£100 payment for low income families is welcomed by End Child Poverty campaign
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End Child Poverty members in Scotland, comprising children’s charities and anti-poverty organisations, have welcomed the announcement by the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon MSP, that low-income families whose children are eligible for free school meals will receive a one-off £100 winter payment to help alleviate financial hardship.
Speaking on behalf of End Child Poverty members in Scotland, Peter Kelly, Director of Poverty Alliance in Scotland, said: "It has been clear that children and families struggling to stay afloat through the pandemic cannot wait for the Scottish Child Payment for the lifeline support they need. So, it is very welcome that the Scottish Government has listened to people living on low incomes and organisations across Scotland, by committing to cash grants to support families through winter.
"For many fighting to keep their heads above water amid a rising tide of poverty, the cold winter months are bringing deeper hardship. This payment will act as an anchor to help them weather the storm until the rollout of the Scottish Child Payment.”
"For many months End Child Poverty members in Scotland have been calling on both the Scottish and UK Governments to act urgently to get money into the pockets of struggling families, to mitigate the financial impact of the pandemic and consequently the concerning rise in child poverty. We are pleased that the Scottish Government has listened to our calls and committed to supporting families most in need.
"Getting cash directly into the pockets of families ensures dignity, respect and choice for families, recognising that families themselves are best placed to decide how to provide for their children. Working directly with children and families every day, they tell us the difference having money in their pockets means for them.
"Many families across Scotland have been facing a long and difficult winter of increasing financial uncertainty and anxiety about how to pay their bills or feed their children. The Scottish Child Payment will not be fully rolled out until 2022, so this additional payment for those families will help bridge the gap between now and then."
"While the announcement will go some way to alleviating the financial stress and anxiety for many families over the coming weeks and months. However, there is currently no detail about how families with only pre-school aged children will benefit from today’s commitment or families with ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’, and this must be clarified. We also continue to call on the Scottish Government to commit further to increasing household incomes for struggling families who will continue to face much more uncertainty and financial insecurity during the pandemic and beyond.
"We also continue to call on the UK Government to commit to making the temporary uplift to Universal Credit of £20 per week a permanent lifeline for families, beyond April next year. This permanent uplift should also be applied to legacy benefits and Tax Credits."
Mr Kelly said the £100 was a "good first step towards getting the desperately needed and vital financial support into families’ pockets".
"As we look towards next year and beyond there is much more needed if Scotland is to meet its child poverty targets. We look forward to working with the Scottish Government to help them achieve this."
End Child Poverty (ECP) members in Scotland include:
- Aberlour
- Action for Children
- Barnados
- Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland
- Children 1st
- Children in Scotland
- Close the Gap
- Engender
- Home Start Scotland
- One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS)
- Oxfam Scotland
- Parenting Across Scotland
- The Poverty Alliance
- Save the Children
