[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f10b3rz2z388kj":3,"$fh88ppur9uk7k":16},{"id":4,"blog_author_id":5,"blog_category_id":6,"is_featured":7,"title":8,"slug":9,"content":10,"content_overview":11,"published_at":12,"seo_title":8,"seo_description":13,"image":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15},"01m45vtvk0pdb1y7c1cqv76edp","9cdbdd6d-4900-4646-a012-d3e67a5ee788","1",false,"Panic and Promises Won't End Child Poverty","panic-and-promises-wont-end-child-poverty","\u003Cp>We live in a world that seems to spin faster every day, where all the dials are turned to 11 all the time.  \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The headlines crash from one calamity to another as our political leaders rush to promise emergency action while their opponents demand even more urgency. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is noisy, tiring and a few hours later, when the news cycle spins to another red alert, the last one, whatever it was, is most often forgotten. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For years now, child poverty in Scotland has been routinely described as a national emergency demanding emergency action. It is and it does but, with more than one in five children still growing up in poverty in Scotland today, is it time to ask if the language of emergency and crisis is helping?  \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps it only encourages more haste but less speed, a birling carousel of taskforces and committees, policy papers and special reports, but too little measured and impactful action? Are we even checking if the blizzard of promises and commitments is being delivered before starting the snow machine again? \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if the endless planning and process is actually slowing us down? What if somehow all the talk is delaying implementation of practical, tested, and effective measures to improve the lives and secure the life chances of the 210,000 children growing up poor in one of the wealthiest countries in the world? \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because we already know what works. We have known for years.  \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, there are no magic bullets, no simple solutions to the complex social issues that have blighted our poorest communities for decades. Child poverty, like Scotland’s drugs crisis, another national emergency, is embedded in longstanding economic trends that have stripped far too many of our neighbourhoods of jobs and hope. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those trends will not be reversed overnight but, in the meantime, we should not let perfect be the enemy of good. As Challenge Poverty Week begins today, the biggest challenge is to see the wood not the trees, to recognise and appreciate what is already working and build on it. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There are things that we know ease the impact of poverty on young lives; that have been trialled, tested and measured; that inch their families from peril to safety; that give them new strength, confidence and a path to a more secure future. So why not have more of them? \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These are services that our charity and others are delivering every day, hand in glove with our partners in social work, health care and education. These are services delivering real, measurable success, making children safer, healthier and happier today and improving their chances tomorrow. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Intensive family support, for example. The clue is in the name. It is the opposite of easy. Any family’s journey back from the very edge of crisis is one of hard yards and no shortcuts. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our teams arrive to work, shoulder to shoulder, with families on the point of collapse, with children often on the edge of care. Ensuring those babies and young people are safe is always the priority but, after that, keeping them with their families is the driving force because that, all research suggests, is the best way to stabilise childhoods and secure futures. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Intensive family support means doing whatever it takes to keep children safe and families together. It can rebuild broken relationships; improve parents’ confidence in themselves; create new connections in communities; and help build firmer financial foundations with advice on welfare rights, maximising incomes and problem debt. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any investment in intensive family support and other specialist services, for pregnant women and new mums, for example, is more than returned in thriving families, stronger communities and money saved. Resource is better spent on intensive support keeping families safely together, than managing their separation through a lifetime of crisis-led state intervention.  \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our two Mother and Child Recovery Houses, in Falkirk and Dundee, for example, offer recovery spaces for pregnant and new mums with a history of substance use, allowing them to recover while staying safely with their babies. This helps keep families together and children at home, improves their futures and saves millions of pounds in avoided care costs. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is true child protection and the big question is not whether we can afford to roll out these services across Scotland but if we can afford not to?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Justina Murray \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cbr>\u003Cstrong>Chief executive of Aberlour Children’s Charity \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>This article was written for the Daily Record and published on Monday 5th October 2026.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>",null,"2026-10-05T00:00:00.000000Z","Aberlour Children's Charity CEO, Justina Murray, explains what must be done to end child poverty in Scotland. We know what works and we've known for years. ","media\u002FRS873_0E5A9135.jpg","2026-10-05T11:05:26.000000Z",{"id":17,"blog_author_id":6,"blog_category_id":6,"is_featured":7,"title":18,"slug":19,"content":20,"content_overview":21,"published_at":22,"seo_title":23,"seo_description":11,"image":24,"created_at":25,"updated_at":26,"next":27,"prev":28},"01j6cdm1s5rm0sy31y9w712bdm","Aberlour ‘Deeply Disappointed’ At Lack of Election Vision to Tackle Child Poverty","aberlour-deeply-disappointed-at-lack-of-election-vision-to-tackle-child-poverty","\u003Cp>Scotland’s biggest children’s charity Aberlour has expressed its deep disappointment at the lack of any meaningful vision or plan, during the election campaign, from any Party to tackle the scourge of child poverty that affects 1 in 4 children in Scotland and 1 in 3 across the rest of the UK.