Cries for help rise by 92% as child poverty crisis bites
Charity working flat out to aid families with ‘nowhere to go’
A CHILDREN’S charity has seen a 92 per cent rise in demand for financial advice after figures showed a quarter of kids in scotland are living in poverty.
Children 1st launched an appeal for donations after Scottish Government figures released last week showed no improvement in the number of children living in poverty across the country.
The cost-of-living crisis has put additional pressure on families struggling to afford basics such as food, and replace necessities such as clothing and shoes.
As well as funding support staff, it also has a financial wellbeing team to help with budgeting, benefit checks and applications, and debt management – and said the workload had doubled for the latter in the past year.
Demand for financial wellbeing advisers also surged, with more than 1500 children needing assistance since last April, up 92 per cent from April 2022.
In total, the financial wellbeing service has supported 925 families since last April, amid warnings that 85 per cent of families were cutting back on using the oven or showers in a bid to save on bills. The amount of debt managed on behalf of families has more than doubled, from more than £325,000 in 2022-23 to more than £813,000 since last April.
The charity said it was able to help generate an extra £1.7million for hard-up families, through unclaimed benefits, grants and budgeting since last April, doubling the amount generated in 2022-23.
A mother who received support said she was now able to do grocery shopping regularly.
Joanna said: “The support from Children 1st has been life changing. Now I can afford to buy regular shopping so we can have a healthier diet. I can buy Max and his brother things like boxers, socks, trainers and things that need updating. It feels like we have won the lottery.” The charity said figures from the Department for Work and Pensions showed a lack of improvement in the number of children living in poverty across Scotland, which demonstrated the need for its service. Mary Glasgow, chief executive of Children 1st said: “Children are in crisis. With one in four children living in poverty and no sign of improvement, the lasting impact on their safety, health and opportunities could be devastating.
“Our dedicated teams are seeing a huge increase in families turning to us for help. With the cost-ofliving crisis and cuts to public services, there is nowhere else for them to go. We want to be able to help every child whose family turns to us for support, but we urgently need the public’s support.”
The Scottish Government has been contacted for comment.