Upstart Scotland AGM 2025

Join us for Upstart's 2025 AGM. Hear from our two fantastic guest speakers:

Sue Palmer, Upstart's honorary President and a former primary headteacher in Scotland, is a literacy specialist, writer, presenter and ‘childhood campaigner’. She has written over 200 books, software packages and TV programmes for schools on aspects of literacy and many hundreds of articles for the educational and national press.

Over the last fifteen years, her books on child development in the modern world – notably Toxic Childhood (second edition 2015) – have led to frequent media appearances and comments about changes in children’s lifestyles. Research for her 2016 book, Upstart: the case for raising the school starting age and providing what the under-sevens really need inspired the Upstart Scotland campaign.

Sue also chaired the Scottish Play Commission, served on the Scottish Government’s Early Years Task Force and has been listed in Who’s Who since 2014 as a ‘writer and childhood campaigner’.

James Docherty has worked in Violence Prevention for 15 years and is currently a Project Manager within the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (SVRU). He leads on assessment, formulation and interventions that contribute to all (SVRU) activity using a public health approach to reduce violence. Role deliverables include developing and delivering projects, ensuring interventions are rights respecting, trauma informed and inclusive of lived experience voice. He has helped set up and worked on various innovative award winning SVRU projects that enable the process of desistance and prevention of violence in all its forms.

James advocates strongly for change and awareness of how we address the cost of Adverse Childhood Experiences and untreated trauma in our society. Previously he has worked with a leading Children’s charity on diversion programmes with young people on the cusp of organised crime. James is also a member of Trauma Aware Law who work to improve the justice system in order to prevent further victims.

Additionally, James is also an Advisor at Community Justice Scotland. A cross team functional post that aims to ensure all work is fully aligned to Community Justice Scotland values. He is also a resident trainer at Tigers early years academy which aims to educate and imbed relationships, trauma responsive principles, children’s rights, play and attachment at the heart of care and early years practice.

Coffee beforehand from 10.30am.

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