[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f10b3rz2z388kj":3,"$fs887znk3marh":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,"author_id":19,"category_id":11,"is_featured":20,"title":21,"slug":22,"content":23,"link_text":11,"link":11,"content_overview":11,"published_at":24,"seo_title":21,"seo_description":25,"image":26,"attachment":27,"created_at":28,"updated_at":29},"01m4dn4x3rhafts88c0xmdzpfg","1",0,"Aberlour's Families in Recovery briefing","aberlours-families-in-recovery-briefing-2026","\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>\u003Cspan data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">Aberlour's Families in Recovery briefing sets out why Scotland must Keep The Promise for mothers affected by drugs and their children. It draws on national data and our Families Voices research with women in recovery supported by Aberlour’s Intensive Perinatal Services and Mother and Child Recovery Houses.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Drugs harm in Scotland\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Scotland has the highest drug-related deaths in Europe, up 11% in the past year. Those living in the most deprived areas are 15 times more likely to die from drugs, and around 510 children will have lost a mother or father to drugs in 2025. The number of women who died from drugs in Scotland fell last year by 5%, suggesting that targeted women-specific services are beginning to have an impact in reducing drugs harms for women and their children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Barriers facing mothers\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>For women, the drivers of substance use often include trauma, domestic abuse, poor mental health, poverty and debt. Many mothers don't seek help because of stigma and the fear of their children being removed. Mothers with addiction are six times more likely than fathers to have their children removed. Mother and child specific services – both community-based family support and residential rehabilitation and recovery services – are vital to reduce drugs harm affecting mothers and their children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Our services for mothers and children\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Aberlour runs two national Mother and Child Recovery Houses, where children up to the age of five can stay with their mums during recovery, with 24\u002F7 support. Since 2022, we have supported 39 women and 42 babies, all of whom were at risk of being removed. Aberlour’s recovery services are trauma-informed, relationship-based, and focused on improving outcomes for both mothers and their children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>\"If this was a rehab where you couldn't bring kids, I think I would have left before now… It's so lovely to have her here as well.\"\u003Cbr>\u003Cem>- Mum supported by Aberlour\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Scaling up what works\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Only 8 of Scotland's 574 residential rehabilitation places are women-only spaces for mothers and babies. We are calling for:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul type=\"disc\">\n\u003Cli>A national approach to trauma-informed, whole-family support for mothers in recovery\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Action to remove the barriers to recovery support, including stigma\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Further investment in intensive perinatal and women-specific residential services\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Intensive perinatal support extended beyond a child's first birthday\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>A relentless focus on tackling child poverty\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Read our full briefing\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>The full briefing sets out the data, our services and the actions needed to reduce drug harm for women and their children. For more information, contact Kay Steven, Policy Officer, at \u003Ca title=\"mailto:Kay.Steven@aberlour.org.uk\" href=\"mailto:Kay.Steven@aberlour.org.uk\" data-linkindex=\"0\">Kay.Steven@aberlour.org.uk\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>","2026-10-08 10:09:53","Aberlour's Families in Recovery briefing sets out why Scotland must Keep The Promise for mothers affected by drugs and their children. It draws on national data and our Families Voices research with women in recovery supported by Aberlour’s Intensive Perinatal Services and Mother and Child Recovery Houses.","media\u002FG87e5s7uJTEgPkOZBmEoPkTScb3iBFLfQMGknipB.webp","docs\u002F2026 Families in Recovery Briefing_digital_V2.pdf","2026-10-08T11:42:31.000000Z","2026-10-26T15:34:09.000000Z"]