Tag: new report

Children in England are living in ‘Dickensian levels’ of poverty without their basic needs being met, Children’s Commissioner warns

  • New report reveals harrowing accounts from children facing unsafe housing, food insecurity and barriers to education – with many normalising deprivation
  • Children express clear understanding of systemic failures, calling for more accessible and compassionate support and services
  • Urgent reforms across housing, transport, education and community safety needed to break the link between a child’s background and future opportunities

Children in England are facing ‘Dickensian levels’ of poverty, going without basic needs like heating, a place to wash, somewhere to eat breakfast, or safe transport to school.

Frank testimonies from school-age children, shared in new research by the Children’s Commissioner, expose a crisis of hardship, shame and systemic failures and illustrate the stark reality of what it means to live on a low income in 2025.

The Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza has set out practical recommendations for tackling – and ending – child poverty based on the insights children have shared with her.

These have been shared with the government’s Child Poverty Unit to shape its forthcoming strategy and ensure it reflects the many ways children experience poverty: going hungry, feeling unsafe at home, travelling hours to get an education and being stigmatised for having less that their peers.

‘Every time I got [food packages] the food was always out of date and mouldy…I know I’m poor but I’m not going to eat mouldy food.’ – Boy, 15

‘The system’s so muddled up that they make you feel greedy for even wanting it…. it’s our rights. We didn’t choose to be poor.’ – Boy, 18

‘Some of it [free school meals] looks like food you wouldn’t feed to a dog’. – Boy, 15.

‘Sometimes if I have the money, I catch the bus, but sometimes I have to walk and I just feel very uncomfortable… at nighttime.’ – Girl, 14.

Recommendations include the introduction of a ‘triple-lock’ on all child-related benefits, to help alleviate the severe conditions children and their families are living through, and to deliver greater financial security for hundreds of thousands of children. All four UK Children’s Commissioners – from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – have jointly backed this call, alongside a repeated call to end the two-child benefits limit to prevent hundreds of thousands of children being driven into poverty.

Other proposals from Dame Rachel de Souza include free bus travel for all school-age children, priority for housing to be given to children in low-income households, auto-enrolment for free school meals for all eligible children, improved communication and data-sharing between schools, GPs and local authorities.

Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said: ““Since becoming Children’s Commissioner, I have been struck by the change in how children talk about their family lives over that four-year period. Issues that were traditionally seen as ‘adult’ concerns are now keenly felt by children, who see their parents’ worries and the struggles they face: the hours they work, the homes they live in and the ability to put food on the table.

“Children shared harrowing accounts of hardship, with some in almost-Dickensian levels of poverty. They don’t talk about ‘poverty’ as an abstract concept but about not having the things that most people would consider basic: a safe home that isn’t mouldy or full or rats, with a bed big enough to stretch out in, ‘luxury’ food like bacon, a place to do homework, heating, privacy in the bathroom and being able to wash, having their friends over, and not having to travel hours to school.

“Children spoke to me about the sense of shame that comes from knowing you have less – but, as one of the richest societies in the world, it is decision makers who should be ashamed that children are growing up knowing their futures are being determined by their financial circumstances.

“We have seen some positive steps by the government to get more money into families’ pockets – but we need leaders at every level: government, business, transport and every public service to commit to bold, practical measures that break the link between a child’s background and their opportunities.”

In interviews and focus groups with 128 children aged between six and 18, children didn’t talk about ‘poverty’ directly but were acutely aware they were growing up not having enough money to do the same things as their peers and feeling a sense of shame at being seen as ‘lesser’.

Dame Rachel’s report reveals key themes, including:

  • Everyday impact of poverty: Children spoke about their families going without heating, food, and other essentials, often accepting these hardships as normal. Many experienced poor-quality, overcrowded and unsafe housing, as well as frequent moves while facing long waits from housing providers and prolonged stays in temporary accommodation, leaving children with no stability or space to thrive, which impacted their wellbeing and education;
  • Food insecurity and health inequality: Rising costs mean many families have limited access to nutritious food, relying on food banks, school parcels or poor-quality free school meals, about which children raised concerns around the quality and stigma of receiving. Children also face long waits for healthcare and unequal access to mental health services, with a perception of a two-tier system, where those who can afford private care receiving faster treatment.
  • Barriers to education and opportunity: Children highlighted the cost of uniforms, limited transport meaning long walks or complicated commutes to school, and access to extracurricular activities as major obstacles. Schools play a crucial role in supporting children, but reported support was inconsistent. Limited career guidance and low pay were also cited as restricting the prospects for young people experiencing poverty.
  • Broken system and inaccessible support: Children showed a striking awareness of their family’s access to social security benefits, including the need for benefit rates to be increased. Many spoke of the need to make the system easier to navigate and with better access to services like housing, repairs, GPs, and school-based initiatives.
  • Unsafe and isolated communities: High crime, unsafe streets and unaffordable transport left children feeling vulnerable and cut off. Despite this, strong community bonds offer a sense of belonging and resilience in the face of hardship.

