[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f10b3rz2z388kj":3,"$f3cxhhiajyq1yc":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":11,"image":11,"created_at":26,"updated_at":26,"next":27,"prev":28},"01j6cdmp8w8zysyfs41h48f94k","1","Perinatal Mental Health provision welcomed","perinatal-mental-health-provision-welcomed","\u003Cfigure id=\"attachment_6529\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6529\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6529 size-medium\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fcontent\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FCapture-300x164.png\" alt=\"Aberlour speaking to STV on the need for more perinatal support\" width=\"300\" height=\"164\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FCapture-300x164.png 300w, https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FCapture-768x419.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FCapture-250x136.png 250w, https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FCapture.png 776w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6529\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aberlour speaking to STV on the need for more perinatal support\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003Cp>Mental ill health affects one in every five pregnancies in Scotland. The Scottish Government has announced that £50 million will be made available to increase provision of perinatal support, news that has been welcomed by Aberlour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking with \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Ftwitter.com\u002Fi\u002Fstatus\u002F1103429982079107072\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">STV’s Scotland Tonight\u003C\u002Fa> programme, Assistant Director of Aberlour Liz Nolan said of the announcement: “It has highlighted the desperate need for equitable perinatal support for women across Scotland. In some local authorities in Scotland there is simply no provision at all”.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aberlour currently provides perinatal support for women and their families in \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fservices\u002Fperinatalbefriending\u002F\">Forth Valley\u003C\u002Fa> and in \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fservices\u002Fbumps\u002F\">East Lothian\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mum of three Hazel has been supported by \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fservices\u002Fperinatalbefriending\u002F\">Aberlour’s Perinatal Befriending service\u003C\u002Fa>. She said to STV:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I had postnatal depression. I had fatigue, couldn’t get out of bed, teary, no motivation in life, it was very dark. It was like having a bus on top of me – I couldn’t move. I struggled with the attachment to my son and it was just a very dark place to be. There was no support available at that time. It went on for quite a while”.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After being referred to Aberlour for help, Hazel said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With having the support from Aberlour, it’s really been life changing. It’s given me confidence, it’s built a better attachment with the kids which is very important for their development.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I had a befriender from Aberlour who came out to the house and who built a brilliant relationship with me, she was a really good listener. She gave me the confidence to go back out in the community because I was very, very isolated. Small steps at a time but it’s gradually led me to become more confident and be more empowered as well”.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-6527\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fcontent\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FCapture2-600-300x192.jpg\" alt=\"Liz Nolan on STV\" width=\"300\" height=\"192\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FCapture2-600-300x192.jpg 300w, https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FCapture2-600.jpg 600w, https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F03\u002FCapture2-600-250x160.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \u002F>“Currently there’s a lack of resources right across the country” says Liz Nolan. “This announcement today of additional Government money will allow specialist services but also appropriate services such as peer mentorship programmes and befriending services where the right support at the right time can be offered to women and their families when it’s needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There is an expectation from society of perfection and that motherhood is a joyful time but for some mothers, motherhood is a terrifying time; it’s really isolating. Women aren’t at work and there is an expectation that they have to return. There’s an onus on employers to start to understand the impact of perinatal mental health on women but also on fathers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“1 in 10 fathers will also be impacted by perinatal mental illness and we need to get early intervention to support families when they need us and in the places that they need us so specialist perinatal support is key but so too are the community projects like those that Aberlour provide. For some mothers, they will not be able to get out of their homes and so the services need to go to them”.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Aberlour perinatal support services\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>If you, your family or someone you know could benefit from perinatal support, Aberlour may be able to help:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fservices\u002Fperinatalbefriending\u002F\">Forth Valley\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fservices\u002Fbumps\u002F\">East Lothian\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Ch2>Volunteer\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>We are also looking for volunteer perinatal befrienders. If you have a few hours to spare each week and are a great listener, we’d love to hear from you. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fvolunteer\u002F\">Find out more\u003C\u002Fa>.  ­\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Chr \u002F>\n\u003Cp>> \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Faberlour-trained-apprentices-celebrate-scottish-apprenticeship-week\u002F\">Next news article\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cbr \u002F>\n< \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fcabinet-secretary-for-justice-visits-scottish-guardianship-service\u002F\">Previous news article\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n","\u003Cp>Mental ill health affects one in every five pregnancies in Scotland. The Scottish Government has announced that £50 million will be made available to increase provision of perinatal support, news that has been welcomed by Aberlour. Speaking with STV’s Scotland Tonight programme, Assistant Director of Aberlour Liz Nolan said of the announcement: “It has highlighted … \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fperinatal-mental-health-provision-welcomed\u002F\">Continued\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","2019-03-07T00:00:00.000000Z","Perinatal Mental Health provision welcomed - Aberlour - Web