[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f1k004ax51ayrb":3,"$f10b3rz2z388kj":35},{"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,"next":16,"prev":24},"01k0vsn8yxwdg4pdhfvmn17w3q","9cdbdd6d-4900-4646-a012-d3e67a5ee788","1",false,"Blog: ‘A lot has changed since Wolfie’s Brae but so much has not changed at all’","blog-a-lot-has-changed-since-wolfies-brae-but-so-much-has-not-changed-at-all","\u003Cp>After spending my childhood in my village of Aberlour, it seems both an odd coincidence and entirely predictable that I would eventually join the charity named after it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many decades before that, I remember sledging on Wolfie’s Brae, named after Clarence Wolfe, a former dean of the orphanage, founded in 1875.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It closed in 1967, just three years after I was born, and my only memories are of the demolition site, an amazing adventure playground, and then, a few years later, attending the secondary school built there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My parents, who still live in Aberlour, and others of their generation, have far clearer recollections of the orphanage and how much the children brought to the community. Time passes but somehow those memories remain in the bricks of the place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I went onto work for OSCR, the Scottish third sector regulator, and began to hear more about the impressive charity named after the village.  Later still, I joined the board and only then understood how it had evolved while retaining much of the same DNA.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fget-help\u002Fguardianship-scotland\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Guardianship Scotland service\u003C\u002Fa>, for example, caring for asylum-seeking unaccompanied children and the Mother and Child Recovery Houses, are very different to what the orphanage did but, at the same time, share the same mission, to care for children in need.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The orphanage clock tower is still standing and a memorial garden behind it has a plaque with a biblical quote about feeding the lambs. That’s what they were doing then, making sure less fortunate children were looked after and fed and that is exactly what we are doing now with the campaign to end school meal debt and our Urgent Assistance Fund.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So many echoes from yesterday can be heard today. The orphanage was innovative and groundbreaking in its day and so too is our work and to be involved is, for me, hugely rewarding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is a privilege to be a member of the team, this family of fantastic people with skills, experience and a shared ambition to help children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My fellow board members are part of that family, of Team Aberlour, so too are SallyAnn Kelly and her talented team of senior leaders, our staff right around the country, our dedicated volunteers, and our generous donors. I’m proud to be part of it too.  \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our staff though are the rock we build on. We work hard to reward and recognise our people, investing in them and their work. Without them, we are nothing and we were delighted that was acknowledged recently when Aberlour was named one of the UK’s 100 best employers by a national newspaper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We want to recruit and retain the best. Pay and conditions are part of that but it’s also about building a team spirit and a culture where good work is encouraged and appreciated. When I go to staff events, I can feel that spirit, see their achievements, and appreciate their obvious passion and expertise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We were also delighted to be named \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fnews-item\u002Faberlour-uk-large-charity-of-the-year\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UK Charity of the Year in 2023\u003C\u002Fa> at the Third Sector Awards. Now an award might not mean much compared to our life-changing work but, as a recognition of our staff and their skills, it matters hugely and is an accolade to be proud of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the ceremony, I was slightly surprised to win against some of the biggest UK charities, but I shouldn’t have been because the quality and impact of our work bears comparison with anything being done anywhere by anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The staff would be hamstrung without the support of our donors and volunteers, however. In recent years, we have seen a huge increase in applications to the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fget-help\u002Furgent-assistance-fund\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Urgent Assistance Fund\u003C\u002Fa>, for example but, thankfully, that was mirrored by the response from donors willing to dig deep, even in difficult times. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I am still surprised by the amazing generosity of individuals, families, and companies who make donations, often very large donations, quietly, often insisting their generosity remains secret. It is heartening though and very much appreciated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fhelp-us\u002Fvolunteer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">volunteers\u003C\u002Fa> are our other unsung heroes. The direct involvement of so many in our services and fundraising is key but the interest and engagement of our voluntary trustees is also crucial. Their selfless support is invaluable and helps ensure good governance and stewardship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the very beginning, partnerships and alliances have mattered to Aberlour. As much as the charity does, and it does a lot, our family is not an island. We see this most clearly in our \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fabout-us\u002Fpolicy-and-influencing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">campaigning work\u003C\u002Fa>, where we collaborate closely with organisations sharing our mission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That spirit, ambition and collaboration has shaped and steered Aberlour’s work for \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002F150\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">150 years\u003C\u002Fa> and I trust it will continue to do so for many more to come. \u003Cbr>Of course, there will always be challenges but this charity, this family, will always overcome them. Our work is too important not to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>David Robb\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cbr>\u003Cstrong>Chair, Aberlour Children’s Charity\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This article was written as part of the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fassets\u002Fpdf\u002Fwe-are-family-150th-celebration.pdf\">'We are family' special edition supplement with the Sunday Post\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>",null,"2025-05-18T00:00:00.000000Z","In Aberlour Children's Charity's latest blog, the charity's chair David Robb explains how in the past 150 years a lot has changed at Aberlour Children's Charity since the orphanage but not much as changed at all.","media\u002Fdavid-robb-web.jpg","2025-07-23T14:05:38.000000Z",{"id":17,"blog_author_id":5,"blog_category_id":6,"is_featured":7,"title":18,"slug":19,"content":20,"content_overview":11,"published_at":12,"seo_title":18,"seo_description":21,"image":22,"created_at":23,"updated_at":23},"01k0y62e39dhn70513tdeb50e9","Blog: ‘Children share the same money worries as their parents’","blog-children-share-the-same-money-worries-as-their-parents","\u003Cp>The pressure on many of the children is constant and relentless. