Blog: Scotland must end child poverty not just manage it

Far-reaching reform and “a new honesty” is needed to transform the lives and futures of Scotland’s poorest children, according to a charity leader.

SallyAnn Kelly OBE, chief executive of Aberlour Children’s Charity, called for a new culture of cooperation across public, private and third sectors in Scotland to improve the lives and life chances of one in four children growing up in poverty.

Kelly, who will stand down as chief executive later this year, said:

We can take pride in the charity’s achievements since 1875 while having huge frustration that there is still so much to be done.

“The poverty risking children and their futures 150 years ago is doing exactly the same damage today. 

“Any improvements have been incremental and that has to pose serious questions for all of us working to support these children and their families.

“We cannot keep doing the same things day after day, year after year, and expect different outcomes.

Kelly said too much of the resource and support being offered to families on the brink of financial crisis is only addressing the immediate emergency and not securing long-term stability.

She called for far greater cooperation and communication between charities, councils and government to better understand priorities and build on best practice.

She said:

Of course, we must deal with the immediate crises today but it is tomorrow that matters most.

“To give families stability in the long-term, to make changes that stick, means helping families live on an adequate income, reduce the stress in their homes and remove the chaos that can follow.

“That is when the education and health outcomes start improving and real change becomes embedded.

“If what we are doing is not delivering that, we must do things differently.

“It is not just about money but is absolutely about ensuring every pound spent is spent with maximum effect.

“We are spending too much time, energy and resource on managing not ending poverty, on keeping crisis from the door of one family today and tomorrow but not preventing its return.

“We must be more flexible and less territorial. We need more collaboration and less competition.

“We must break barriers between local and national government, charities and health boards and start exchanging our best ideas, best practice and best people back and forth.

Kelly speaking before Aberlour, one of Scotland’s most respected children’s charities, marks its 150th anniversary at an event in Edinburgh this week, called for a new urgency and focus how families can be lifted out of poverty and kept there.

She said:

The immediate priority may be getting families through this week or the week after but the bigger ambition must be to see them thrive not just survive next year and the year after.

“The key to that will always rest with families not us, however, and they need to make the change with our support to minimise the stress factors that might derail them.

“Meanwhile, we need to examine and evaluate all our services to ensure they are focused on those families most in need of additional support.

“We need an honest conversation about what we have been doing and why? We need the right people around the table including, most importantly, the families and assess what is being done with clear eyes and be led by the evidence wherever it goes. 

“What is working? What are we doing that is achieving the best outcomes for children and families? And how can we do more of it?

This article was written for the Herald and published on 9th September 2025.