[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f10b3rz2z388kj":3,"$fg137k7fbyvan":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":24,"image":25,"created_at":26,"updated_at":27,"next":28,"prev":29},"01j6cdm1rmvb4wtxax62820r86","Aberlour scoops Campaign of The Year at Scottish Charity Awards","aberlour-scoops-campaign-of-the-year-at-scottish-charity-awards","\u003Cp>\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-19573\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2024\u002F06\u002Fsca-2024-winner-named-campaign-300x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2024\u002F06\u002Fsca-2024-winner-named-campaign-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2024\u002F06\u002Fsca-2024-winner-named-campaign-768x384.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2024\u002F06\u002Fsca-2024-winner-named-campaign-250x125.jpg 250w, https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2024\u002F06\u002Fsca-2024-winner-named-campaign.jpg 1025w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aberlour was thrilled to be awarded the prestigious Campaign of the Year Award on Thursday (20 June) evening at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Run annually by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), the Scottish Charity Awards celebrate the best of Scotland’s voluntary sector.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The award was made to the charity or voluntary sector organisation’s campaign that has made a real difference this year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aberlour’s campaign to cancel school meal debt persuaded the Scottish Government to write off £1.8m school meal debt for c. 30,000 children in December 2023.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Conducted by Professor Morag Treanor of Heriot-Watt University, Aberlour funded research which revealed that over £1M in school meal debt was owed by struggling Scottish families in June 2022. The report, based on FOIs, highlighted how families were being legally pursued for as little as £10 arrears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In partnership with Heriot-Watt, Aberlour successfully embarked on an ambitious campaign of collaboration with The Scottish Sun, sustained political pressure and social media to encourage the Government to write off Scotland’s school meal debts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>On receiving the award from awards host Sally Magnusson, Chief Executive, SallyAnn Kelly OBE said\u003C\u002Fstrong>:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We are absolutely delighted to win the highly prestigious ‘Campaign of the Year’ award.  Huge and heartfelt thanks to all the people, organisations, partners and funders who have supported us with this campaign, we couldn’t have done it without you. As a result thousands of struggling families across Scotland are now benefiting from the cancellation of school meal debt. We are all so grateful and winning this award really is the icing on the cake.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other charities shortlisted for this award include:  The Yard, Amina Muslim Women’s Resource Centre and Diabetes Scotland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong> \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","\u003Cp>Aberlour was thrilled to be awarded the prestigious Campaign of the Year Award on Thursday (20 June) evening at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow. Run annually by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), the Scottish Charity Awards celebrate the best of Scotland’s voluntary sector. The award was made to the charity or voluntary … \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Faberlour-scoops-campaign-of-the-year-at-scottish-charity-awards\u002F\">Continued\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","2024-06-21T00:00:00.000000Z","Aberlour scoops Campaign of The Year at Scottish Charity Awards - Aberlour - Web Backend","Aberlour was thrilled to be awarded the prestigious Campaign of the Year Award on Thursday (20 June) evening at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow.","media\u002FCampaign-of-the-Year-Aberlour-Childrens-Charity-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":24,"image":25,"created_at":26,"updated_at":27},{"id":30,"blog_author_id":6,"blog_category_id":6,"is_featured":7,"title":31,"slug":32,"content":33,"content_overview":34,"published_at":35,"seo_title":36,"seo_description":37,"image":38,"created_at":26,"updated_at":27},"01j6cdm1rs34bg4f34gsm8hpng","Aberlour ‘Let’s Talk’ Event ","aberlour-lets-talk-event","\u003Cp>\u003Cspan data-contrast=\"auto\">Aberlour hosted our young people’s ‘Let’s Talk’ general election event on Monday 17\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan data-contrast=\"auto\">th\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan data-contrast=\"auto\"> June at Glasgow Science Centre. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan data-contrast=\"none\">This was an event for young people to have their voices heard by politicians during the general election campaign. Young people quizzed each of the party representatives and highlighted their own priorities for creating meaningful and positive change for children and young people across Scotland.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\"> \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan data-contrast=\"none\">Each of the main Scottish political parties attended and the candidates included: Pam Duncan-Glancy (Scottish Labour), Kaukab Stewart (SNP), Alix Mathieson (Scottish Conservative), Paul McGarry (Scottish Liberal Democrats), Dan Heap (Scottish Greens) and Jim Eadie (Alba Party).\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\"> \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan data-contrast=\"none\">Young people supported by Aberlour and other children’s charities and anti-poverty organisations, including Child Poverty Action Group Scotland, attended. The event was co-chaired by Ciaran (17), an Aberlour young person, and Aberlour Chief Executive, SallyAnn Kelly OBE. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\"> \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan data-contrast=\"none\">Young people raised key issues that are having an impact on them and their communities. Ending child poverty, the cost of the school day, increasing free school meals, lack of funding for youth work services, supporting refugee children, and the safety of transgender young people were all issues young people called on politicians to take urgent action on. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\"> \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-19577 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2024\u002F06\u002F0E5A8271-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2024\u002F06\u002F0E5A8271-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2024\u002F06\u002F0E5A8271-1424x949.jpg 1424w, https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2024\u002F06\u002F0E5A8271-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2024\u002F06\u002F0E5A8271-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2024\u002F06\u002F0E5A8271-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2024\u002F06\u002F0E5A8271.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cb>\u003Cspan data-contrast=\"none\">Ciaran said\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fb>\u003Cspan data-contrast=\"none\">: “\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan data-contrast=\"auto\">I really enjoyed co-chairing the event. It’s important young people’s voices are heard and that politicians listen to what they have to say. Young people might not be able to vote but decisions politicians make have an impact on their lives. So that’s why this event is so important. I hope the political parties have listened and they do what young people have asked, like ending child poverty, helping refugee children and funding youth work.”\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\"> \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cb>\u003Cspan data-contrast=\"none\">SallyAnn Kelly said\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fb>\u003Cspan data-contrast=\"none\">: “In the run up to the General Election it is great to be able to engage young people in politics. It was a chance for them to talk and be listened to by the parties. Our young people are really clear about their priorities and ending child poverty is number one. There was consensus from all candidates that child poverty must be addressed.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\"> \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\"> \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan data-contrast=\"none\">“On behalf of those most in need we are counting on whoever comes into power to take action swiftly and prove that their party is not just all talk”. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\"> \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fpublications\u002Faberlours-manifesto-general-election-2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read our general election 2024 manifesto>>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\"> \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FClx2w3-Sg14?si=5oULE9RAs-PDv_Iv\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">\u003C\u002Fiframe>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","\u003Cp>Aberlour hosted our young people’s ‘Let’s Talk’ general election event on Monday 17th June at Glasgow Science Centre. This was an event for young people to have their voices heard by politicians during the general election campaign. Young people quizzed each of the party representatives and highlighted their own priorities for creating meaningful and positive … \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Faberlour-lets-talk-event\u002F\">Continued\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","2024-06-20T00:00:00.000000Z","Aberlour ‘Let’s Talk’ Event  - Aberlour - Web Backend","Aberlour hosted our young people’s ‘Let’s Talk’ general election event on Monday 17th June at Glasgow Science Centre.    ","media\u002FJust-Talk-24.jpg"]