In response to children’s evidence, the Children’s Commissioner highlights the need for changes beyond the social security system to the public services that children rely on. Her recommendations include:

  • Uplifts to all child-related benefits on an annual basis as costs rise, so families can meet their children’s basic needs, and removing the two-child limit;
  • Housing reforms to ensure no child or family is housed in any B&B-type accommodation for more than six weeks. Children in low-income households should be prioritised for affordable housing and no child should ever be placed in temporary accommodation alongside other single adults;
  • Improved access to transport so as many children as possible benefit from free bus travel – as a minimum, all school age children in England should have free bus travel;
  • Improved oversight of Free School Meals, with better assessment and enforcement of school food standards to ensure all children receive nutritious, high-quality meals – and for all eligible children to be auto-enrolled to receive them;
  • Increased safety in communities, with visible reforms for children including prioritising the rollout of PCSOs, increased street lighting and more neighbourhood watch style initiatives in areas with children on low incomes.
  • Long-term vision for youth activities with children from low-income households front and centre of the government’s forthcoming National Youth Strategy, as well as a commitment to funding the Holiday Activities and Food programme beyond April 2026.

Children’s testimonies:

‘I would…change the amount of money people get from Universal Credit…because £920, is that enough for one month?’ Girl, 11.

‘In our area sometimes there’s stuff like robbing and sometimes there’s drunk people and stabbing … It’s not really a nice because sometimes it can be really dangerous… but sometimes it can be a nice merry community.’ Boy, 8.

‘Sometimes when I need to take a bath or have a shower, the water doesn’t really work sometimes… so sometimes when [children] don’t have enough water to take a shower, they always just have to go to school not clean and they didn’t shower.’ Girl, 10.

‘They’d make you walk in the cafeteria with everyone there, so everyone knows you’re poor because you have to wear a lanyard or a band on your wrist…Everyone had regular water bottles, but they had different ones for free school meals that were smaller than everyone else’s.’ Boy,18.

‘Sometimes when we go to my auntie’s house, she gives us food to take because she cooks out of home…that’s the only time I eat normal food and not take out.’ Boy, 13.

‘I remember when my sister was just born…you have to keep the house warm. But you can’t keep the house warm…because there was six of us in the house at the time…you’re trying to feed everyone, keep everyone warm and then pay for every expense around the house, so it’s quite a lot’. – Girl, 16.

‘[My mum’s] always encouraged me to reach out and try and find jobs or…some kind of income because we are quite low on the ground.’ Girl, 16.

‘I grew up in a household where my mum has [severe illness], so I’m a young carer, I have been since I was 8…I still can’t get carers allowance because I’m in full time education but the second I get in, I’m still doing all my jobs, still looking after them. What am I meant to do? Not go to college or uni? You have to give up your whole life just to care for your family, it’s all good but…you need a future.’ – Boy, 18.

‘In my house, the heating doesn’t work. Every time we [put the heating on] it’ll take like £10 a day from our electricity. And sometimes the electricity just turns off.’ Girl, 10.

‘It took [the council] three months to move us out, which was…so much stress …and the mould was making me so ill…We got home and there was a hole in our floor and the mould wasn’t done properly…It feels like you’re fighting a one-way battle because they they’re not actually doing what they can do to support us.’ Girl, 17.

‘There are a bunch of people who walk by going to a club – when they leave, they’re always drunk and chucking glass around.’ Boy, 10.

Growing-up-in-a-low-income-family-childrens-experiencesDownload

New report explores the future demand for healthcare services in Scotland

Public Health Scotland (PHS) has published a new analysis of the possible future demand for healthcare services in Scotland over the next decade.

The analysis, which focusses on unplanned NHS hospital activity and is based on historic trends and projected demographic change, offers a best estimate of future demand if current trends continue.

The report, “Projecting Future Demand for Health and Care Services in Scotland (2024-2034) – A Focus on Unplanned Inpatient Admissions to Acute Hospitals”, estimates an 11.8% rise in unplanned hospital admissions between 2024 and 2034, from approximately 586,000 to 656,000. This projected growth appears to be driven primarily by the impacts of an ageing population.