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m right there, based in their primary school, and there to help any pupils and their families who might need some extra support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their homes may be overcrowded and they will often have far more knowledge about their households’ finances than other children and carry that awareness around day after day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is a constant strain and they don’t have anything to look forward to or things to enjoy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their families cannot afford the same days out and treats that other children can expect and the pressure just builds and builds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Poverty takes a toll on the physical and mental health of children and their parents and then there are the other social issues, linked to poverty, like domestic abuse and issues with drink or drugs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pupils will arrive at school cold, wet, tired and hungry. Their clothes and shoes might be inadequate for the weather. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I have a rail of clothes in my office to offer children if they need a jumper or a winter jacket or whatever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their home lives may be cramped or more chaotic and are often sharing the same anxieties caused by a lack of money affecting the mental health and wellbeing of parents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The priority is to offer them any practical help available but also to relieve the pressure a little, to give them the space to talk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They might want to chat about what is going on with them but often simply enjoy the chance to talk and think about something else, about the everyday stuff other children can take for granted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just that simple opportunity to talk about themselves and the things they enjoy doing, or are good at, can help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>School is often a safe space, away from what can be difficulties at home, and that is why it can be so important for children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The impact of lockdown, for example, when schools were closed was particularly felt by pupils who rely on the routine, safety and support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Louise*\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cbr>\u003Cstrong>Aberlour pupil support worker\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*Name changed\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This article was written as part of the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fassets\u002Fpdf\u002Fwe-are-family-150th-celebration.pdf\">'We are family' special edition supplement with the Sunday Post\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>","In Aberlour Children's Charity's latest blog, our pupil support worker Louise explains the constant pressure children are under due to poverty.","media\u002FiStock-541117484.jpg","2025-07-24T12:21:01.000000Z",{"id":25,"blog_author_id":5,"blog_category_id":26,"is_featured":7,"title":27,"slug":28,"content":29,"content_overview":11,"published_at":30,"seo_title":27,"seo_description":31,"image":32,"created_at":33,"updated_at":34},"01jv7kr4s5e7vy6y2fnqyr5sjn","01j303dmcc6n6900v73fs88bc7","Public bodies 'perpetuate harm' on families left in debts to abusive partners","public-bodies-perpetuate-harm-on-families-left-in-debts-to-abusive-partners","\u003Cp>Aberlour Children's Charity will give parliamentary evidence on the urgent need for compassionate reforms and protections against \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fpublications\u002Faberlours-joint-briefing-to-msps-on-coerced-debt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">‘coerced debt’\u003C\u002Fa> owed to public bodies, preventing further harm to domestic abuse survivors and their children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aberlour, one of Scotland’s leading children’s charities, will today [Thursday 15 May 2025] outline how survivors of domestic abuse and their families are being further harmed by inflexible debt-recovery practices, particularly council tax and rent arrears, imposed by public bodies, at an evidence session of the Social Justice & Social Security Committee of the Scottish Parliament.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Key points that Aberlour’s Chief Officer of Children & Families, Lynne O’Brien, will raise include:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Systems are failing vulnerable families:\u003C\u002Fstrong> Public bodies’ rigid approaches to debt collection fail to consider the coercive or fraudulent nature of debts accrued under domestic abuse, forcing survivors into destitution in order to leave abusive relationships.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Urgent, compassionate reform needed:\u003C\u002Fstrong> Just as FCA standards bind private creditors to treat vulnerable customers fairly, Aberlour calls on Scottish Government and public bodies to adopt trauma-informed, flexible debt management policies that recognise coerced debt as a distinct category.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Children’s rights at risk:\u003C\u002Fstrong> The current approach breaches UNCRC duties by perpetuating child poverty and homelessness when families leave abusive relationships, deepening existing inequalities.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Speaking ahead of the evidence session, Aberlour’s Chief Officer of Children & Families, Lynne O’Brien said:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>Women and their children who are victims of domestic abuse and financial abuse are currently being failed. The inflexibility of the systems and processes they have to navigate too often entrench existing inequalities, perpetuating harm on our most vulnerable families. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Many are forced to make difficult decisions in order to leave abusive relationships resulting in financial hardship and destitution and burdened with debts built up by perpetrators of the abuse they have suffered. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Urgent and compassionate reforms to public debt management and recovery are vital not only to tackle child poverty, but specifically to support women with experience of domestic abuse who face barriers to moving on from homeless accommodation into settled housing due to debt and rent arrears owed to public bodies. Right now, Scotland is failing to uphold the rights of children in families affected by domestic abuse forced into homelessness and destitution, and pushed into poverty due to financial abuse, coerced debt and aggressive public debt recovery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>","2025-05-15T00:00:00.000000Z","Aberlour Children's Charity will give parliamentary evidence on the urgent need for compassionate reforms and protections against ‘coerced debt’ owed to public bodies, preventing retraumatisation of domestic abuse survivors and their children.","media\u002Flynne obrien web.jpg","2025-05-14T14:39:02.000000Z","2025-05-14T16:16:04.000000Z",{"id":36,"blog_author_id":5,"blog_category_id":26,"is_featured":7,"title":37,"slug":38,"content":39,"content_overview":11,"published_at":40,"seo_title":37,"seo_description":41,"image":42,"created_at":43,"updated_at":44},"01m5fanaffkxrzkrpj1x4keag4","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>","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"]