[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f10b3rz2z388kj":3,"$f2q9mkdlv670do":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":18,"blog_category_id":6,"is_featured":7,"title":19,"slug":20,"content":21,"content_overview":11,"published_at":22,"seo_title":23,"seo_description":24,"image":25,"created_at":26,"updated_at":27,"next":28,"prev":38},"01j6s7m1k4amhcjegkwtxebfc8","9cdbdd25-1564-45ec-84de-602c5009ebe1","Opening of our Second Mother and Child Recovery House","opening-of-our-second-mother-and-child-recovery-house","\u003Cp>We are delighted to open our second residential rehabilitation service to support women and their children through recovery from addiction \u002F substance use in Falkirk.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>The Scottish Government has invested £5.5 million to support the development of this facility, as well as our house in Dundee which opened in January 2023.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>The houses offer 24\u002F7 support and keep families together by letting children of women with problematic substance use stay with their mothers during their recovery.  \u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp> \u003Cstrong>Wellbeing Minister Maree Todd said\u003C\u002Fstrong>:\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cblockquote> “This house will allow women to access residential rehabilitation services and keep their family together. \u003Cbr>\u003Cbr> “We know there is a strong link between women having children removed from their care and risk of drug-related death. Treatment is more effective when families are kept together and it also reduces the harmful impact on children.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr> “Widening access to residential rehabilitation is a key part of our National Mission on Drugs. We have made £100 million available for residential rehabilitation from 2021 to 2026 to ensure 1,000 people receive public funding for their placement each year by then. That includes £38 million as part of our commitment to increase the number of beds to 650.”\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong> Aberlour Chief Executive SallyAnn Kelly OBE said\u003C\u002Fstrong>: \u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cblockquote>“We are delighted to open our new Mother and Child Recovery House in Falkirk. It follows the opening of our first house in January 2023 in Dundee, which has transformed the lives of mothers and their children.  \u003Cbr>\u003Cbr> “Both houses offer a unique service enabling women with problem drug and alcohol issues to keep their young children with them as they recover. They provide specialist support that helps women develop skills and encourages them to build new futures for themselves and their children. We understand the need to work alongside women to address their fears.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr> “We are grateful to the Scottish Government for funding this much-needed new service.” \u003C\u002Fblockquote>\u003Cp>\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fp>","2024-09-02T00:00:00.000000Z","Opening of our second mother and child recovery house","Our mother and child recovery house has opened in Falkirk. It will provide a residential rehabilitation service to support women and their children through recovery from addiction \u002F substance use.","media\u002F01J6S7M1K0V4EMY984SF8N2GYG.webp","2024-09-02T11:23:47.000000Z","2024-09-02T11:27:38.000000Z",{"id":29,"blog_author_id":18,"blog_category_id":6,"is_featured":7,"title":30,"slug":31,"content":32,"content_overview":11,"published_at":33,"seo_title":30,"seo_description":34,"image":35,"created_at":36,"updated_at":37},"01j7dpdpzz7x5bhqswbt7dtqap","Opening of New Perth and Kinross Family Advice Service","opening-of-new-perth-and-kinross-family-advice-service","\u003Cp>Today we are launching our in-person Family Advice and Community Connections Service (FACCS) supported by Perth & Kinross Council.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Families under pressure across Perthshire are being offered life-changing help from our ground-breaking support team.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>The service will deliver insight, guidance and practical help to any families with children under 18 who are struggling to cope.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Grant Cowper, service manager for FACCS, said the four-strong team has already been letting families know that help is at hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>It will provide support and guidance across a wide-range of issues from childcare and housing issues to financial support in Perth and Kinross.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Cowper said\u003C\u002Fstrong>: “We will be getting out into communities across the region, visiting community hubs, health centres, schools, mother and toddler groups.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“We have been publicising the service wherever there are families with children needing help and that is everywhere.”\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>The team, based in Perth, but contactable by phone, email or through its website for advice on any issues putting families under stress.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cblockquote>\u003Cstrong>Cowper said:\u003C\u002Fstrong> “We will be helping families get the help and practical support they need as easily and as quickly as possible.\u003Cbr>“Sometimes we will be helping plug families into other services with the minimum of fuss, sometimes we will be visiting their homes to deliver tailored support.