This latest report builds on the work of the Scottish Burden of Disease study, which has highlighted potential future population health challenges across a wide range of health conditions.

This projected demand for healthcare services is far from inevitable and it is being used to plan for a healthier, better future for everyone. PHS’s extensive modelling of possible future demand has helped to inform the Scottish Government’s Population Health Framework, published yesterday (17 June).

Recognising that people’s health is about more than healthcare, the framework introduces a whole-system, whole-person approach to promoting health, preventing illness and tacking health inequalities.

Dr Fatim Lakha, Consultant in Public Health Medicine at PHS, said: “Our report estimates that, by 2034, Scotland’s NHS could be managing around 1,300 additional unplanned hospital admissions each week.

“A substantial part of this rise is expected to come from people aged 65 years and over, primarily driven by Scotland’s ageing population. Meanwhile, admissions amongst children under 18 years are expected to remain at similar levels, even though the number of people in this age group is decreasing.

“It is important to note that these projections are not inevitable.  Every additional admission represents a person whose health issue might have been prevented through earlier action.

“Strengthening the building blocks of health – like secure income, fair employment, quality housing and education – offers the greatest opportunity to improve Scotland’s health and stop these projections becoming a reality.

“Reforming NHS services is also essential to managing rising demand.  But without sustained action across both prevention and service redesign, pressures on hospitals are likely to continue, even as the quality of care itself improves.”

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Dr Andrew Lee, Whole-systems Lead, at PHS, said: “We celebrate the fact that more people are now living longer, thanks to advances in public health. We must also ensure that, in these additional years, they also enjoy good health and a good quality of life.

“By acting now to improve health and wellbeing across the population, we can support a better quality of life in later years, ease pressure on healthcare services, and help to build a sustainable, future-ready NHS.”

Read the PHS report 

2025-05-27-wsm-summary_finalDownload

Scotland’s Headteachers highlight impact of attainment funding

Over £1 billion invested to support and improve attainment

Headteachers say the attainment of pupils experiencing poverty has improved, thanks to over £1 billion of direct investment from the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government’s flagship policy has provided headteachers with direct additional funding to help support children and young people. 

Schools have used the extra funding in a variety of different ways. The latest report looking at the impact of Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) found that it has helped schools employ up to 3,000 additional staff to support children and young people’s attainment and wellbeing.

This has included extra staff employed to support families, such as income maximisation officers, as well as support for pupil wellbeing from the third sector. The report also highlights how the targeted investment has supported better attendance, attainment, and relationships between schools, families and pupils. 

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth visited St Ignatius Primary School in Wishaw to hear directly about how the school is using Pupil Equity Funding. 

Ms Gilruth said: “Pupil Equity Funding has played a crucial role in our mission to ensure that children and young people impacted by poverty are given the opportunity to succeed.

“Since launching in 2017, we have invested over £1 billion in the programme, with targeted support now reaching a majority of schools across Scotland. 

“Each school has its own unique challenges when it comes to closing the poverty-related attainment gap, which is why we have put our trust in headteachers to develop solutions which meet the needs of their own pupils.

“I have been very impressed by the creativity shown by teachers – from supporting imagination in writing, to outdoor educational trips to improve confidence, wellbeing and relationships.

“The latest survey report indicates the hugely positive impact that this direct investment is making – with Scotland recording its lowest poverty-related attainment gap on record for literacy in primary schools.

“Pupil Equity Funding is also ensuring that more children and young people impacted by poverty are entering work, training or further study after leaving school.

“We are also taking further steps to tackle child poverty through education, including through funding early learning and childcare, free school meals and the delivery of free breakfast clubs.”

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Pupil Equity Funding 2025 Report | Scottish Attainment Challenge | Learning in Scotland | Education Scotland

Ending hunger could benefit Scotland’s economy and public finances by over £5.6 bn each year, reports Trussell

Anti-poverty charity Trussell is calling on the First Minister to take bold and decisive action on hunger and hardship in its Programme for Government next month 

  • Failure to tackle hunger and hardship leads to the Scottish government spending an additional £860 million a year on public services like the NHS, schools and children’s social care 
  • Trussell is calling on the UK government to urgently rethink planned cuts to support for disabled people, and update Universal Credit so that it protects people from hunger and hardship.   

Failing to act on hunger and hardship in Scotland is costing the public finances and economy £5.6bn each year, new research by anti-poverty charity Trussell has revealed.  

Published today, the Cost of Hunger and Hardship report includes analysis from economic and public policy experts WPI Economics on how much failing to tackle hunger and hardship costs Scotland’s economy and public finances. Informed by interviews with people with lived experience, the report explores how facing hunger and hardship is linked to worse health, employment outcomes and housing security.  

