initiatives and how she hopes that these will benefit the children and young people of Glasgow. Catriona's role within Glasgow City Council is to ensure that young people have a strong voice and a say in the decisions that affect them.

Following a visit to Scotland this summer, Carol Calfee, Co-ordinator of Integrated Services, Santa Rosa School District, Milton, Florida, shared her views of the similarities in and differences between New Community Schools here and Full-Service Schools in the US.

New magazine - Children in Europe

The Secretary of State for Scotland, the Right Hon Helen Liddell MP spoke at the launch of the new Children in Europe magazine in Glasgow on 7 September. We asked her to tell us what the Government were doing about its commitment to reducing child poverty, and about how the Westminster Government and the Scottish Executive can work together to make a real difference.

Professor Peter Moss from the Thomas Coram Research Unit, Institute of Education at the University of London, is editor of a new Europe wide magazine on children's issues. Here he tells Children in Scotland the background to the magazine, and how he sees it developing.

Sure Start is the cornerstone of the Government's drive to tackle child poverty and social exclusion. This month, Children in Scotland has asked Naomi Eisenstadt, head of the Sure Start Unit in London, to tell us what the initiative is, and how it plans to meet its aims.

The Beattie Committee was set up to review the range of needs among young people who require additional support to make the transition to post school education and training or employment. The range of needs included young people with few or no qualifications, low basic skills, poor attitude and motivation; and others who needed support because they have physical disabilities, learning difficulties or mental health problems . We asked Julie-Anne Jamieson, Head of the Beattie Implementation Team in Glasgow to tell us a bit about the background to the initiative and to outline the project's plans for the future.

Bullying continues to be a problem in schools. Despite raised awareness of the issue, there is still a great deal which needs to be done. Pamela Munn, Professor of Curriculum Research, University of Edinburgh, is chair of the Anti-Bullying Network. Here she describes for us what constitutes bullying and gives some suggestions on how it can be dealt with.

Introducing children and young people to physical activity and sport, and engaging their longer-term interest in such enterprise, is crucial for their future health and well-being. We asked sportscotland to tell us what initiatives they are currently promoting towards this aim. Neil Campion, the organisation's Active Primary Schools Co-ordinator, explains the Active Primary Schools Initiative.

The Scottish Executive recently announced a new £24m childcare package to lift thousands of Scottish children out of the poverty trap. The three-year scheme aimed at assisting lone parents to undertake full or part time education comes into effect this month and includes: childcare grants for lone parents in full-time education to pay for formal childcare;

funding for further education colleges throughout Scotland to widen childcare provision to meet locally identified needs;

funding to enable local authorities to increase their support for out-of-school clubs in disadvantaged areas.

Focusing on the last of these groups, we asked two childcare facilities – SNAP in Inverness and Toybox in Gairloch – to tell us how they would put such extra funding to use.

Edward Tersmette from the Directorate-General for Education and Culture at the European Commission describes the Europe-wide second chance schools initiative. This allows young people, who have dropped out of mainstream education another chance to gain experience and qualifications beyond the normal school age.

He also evaluates the success of the project so far, and offers suggestions for the continuation of such a scheme.

Paul Williamson, who resigned as Executive Member for Education with the City of Edinburgh Council in May this year, reflects on the Scottish Childcare Strategy as he takes up his new post as Head of Out of School Learning, Childcare and Play with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London.

How can we invest more across the transition from pregnancy to the early months of infancy and make it count? That is the core question being explored in a new study by the Scottish Council Foundation (SCF).

James McCormack, Research Director at the SCF provides more details on the study and outlines some of its initial findings.

The Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 was passed by the Scottish Parliament at the end of May. The Act establishes a new regulatory framework for the delivery of social care services with the creation of two new bodies. The Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care will be responsible for registration and inspection of care services. The Scottish Social Services Council will be responsible for the registration and regulation of social workers and other social service workers. It is expected that the Council will start operating from 1 October 2001 and the Commission from 1 April 2002.

The articles below provide perspectives on the new arrangements from the viewpoint of the Chief Inspector of Social Work and a local authority chief executive. Angus Skinner sets the new framework within the context of overall social work developments in Scotland whilst Keir Bloomer considers what implications the Act will have for children's rights and collaborative working.

Arranging care for their school age children over the long summer holidays is a problem for many working parents. Those families with two parents can sometimes stagger their two weeks' holiday, giving four weeks of cover. But this denies the family time together at home, or the chance to go away as a group. For one parent families, the problems are much more acute. Extended family is often drafted in to provide support, but many families lack this valuable resource.

We asked some people to share with us their plans for the summer, and the problems associated with the long break. We also spoke to two new community schools - in dumfires and Aberdeen - about summer schemes they offered to pupils.

Two student pedagogues from Denmark, Tina Christensen and Benita Knudsen, who are working in Scotland as part of their course, share their thoughts on their training.

Health and safety fears aren't a barrier to encouraging young children to make the most of the outdoors at nature schools in Scandanavia. Nicola Pay reports on a similiar approach in Scotland.

Opera can be a creative tool for supporting children's learning and an opportunity for great storytelling, writes Jane Davidson

With out of school care the norm for many children and continuity vital to their wellbeing, what are the factors that make it difficult for out of school clubs and schools to work together? Nicola Pay reports on a conference that will make a key contribution to Children in Scotland's workforce programme, Working it Out

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