[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f10b3rz2z388kj":3,"$f2cb2h6r2ebd9d":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":5,"blog_category_id":18,"is_featured":7,"title":19,"slug":20,"content":21,"content_overview":11,"published_at":22,"seo_title":23,"seo_description":24,"image":25,"created_at":26,"updated_at":26,"next":27,"prev":28},"01kmngks80qyvk8d0w8ejgt86e","2","Aberlour's response to the Child Poverty Statistics 2026","aberlours-response-to-the-child-poverty-statistics-2026","\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Children have the right to grow up free from poverty. \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today both the UK and \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.scot\u002Fcollections\u002Fchild-poverty-statistics\u002F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Scottish Governments \u003C\u002Fa>have published new poverty statistics, including rates of child poverty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Scotland we can see that the introduction of more progressive social security policies, such as the unique Scottish Child Payment, is having a positive impact. The latest statistics show that 27% of children in the UK are living in relative poverty, compared to \u003Cstrong>21% in Scotland.\u003C\u002Fstrong> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However this means that \u003Cstrong>over 1 in 5 children in Scotland are still living in poverty\u003C\u002Fstrong> - a shameful statistic for a country whose top priority is eradicating child poverty. That equates to 210,000 children missing out on the opportunities, experiences and essentials that every child should have.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And 75% of these children are living in working households, showing how much more needs to be done to promote fair work - that is well paid and secure jobs - alongside flexible and affordable childcare. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whilst the rate of child poverty in Scotland is slowly moving downwards, the pace is nowhere near fast enough we are to meet our legally binding child poverty targets by 2030\u002F31 - that’s only a few years’ time. And we know that some families remain at higher risk of poverty and disadvantage, including those in disabled households and single parent families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Political choices around eradicating child poverty have taken us so far, but this must be matched by far more high impact and practical measures to lift all families out of poverty for good. This includes increasing the Scottish Child Payment to £55 a week by the end of the next Parliament, tackling the public debt crisis which traps families in poverty, and improving our social security system to maximise household income and remove the barriers which leave so many families behind. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We remain steadfast in our\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fpublications\u002Fsupporting-families-ending-child-poverty-scottish-parliament-election-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> call to all political parties\u003C\u002Fa> in Scotland - the next Parliament must be the parliament where we prioritise ending child poverty above all else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Justina Murray\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Aberlour CEO\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>","2026-03-26T00:00:00.000000Z","Aberlour Children's Charity's response to the Child Poverty Statistics 2026","Read a statement from Aberlour Children's Charity's CEO, Justina Murray, on the charity's response to the Child Poverty Statistics 2026.","media\u002FJustina Murray_Serious_Office.jpg","2026-03-26T16:46:01.000000Z",{"id":17,"blog_author_id":5,"blog_category_id":18,"is_featured":7,"title":19,"slug":20,"content":21,"content_overview":11,"published_at":22,"seo_title":23,"seo_description":24,"image":25,"created_at":26,"updated_at":26},{"id":29,"blog_author_id":5,"blog_category_id":18,"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},"01kmfzs86rncaw6xc8hjbh59h4","Aberlour's response to The 'Promise Bill'","aberlours-response-to-the-promise-bill","\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Segoe UI'; color: #242424; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;\">We welcome the passing of the Children’s (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill (the ‘Promise’ Bill). \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Segoe UI'; color: #242424; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;\">In 2020 Scotland made a pledge to children, young people and families to do all we can to keep families together and where this is not possible, to provide the best care so all children can thrive. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Segoe UI'; color: #242424; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;\">Aberlour is committed to delivering The Promise, ensuring all children and young people across Scotland experience being safe and loved.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Segoe UI'; color: #242424; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;\">Improvements to the Children’s Hearing System, establishing the right to lifelong advocacy and extending aftercare provision to all those who left care before their 16\u003Csup>th\u003C\u002Fsup> birthday will all help to improve the lives of care experienced children and young people in Scotland.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Segoe UI'; color: #242424; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;\">During the development and scrutiny of the Bill we were pleased to be able to reflect the views and experiences of children, young people and families at Aberlour and we know these changes will make a difference.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Segoe UI'; color: #242424; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;\">However, we know that this Bill will not in and of itself help Keep the Promise to Scotland’s children, young people and families. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Segoe UI'; color: #242424; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;\">There will be more to do in the next Parliamentary session if we are to stay on track to meet our ambition of Keeping the Promise by 2030.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Segoe UI'; color: #242424; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;\">That’s why, ahead of the Scottish Parliamentary elections, we are calling on all political parties to commit to Keep The Promise. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Segoe UI'; color: #242424; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;\">This must include working together to guarantee the necessary legislative and policy changes that will continue to drive our shared ambition.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Segoe UI'; color: #242424; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;\">That must mean ensuring the capacity and resource across the workforce to effectively support those who support children, young people and families.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Segoe UI'; color: #242424; background: white; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;\">Significant investment must follow to support local authorities, social work and third sector to meet their duties to protect, respect and fulfil the rights of all care experienced children and young people across Scotland.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Lynne O'Brien\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Aberlour Chief Officer\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>","2026-03-24T00:00:00.000000Z","Lynne O'Brien, Aberlour Chief Officer, responds to the Scottish Government's The Promise Bill.","media\u002FLynne OBrien Photo.jpg","2026-03-24T13:15:43.000000Z","2026-03-24T14:46:39.000000Z"]