We believe the act of learning is a personal experience for each child. Despite the challenges of lockdown, young people in our residential houses became empowered to take ownership of their education and learning. Over the last year and a half, young people in Scotland faced persistent disruptions to their education due to COVID-19. Online classes, … Continued
Aberlour started to look at how its staff were using physical restraint on children in 2017. Recognising that challenging behaviour was most likely to be children communicating distress, anxiety or fear, and that use of physical restraint was traumatic and created a risk of harm for the children and adults involved, the organisation decided that … Continued
For low income families across Scotland there won’t be much to celebrate this Christmas as COVID-19 continues to hit the poorest hardest. Families already struggling to keep their heads above water against a rising tide of financial insecurity are finding themselves trapped in poverty by spiralling debt. Energy bills are on the rise and so … Continued
Aberlour can confirm that the organisation is a member of the Financial Redress scheme. We offer an unreserved apology to anyone who was abused whilst in the care of Aberlour. Aberlour see membership of the scheme as an important step in addressing the failings of our past. SallyAnn Kelly, Chief Executive said: “We would like … Continued
On 7th December 2021 Aberlour Child Care Trust sent the Scottish Ministers an acknowledgement letter, as required by Section 14 of the Act, in order to be added to the contributor list for Scotland’s Redress Scheme. To read the full letter please click here.
Aberlour has welcomed additional funding of £250,000 for its Urgent Assistance Fund from the Scottish Government’s Winter Support Fund. This boost comes at a time when Scotland’s poorest families are facing really challenging circumstances and the charity continues to be inundated with applications to its Urgent Assistance Fund. We know that, even before COVID struck, … Continued
Tonight (Thursday 18th November 2021) Aberlour Children’s Charity foster carers, Rhonda and Gordon Milne, and Calum Muir (13) won prestigious awards at the UK’s leading annual foster care awards, The Fostering Excellence Awards. Rhonda and Gordon won the prestigious Jon and Kathy Broadbent award. This award recognises the outstanding work of a foster carer who … Continued
EVEN HARDER WINTER PREDICTED AS NEW ABERLOUR SURVEY REVEALS PARENTS SCARED OF THE LONGER-TERM IMPACT OF POVERTY ON THEIR CHILDREN Scottish children’s charity Aberlour has warned that a decade of rising and stagnated poverty levels in Scotland combined with the impact of the pandemic, the increasing cost of living and the end of the Universal … Continued
Happy International Volunteer Managers Day! This years theme is ‘What is Excellence, Pushing us beyond the Ordinary’. Here’s what Jen Reston, Aberlour’s Head of Volunteering, had to say about championing excellence through our volunteering: “Excellence is Not a Skill. It is an Attitude.” – Ralph Marston To be a person of excellence is someone who … Continued
Lynda has been an Aberlour Foster Carer since Dylan* joined her family when he was eight year’s old. Dylan didn’t see school as a safe place. School made him feel very anxious and he would hide under tables. He has really heightened senses meaning the smell of school, school colours and uniform would really upset … Continued
“Inspiration”, “Creative”, “Whirlwind of Emotion”, “Fantastic”, “Nerve wracking”, “ Fun” – just a few words that our AbJam Young Planners used to describe how they felt about planning AbJam 2021! In January 2021, a group of eight amazing young people from Aberlour services across the country got together to plan AbJam 2021. AbJam is a … Continued
Juliet lives with her partner and three children. She works in a supermarket and so was a key worker during the COVID-19 lockdown. At the start of the pandemic, her husband lost his job and so she became the only worker in the family. She says they were struggling and it was her son’s guidance … Continued
Over the last few months things have started to feel a bit better for many of us. A sense of normality has begun to creep back into our lives as we begin to enjoy many of the things we have missed over the last year and a half. Holidays, eating out, concerts. All the things … Continued
Aberlour Children’s Charity is delighted to announce that it won Fundraising Campaign of the Year for its Urgent Assistance Fund at the Third Sector Awards, one of the UK’s most prestigious awards in the charity sector. The 2021 Awards took place on Friday 17th September at a lunchtime reception hosted by comedian Zoe Lyons and … Continued
When the First Minister announced in last week’s Programme for Government a new £500m Whole Family Wellbeing Fund I felt genuinely optimistic about what that will mean for families across Scotland. Too often we have heard warm words from government and policy makers on how we should be supporting families but matched only by tepid … Continued
Sally Ann Kelly, Chief Executive, made the following statement regarding today’s announcement about the Scottish Government’s commitment towards a Family Wellbeing Fund. ‘ Aberlour is delighted that today the Scottish Government has committed £500million towards a Family Wellbeing Fund. The publication of the Care Review and The Promise were emotional days for me – they … Continued
Aberlour Children’s Charity is one of six charities to be awarded funding from The Partners in Change fund. It has been awarded £409,153 for their Tayside Family Financial Wellbeing project, which aims to facilitate the systems-change needed to promote new and different approaches to financially assisting vulnerable families. This project will be delivered in partnership … Continued
Aberlour Children’s Charity is relaunching regular outdoor play sessions for the under 5’s following a surge in demand for access to play in Aberdeen City. Aberdeen Play Forum, supported by Aberlour, aims to increase opportunities for children to be healthy and happy, form friendships and learn vital skills from playing outdoors. This year, … Continued