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“We are here to help families however and wherever necessary.”\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\u003Cp>The team expects poverty and the cost of living crisis to be a common element in many of the requests for assistance with related issues including isolation, addiction and mental health issues.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cblockquote>\u003Cstrong>Dawn Ward, children and families director at Aberlour, said\u003C\u002Fstrong>: “The new service has been shaped by knowledge gained through our Sustain Service already helping families across Perth and Kinross.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“There is an idea that this a relatively affluent region but there are deep pockets of hidden poverty, particularly in rural areas.\u003Cbr>“We will be working hard to ensure families living in those areas know help is here.”\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\u003Cp>The service is part of a Scottish Government initiative, the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund designed to make it easier for families to find and secure necessary assistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cblockquote>\u003Cstrong>Arun Singh, strategic lead for children, families and justice at Perth and Kinross Council, said: \u003C\u002Fstrong>“We are confident the new service will enable a quicker resolution to issues that families have been struggling with and will be an important addition to the range of support available for families across Perth & Kinross”.\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fservice\u002Ffamily-advice-and-community-connections-service\">\u003Cstrong>Contact FACCS \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>","2024-09-10T00:00:00.000000Z","Today we are launching our in-person Family Advice and Community Connections Service (FACCS) supported by Perth & Kinross Council.\nFamilies under pressure across Perthshire are being offered life-changing help from our ground-breaking support team.\n\n","media\u002F01J7DPDPZWJ0ZR3KZNEG5GDJDH.webp","2024-09-10T10:07:16.000000Z","2024-09-11T08:38:19.000000Z",{"id":39,"blog_author_id":40,"blog_category_id":6,"is_featured":7,"title":41,"slug":42,"content":43,"content_overview":11,"published_at":44,"seo_title":45,"seo_description":46,"image":47,"created_at":48,"updated_at":48},"01j6fbybc9qn0nzryknn73v9pr","9c8b0191-fcca-48df-af06-d7308bbd8d7b","Leading charity hails expansion of lifeline service for mothers and babies","leading-charity-hails-expansion-of-lifeline-service-for-mothers-and-babies","\u003Cp>The expansion of a rehabilitation service helping mothers recover from addiction and trauma while keeping families together has been hailed by experts.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>The residential support allows mothers to stay with their young children while receiving life-changing help to tackle drink and drugs problems while strengthening their parenting skills.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>The \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fservice\u002Fmother-and-child-recovery-houses\">\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Mother and Child Recovery House in Dundee\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa> is funded by the Scottish Government and run by Aberlour, Scotland’s biggest children’s charity, with a sister operation opening in Falkirk next month.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>Dawn Ward, director of children and families at Aberlour, believes the specialist package of support offered at the Tayside service has helped change and save lives since opening 18 months ago.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>The value of the service is now underpinned by impact reports but \u003Cstrong>Ward added:\u003C\u002Fstrong> “The data is crucial but it can be the small, everyday things that stop you short.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“We can see the women engaging and committing to the work and how their confidence grows week by week.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“The women are themselves being cared for in ways that many have never experienced and, over time, that attention builds a new sense of themselves as loving, capable mothers.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“Playing with a child and comforting them can feel like very basic, innate skills but if your parents did not play with you or comfort you then it is not basic at all. It is a skill to be learned.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“Gradually, we see their heads coming up a little bit when they realise they can do this, that they can live the life they want to live and be the mothers they want to be.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“They can flourish and the true value of the work being done is in how many really claim the care of their baby. There is hope in that.”\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>An independent review of service suggests that for every £1 spent helping the women more than £10 will be saved in the future by keeping their children out of care.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>The house cares for up to five women and their children, mostly babies, in a structured programme designed to help them get off street drugs, bolster their parenting, and keep families together.