Free books for young children attending Hearings

Children aged five and under attending Children’s Hearings in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling will receive a free book from this week.

SCRA has teamed up with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to launch the pilot initiative as an extension of their book gifting work with looked after and adopted children across Scotland.

If the pilot is successful, we hope to introduce it in other Hearing centres.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library gifts books to children aged five or under internationally. Through a partnership with Scottish Book Trust and funding from the Scottish Government, children who are looked after or adopted receive a free book through the post every month until their fifth birthday. You can find out more about the partnership on the Scottish Book Trust website.

Jennifer Orren, SCRA’s Participation Officer, said: “The Imagination Library approached SCRA to see if we could help with gifting literature to children attending Children’s Hearings. We are delighted to support this initiative and hope to expand it where possible across Scotland.”

Dr Marion Gillooly, Executive Director, The Dollywood Foundation UK said: “The Dollywood Foundation is delighted to work with SCRA to enhance our work in Scotland. We hope this pilot project will inspire even more children to discover a love of books and reading in their early years and beyond.”