Backend","2024-08-28T11:58:52.000000Z",{"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":11,"image":11,"created_at":26,"updated_at":26},{"id":29,"blog_author_id":19,"blog_category_id":19,"is_featured":7,"title":30,"slug":31,"content":32,"content_overview":33,"published_at":34,"seo_title":35,"seo_description":36,"image":37,"created_at":26,"updated_at":38},"01j6cdmp91h84dsdzh8njhbm7z","Cabinet Secretary for Justice Visits Scottish Guardianship Service","cabinet-secretary-for-justice-visits-scottish-guardianship-service","\u003Cdiv class=\"mceTemp\">\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\u003Cp>This week the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Humza Yousaf MSP visited the Aberlour Scottish Guardianship Service. Humza Yousaf MSP was invited along to the service by SallyAnn Kelly, Chief Executive of Aberlour, to highlight the problems many asylum-seeking children and young people face, specifically those who have been victims of human trafficking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aberlour delivers the Scottish Guardianship Service, along with our partners the Scottish Refugee Council, on behalf of the Scottish Government, and in doing so we work with many children and young people who are victims of trafficking. Specifically, our service provides independent advocates to support trafficked children and young people ensuring that the individual needs of those children and young people are recognised and supported appropriately, and that victims are better supported in their recovery from the trauma and the effects of being trafficked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“However, there is more work to be done” \u003Cstrong>stated SallyAnn Kelly, Chief Executive of Aberlour,\u003C\u002Fstrong> “From working with these children and young people we have concerns around how the trafficking referral system currently operates”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Currently for a trafficked child or young person to successfully claim asylum in Scotland they must be referred via the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) to the UK Home Office. This process can be not only bureaucratic and disconcerting for children to navigate, but also risks retraumatising them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>SallyAnn Kelly, Chief Executive of Aberlour, said:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We currently support a young person who has been living with uncertainty and anxiety regarding their status for over two years, and they still do not know if they will be allowed to remain in the UK. This is just one example, but there are many more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The impact this process can have on a child or young person’s mental health can be profound. It is very difficult for a child or young person to feel safe and secure and to start the process of recovery, until this process has been completed and their status resolved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Agnesa* (20) attended the visit and told Mr Yousaf:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young people arrive having lost the best part of their lives.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>SallyAnn Kelly, Chief Executive of Aberlour, said:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We have a duty to care and support these children and young people who have already experienced unimaginable trauma in their young lives. We need to move away from this bureaucratic system and look to develop our own system here in Scotland, using the expertise of our Guardians and other qualified specialists, who understand the individual circumstances and have established relationships with those children and young people, to lead the trafficking decisions process. This would better ensure a strong safeguarding focus and child-centred approach.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Said* (18) attended the visit and told Mr Yousaf:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The best part [of being supported by the Guardianship] is attending groups and coming together with other young people. The Guardians help you to move forward and to help you with your future. They are there to keep you safe. I tell them everything because I know they understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Humza Yousaf MSP, met with some of our young people affected by these issues as well as our team. Extra funding is required from the Scottish Government to ensure this vital service continues and they are treated as human beings and allowed the security and support to heal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Sabir Zazai, Chief Executive of the Scottish Refugee Council, said:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The young people we work with have experienced things no child should have to go through. But like all young people they are full of potential and have so much to offer. We know that with the right support, they can and do go on to thrive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s so important that these young people are able to develop a sense of belonging here in Scotland. The UK asylum system must understand that these are children first and foremost and their immigration status comes second. How can anyone develop a sense of belonging if you have to wait for years and years for a decision to stay here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Mr Yousaf said:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard hugely powerful testimonies from young people who have been helped by the Scottish Guardianship Service. It is clear the current asylum process is exacerbating trauma causing many children to suffer. We can and must do better.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>\u003Ca href=\"\u002Fdonate\u002F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Donate now\u003C\u002Fa> \u003C\u002Fstrong>to Aberlour to help us reach more children affected by trauma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"\u002Fservices\u002Fscottish-guardianship-service\u002F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">> More information on our Scottish Guardianship Service.\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*Names changed to protect anonymity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Chr \u002F>\n\u003Cp>> \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fperinatal-mental-health-provision-welcomed\u002F\">Next news article\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cbr \u002F>\n< \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Froisin-speaks-with-bbcs-kaye-adams-on-how-aberlour-has-helped-her-family\u002F\">Previous news article\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n","\u003Cp>This week the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Humza Yousaf MSP visited the Aberlour Scottish Guardianship Service. Humza Yousaf MSP was invited along to the service by SallyAnn Kelly, Chief Executive of Aberlour, to highlight the problems many asylum-seeking children and young people face, specifically those who have been victims of human trafficking. Aberlour delivers … \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fcabinet-secretary-for-justice-visits-scottish-guardianship-service\u002F\">Continued\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","2019-02-21T00:00:00.000000Z","Cabinet Secretary for Justice Visits Scottish Guardianship Service - Aberlour - Web Backend","Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Humza Yousaf MSP visited the Aberlour Scottish Guardianship Service to highlight the problems many asylum-seeking children and young people face, specifically those who have been victims of human trafficking.","media\u002FHumza-Guardianship.jpg","2024-11-25T07:23:00.000000Z"]