Contrary to England, vulnerable children in Scotland must be placed in regulated safe settings

Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this. In the Guardian today: Ministers must get to grips with the “national scandal” of England’s shadow child social care system, the children’s commissioner has warned, as a report reveals the number of children in unregulated settings has increased by more than 370% in five years. Some of the most vulnerable children in England are being temporarily placed in unregulated caravans, Airbnbs and holiday camps, which risk the “accumulation of increasing levels of harm for children who have already faced enough distress for several lifetimes”, according to the report. Analysis of Ofsted data has … Continue reading Contrary to England, vulnerable children in Scotland must be placed in regulated safe settings

Barnardo’s find 7 in 10 ‘UK’ parents want the SNP Baby Box which may have stemmed a surge in infant mortality due to Tory austerity in Scotland

In the Guardian today: Four in 10 UK [sic] parents struggle to afford essentials for newborns, study says – Exclusive: Survey of 2,000 people by Barnardo’s also finds almost half feel their child has missed opportunities due to cost and four paragraphs down well away from the ‘UK’ headline: In Scotland, all parents are eligible for a box of baby essentials that includes clothes, books, a changing mat and a bath towel. Since the scheme was launched by the Scottish government in 2017, more than 360,000 baby boxes have been distributed. However, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, provision is inconsistent. Barnardo’s … Continue reading Barnardo’s find 7 in 10 ‘UK’ parents want the SNP Baby Box which may have stemmed a surge in infant mortality due to Tory austerity in Scotland

Shock as proportionally 4 times as many children in England & Wales face domestic abuse compared to Scotland but UK Labour have no real plan to deal with that

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above.Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Name – JOHN ROBERTSON In the Guardian today: A proposed law to restrict paedophiles’ parental rights in England and Wales is too weak because it does not protect children of theirs born after their conviction, parliament will hear this week. Under the victims and courts bill, a parent convicted of serious sexual offences against any child and who is sentenced to four or more years in prison will lose parental responsibility but they could come out of jail and have other children who would not … Continue reading Shock as proportionally 4 times as many children in England & Wales face domestic abuse compared to Scotland but UK Labour have no real plan to deal with that

Why frailty among older people seems less common to GPs in Scotland – Stronger family cohesion and less family fragmentation

Professor John Robertson OBA From the Guardian yesterday: GPs failing older people living with frailty, National Audit Office finds Did the national audit report blame the Labour Government for any of this? Did it note that England had far fewer GPs per head than Scotland. No and no. I asked AI: Are there reports of GPs failing older people living with frailty in Scotland? While there are no explicit reports mirroring the recent National Audit Office (NAO) findings in England—where GPs were found to be failing in assessing and supporting older people living with frailty, with only 16-18% receiving key … Continue reading Why frailty among older people seems less common to GPs in Scotland – Stronger family cohesion and less family fragmentation

The ‘creepy’ use of their own children to make political points is still with us

Professor John Robertson OBA In October 2025, a Lib Dem EdinburghCity Councillor, Sanne Dijksta-Downie, used her 6-year-old daughter’s cancer diagnosis and recovery to suggest some sort of crisis in NHS Scotland under the heading ‘COST-CUTTING EVERYWHERE’. Bizarrely, her first example of cost-cutting was that there were never enough pillows for parents staying over on the ward! She went on then to bemoan the quality of pizzas given to patients and cups of tea and biscuits requiring to be provided by charities. She then complains about having to help with feeding, washing and toileting. Isn’t that a good thing for the … Continue reading The ‘creepy’ use of their own children to make political points is still with us

Factcheck – Maternity services in NHS Scotland far far safer than in NHS England

Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian today: Pregnant women in England are at growing risk of suffering a serious injury while giving birth, NHS figures reveal. The number of mothers sustaining a third- or fourth-degree perineal tear while delivering their baby has risen from 25 in 1,000 in June 2020 to 29 in 1,000 in June this year – a 16% increase. Such injuries can have a “life-changing” impact on women’s physical and mental health, cause post-traumatic stress disorder and leave them afraid to have another child. Childbirth experts linked the rise in the most serious forms of tear to poor NHS care, … Continue reading Factcheck – Maternity services in NHS Scotland far far safer than in NHS England

Why has there been a massive but unreported reduction in the number of children on the child protection register in Scotland and a widening gap with the other 3 nations but the Herald is on a completely different track?

With only 3 days left, support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details or by direct bank transfer method – John Robertson, Sort code 08-91-04, Account 12266421 Professor John Robertson OBA With a tasteless image to cheaply exploit your only-human emotional response and another infantile adding up to get a big number habit, the Herald today has: More than 100,000 Children’s Panel hearings have been held in Scotland since 2020 amid concerns over the efficacy of the nation’s child protection system. A leading children’s charity has raised the alarm, telling The Herald that the ‘stark’ figures demonstrate Scotland’s “national childhood emergency”. … Continue reading Why has there been a massive but unreported reduction in the number of children on the child protection register in Scotland and a widening gap with the other 3 nations but the Herald is on a completely different track?

As the Southport Inquiry brings focus back onto online purchase of Zombie knives how 900 times as many, 90 times as many per head, mentioned in crime reports in England & Wales

Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details or by direct bank transfer method – Sort code 08-91-04, Account 12266421 By Professor John Robertson OBA BBC 1, first thing on 19 February 205, headlining the above issue. BBC Scotland did not follow up with the situation in Scotland, leaving many to think it must just be the same here. Imagine drug deaths were the current concern of the Home Secretary? Would BBC Scotland be reminding us that Scotland has the highest rate in Europe? We all know the answer to that. Here’s what you … Continue reading As the Southport Inquiry brings focus back onto online purchase of Zombie knives how 900 times as many, 90 times as many per head, mentioned in crime reports in England & Wales

Which Scottish public service has the highest customer service rating? I’ll give you a clue – it has red and black funnels

Professor John Robertson OBA We’ve seen a steady stream of politicised propaganda based on CalMac for a few years now and as recently as the above Scotsman headline only 5 days ago, suggesting some kind of crisis in Scotland’s west coast ferry system. You’d think, given its frequency and intensity, it must be real and that, because of that, ferry-users would be making their views clear, on the day they were in some way disappointed, through the company’s own evaluation easily accessible to them. They have made their views clear, but not in the way media critics might have hoped … Continue reading Which Scottish public service has the highest customer service rating? I’ll give you a clue – it has red and black funnels

US doctor sees a trend in young St. Louis cancer patients living near nuclear waste sites to remind of Scotland’s highest cancer death rate in Europe just downwind and downstream of Sellafield

Professor John Robertson OBA From Fox News yesterday: ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis doctor is looking into cancer rates across the region, trying to figure out why he’s seeing more younger patients.  One of his younger patients was Dre Bergeson, a loving wife to her husband, Darryl, and mother to their 8-year-old son, Finn.  “She was kind, compassionate, and loving, always thinking about everyone else but herself, even through the diagnosis,” Darryl Bergeson said. He said Dre began having heartburn and pain in August of last year. She had a CT scan in September. “There was a large mass … Continue reading US doctor sees a trend in young St. Louis cancer patients living near nuclear waste sites to remind of Scotland’s highest cancer death rate in Europe just downwind and downstream of Sellafield