A Scots film star will make a trip to the Highlands this week to offer hope to others who have suffered through child neglect.
Paul Brannigan, who found fame after roles in hit movies including the Angels’ Share and Sunshine on Leith, will be in Inverness to address a child protection committee event on the issue.
He has often dedicated time to comfort victims while giving an insight into his own horrific experience as a child exposed to drug addiction. The right support helped him turn his life around.
Thursday’s event will launch a year-long initiative to raise public awareness of child neglect and expand the skills of practitioners on the front line.
Committee chairman, Detective Chief Inspector Vince McLaughlin, said: “Neglect is often cumulative and can be extremely harmful long term, so it’s crucial we’re able to identify and respond to it as early as possible.”
Neglect manifests itself in various ways including a child’s lack of basic needs such as access to adequate food, housing and healthcare. It can also be due to a lack of supervision or a child’s educational needs not being met.
The event will unveil a new campaign logo, designed by nine-year-old Plockton Primary School pupil Bodhan Campbell, who will received a prize from the actor.
Highland education director Bill Alexander said: “Over the next year, we’ll be working in partnership with the NSPCC to develop further tools to help our professionals assess neglect most effectively.
“These will sit alongside our existing processes to ensure that children and families continue to receive the support they need at the earliest possible opportunity.”
The Cannes Film Festival award-winning Angels’ Share, which was partly filmed in the Highlands, tells the story of a young jailbird who resolves to change his life after becoming a father. Mr Brannigan described the film as “like a mirror image to my life.”