[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f10b3rz2z388kj":3,"$f139x738pm5ph5":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":6,"blog_category_id":6,"is_featured":7,"title":18,"slug":19,"content":20,"content_overview":21,"published_at":22,"seo_title":23,"seo_description":24,"image":25,"created_at":26,"updated_at":27,"next":28,"prev":29},"01j6cdm3kedr4pew3vbkxmgqp9","Letter to FM urging Scottish Government to sort school meal debt","letter-to-fm-urging-government-to-sort-school-meal-debt","\u003Cp>Aberlour and The Scottish Sun have sent an open letter to Humza Yousaf, Shona Robison and Jennifer Gilruth asking them to sort the school meal debt in the forthcoming Scottish budget. The letter below has been \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.thescottishsun.co.uk\u002Fnews\u002F11612656\u002Ffirst-minister-school-meal-debt-humza-yousaf\u002F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">published in today’s Scottish Sun\u003C\u002Fa>:-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Dear First Minister, Finance Secretary, and Education Secretary,\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We write ahead of this month’s Holyrood Budget on December 19, about the issue of school meal debt and how it is affecting thousands of families in Scotland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, this is a plea for help – now – for those who have been unable to pay for meals for their children. It is also a plea for an enduring solution to this long-standing but worsening issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In recent weeks, The Scottish Sun’s Sort the School Debt campaign, in conjunction with Aberlour Children’s Charity, has sought to highlight the need for the debt to be cancelled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The estimated cost of this is £1.8 million, a sum which is small in terms of the Scottish Government Budget, but could make a world of difference to the 30,000 children and their families affected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a move would also provide a stop-gap to the point approaching in the next few years when – at least in primary schools – school meals are due to be free for all pupils, under the welcome Scottish Government policy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As you will be aware, many of the families who owe money are those who in years gone by would not have fallen into debt due to being eligible for free school meals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many of these will be families who are not eligible for the Scottish Government’s new Scottish Child Payment, who have now been pushed to the brink by the cost-of-living crisis. In addition many families who are eligible for the Scottish Child Payment do not qualify for free school meals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Comparative figures suggest the total debt is rising, and while large-scale economic and fiscal interventions are difficult for the Scottish Government, local government and education clearly falls within its powers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some councils have shown willingness to act – and indeed have – on this matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others have been reluctant, meaning that we firmly believe this issue will now require Scottish Government intervention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We would draw your attention to the wealth of evidence about the fall in household disposable income in recent years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Office For Budget Responsibility last month said living standards as measured by real household disposable income per person are forecast to be 3.5 per cent lower in 2024-25 than the pre-pandemic level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is now a fortnight until the Scottish Government publishes its draft Budget for 2024-25, we are aware that you will be finalising these details in the coming days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We hope you can take this into consideration and agree that the moral case for ending school meal debt accrued by struggling families is difficult to argue against, especially given how it can help in the Scottish Government’s fight against child poverty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During our campaign we have also highlighted how councils are using debt collectors to hound parents for even small  amounts of debt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This should stop – and we would call on you to use whatever powers you have in order to achieve this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One clear action your government can take to prevent against school meal debt is to extend eligibility for free school meals to all low-income families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yours,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>SallyAnn Kelly OBE, Chief Executive Aberlour Children’s Charity\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Gill Smith, Editor, The Scottish Sun\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n","\u003Cp>Aberlour and The Scottish Sun have sent an open letter to Humza Yousaf, Shona Robison and Jennifer Gilruth asking them to sort the school meal debt in the forthcoming Scottish budget. The letter below has been published in today’s Scottish Sun:- Dear First Minister, Finance Secretary, and Education Secretary, We write ahead of this month’s … \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fletter-to-fm-urging-government-to-sort-school-meal-debt\u002F\">Continued\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","2023-12-05T00:00:00.000000Z","Letter to FM urging Scottish Government to sort school meal debt - Aberlour - Web Backend","Aberlour and The Scottish Sun have sent a letter to Humza Yousaf, Shona Robison and Jennifer Gilruth asking them to sort the school meal debt.","media\u002FPrimary-School-Girl-Getting-Her-School-Lunch.jpg","2024-08-28T11:58:33.000000Z","2024-11-25T07:22:19.000000Z",{"id":17,"blog_author_id":6,"blog_category_id":6,"is_featured":7,"title":18,"slug":19,"content":20,"content_overview":21,"published_at":22,"seo_title":23,"seo_description":24,"image":25,"created_at":26,"updated_at":27},{"id":30,"blog_author_id":6,"blog_category_id":6,"is_featured":7,"title":31,"slug":32,"content":33,"content_overview":34,"published_at":35,"seo_title":36,"seo_description":37,"image":38,"created_at":26,"updated_at":27},"01j6cdm3kjy4cmn467c8w6tf19","Blog: Families will struggle this winter. Please help them.","blog-families-will-struggle-this-winter-please-help-them","\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Scottish families are struggling this winter. The cost of living has never been higher, and children are paying the price.