The report finds that Scotland’s economy loses out on over £2.9 billion each year due to reduced employment and lower productivity, because of the ways in which hunger and hardship can harm people’s chances of gaining and maintaining stable employment.

For example, people said how facing hardship led to deteriorating physical and mental health, making it far more difficult to find and stay in work. Others talked about not being able to afford transport or the right clothes to attend a job interview, or not having access to the technology needed to complete job applications.  

The public purse also loses out on over £1.4 billion in income from taxes (tax revenue) each year and needs to spend an additional £405 million on social security payments as a result of people facing hunger and hardship in Scotland. This is due to the scarring effects of severe hardship, which can lead to long-term unemployment and lower wages which can trap people in a cycle of hunger and hardship.  

It found that failure to address hunger and hardship in Scotland leads to £860 million in additional spending each year on public services like the NHS, schools, children’s social care, and more.  

Over half of this figure, £450 million, is spent on healthcare in Scotland alone, due to how hunger and hardship is linked to worse physical and mental health. Indeed, people who are disabled or living with someone who is are disproportionately more likely to experience hunger and hardship.

That’s why Trussell is calling on the UK government to rethink its cuts to disability benefits, as the anti-poverty warns that cutting support risks pushing more disabled people to food banks.  

Cara Hilton, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Trussell in Scotland, said: “Trussell’s major new research demonstrates the huge impact of hunger and hardship on Scotland’s public services and the cost of failing to act.  

“The Scottish Government has significant powers to turn the tide on hunger and hardship and must take bold and decisive action in Programme for Government next month, so no one else has to experience hunger and hardship under their watch.  

“Not only is it the right thing to do, its common sense for our economy. Scottish and UK governments have both a moral and economic responsibility to act. There is no time to lose. 

“At the same time, we are calling on Holyrood to use its voice to urge the UK government to rethink its cruel cuts to disability benefits, which risk pushing more disabled people to the doors of food banks.” 

Responding to these findings, Trussell is calling on the Scottish Government to commit to: 

  • Increasing the Scottish Child Payment to £40 a week. This would lift 84,000 people out of hunger and hardship with a reduction of costs to the economy, public services and the public purse of £435 million. 
  • Ensuring everyone can access the financial support they’re eligible for would lift 100,000 people in Scotland out of facing hunger and hardship. This would lead to a reduction in costs to the economy, public services and public purse of £800 million. 
  • Take action to reduce the disability employment gap. This would lift 36,000 people out of hunger and hardship, reducing costs to the economy, public services and the public purse by £230 million. 

And across the UK, Trussell is calling on the UK Government to urgently rethink planned cuts to support for disabled people and to update Universal Credit so that it protects people from hunger and hardship:   

  • Abolishing the two-child limit would lift 27,000 people in Scotland out of hunger and hardship by 2025/26. This would lead to a reduction in costs to the economy, public services and public purse of £115 million. 
  • Introducing an Essentials Guarantee would lift 204,000 people in Scotland out of hunger and hardship and reduce the costs to the economy, public services and the public purse by £1.5 billion. 

Read the Cost of Hunger and Hardship research in full. 

‘Consciously cruel’ – UK social security system is pushing people beyond the brink, says new Amnesty report

  • Human rights in the UK in crisis as new report exposes crushing evidence of a social security system ruining lives
  • Discrimination and dehumanisation reported as rife as punitive system drives poverty by policy 
  • ‘They told me to go in for an assessment, and my baby had passed away… not even two days before…. And they were like, well if you need the money, you will come in.  It’s not my fault your baby is dead’ – Claimant  
  • ‘I would often be asked the same question three times to see if I’d change my answer. The process feels like you are on trial for murder, they act like they are trying to catch you out and that you are begging’ – Peter 
  • ‘Lives are being ruined by a system that is consciously cruel – it erodes dignity by design. We are in a state of severe human rights violations’– Jen Clark, Amnesty 

Amnesty International UK’s new report takes a deep dive into the murky and divisive world of the UK social security system. The unique research is an extensive look through the lens of human rights violations across our basic rights to housing, food, education, healthcare and social security.  

The evidence delivers damning conclusions on how the system processes, punishes, harms and dehumanises people and fails to meet international legal obligations. Successive UK governments have ignored the UN’s pleas to take urgent action to fix this. 

Poverty is a visible sign of a failing social security system. When the government knowingly makes choices to make poverty worse, it is deliberately violating basic human rights. We have moved from a society that supports people to a punitive system that drives poverty by policy. 

