[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f10b3rz2z388kj":3,"$fkzt2z16fz064":17},{"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":16},"01m5fanaffkxrzkrpj1x4keag4","9cdbdd6d-4900-4646-a012-d3e67a5ee788","01j303dmcc6n6900v73fs88bc7",false,"Right to Food Commission supports Aberlour's Call to End School Meal Debt","right-to-food-commission-supports-aberlours-call","\u003Cp>School meal debt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three words that should never be uttered in the same sentence\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Children bearing the burden and stigma of debt should shame any society.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet, here in Scotland that is what we saw happening for thousands of children and their families around the country.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For many high school children having a negative balance on their parent pay account would mean being unable to access a meal at school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>School meal debt and hidden school hunger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two sides of the same coin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter what side that coin lands on it would still show how badly we have failed many of Scotland’s most disadvantaged children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is why at Aberlour we were compelled to do something about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To make sure we stood beside those children and their families and to call for something to change – urgently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We wanted to make sure we saw an \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fabout-us\u002Fpolicy-and-influencing\u002Fpublic-debt\u002Fschool-meal-debt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">end to school meal debt and hidden school hunger for good\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In 2023 we urged the then First Minister, Humza Yusaf, to act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To bring an end to the shameful practice of children and their families being chased by debt collectors for school meal debt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>School meal debt is a symptom of families not having enough money to provide the very basics for their children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fundamentally, it is about a lack of income.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We welcomed the introduction of a one-off School Meal Debt Fund to write off outstanding debt for one year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But we were clear that was not enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our evidence shows that the majority of children with school meal debt are from low-income working families who do not qualify for free school meals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, along with writing off the debt for struggling families, we called for the expansion of Free School Meals to all low-income families across Scotland to help prevent school meal debt in the first place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Again, we welcomed John Swinney’s subsequent commitment to continuing the School Meal Debt Fund for a further year to write off nearly £3 million of school meal debt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Figures show that this benefitted 70,000 children and their families across Scotland over the last two years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A welcome relief for many, but still a limited intervention without a long-term solution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our campaign to end school meal debt has continued up to and during the recent Scottish Parliament elections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last year we also published evidence that pointed to the extent of school meal debt for children and their families in England.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What our research suggested was that around 1 in 4 children not eligible for free school meals in England had regular or persistent school meal debt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so we called on the UK Government to act and follow Scotland’s lead by taking action to end school meal debt for children across the rest of the UK.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This week saw the launch of the independent UK Right to Food Commission report and findings following their work to evidence the scale of food insecurity across the UK.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Commission’s report provides a roadmap and clear actions all governments across the UK must take to end food insecurity for all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This includes ending school meal debt for good for all children the length of the country, from Aberdeen to Aberystwyth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Scotland, the SNP made a commitment during the Scottish Parliamentary election campaign to end school meal debt once and for all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That manifesto pledge was then followed by the First Minister announcing that families struggling with school meal debt would continue to be helped by committing the same level of investment again this year to write that debt off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time this will happen alongside the further expansion of Free School Meals in primary schools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The urgent measure and a preventative solution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There is much more the First Minister must do to make real progress on his ambition to “eradicate child poverty”.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this is one example that the rest of the UK can follow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Making sure no child ever again is burdened with debt or goes hungry at school would be a quick win for Andy Burnham, to show his commitment to tackling food insecurity by ending school meal debt in every postcode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Martin Canavan\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Head of Policy & Influencing \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>",null,"2026-10-21T00:00:00.000000Z","Aberlour Children's Charity's Head of Policy & Influencing, Martin Canavan, shares what must be done to end school meal debt and hidden hunger in schools for good. He shares what has been done in Scotland and what must be done in England.","media\u002Fshared image.jpg","2026-10-21T13:33:25.000000Z","2026-10-22T08:11:54.000000Z",{"id":18,"blog_author_id":19,"blog_category_id":20,"is_featured":7,"title":21,"slug":22,"content":23,"content_overview":11,"published_at":24,"seo_title":21,"seo_description":25,"image":26,"created_at":27,"updated_at":28,"next":29,"prev":39},"01kkk93xy1a69rvfyqzbzavhc9","1","2","Aberlour response to Scottish Government's Tackling Child Poverty Plan","aberlour-response-to-scottish-governments-tackling-child-poverty-plan","\u003Cp>More than 1 in 5 children in Scotland continue to grow up in poverty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Overwhelmingly the people of Scotland want to see the Scottish Government increase support for the poorest families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We have made limited progress to reduce child poverty in this Parliament, but nowhere close enough to meet our legally binding child poverty targets by 2030.