Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government unreservedly condemns the abhorrent crime of sexual abuse, and we are working closely with a range of organisations to ensure all children can enjoy playing football in a safe and secure environment.

Through our Survivors of Childhood Abuse Support Fund, the Scottish Government currently funds 29 organisations across Scotland which support adult survivors of all forms of childhood abuse. It is a £10 million Fund over four years with an estimated spend of £2.5 million each year and has been increased by approximately £1.6 million from the previous Innovation and Development Fund in recognition of the significant increase in referrals and disclosures relating to childhood sexual abuse in recent years.

Further details on the funded organisations can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/survivors-of-childhood-abuse-support-fund-2020-2021/

In collaboration with the sector we have been developing robust guidance and protocols that will allow necessary preparation for facilities to provide confidence for members and staff to return safely. We hope to publish that shortly.

As it stands the indicative date for the reopening of indoor sport and leisure facilities is 14 September with physical distancing and enhanced hygiene measures in place. The Scottish Government will continue to review the situation to see if earlier reopening is possible, with the intention to provide a further update on
‎ 20 August 2020.

Where close contact services are provided in a fixed premises it is possible for the service provider to maintain control of the environment, ensuring appropriate cleaning and other measures are in place to protect both workers and their customers. Work performed in customers’ homes carries additional risks that must be appropriately considered before mobile make up services can resume. Further guidance is being developed to ensure that these services can recommence as soon as it is safe to do so.

Education Scotland have been supporting teachers to improve and support the delivery of online learning since before coronavirus came to Scotland. Since March 2020, Education Scotland provided 40 webinars in which over 3800 practitioners have engaged, focusing on the delivery and creation of online learning.

The Education Scotland website digilearn.scot hosts access to a range of support such as live and recorded webinars, practitioner learning pathways and practitioner blog posts which have had 120,000 views during lockdown.

The use of digital tools for learning and teaching has been extensive during lockdown and has provided continuity of learning experiences. The breadth of skills developed by practitioners across a range of digital platforms and applications over the past several months will continue to prove valuable in improving learning and teaching in the new academic year.

Teachers are more prepared than ever to deliver in a blended model if necessary thanks to the additional professional learning; Scottish Government investment in devices and connectivity; and updates to the national intranet, Glow. This work will continue to develop the digital literacy skills that learners will require for their learning, life and work in the future.

The Scottish Government recognises that online learning is an important tool to support learning, especially where families may be required to shield as we all continue to work to suppress coronavirus and keep vulnerable people safe.

That is why the Scottish Government published its “Coronavirus: support for continuity in learning” guidance which includes links to relevant resources for practitioners and parents.

For pupils that are required to self-isolate, local authorities must ensure that pupils have continued access to education. We would expect this to be in line with previously tried and tested approaches to support pupils who cannot attend school due to illness. This may include the delivery of local resources for home learning and using national resources supported by Education Scotland such as Scotland Learns.

Officers of Education Scotland will be deployed to support local authorities as required. Education Scotland will also support and encourage partnership working between schools with other agencies such as allied health professionals and social work, to support those families who are shielding. This will involve signposting materials and resources which can support learning at home and address mental health needs resulting from shielding and the resultant isolation.

Additionally, Education Scotland, local authorities and a wide range of key partners are working with the digital learning platform, e-Sgoil, to ensure the availability of online lessons that will help support and augment the work of classroom teachers across the country in their local arrangements for schools reopening on 11 August. E- Sgoil will train a number of additional teachers from local authorities to provide online lessons which learners in the senior phase across Scotland can access via Glow. These lessons will be available to all local authorities in Scotland.

The changes to basic disclosure under Part 2 of the Management of Offenders (Scotland) Act 2019 Act ("the 2019 Act") require operational changes to the system of disclosure certificates issued by Disclosure Scotland.

Disclosure Scotland activated their business continuity plan in light of Covid-19 and are focusing on their vital safeguarding role during these challenging times. This means commencement could not take place as had been planned for the summer of 2020. Disclosure Scotland and the Scottish Government have been working to set a new implementation date for the delivery of these important changes.

The Scottish Government is hopeful that Part 2 of the 2019 Act will be able to be commenced at some point in 2020, but that very much depends on the current situation. Once I am able to, I will announce when commencement of Part 2 of the 2019 Act will take place.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

GEOAmey is responsible for the delivery of the Scottish Court Custody and Prisoner Escort Service (SCCPES) contract.

All staff employed by GEOAmey are required to follow the Safe Systems of Work (SSoW) procedures in place when escorting people in custody and these protocols are fully informed by Health Protection Scotland guidance.

GEOAmey has also issued guidance on the use of PPE to their staff which is aligned with advice from Health Protection Scotland and Public Health England. This guidance encourages physical distancing where possible, as well as outlining the appropriate levels of PPE required by staff depending on the specific task being undertaken and the risks presented by those being transported.

This guidance has been agreed with the Community Trade Union, who are the recognised representatives of GEOAmey’s staff in Scotland. There are currently no requirements at this time to amend this practice however should changes be necessary in the future, these will be made in line with the latest public health guidance.