The rate of poverty in the UK is now higher than at any point in the 21st century. Sixteen million people in the UK are living in families in poverty – almost a quarter of the UK*. Of these, 5.2 million are children, 9.2 million are working-age adults, and 1.5 million are pension-age adults.  

For its report ‘Social Insecurity’ Amnesty’s collaborated with over 700 benefit claimants and advisors to provide a platform for the people most gravely affected and show how politicians are playing with people’s lives and ignoring our most basic rights. In 2024 86% of low-income families on Universal Credit went without essentials such as heating, food and clothing. 

With the backdrop of the Spring Statement and devastating disability social security cuts, Amnesty’s report delivers a crushing blow of evidence on the UK’s social security system and political choices that have pushed people into poverty and centres real-life experiences throughout, demonstrating the depth of dehumanisation. 

Recommendations from the report

  • System overhaul: A landmark, independent Social Security Commission with statutory powers to overhaul the UK’s broken benefits system—rooted in dignity and human rights. 
  • Urgent protection from harm: The UK Government to urgently reverse harmful social security cuts, sanctions and caps including the two-child limit and ensure upcoming reforms of PIP, ESA and Universal Credit, meet international human rights standards and are shaped by those most affected. 
  • Legal protections: The UK Government to put in place legal frameworks protecting economic, social and cultural rights to ensure everyone’s basic human rights to food, housing, and dignity are protected in law and prevent failures in social security policy from causing wider harms. 

Sections of the report expose

Systemic failures and lack of dignity and respect: Reports of hostile attitudes and judgmental behaviour within the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) illustrate systemic shortcomings. The current system fails to meet its obligations to treat claimants with humanity and compassion, contributing to distrust and trauma of vulnerable individuals.

“Client had a Personal Independent Payment claim terminated as they would only offer a telephone appointment, despite them being profoundly deaf”. (Social Security Advisor) 

“They told me to go in for an assessment, and my baby had passed away.  Like not even two days before…. And they were like, well if you need the money, you will come in.  It’s not my fault your baby is dead”. (Claimant) 

Restricted access to Social Security and discriminatory practices

There are discriminatory conditions that restrict access for marginalised groups, inadequate transparency in eligibility criteria, and insufficient efforts to ensure effective, fair and transparent appeal processes. 

“Every time someone is assessed inappropriately for benefits, it takes extra time and money for the mistake to be corrected. Most often the claimants suffer, but the taxpayers also suffer owing to the additional administration and resolution costs which need to be met”. (Advisor) 

Social Security advisors across the country described how difficult access to information about entitlements and processes are. 64% of advisors rated it very difficult or difficult to get access to information on Universal Credit, and 68% of advisors said the same for PIP and 58% for ESA.  

Of 416 claimants who responded to the question, 52% rated access to Social Security schemes as difficult or very difficult.

Unjust and ill-informed decisions on sanctions and deductions

23% of the claimants who completed Amnesty research had experienced being sanctioned or having a deduction. Within this, 78% of people said it worsened their mental health.  55% told us they reduced the food they ate and 35% went without food. 47% of people stated that it worsened their physical health.  44% of people told us they were forced to borrow money to make ends meet.  

“Client lost benefits and home after being turned down for not attending the assessment as he soiled himself on the train to assessment centre and had to go home”. (Advisor) 

“I’ve been sanctioned loads of time because I’m working.  Borrowed off my sister and mother.  Without them, I would probably be dead in the gutter because I couldn’t afford to live” (Claimant) 

“They look down on you when you walk into the job centre.  I had a panic attack in the job centre.  I couldn’t breathe, and she went “you better get upstairs now and see your work coach, or we are going to sanction you” (Claimant) 

“The actual interview is on the phone when they talk to you.  They only give you one call…. If you missed that one call, they sanction that.  They should give at least 3 rings at least give you a chance.” (Claimant) 

Jen Clark, Economic and Social Rights Lead at Amnesty International UK, said: “Lives are being ruined by a system that is consciously cruel – it erodes dignity by design. We are in a state of severe human rights violations.  

“The social security system is impenetrable, inadequate, and for some completely inaccessible. 

“There can be no tinkering of the system – it has gone too far, and it is too late. There must be full reform. It is broken from start to finish and intentionally sets people up to fail. No-one would want political choices in this country to deliberately diminish dignity and perpetuate poverty.  

“I’ve worked to highlight human rights violations for more than two decades and witnessed many awful situations. But never have I encountered such raw and widespread distress from people sharing their experiences in the UK. 

