Midlothian North and Musselburgh MSP Colin Beattie pledges to ‘Speak up for babies in Scotland’

This week Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh took a pledge to ‘Speak up for babies in Scotland’ if he is re-elected in the May elections.
 
The ‘Speak up for babies in Scotland’ campaign run by a coalition of seven children’s and mental health charities.
 
Babies depend on sensitive, responsive care to grow and develop healthily. But many do not get the nurturing care they need. Not everyone bonds easily with their baby. Parents can be overwhelmed by trauma from their own childhood. Some are struggling with mental or physical health difficulties.
 
The charities estimate that more than 9,000 babies in Scotland are living in fear and distress, and say more support is needed for families. Over 14% of babies in Scotland have at least one developmental concern recorded at their 13-15 month health visitor check.[1]
 
As MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Colin represents communities across Midlothian, Bonnyrigg, Musselburgh and Dalkeith. Latest estimates [2] show that there are approximately 1864 babies aged 0-2 in this constituency so Colin is speaking up for all these local babies and their families who need support. Close to local 260 babies and their families could need more intensive support from specialist services.
 
The coalition of charities have just launched a Manifesto for Babies in Scotland, with policy recommendations for the next Holyrood government, noting inequality is already visible in toddlers’ development.[3]
 
The manifesto is backed by Save the Children Scotland, NSPCC Scotland, Home-Start UK, Mental Health Foundation, Parenting Across Scotland, Starcatchers and the Parent-Infant Foundation.
 
Colin Beattie MSP said:
“I am delighted to pledge my support for the campaign to speak up for Babies in Scotland. We know what harms babies and what enables them to thrive, and we must ensure all babies have the best start in life”.
 
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References:
[1] Child development statistics data from Public Health Scotland:
Early child development statistics - Scotland 2023 to 2024 - Early child development - Publications - Public Health Scotland
[2] Constituency population estimates
Scottish Parliamentary Constituency population estimates - National Records of Scotland (NRS)
[3] Inequality is visible in toddlers’ development: 17% of all children in Scotland are identified as having a developmental concern at their 27–30-month health visitor check. This rises to 25% amongst babies living in low-income households.
https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/early-child-development/early-child-development-statistics-scotland-2023-to-2024/
 
Note: A pledge does not imply support for all the Manifesto’s recommendations – it is a promise to consider babies' needs and to speak up for them in Holyrood. Constituents can check if their local candidates have pledged support here. A pledge can be made via the Parent-Infant Foundation website.