[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f10b3rz2z388kj":3,"$f2ibu2g08yd8l0":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":5,"blog_category_id":19,"is_featured":7,"title":20,"slug":21,"content":22,"content_overview":11,"published_at":23,"seo_title":20,"seo_description":24,"image":25,"created_at":26,"updated_at":26,"next":27,"prev":28},"01kkgx8csqtwzwackj7y0akqp8","1","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",{"id":18,"blog_author_id":5,"blog_category_id":19,"is_featured":7,"title":20,"slug":21,"content":22,"content_overview":11,"published_at":23,"seo_title":20,"seo_description":24,"image":25,"created_at":26,"updated_at":26},{"id":29,"blog_author_id":5,"blog_category_id":19,"is_featured":7,"title":30,"slug":31,"content":32,"content_overview":11,"published_at":33,"seo_title":30,"seo_description":34,"image":35,"created_at":36,"updated_at":37},"01kk9e9ar2atrjv2szb7p085rt","Treat Children Seeking Sanctuary like every other","treat-children-seek-sanctuary-like-every-other","\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Party leaders urged to secure the safety of young asylum seekers\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cbr> \u003Cbr>Young refugees seeking sanctuary in Scotland endure a postcode lottery of care and protection, according to leading charities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aberlour Children’s Charity and the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fscottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk\u002F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Scottish Refugee Council\u003C\u002Fa> have joined forces \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fpublications\u002Fprotecting-the-rights-of-unaccompanied-asylum-seeking-children\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">to call on the next Scottish Parliament\u003C\u002Fa> to guarantee the rights of young unaccompanied asylum seekers while warning some are still enduring needless stress and uncertainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The charities, jointly delivering lifeline support to young refugees through the Guardianship Scotland service, spoke out before the looming Holyrood election to urge party leaders and candidates to deliver safety and security for every young person arriving in Scotland alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than 1,000 children are being cared for in Scotland after arriving in the UK unaccompanied with up to 400 new referrals to the service every year. Some are fleeing war, famine or persecution while others have been trafficked across borders by crime gangs. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The charities have called on the new MSPs to ensure every young asylum seeker is treated like any other child in need of care while their asylum applications are considered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every one must be treated as a “looked after” child within Scotland’s care system, according to the charities, guaranteeing help from local authorities, including care plans and other protections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Justina Murray, chief executive of Aberlour, warned the treatment of young asylum seekers can vary across councils with some becoming trapped in a “grey area” between immigration authorities and social work services.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Justina Murray said: \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>Young people arriving alone to seek safe shelter in Scotland deserve the same chance of a stable home and secure future as any other child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The decisions taken in their first weeks and months here can often shape their future for years to come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Many are given the care and support they need, and go to school, make friends, build happy, successful lives and contribute to their new communities. Some, sadly, are not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our new MSPs should help ensure every young unaccompanied person seeking asylum in Scotland is seen first through the lens of child protection not immigration control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They deserve certainty and stability as quickly as possible so they do not remain in limbo as they approach adulthood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>Scottish ministers have vowed to implement The Promise intended to transform the lives of care experienced children and, according to Aberlour and the Scottish Refugee Council, young asylum seekers deserve the same protection and support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Sabir Zazi, chief executive of the Scottish Refugee Council, said: \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>Children and young people coming to Scotland in search of safety deserve exactly the same support as any other child in need of care who lives here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Promise is to all children in need of care, including those arriving from overseas without their family.  If we believe in children’s rights, those rights must apply regardless of immigration status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>The charities are calling on MSPs to engage with Westminster to ensure the rights of unaccompanied children are secured; deliver more funding to allow councils to better respond to their needs; publish clearer national guidance on their rights; improve recording of data to identify gaps or discrimination; and ensure age assessments are swift and fair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Graeme Marshall, service manager of Guardianship Scotland, said the frontline support service helps young unaccompanied asylum seekers navigate a complex and potentially bewildering immigration system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>He said: \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>We are not their voice, but we make sure their voice is heard. We help ensure all the different agencies involved in their care and immigration status are seeing a child not a case file.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Treating them as children first is not a radical demand but a simple request for respect, compassion, and decency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>Read Aberlour and the Scottish Refugee Council's calls to all polictical parties ahead of the Scottish Parliament Election to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fpublications\u002Fprotecting-the-rights-of-unaccompanied-asylum-seeking-children\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">protect the rights of unaccompanied asylum-Seeking children\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>","2026-03-09T00:00:00.000000Z","Aberlour Children’s Charity and the Scottish Refugee Council have joined forces to call on the next Scottish Parliament to guarantee the rights of young unaccompanied asylum seekers while warning some are still enduring needless stress and uncertainty.","media\u002FiStock-1481631850.jpg","2026-03-09T13:58:47.000000Z","2026-03-09T15:59:40.000000Z"]