“We need a landmark, independent Social Security Commission with statutory powers to overhaul the UK’s broken benefits system. It must be rooted in dignity and human rights and designed by and for the people. This must protect us all – be that today or in the future where we all may need it.” 

Voices of the campaign

John, 60’s, from Hampshire was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) quite late on in life – in his 60s. It progressed much faster than he could have ever expected. “In August 2021, before I even knew what was happening to me, I was still working at the Ministry of Defence as a Policy Advisor. I was deployed to Afghanistan to help with the evacuation. Before my diagnosis, I had spent years working and contributing, and I never once thought I would be in a position where I needed to rely on benefits.” 

In speaking about the experience of applying for Personal Independence Payment (PiP), John said:  

“Applying was a nightmare. The process was so difficult and one-sided. When I finally received my assessment, DWP had scored me zero for the impact MS had on my daily life. Zero. If they had at least acknowledged some of the difficulties, if they had scored me a five or six or even a seven instead of the eight, I needed, I might have accepted it. But to say that MS had no impact on my life at all? That was infuriating.   

“There is a bus stop 100 meters from my house. Usain Bolt could get there in less than 10 seconds whereas it takes me 10 minutes, but we would both score a zero for impact of MS on our lives. It’s ridiculous.”  

Carly, 39, London is a single mother to a young son. She was recently receiving Universal credit, with contributions towards housing and her son’s childcare costs. Despite having good knowledge of the process from a prior job, she found navigating the social security system difficult. 

In speaking about Universal Credit and the challenges that occur when benefits are wrongly cancelled, Carly said: 

“As a single parent, working in a temporary role, I was not earning enough to cover private rental fees. My son had just started nursery, and I had a lot of expenses that my salary couldn’t cover. I applied for benefits with a five week wait – which was a very difficult time.   

“When my role was made permanent, I got a lump sum of holiday pay in my paycheck – meaning I was paid more that month than usual. Unexpectedly, this led to my benefits claim being incorrectly cancelled. I wasn’t contacted about this and had no idea until the money didn’t appear in my bank account. I was crying on the phone telling my landlord I couldn’t pay my rent. I had a terrible ten-week wait until my social security payments started again and had to borrowed money from friends and family. I was offered an advance before the claim came through – but I’d already had one to pay for nursery fees and didn’t want to get into further debt. 

“I did lodge a complaint about the cancellation of my benefits, but the claim wasn’t upheld, and I felt I didn’t have the time or energy to fight it.   

“The hardest thing about the social security system is the uncertainty and insecurity around it all. It was very mentally challenging to not know when or how much my payments would be. I lived in fear of uploading the wrong information and having my benefits cancelled again. The worst part is the feeling like you have no control over anything. You always feel insecure. I was always relieved when universal credit went in, and it was the amount you were expecting.  

“The stigma is real, navigating the system only amplifies it, making an already difficult situation even harder. You have no autonomy, no choice, there’s nothing you can do. It creates a feeling that you aren’t deserving or worthy – that you should be grateful and not challenge anything.” 

Philip from Leeds   

“I lost my job suddenly in September 2023. I did my applications early to get ahead, but I didn’t realise the claim automatically starts from the day you fill the form in, and you can’t change the date. It made my claim invalid which meant I missed my initial payment. I also never received the support I was due towards my home costs, despite chasing and asking many times. When I contacted the Job Centre to request a face-to-face appointment with a work coach, but it took me over a month to be able to get the appointment and sadly, it wasn’t helpful at all.  

“Around this time, my father was ill with dementia. I live far from my parents and don’t drive, and being on such a low income meant I didn’t have the funds to travel there by public transport. I couldn’t afford to visit my father in his final days, and he passed away in November 2023. Not being able to see him before he died was extremely difficult and after going to my GP, I was put on anti-depressants.

“Having to chase my social security claim and not getting responses or offers to the jobs I was applying for, alongside with the grief I was experiencing, had a huge effect on my mental health and made things very difficult. I was struggling to cope.” 

Additional case studies

Valerie*

“Being on benefits in the UK can feel almost taboo- something to keep private and feel embarrassed about. This is sad, because the vast majority of us are just normal people trying to live life the best way we can, raise our families and find whatever happiness there is in life despite the hardships we face.”   

Peter

“I started receiving social security in 2021, just after I finished university. I applied for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) due to a long-term health condition. The PIP application process was atrocious and ultimately took over a year.   

“I had to deal with a lack of understanding about my condition. One of the interviewers mislabelled and misunderstood the medical equipment I use and even went as far as to lecture me about my own illness. I had to get my doctor to write a letter just to confirm what I’d said.    

