Life, they say, remains incredibly tough
Struggling parents from across Scotland have today (3 December) written to Finance Secretary Shona Robison urging her to use tomorrow’s budget to “invest for all children”.
The parents - participants in the Changing Realities project, a UK wide collaboration between over 150 parents and carers, the University of York and Child Poverty Action Group – have been working together to share their ideas on what needs to change to support their families.
In the letter the parents, who collaborate with other parents across the UK, write that “Scotland cares deeply about its weans, as shown through support such as Scottish Child Payment and Free School Meals. Living in Scotland often means there is support available that you can’t get elsewhere.”
But they continue, “For parents living on a low income, life remains incredibly tough. Many of us are struggling and feel stigmatised, even when we are doing our very best to provide for our families.”
The parents, including Nanda, a single mum with two young children who works part time in Edinburgh and describes her situation as “so hard now,” tell the Finance Secretary they “understand there are many areas competing for your attention…however, we are writing to you with specific requests to help struggling families like ours.”
They urge the Cabinet Secretary to use the Scottish budget to increase the Scottish child payment because they say “the cost of raising children is increasing. Even basic things right now add significant pressure, such as making sure children are warm and fed and have warm coats and jackets.”
“Increasing the Scottish Child Payment to help with these costs would make a meaningful difference to parents like us”, they write.
“Providing a hot meal to children every day, regardless of their families financial circumstances, makes a big difference and is a long way from how some of us remember getting free school meals when we were young. However, losing free school meals is a huge worry for parents whose children are above primary 5, especially if they are already struggling with costs. We would like to see funding in the next financial year to expand free school meals for all children regardless of age.”
Mental health issues are a significant concern for the parents behind the letter. They say that “when families do not have enough money, this can have a knock on effect on children’s mental health”.
The letter states that “Many of the parents in our group are asylum seekers or refugees. We know that children are children regardless of their immigration status. It isn’t fair that asylum seeking families should struggle to provide a dignified life for their children.
“There are things that the Scottish Government can do in this budget to help us, such as reinstating free transport for asylum seekers and refugees. When parents do not have the right to work or cannot access social security, there needs to be more support available from the Scottish Government so that people do not need to use a food bank and have opportunities to learn and train.”
