New approaches to eradicating child poverty
Wrap-around support delivering improved outcomes for families.
Lessons learned from innovative work with families in Inverclyde are helping deliver new approaches to eradicating child poverty.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville visited Home-Start Renfrewshire and Inverclyde in Greenock today (Wednesday 29th January) to see work funded under the Scottish Government’s Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund, which is helping to reshape services locally and elsewhere in Scotland.
The Social Justice Secretary met staff at the project as well as parents who have benefited from the work which focuses on providing early intervention to support families, particularly those with children under five and those affected by poor mental health.
Learning from the project is supporting Inverclyde’s Fairer Futures Partnership, which is supporting local services to test and improve how they deliver services to promote family wellbeing, maximise incomes and support people towards education and into sustained employment.
Ms Somerville said: “Eradicating child poverty is the Scottish Government’s top priority and a national mission.
“I’m keen to hear more about how whole family, person-centred support is being developed in Inverclyde through the Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund and the Fairer Futures Partnership.
“Through close partnership between Home-Start and Inverclyde Council, this project provides holistic support so that families can maximise their household incomes, and parents can improve their employment prospects through upskilling and volunteering. Putting this kind of vital support in place means that we don’t just help families in a crisis but enable them to thrive in the longer term.
“The Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund was set up to support local areas to test new ideas and innovate to improve local approaches to eradicating child poverty. I’m pleased to have the opportunity to learn more about how this funding is informing Inverclyde’s overall approach to supporting families out of poverty.”
Councillor Natasha McGuire, depute leader of Inverclyde Council, said: “I’m proud that Inverclyde is leading the way in developing and delivering new approaches to help tackle child poverty and support children and families in our area and also in other parts of Scotland.
“The visit of the Cabinet Secretary here today and the positive feedback from families is testament to the first-class work being done by staff across a range of council and health and social care partnership (HSCP) services alongside excellent partner organisations like Home Start Inverclyde.
“We are committed to doing everything we can to end child poverty and while this is one of many projects we are involved in, it demonstrates what can be achieved through partnership working and with the right support in place.”
Background:
The Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund supports local areas to test innovative approaches to eradicating child poverty, including testing new approaches to a known problem, adapting an approach from elsewhere to work in a new area, and evaluating promising approaches.
Fairer Futures Partnerships in Clackmannanshire, Dundee and Glasgow are working to ensure families get the help they need, where and when they need it. Building on these successful partnerships the programme is expanding into Aberdeen City, East Ayrshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and Perth & Kinross Councils.
The Scottish Government made over £2m available in financial year [2024/25] to these eight local authorities and their partners to deliver the programmes.
The budget for the Partnerships has been increased budget to £6 million for next financial year [2025/26]. £2.4 million of this will be made available to the eight existing partnerships to continue the work underway, as well as exploring opportunities to expand.