“I would often be asked the same question three times to see if I’d change my answer. The process feels like you are on trial for murder, they act like they are trying to catch you out and that you are begging.  

“The PIP application needs to be renewed every couple of years or so – despite my disability being due to a long-term health condition that won’t improve over time. Itt’s like I am starting over again each time.   

“Watching my friends from Uni live their lives makes me feel like I am missing out on a lot.  I would like to be able to do more things, to get out and about a bit more – perhaps take a day trip to a local area. Even to travel locally is hard as the buses are too expensive and I can’t afford a car. I don’t want to be on benefits, I’d love to be able to work but I simply can’t.”    

Steve

“I had to stop working 15 years ago. I’d been struggling with severe pain in my right knee for about two years before finally having surgery. That’s when I was diagnosed with Osteoarthritis. I somehow managed to keep working through the pain, but eventually, it just became too much. I’ve now developed Osteoarthritis throughout my whole body.  

“I use a crutch indoors and both crutches whenever I go outside. Getting around is incredibly difficult, but I push myself because if I didn’t get out at all, I’d feel down and alone.  

“Appling for Universal Credit and PIP was tough. Being on benefits doesn’t feel great. I’m in a small studio flat and most days I’m by myself. Going out for shopping is the only time I see anyone. Prices have gone up too, which makes things harder.  

“Losing my mum in 2020, just before lockdown, hit me hard.  I still miss her so much. And visiting and being with my dad brings me comfort. It makes things much better for me. Visiting my dad is really hard with my condition. He’s 92 now and lives over three and a half hours away. My sister moved closer to him to help out. I try to go see them when I can, but the journey is a lot.

“I have to get a train into London, struggle through the underground to catch another train, then a bus, and finally a taxi to his place. Before COVID, I used to take the National Express coach straight to his, then just a taxi. But that route’s been cancelled and it’s now so much longer and more exhausting.” 

Scotland must seize untapped opportunity to keep ‘promise’ to children in care through family group decision making

Scotland can speed up progress to keep its promise to care-experienced children by addressing the unequal provision of “family group decision making” according to authors of a new report from Children First, Scotland’s national children’s charity.  

Family Group Decision Making in Scotland found that while a majority of professionals who offer these services (60%) identified improving outcomes for children, including keeping children out of care, as a key strength, a third of local authorities have no family group decision making provision. Where services are in place provision is patchy, with an average of only two family group decision making coordinator posts per local authority. 

Children First’s research included an online survey of children’s services professionals across Scotland, a review of how family group decision making fits with Scottish law and policy and learning from other countries about the impact of the approach. The research identifies a strong commitment from a range of professionals to family group decision making but says the impact for children is limited by an unclear legislative and policy framework and a lack of sustainable funding. 

Earlier this year, the Promise Oversight Board warned that the Scottish Government’s ambition to make sure care-experienced children and young people grow up loved, safe and respected by 2030 is at risk of being missed.

At the time, the Oversight Board called for family group decision making to be consistently available across the country, saying: “there is a need to ensure it is available to everyone who would benefit from it wherever they live in Scotland, and that it is sustainably funded.” 

Linda Jardine, Director of Children and Families at Children First, said: “If, for any reason, you were unable to care for your own children, you would want them to have the opportunity to be cared for safely by loving members of your wider family or a close friend. Yet too many children in Scotland are still going into care without that chance being fully explored through family group decision making.  

“Our research shows there is a clear place for family group decision making within Scotland’s care and protection system and a strong commitment from a range of professionals to helping children and families benefit from it. But weaknesses in legislation, policy and funding arrangements create barriers which stop children that need family group decision making from accessing it. With the clock ticking closer to 2030 it’s time to seize this untapped opportunity to make faster progress towards keeping the Promise.  

“The forthcoming Promise Bill is a key vehicle for the Scottish Government to clarify the place of family group decision making in legislation by ensuring it is consistently offered before compulsory interventions, such as children’s hearings.”

Read the full report Family Group Decision Making in Scotland.

Children First puts £2.5 million back in struggling families’ pockets in 2024

Children First has published a new report showing the positive impact the charity has made on the lives of thousands of children and families across Scotland.

The report reveals that the Children First support line, which offers practical, emotional and financial help to any family in Scotland, put almost £2.5 million back into the pockets of struggling families in 2024 by securing benefits they were entitled to.

Scotland’s national children’s charity also helped families to deal with debts totalling more than half a million pounds and make them more manageable.