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aberlour’s intervention comes on the day that their young people’s hustings will take place at Glasgow Science Centre.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hustings will see representatives from all main political parties grilled by young people on topics such as child poverty, housing and education.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The event was initially hoped to be a leadership hustings but no party leader agreed to take part.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Aberlour CEO SallyAnn Kelly said:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>“Child poverty and the consequences from it, which limit and deny opportunities to the children affected, is a national crisis. Yet, during this election campaign it seems that the scale of the crisis has not been appreciated by all the main political parties. \u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>1 in 4 children in Scotland are growing up in poverty. Across the rest of the UK that figure is nearly 1 in 3. Yet, watching this general election campaign unfold you wouldn’t know we had a child poverty crisis. It has barely registered as an issue worth discussing by the main political parties. This has deeply disappointed us at Aberlour.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Our young people will today ask questions of politicians. We hope that they will offer more than what has been proposed in this election so far.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Too many young people are suffering because of government inaction and they just can’t wait any more, they need policies, they need action and they need investment.”\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","\u003Cp>Scotland’s biggest children’s charity Aberlour has expressed its deep disappointment at the lack of any meaningful vision or plan, during the election campaign, from any Party to tackle the scourge of child poverty that affects 1 in 4 children in Scotland and 1 in 3 across the rest of the UK. Aberlour’s intervention comes on … \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Faberlour-deeply-disappointed-at-lack-of-election-vision-to-tackle-child-poverty\u002F\">Continued\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","2024-06-17T00:00:00.000000Z","Aberlour ‘Deeply Disappointed’ At Lack of Election Vision to Tackle Child Poverty - Aberlour - Web Backend","media\u002Fgirl-in-school-uniform-min-scaled.jpg","2024-08-28T11:58:31.000000Z","2024-11-25T07:22:17.000000Z",{"id":17,"blog_author_id":6,"blog_category_id":6,"is_featured":7,"title":18,"slug":19,"content":20,"content_overview":21,"published_at":22,"seo_title":23,"seo_description":11,"image":24,"created_at":25,"updated_at":26},{"id":29,"blog_author_id":6,"blog_category_id":6,"is_featured":7,"title":30,"slug":31,"content":32,"content_overview":33,"published_at":34,"seo_title":35,"seo_description":36,"image":37,"created_at":25,"updated_at":26},"01j6cdm1sdz89drq3tj1wfkxam","Young Scots urge politicians to end child poverty","young-scots-urge-politicians-to-end-child-poverty","\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2024\u002F06\u002FAberlour-Manifesto-Brief-2024_digital.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Manifesto\u003C\u002Fa> promises to end child poverty will mean nothing unless they lead to life-changing reforms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our warning comes as all the main parties pledge to tackle the poverty blighting the lives and sabotaging the futures of one in four children in Scotland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We have invited party leaders  to special hustings to be quizzed by children and teenagers asking how they will ease the poverty endured by 240,000 young Scots and will be staging an election summit backed by other influential Third Sector organisations and anti-poverty campaigners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As we campaign for a raft of policies designed to ease child poverty including the scrapping of debt owed by children for school meals, we anticipate the talks raising the voice of young Scots on one of the campaign’s most critical issues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>SallyAnn Kelly, chief executive of Aberlour, said:\u003C\u002Fstrong> “It is difficult to think of a more important issue facing our country or one that demands more urgent action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Every party has promised to address this national emergency but it would be more remarkable if any party did not make that promise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Their promises are welcome but do not feed a child. Promises do not keep children warm at night or keep feet dry when their shoes are leaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only action not promises can make the life-changing difference demanded and effective action demands commitment and resource.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Scottish leaders of all the main parties have prioritised child poverty and we have invited them to detail their plans to an audience with a particular interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These children and young people may not be voting in this election but their voices must be raised and their questions should be answered.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aberlour has invited all the party leaders to attend the hustings at the Glasgow Science Centre next week to face questions from the young audience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First minister John Swinney last month promised eradicating child poverty warning is the absolute priority for his government warning it “stands in the way of both social justice and economic growth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2024\u002F06\u002FAberlour-Manifesto-Brief-2024_digital.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read the Aberlour 2024 general election manifesto\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Article published in The Sunday Post, 9 June 2024\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","\u003Cp>Manifesto promises to end child poverty will mean nothing unless they lead to life-changing reforms. Our warning comes as all the main parties pledge to tackle the poverty blighting the lives and sabotaging the futures of one in four children in Scotland. We have invited party leaders  to special hustings to be quizzed by children … \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fyoung-scots-urge-politicians-to-end-child-poverty\u002F\">Continued\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","2024-06-10T00:00:00.000000Z","Young Scots urge politicians to end child poverty - Aberlour - Web Backend","Manifesto promises to end child poverty will mean nothing unless they lead to life-changing reforms.","media\u002Fsallyann-kelly-web-scaled-e1648201627773.jpg"]