AS charities which work with thousands of families throughout Scotland, we have grown increasingly concerned in recent years about the level of financial hardship many of the families we work with face on a daily basis. Our role is to support families with parenting and relationships, and also with practical issues, such as budgeting, routes back into employment, and liaising with agencies such as housing. However, our services workers are now having to spend more and more of their time supporting families with the most basic needs (such as for food, clothing and fuel). Our staff are having to help families access foodbanks as well as providing the family support which we are used to providing. This should not be happening in 21st century Scotland. How can you bring up a family when you aren't sure how you're going to put a meal on the table that night?
With this in mind, we commissioned a poll of 1,000 parents in Scotland to see how accurately our experience of family finances reflected the reality of families' lives in Scotland. What our report, In the pink? In the red? In between?, found was disturbing. Many families were cutting back on essentials such as food, children's clothing and fuel. More than one in three reported increased stress and anxiety as a result of changes in financial circumstances. One in three parents said changes in financial circumstances meant they spend less time with their children.
And many families who may not be struggling now have scant resources for the future (those in between rather than “in the pink” or “in the red) - they are either in debt or less able to save for the future.
In light of this report, and ahead of this week’s Autumn Statement, we urge Westminster and Holyrood governments to make sure that efforts to combat poverty focus on those families already struggling as well as on those “in between” who may be thrown into the red by even the smallest change in their family’s income.
Clare Simpson, Project manager, Parenting across Scotland; Alison Todd, CEO, Children 1st; SallyAnn Kelly, CEO, Aberlour; Dana O’Dwyer, Chief Executive, Capability Scotland; Jackie Brock, CEO, Children in Scotland; Nancy Loucks, Families Outside; Satwat Rehman, Director, One Parent Families Scotland; Stuart Valentine, Chief Executive, Relationships Scotland; Margaret Moyes, CE, Scottish Adoption; Stella Gibson, CEO, The Spark,
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