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Scottish Government’s new child poverty plan, ‘Bringing Hope, Building Futures’, published this week, says some of the right things, and keeps child poverty at the top of the political agenda.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It takes some humility to recognise we are not where we should be at this point in the parliamentary cycle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is welcome to see investment in both immediate poverty relief and measures to support families to move forward in their lives, in particular through better access to fair work through whole family support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We also welcome the clear commitment to tackle the public debt crisis that traps too many children and families across Scotland in poverty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If lifting \u003Cstrong>every\u003C\u002Fstrong> child in Scotland out of poverty \u003Cstrong>for good\u003C\u002Fstrong> is our goal (as the Plan states), much more is needed to accelerate these efforts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we say we are going to ‘eradicate child poverty’, we need a plan which is up to that task.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Scottish Child Payment is providing real and practical help through putting additional cash in families’ pockets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We know this is making a difference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, we need to invest significantly more in this cash-first approach as cost of living pressures continue to bite, including increasing the Scottish Child Payment to £55.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if we mean what we say about eradicating (not just reducing) Scotland’s shameful rates of child poverty, we need a much tighter and more focused set of equally ambitious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That must mean high impact and practical measures alongside the Scottish Child Payment - as recommended by Scotland’s Poverty and Inequality Commission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next Parliament must be the parliament where we prioritise ending child poverty above all else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We cannot fail Scotland’s children once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Justina Murray, CEO.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>","2026-03-13T00:00:00.000000Z","We have made limited progress to reduce child poverty in this Parliament, but nowhere close enough to meet our legally binding child poverty targets by 2030.","media\u002FRS1300_Pubs.webp","2026-03-13T09:40:51.000000Z","2026-03-16T12:19:42.000000Z",{"id":30,"blog_author_id":5,"blog_category_id":6,"is_featured":7,"title":31,"slug":32,"content":33,"content_overview":11,"published_at":34,"seo_title":31,"seo_description":35,"image":36,"created_at":37,"updated_at":38},"01kkvf9zsf6q7619vfygfj2ztm","Blog: Public Debt Collection Harms Abuse Survivors","blog-public-debt-collection-harms-abuse-survivors","\u003Cp>Scotland’s public sector is full of skilled and committed people delivering the essential, everyday services our communities are built on. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sadly, however, it is now beyond doubt that how those same public bodies pursue and collect debt, like council tax and rent arrears, is sabotaging the lives of thousands of families, many led by single mothers, many of them fleeing abusive partners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their violence may have been physical or psychological or, most commonly, both but, in recent years, we have become far more aware of how money and debt is routinely weaponised to coerce and intimidate. Many survivors will have been allowed no control of cash coming into their home and only discover they are liable for money owed by their ex when they leave. Any hope of a new beginning is crushed beneath a spinning wheel of old debt, new loans and unpaid interest. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The worry of how they and their children will survive financially is often the only reason women have remained with abusive partners and, after finally escaping them, their family can easily be capsized by a single but unexpected bill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dismayingly, many are suffering because of actions being taken in our name. Debt Awareness Week started yesterday [MONDAY 16 MARCH] and should remind us of a public debt crisis demanding urgent reform of collection mechanisms that can be as cruel as they are relentless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is no secret. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fpublications\u002Fgendered-nature-public-debt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Landmark research\u003C\u002Fa> detailing how more women than men are at risk of being driven into poverty by local or national government debt collection was published last year and should be required reading for every party leader and candidate in the looming Scottish Parliament elections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The authoritative analysis, commissioned by Aberlour and two other leading charities, One Parent Families Scotland and Trussell, only amplified the alarm bells sounded by our frontline support teams, which have, for years now, been warning women are at particular risk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The anonymised records of 71,000 people seeking debt advice in Scotland revealed 57% were women and they owed most in public debt. Single mothers - 92% of lone parents - and those living in households where a child or adult is disabled were particularly at risk with the psychological toll of debt often damaging their physical and mental health, propelling them into debt and poverty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The research, led by Professor Morag Treanor, of Glasgow University, suggested caring responsibilities can often mean reduced income, less financial resilience and greater risk of poverty while deductions from benefits to pay arrears often stretches household budgets to breaking point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The analysis should be an emergency flare, a signal to intervene, a call to action. There are better, more humane, and less destructive ways to collect, or cancel, this kind of debt. We can do things better. We can offer respite. Our campaign to cancel school meal debt, for example, persuaded the Scottish Government to write off £2.8 million owed by families of 70,000 children two years ago. We learned last week that debt is again increasing in the absence of sustained and sustainable relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our public sector is rarely criticised for not being bureaucratic enough and it can be forgotten that all the forms, slipping from one inbox to another, involve a real family, often in real crisis. One government department can be deducting money from a benefits payment to recoup one debt, for example, while, oblivious, another is doing the same. