Latest news with #AngelaConstance
BBC News
36 minutes ago
- General
- BBC News
Teenager charged over alleged murder bid on boy, 15, in Shettleston
A teenager has been charged over the alleged attempted murder of another boy in 15-year-old was found seriously injured on Denbeck Street in Shettleston at about 22:30 last was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital for treatment and has since been said a boy, 15, had been charged over the incident and is due to appear in court later. Inquiries into the incident are ongoing. It comes after a spate of violence involving young people across the central belt in recent Teklay, 15, died following an alleged attack in Glasgow's Maryhill in teenagers, aged 14, 15 and 16 have been charged over his Moy, 16, died following a large disturbance on Irvine Beach in teenagers, aged between 14 and 17, have been charged in connection with his death.A 16-year-old boy was also charged with attempted murder over the alleged stabbing of a 17-year-old on Portobello Beach in Edinburgh days before. 'Youth violence epidemic' Justice minister Angela Constance described recent events as a "youth violence epidemic" after announcing an increase in funding for a centre aimed at tackling Scottish Violence Reduction Unit will receive a 7% funding increase to about £1.2m in an effort to address the underlying caused of said the Scottish government's approach to youth violence was focused on education, adding "effective punishment for offences, appropriate police powers and sustained school and community engagement with young people" were also in added: "We have made it quite clear that no-one should every carry any weapon including knives at any time, anywhere."
Scotsman
15 hours ago
- Health
- Scotsman
SNP minister confirms U-turn on Scottish violence reduction unit
SNP justice secretary Angela Constance has confirmed the U-turn. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... SNP ministers have announced a U-turn on their decision to cut funding for a specialist centre aimed at tackling violent crime. Justice Secretary Angela Constance announced on Thursday funding for the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (SVRU) would rise by 4 per cent on past levels to £1.217 million. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Knife crime rates in Edinburgh and Glasgow are on the rise. | Adobe The announcement came after The Scotsman last week exclusively revealed Scotland's national centre of expertise on violence would be hit by a budget cut of 3 per cent, in a decision that had been branded 'dangerous and irresponsible'. The SVRU had been allocated just £1,135,000 for 2025/26 - a budget cut of £35,500 - before the reversal in the Scottish Government's position. The decision follows the deaths of teenagers Amen Teklay and Kayden Moy, who both died after allegedly being stabbed in separate incidents this year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Constance said the increase in funding showed the Government's 'continued commitment' to tackling the problem of violent crime. Justice secretary Angela Constance. Picture: Lisa Ferguson Originally established in 2005 in the Strathclyde Police area, the SVRU became a national initiative the following year, with its work focusing on treating violence as a public health issue. Ms Constance said of the unit: 'They take a long-term approach to violence reduction through prevention work and working to identify, understand and address the underlying causes of violence. 'To show our continued commitment to this issue, I have announced an additional £82,000 to £1.217 million to support the work they do this year.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Constance stressed the Government's approach to tackling youth violence 'is focused on education programmes' coupled with 'effective punishment for offences, appropriate police powers and sustained school and community engagement with young people'. She also insisted: 'We have made it quite clear that no-one should every carry any weapon including knives at any time, anywhere.'
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Over 12,000 children supported through Scottish Child Payment by families in West Lothian
The Scottish Child Payment – currently £27.15 per week for each eligible child under 16 – is a key part of the Scottish Government's mission to eradicate child poverty. Over 12,000 children were supported through the Scottish Child Payment by families in West Lothian. The Scottish Child Payment – currently £27.15 per week for each eligible child under 16 – is a key part of the Scottish Government's mission to eradicate child poverty. Independent analysis shows that child poverty in Scotland is four percentage points lower than it would be without this targeted support. In stark contrast, the UK Labour Government has delayed the publication of its child poverty strategy. Concerns have also been raised about Labour's plans to cut disability benefits – with the UK Government's own figures suggesting this could push 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, into poverty. Almond Valley MSP Angela Constance said: 'Under John Swinney's leadership, the Scottish Government has made tackling child poverty its top priority – and it's working. Scotland is the only part of the UK where child poverty is expected to fall directly because of government policy. 'In Almond Valley, this support is not just numbers on a page – it's food on the table, shoes on growing feet, and breathing space for families who are doing their very best. 'While the UK Government plays politics and delays action, here in Scotland we're focused on getting help to those who need it most.'