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Across Scotland, children are going without the basics: things most of us take for granted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We are acting now to help families in poverty. We have recently highlighted the injustice of school meal debt in partnership with The Scottish Sun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now we have launched our winter \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fpovertyrelief\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Poverty Relief Fundraising Campaign\u003C\u002Fa>. This will raise funds for our national \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fget-help\u002Furgent-assistance-fund\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Urgent Assistance Fund\u003C\u002Fa> which provides emergency grants for struggling families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our emergency cash grants are a lifeline. They enable families who have nowhere else to turn to get the basics needed to feed and clothe their children. They provide beds and bedding for children as well as heating and lighting for their homes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a country as rich as ours, no family should go without the essentials for life. No child should go without a warm house, food and a bed. It’s just not right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Families tell us what it is like to live in poverty in 21st century Scotland. One mum supported by Aberlour describes how poverty makes her feel:\u003Cbr \u002F>\n“It’s been really hard having to sit in the dark with the kids if my electricity’s cut off or you’re freezing. As a parent you just feel like a failure. You feel like what have I done so wrong that I can’t afford to give my kids better food or have to go without electricity. It’s just horrible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Laura, another mum Aberlour supports said: “I don’t feed myself, I only put enough on for the wee ones and there’s not enough for me, so I don’t eat.”\u003Cbr \u002F>\nWe must help these families now before it is too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We know that:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Almost half of the families who apply to our Urgent Assistance Fund don’t know where their next meal is coming from.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We know that parents are often going without meals in order to feed their children. One mother we support told us she skips meals up to three days a week to ensure that her daughter is fed. Missing breakfast and lunch while her daughter is at school so as not to upset her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our fund will give families the cash they need to feed themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>More than 50% of the families who apply to the fund need clothing for their children.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Families need our emergency fund to get warm winter jackets for their children. They need help to buy school shoes and uniforms so that their children can go to school without being stigmatised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our fund will give families the cash they need to keep their children warm and dry in the winter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>20% of the families who apply to the fund don’t have a bed for their children.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We hear of children sleeping on the floor on mattresses, often without proper bedding. How can a child do well at school if they haven’t had a good sleep?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our Fund will give families the cash they need to ensure their children get a good night’s sleep and are ready for school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last winter Aberlour was flooded with applications from families in need for our emergency fund. Due to the high demand, we launched our “Poverty Relief” campaign and as a result. Aberlour helped over 1,000 families, providing much needed relief to children living in poverty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon receiving support one mum said: “I’m stuck in this rut and without financial support from people like Aberlour, I don’t know what I would do. Sometimes I feel like I’m in a hole and I can see the ladders, but I can’t reach them, but with Aberlour’s support I feel like I can start to get out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>This winter, we continue to face the biggest cost of living crisis in recent memory. More and more families are turning to us for help. But because of this soaring demand, our Urgent Assistance Fund is going to run out of money by Christmas when it’s needed most.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why Aberlour is asking you, if you can, to support Scottish children in desperate need this winter by\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fpovertyrelief\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> donating to our Poverty Relief Appeal today\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>David Grant\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Director of Growth and Marketing\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>This article was written for The Scottish Sun and published on Wednesday 15th November 2023.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","\u003Cp>Scottish families are struggling this winter. The cost of living has never been higher, and children are paying the price. Across Scotland, children are going without the basics: things most of us take for granted. We are acting now to help families in poverty. We have recently highlighted the injustice of school meal debt in … \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fblog-families-will-struggle-this-winter-please-help-them\u002F\">Continued\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","2023-11-27T00:00:00.000000Z","Blog: Families will struggle this winter. Please help them. - Aberlour - Web Backend","In our latest blog Aberlour Director of Growth and Marketing, David Grant, shares that families across Scotland are struggling this winter and need urgent help.","media\u002FDavid-Grant-scaled.jpg"]