[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f10b3rz2z388kj":3,"$f1hi1usct32lkw":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":5,"category_id":11,"is_featured":19,"title":20,"slug":21,"content":22,"link_text":11,"link":11,"content_overview":11,"published_at":23,"seo_title":24,"seo_description":25,"image":26,"attachment":27,"created_at":28,"updated_at":29},"01kaxnt83h7wffyx79227k20ps",0,"Aberlour's Families Voices Project Report","aberlours-families-voices-project-report","\u003Cp>Despite recent falls, Scotland still has the highest rate of drug-related deaths in Europe. The data also demonstrates that there remains a strong correlation with deprivation, with mortality rates 12 times as high in the most deprived communities. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Estimates by the Scottish Government indicate that 40-60,000 children may be impacted by alcohol and drugs use within families.  Children too often end up in care due to the impact of parental substance use. Furthermore, substance use is a direct risk factor in maternal deaths and women affected by substance use are at significant risk during the perinatal period, including from suicide. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Studies have also shown that mothers with addiction are six times more likely to have their children removed than fathers. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Women 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>Our services follow a model based on choice. Mothers are supported with their substance use in a variety of ways, each personalised to the individual. This includes Medication Assisted Treatment, such as methadone prescriptions, attending recovery and support meetings and working towards or maintaining abstinence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>The Families Voices Project\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fstrong>We believe services designed to support families must be shaped by the perspectives of families themselves, ensuring their voices are elevated, amplified and influence future care and support. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given the urgent need to improve support for mothers and their children impacted by substance use and perinatal mental health across Scotland, the Families Voices Project was established to achieve several aims:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>To work with mothers supported by Aberlour’s Mother and Child Recovery Houses and Intensive Perinatal Services to capture their views and experiences of support during their recovery journey.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>For the evidence gathered to directly inform our work to achieve our ambition of supporting many more mothers in recovery and their children to stay together, by growing and expanding our Mother and Child Recovery House model across Scotland, as well as our community-based support.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>Read the full report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>","2025-12-01 07:00:41","Aberlour Children's Charity's Families Voices Project Report","At Aberlour Children's Charity we believe services designed to support families must be shaped by the perspectives of families themselves, ensuring their voices are elevated, amplified and influence future care and support. Read the Families Voices Project Report on what must urgently be done to support mothers and their children impacted by substance use and perinatal mental health across Scotland.","media\u002F01KAXNT7X26FY4GAST07Q4DC9H.jpg","docs\u002FAberlour Children's Charity - Families Voices Project - December 2025.pdf","2025-11-25T14:13:53.000000Z","2025-11-25T14:14:38.000000Z"]