Scotsman
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
SNP Justice Secretary is wrong. Scotland needs to get violent children OUT of classrooms
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... I was having a fairly gentle morning on Monday, as befits a retired headmaster, when a friend, no doubt meaning well, sent me a newspaper article from a reputable source. This was the headline: 'Best place for violent children is the classroom, says SNP minister.' At first I thought it was an AI hoax; then I thought it was a typo of historic proportions – they had missed out the word 'not'; but then I remembered I was in Scotland in 2025, and for the rest of the day I was raging. Raging for us all, but mainly for Scotland's teachers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The minister in question was Angela Constance, who is the Justice Secretary, and who, before landing at Holyrood, did the rather tougher job of being a social worker. I mention this because, rather than excusing her, it makes her astonishing position all the more repugnant. Asked on the BBC's Sunday Show about 'violent children' in schools, she had said: 'Exclusion does remain an option for schools but you have to remember children don't learn and children don't change if they are absent from schools or if they are not sighted by services.' Children and teachers should feel safe at school and not have to worry about being assaulted (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell) | Getty Images The last thing that's good for them This is someone who, it is reasonable to presume, knows something about violent children, someone who has, at some point, sniffed real life before retreating into the Holyrood bubble. I imagine she knows how frightening violent children can be. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Because, Angela, putting such children into classrooms in mainstream schools is the very last thing that's good for them; or their parents; or the other children in the class at the time they kick off; or the parents of those children; or their teachers; or the senior managers of their schools; or for Scottish society when these violent children become violent adults and all the other children haven't learned as much as they should at school. Ms Constance's stance makes no more sense than saying the 'best place for alcoholics is in cocktail bars' or the 'best place for second-rate minds is in the Scottish Parliament'. (Oh, wait a minute…) Now, you know, I don't think of myself as a 'lock 'em up and throw away the key' type of guy, and I don't think the kids I taught for 38 years would either. I understand perfectly well that most violent young people – say those who beat up their classmates in the toilets or throw around classroom furniture or punch pregnant teachers – are damaged children. The right to a happy life I further recognise that, as a society, we need to do everything we can to help mend them, both because every child has the right to a proper education and to a happy life, and because if we don't we reap the consequences in the future – drug deaths, institutional unemployment, domestic abuse, and terrible stresses on our NHS. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad These young people are not helped by long waiting lists for help from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, they are not helped by poverty, disadvantage and – often – dreadful neglect; and they are not helped by being placed in mainstream schools. Of course, we also have a clear duty to protect and nurture all the other kids, to spend time helping them achieve their potential and go on to be the 'responsible citizens' demanded by Curriculum for Excellence. Not much chance of that if they are too frightened to go to school. Missing lessons So, get violent kids out of the classroom. Violence in schools is a pernicious cancer that is wearing down our teachers, and the SNP's response is to tell us that they are 'the best paid in the UK'. Why then are so many of them quitting – some after decades of service – and why are so many schools hit so hard by the absence of teaching colleagues due to stress? Why are so many young people missing from their lessons? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Pay simply isn't everything, and the SNP administration has utterly failed to take the necessary steps to get violent kids into the proper educational environments where they can be helped. Not – to be fair – that other political parties have as yet made this a central campaigning plank. Children who are identified as presenting physical risks to other young people and teachers need to be in environments where they are looked after by properly trained and remunerated staff, with very low teacher-pupil ratios. They need psychological interventions and they need kindness. This madness must end Earlier this year, colleagues at Kirkintilloch High School took industrial action about violence in their classrooms. And there have also been separate claims that some head teachers cover up violent incidents because local authorities don't like the stats, and, of course, don't like exclusions. It should be the case that any young person who is violent towards a fellow pupil, teacher, or anyone on the school premises should be excluded. For older pupils, the police should always be involved just as they would be if the young person did the same thing outside the school gate. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And yet the Justice Secretary, who has never taught a class, can breezily tell us where such children should be. Maybe we should cram a dozen of them into her office at Holyrood and let her lecture them. Or maybe it's time for the teaching unions in Scotland to step up and offer their members support against the policies of a government which has, in truth, never seen education as any kind of priority. And it is quite definitely time for teachers and parents of school-age children in Scotland to consider how they will vote in the 2026 Holyrood election, to end this madness.
Daily Record
28-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Over £3.1 million paid to carers in West Lothian through new Scottish benefit
This new benefit, which replaces Carer's Allowance for new applicants in Scotland, is designed to better support unpaid carers. Over £3.1 million has been paid to carers in West Lothian through a new Scottish benefit. Almond Valley MSP Angela Constance has welcomed the latest figures showing that carers in West Lothian have received a total of £3,157,710 through the Scottish Government's Carer Support Payment since the pilot began in November 2023. This new benefit, which replaces Carer's Allowance for new applicants in Scotland, is designed to better support unpaid carers. The figures show that since its rollout, over £89 million has been delivered across Scotland – with West Lothian accounting for 3% of all applications. A total of 17,260 applications were received by Social Security Scotland by the end of March 2025. Of the 10,375 processed, 73% were approved. Every local authority area has seen carers benefit from the new support. Angela Constance MSP said: 'Unpaid carers play a vital role in our society, often sacrificing their own wellbeing to look after loved ones. I'm proud that the Scottish Government is stepping up to support them with direct financial help. 'Over £3.1 million to carers in Almond Valley shows the real difference our new social security system is making – one built on dignity, fairness and respect. 'As Westminster parties argue over who can be harsher on welfare, Scotland is choosing a different path – one that values and supports those who care for others.'
