Letters: Health and wealth inequality
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
One of Scotland's top public sector earners, Dr Linda de Caestecker, has called on all doctors to take a pay cut and help create a fairer society.
She is right to highlight the relationship between health inequality and broader inequality in our society.
Inequality in health is linked to inequality in wealth, so much so that we can reliably predict the educational and health outcomes of a child in the poorest area from the moment he or she is born.
Through our work we see the daily effects of poor health and poor motivation on children and families. Our prisons, our care system and our health service are the parking lots for the problems of inequality and we need to address it.
Simon Watson, head of developments, Barnardo's Scotland
Flexible vetting and barring
The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) is pleased that the vetting and barring review has resulted in flexible arrangements that will allow more volunteers to help young people and their communities.
NCVYS has been working hard to ensure these changes are made; in particular we have been advocating the need for an observation period before a volunteer is registered and are particularly pleased that this has been taken forward. This means that someone thinking about being a volunteer will be allowed supervised access, so that they can see if the opportunity suits them and the organisation can see if the volunteer would be suitable for their organisation.
Susanne Rauprich, chief executive, National Council for Voluntary Youth Services
Support for children with SEN
The Lamb Inquiry should go some way to providing the guidance and support parents of children with special educational needs (SEN) deserve. However, equally important is the continuing involvement of parents in their child's education. Understandably, parents of SEN children are often highly involved in their education and care. The proposals must help to engage parents who wish to have greater involvement in the day-to-day education of their child.
Tony Reid, chief executive, Treloar Trust
The editor, Children & Young People Now, 174 Hammersmith Road, London W6 7JP
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