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>Most of the women have previously endured issues including homelessness, sexual violence and domestic abuse while many of their parents faced similar challenges around addiction and their mental health. \u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>The average age of the women is 31 and some have already had children removed from their care.  \u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>\u003Cstrong>Ward said: \u003C\u002Fstrong>“There is an understanding that for some of the women, this will most likely be a last chance to care for their own child and build that relationship over time.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“It is not an easy option and before being offered a place, women are very clearly told what to expect and what will be expected of them. \u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“It is full-on, a lot is asked of them and it is not for everyone. They need to engage and commit to it.”\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>The \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fservice\u002Fmother-and-child-recovery-house-falkirk\">second house opening soon in Falkirk\u003C\u002Fa> will be similar in size and structure to the first but, Aberlour believe, will be shaped by the experience gained in Dundee.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>\u003Cstrong>Ward said:\u003C\u002Fstrong> “There is some group work when the women come together for sessions but not as much as we had expected.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“They are at different stages of recovery, have different care plans and we found one-to-one sessions are more tailored and impactful.”\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>Few of the women stay longer than six months but the first 12 weeks are crucial when cycles of addiction can be broken and replaced with better and enduring patterns of behaviour.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>\u003Cstrong>Ward said:\u003C\u002Fstrong> “Women are encouraged to embrace the support in place and the oversight is there to help them break the patterns of addiction. \u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“Many of the women will say it is tough at the start but, once on the other side, they understand why the parameters are so strict and necessary if they are going to reset.”\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>The service and model of care has been carefully designed by Aberlour to ensure best practice in relation to recovery and family support.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>Both Dundee and Falkirk houses will accept referrals from across Scotland but, while the package of support and care offered to the women will share a common framework each is tailored to the individual.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>The support alongside random tests and searches help ensure the women use only prescription drugs –- while regular one to one sessions built around the Parents Under \u003Cbr>Pressure programme encourage new ways of thinking about their lives and role as a mother.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>\u003Cstrong>Ward said: \u003C\u002Fstrong>“If women feel ready to stop taking drugs, we will fully support that but, for others, it is about harm reduction, stabilisation and ensuring only prescribed drugs are being taken.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“There has to be flexibility and we work closely with GPs to find the best pathway for each woman.” \u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“Some despite their best intentions are just not at the right stage but it is far too black and white to talk about success or failure.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“Armed with new skills and new ways of thinking, we obviously hope the women will recover and care for their children in the long-term.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“Whatever happens though, their baby spent their first six months with a loving mother, who was doing everything she possibly could to be the best parent possible.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“When those babies grow up, they will understand just how hard their mums tried.”\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>\u003Cstrong>Lynne O’Brien, Aberlour chief officer, said: \u003C\u002Fstrong>“In just a little over a year, the care being offered in Dundee has already transformed the lives of mothers and their children.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“The specialist support is tailored to the needs of each woman and every one is given the skills and encouragement to build a new future for themselves and their babies.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>“One mother told me she only wished every woman in her situation could be given the same opportunity so we are delighted that a new house delivering the same life-changing care will soon open in Falkirk and other opportunities will follow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cem>This article was written for the \u003C\u002Fem>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.sundaypost.com\u002Ffp\u002Frehab-service-leads-fight-against-rising-deaths-of-mothers\u002F\">\u003Cem>Sunday Post \u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cem>and published on Sunday 25th August 2024.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fp>","2024-08-25T00:00:00.000000Z","Aberlour Children's Charity hails the expansion of lifeline service for mothers and babies","Dawn Ward for Aberlour Children's Charity explains the life changing support delivered by the charity's Mother and Child Recovery Houses.","media\u002F01J6FBYBC7T89JXEBB9QPH3DDV.jpg","2024-08-29T15:26:54.000000Z"]