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For want of a conversation, or a flag on a file, families are driven to the brink, without money to buy food or heat their homes. Even greater automation is unlikely to increase empathy as algorithms and artificial intelligence increasingly drive debt collection without the possibility of discretion, pause, or a human touch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These systems, our systems, are, however unwittingly, helping abusers and punishing survivors. The collection of public debt need not be so punitive. Its collection in the private sector is certainly more regulated and often more compassionate, while public authorities continue to trap families in a cycle of seized benefits, missed payments, emergency loans and extortionate interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In any case, the money being recouped is an absolute pittance compared to the potential economic and social benefits created by healthier, happier children freed from poverty with their whole lives ahead of them. Our sense of decency should drive reform but so too should clear-eyed pragmatism. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fnews-item\u002Faberlour-response-to-scottish-governments-tackling-child-poverty-plan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Thursday\u003C\u002Fa>, the Scottish Government detailed a plan of action to tackle child poverty. A \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fnews-item\u002Faberlours-response-to-continued-investment-from-the-scottish-government-for-our-mother-and-child-recovery-houses\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">few days earlier\u003C\u002Fa>, first minister John Swinney announced a raft of related measures including the extension of support for \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fservice\u002Fmother-and-child-recovery-houses\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Aberlour’s Mother and Child Recovery Houses\u003C\u002Fa>, offering residential support to keep children with their mums while they get specialist help for issues around substance use. It almost goes without saying, that many, if not all, have survived abuse and endured poverty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This expert work is the opposite of easy but has the power to save then transform the lives of mothers and the futures of their children. It is exactly the kind of work needed if child poverty is to be not eased but eradicated. We should not be hoping to manage such social devastation but end it. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That will be a long journey but can start with the smallest step. Some of those steps will be taken by the mums leaving our Mother and Child Recovery Houses in good health with their children beside them.  Thousands upon thousands more of those steps should be taken by families offered respite from the burden of public debt and allowed to take a breath, regroup, restart and rebuild.  \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Justina Murray\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\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 Scotsman and published on Tuesday 17th March 2026\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>","2026-03-17T00:00:00.000000Z","In our latest blog Aberlour Children's Charity's CEO, Justina Murray, explains how public debt collection harms abuse survivors.","media\u002FJustina Serious_Outside_0E5A9794.jpg","2026-03-16T14:02:57.000000Z","2026-03-16T16:43:16.000000Z",{"id":40,"blog_author_id":5,"blog_category_id":19,"is_featured":7,"title":41,"slug":42,"content":43,"content_overview":11,"published_at":44,"seo_title":41,"seo_description":45,"image":46,"created_at":47,"updated_at":47},"01kkgx8csqtwzwackj7y0akqp8","Aberlour's response to continued investment from the Scottish Government for our Mother and Child Recovery Houses","aberlours-response-to-continued-investment-from-the-scottish-government-for-our-mother-and-child-recovery-houses","\u003Cp>“We are thrilled to receive confirmation of the continued investment of almost £2m to sustain our Mother and Child Recovery Houses in \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fservice\u002Fmother-and-child-recovery-houses\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dundee\u003C\u002Fa> and \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fservice\u002Fmother-and-child-recovery-house-falkirk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Falkirk\u003C\u002Fa> for the next year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Our Mother and Child Recovery Houses support mothers affected by alcohol and drug use and their babies\u002Fyoung children. We work with mothers to abstain or stabilise their substance use, prevent deaths, keep families together and truly flourish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Families consistently tell us that our services are making a meaningful difference, giving a future of hope and the evidence backs this up. By placing relationships at the heart of our work, emphasising strengths and prioritising the needs of mothers and their children, we are helping families to heal and to stay together wherever it is safe to do so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"With The Promise guiding everything we do, we provide vital recovery support for mothers and their babies, empowering them to regain control of their lives and build a more secure and brighter future. Our approach ensures that the rights, voices and needs of both mums and babies are respected and heard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you to the Scottish Government for their continued investment in the Mother and Child Recovery Houses. This support is helping us reach mothers and babies who need us most and is already making a significant difference to families across Scotland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We look forward to working with the Scottish Government, politicians and our partners towards longer term investment in Recovery services across Scotland, so that every mother and child who needs this level of support can access it, no matter where they live and for however long they need it\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I would also like to note our heartfelt thanks to Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, who has worked tirelessly to champion the needs of families harmed by substance use, and to help secure this investment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Justina Murray\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Aberlour CEO \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:  \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>\"Aberlour's work in mother and child recovery is world leading, I got to see exactly what that means when I visited several mums and their babies firsthand at their recovery house. Seeing the impact that they can make on such vulnerable lives convinced me that the Lib Dems should make funding for their perinatal community recovery services a red line in our budget negotiations with the SNP. I'm so glad we won that fight and convinced the government to fund these vital services.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>","2026-03-12T00:00:00.000000Z","Read Aberlour Children's Charity CEO, Justina Murray's response to continued investment in our Mother and Child Recovery Houses from the Scottish Government.","media\u002FJustina Murray_Happy_RS1296_0E5A9849.jpg","2026-03-12T11:35:06.000000Z"]