[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f10b3rz2z388kj":3,"$f3kqpt4jbr2ykt":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":19,"blog_category_id":19,"is_featured":7,"title":20,"slug":21,"content":22,"content_overview":23,"published_at":24,"seo_title":25,"seo_description":26,"image":27,"created_at":28,"updated_at":29,"next":30,"prev":38},"01j6cdm1rzvcppnre0cam10mfe","1","Child Poverty barely registered as General Election issue","child-poverty-barely-registered-as-general-election-issue","\u003Cp>1 in 4 children in Scotland are growing up in poverty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Across the rest of the UK that figure is nearly 1 in 3.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, watching this general election campaign unfold you wouldn’t know we had a child poverty crisis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It has barely registered as an issue worth discussing by the main political parties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This has deeply disappointed us at Aberlour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seemingly it isn’t a priority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Aberlour, we know it is the priority of our young people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our young people tell us about the impact the cost of living has on their families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They tell us about the food insecurity they see in their schools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They tell us about the shame and stigma they often feel when they don’t have money to do things with their friends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our young people will come together today in Glasgow to quiz political parties on what they will do to end child poverty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fact is children have waited long enough for governments at Westminster and Holyrood to prioritise tackling child poverty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An entire generation of children has been traumatised by the damage done by austerity policies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something has to change – our children demand it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They can’t wait any longer for real and meaningful action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it cannot be done without investment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next UK Government must urgently invest in policies that address the root causes of poverty and disadvantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That means investing to guarantee adequate incomes, affordable housing and public services that work for families and communities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Increasing family incomes helps families thrive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We know that more money in people’s pockets means more money in local economies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is not a binary choice between ending poverty or driving growth, as some politicians would have us believe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We can do both at the same time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today Scotland’s young people will call on all our politicians to commit to end child poverty as their number one priority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our young people may not be voting in this election but their voices must be heard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We’ll see then if our politicians are listening or if they are just all talk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>\u003Cstrong>Written by SallyAnn Kelly OBE and featured on 17th June ’24 in The Daily Record\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","\u003Cp>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 … \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fchild-poverty-barely-registered-as-general-election-issue\u002F\">Continued\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","2024-06-17T00:00:00.000000Z","Child Poverty barely registered as General Election issue - Aberlour - Web Backend","1 in 4 children in Scotland are growing up in poverty.","media\u002FSallyAnn-Final-scaled.jpg","2024-08-28T11:58:31.000000Z","2024-11-25T07:22:17.000000Z",{"id":31,"blog_author_id":19,"blog_category_id":19,"is_featured":7,"title":32,"slug":33,"content":34,"content_overview":35,"published_at":24,"seo_title":36,"seo_description":11,"image":37,"created_at":28,"updated_at":29},"01j6cdm1s5rm0sy31y9w712bdm","Aberlour ‘Deeply Disappointed’ At Lack of Election Vision to Tackle Child Poverty","aberlour-deeply-disappointed-at-lack-of-election-vision-to-tackle-child-poverty","\u003Cp>Scotland’s biggest children’s charity Aberlour has expressed its deep disappointment at the lack of any meaningful vision or plan, during the election campaign, from any Party to tackle the scourge of child poverty that affects 1 in 4 children in Scotland and 1 in 3 across the rest of the UK.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aberlour’s intervention comes on the day that their young people’s hustings will take place at Glasgow Science Centre.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hustings will see representatives from all main political parties grilled by young people on topics such as child poverty, housing and education.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The event was initially hoped to be a leadership hustings but no party leader agreed to take part.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Aberlour CEO SallyAnn Kelly said:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>“Child poverty and the consequences from it, which limit and deny opportunities to the children affected, is a national crisis. Yet, during this election campaign it seems that the scale of the crisis has not been appreciated by all the main political parties. \u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>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.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Our young people will today ask questions of politicians. We hope that they will offer more than what has been proposed in this election so far.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Too many young people are suffering because of government inaction and they just can’t wait any more, they need policies, they need action and they need investment.”\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","\u003Cp>Scotland’s biggest children’s charity Aberlour has expressed its deep disappointment at the lack of any meaningful vision or plan, during the election campaign, from any Party to tackle the scourge of child poverty that affects 1 in 4 children in Scotland and 1 in 3 across the rest of the UK. Aberlour’s intervention comes on … \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Faberlour-deeply-disappointed-at-lack-of-election-vision-to-tackle-child-poverty\u002F\">Continued\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","Aberlour ‘Deeply Disappointed’ At Lack of Election Vision to Tackle Child Poverty - Aberlour - Web Backend","media\u002Fgirl-in-school-uniform-min-scaled.jpg",{"id":39,"blog_author_id":19,"blog_category_id":19,"is_featured":7,"title":40,"slug":41,"content":42,"content_overview":43,"published_at":44,"seo_title":45,"seo_description":46,"image":47,"created_at":28,"updated_at":29},"01j6cdm1sdz89drq3tj1wfkxam","Young Scots urge politicians to end child poverty","young-scots-urge-politicians-to-end-child-poverty","\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2024\u002F06\u002FAberlour-Manifesto-Brief-2024_digital.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Manifesto\u003C\u002Fa> promises to end child poverty will mean nothing unless they lead to life-changing reforms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our warning comes as all the main parties pledge to tackle the poverty blighting the lives and sabotaging the futures of one in four children in Scotland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We have invited party leaders  to special hustings to be quizzed by children and teenagers asking how they will ease the poverty endured by 240,000 young Scots and will be staging an election summit backed by other influential Third Sector organisations and anti-poverty campaigners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As we campaign for a raft of policies designed to ease child poverty including the scrapping of debt owed by children for school meals, we anticipate the talks raising the voice of young Scots on one of the campaign’s most critical issues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>SallyAnn Kelly, chief executive of Aberlour, said:\u003C\u002Fstrong> “It is difficult to think of a more important issue facing our country or one that demands more urgent action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Every party has promised to address this national emergency but it would be more remarkable if any party did not make that promise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Their promises are welcome but do not feed a child. Promises do not keep children warm at night or keep feet dry when their shoes are leaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only action not promises can make the life-changing difference demanded and effective action demands commitment and resource.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Scottish leaders of all the main parties have prioritised child poverty and we have invited them to detail their plans to an audience with a particular interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These children and young people may not be voting in this election but their voices must be raised and their questions should be answered.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aberlour has invited all the party leaders to attend the hustings at the Glasgow Science Centre next week to face questions from the young audience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First minister John Swinney last month promised eradicating child poverty warning is the absolute priority for his government warning it “stands in the way of both social justice and economic growth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2024\u002F06\u002FAberlour-Manifesto-Brief-2024_digital.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read the Aberlour 2024 general election manifesto\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Article published in The Sunday Post, 9 June 2024\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","\u003Cp>Manifesto promises to end child poverty will mean nothing unless they lead to life-changing reforms. Our warning comes as all the main parties pledge to tackle the poverty blighting the lives and sabotaging the futures of one in four children in Scotland. We have invited party leaders  to special hustings to be quizzed by children … \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fyoung-scots-urge-politicians-to-end-child-poverty\u002F\">Continued\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","2024-06-10T00:00:00.000000Z","Young Scots urge politicians to end child poverty - Aberlour - Web Backend","Manifesto promises to end child poverty will mean nothing unless they lead to life-changing reforms.","media\u002Fsallyann-kelly-web-scaled-e1648201627773.jpg"]