Child Poverty barely registered as General Election issue

1 in 4 children in Scotland are growing up in poverty.

Across the rest of the UK that figure is nearly 1 in 3.

Yet, watching this general election campaign unfold you wouldn’t know we had a child poverty crisis.

It has barely registered as an issue worth discussing by the main political parties.

This has deeply disappointed us at Aberlour.

Seemingly it isn’t a priority.

At Aberlour, we know it is the priority of our young people.

Our young people tell us about the impact the cost of living has on their families.

They tell us about the food insecurity they see in their schools.

They tell us about the shame and stigma they often feel when they don’t have money to do things with their friends.

That’s why, along with our young people, we are hosting our own election event for Scottish party leaders where we will be putting child poverty front and centre of this general election campaign.

Our young people will come together today in Glasgow to quiz political parties on what they will do to end child poverty.

The fact is children have waited long enough for governments at Westminster and Holyrood to prioritise tackling child poverty.

An entire generation of children has been traumatised by the damage done by austerity policies.

This has had a profound impact on the levels of disadvantage we see at Aberlour every day within the families we work with and the communities we serve.

Something has to change – our children demand it.

They can’t wait any longer for real and meaningful action.

Tackling child poverty is the first and most important thing any government must do to if it wants to create a fairer and more equal society.

But it cannot be done without investment.

The next UK Government must urgently invest in policies that address the root causes of poverty and disadvantage.

That means investing to guarantee adequate incomes, affordable housing and public services that work for families and communities.

Increasing family incomes helps families thrive.

We know that more money in people’s pockets means more money in local economies.

It is not a binary choice between ending poverty or driving growth, as some politicians would have us believe.

We can do both at the same time.

Ultimately, investment in social security and tackling child poverty is an investment in our communities, in our citizens, in our children and in our shared future.

Today Scotland’s young people will call on all our politicians to commit to end child poverty as their number one priority.

Our young people may not be voting in this election but their voices must be heard.

We’ll see then if our politicians are listening or if they are just all talk.

Written by SallyAnn Kelly OBE and featured on 17th June ’24 in The Daily Record