From advice on mental health, money worries and online harm, to struggles at school, Children First’s support line gave expert help and advice to more than 2,500 families and supported over 9,400 people in 2024.

More than 1,000 of those families received financial wellbeing support and advice that helped keep children warm, well and fed.

Mary Glasgow, chief executive of Children First said: “Scotland is in the grip of a childhood emergency with around one in four children living in poverty.

“Poverty has a devastating impact on children’s development, physical and mental health, education and futures that can last into adulthood.

“We are calling on the government to act now to invest in targeted financial advice and support, early help for families and to increase the Scottish Child Payment which is the most effective way to alleviate poverty. Children can’t wait.”

The charity’s impact report also found that more than two thirds of families who reached out for help were worried about their child’s emotional wellbeing and half were concerned about family relationships.

Mary Glasgow added: “Every day our team hears from more and more families in distress and under huge pressure.

“For many, our support is a lifeline to them. But we can’t continue to be there for children and when they need us without your help.

“Please donate today at www.childrenfirst.org.uk.”

In 2024 across Scotland Children First supported more than 8,600 children and over 8,800 parents and carers to have a brighter future through its local services and national support line. In total 17,493 people were supported.

Mum Priya shared: “Thank you so much. I am in tears writing this. I will never be able to thank you enough. I’ve felt shame in asking for help and this year has been the hardest in forever, but Children First has restored the hope I have in this world.”

Mum Sarah, whose son Arthur has a disability was supported to apply for Child Disability Payment said: “Children First helped us apply for Scottish Child Payment which I didn’t know existed. This extra amount will definitely help us with food and electric bills each month.”

Dad James said: “Just knowing we have that extra money coming in is such a weight off our shoulders. We are now not reliant on food banks or family members.”

The Children First support line helps families across Scotland with whatever challenges they face. Families can call the team for free on 08000 28 22 33 or visit www.childrenfirst.org.uk to start a web chat from 9am – 9pm, Monday to Friday or 9am – 12 noon Saturday and Sunday.

Children’s Commissioner: Education reform’s glacial pace and wrong focus fails children

The Children and Young People’s Commissioner has urged the Scottish Government and authorities to urgently redesign education, so it works for ALL children.  

Commissioner Nicola Killean has made recommendations to improve the education system in a new report – warning that too many children are failing to thrive in the current set-up.  

The Commissioner and her team have spent over a year listening to children and young people’s current experiences of learning. The recommendations – which come both directly from children, and from the office – build on existing education reform reports and push for much more urgent and substantial change.  

Her recommendations in the report, called ‘“This is our lives, it matters a lot”: Putting children’s rights at the heart of education’, include:  

  • fundamental reform of the support and resourcing for children who have additional support needs   
  • a co-ordinated and adequately resourced national online education offer to support children who need and can benefit from that option for many reasons   
  • more equitable access to subject choice, as children can’t always study the things they want to  
  • ensuring the purpose of education is to prioritise the development of a child’s full potential, not be dominated by exam results  
  • accelerate the implementation of the Hayward Review, which will reform assessments and qualifications.  

Ms Killean said: “Too many children are being let down by our current system. Every child has a right to an education that develops their personality, talents, and abilities to their full potential.   

“We’ve had review after review, and the promise of change, but children in school feel no improvement. The pace of education reform has not only been glacial, but it is fundamentally focussed on the wrong areas. Time is being spent on restructuring adult agencies and not on addressing the needs of children within a system that is clearly failing them.   

“Children should be at the heart of shaping change to education, working alongside all those adults tasked with delivering it – government, decision-makers, and practitioners. Within education children are the ultimate stakeholders, and they have been very clear that they want change in education to be a priority for the government.  

“Many children need improved support – this includes disabled children, children with neurodivergent conditions, and those living in poverty. We can’t deliver a rights-respecting education when children’s needs are not recognised or met.  

“We have people trying to change the system from inside, we have examples of innovation that can make a huge difference to children, and we have vision for real change in the Hayward, Muir and Morgan Reviews commissioned by the Scottish Government.  

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The Commissioner’s Young Advisors were involved in the research and have made an accompanying film to the report. They visited schools with the Commissioner to work with children and hear their views.

One Young Advisor reflected after visiting schools: “This is our lives. This is what will impact us not only now…this will impact on our futures. It matters a lot to us, and all young people.”    

The report shares what children told the Commissioner and makes recommendations under the themes of culture, curriculum, personalisation and support, assessment and qualifications, and purpose.  

The Commissioner added: “We’ve made strong recommendations for those responsible for delivering education, including the Scottish Government, education authorities, and HMIE.

“All agencies should place children at the centre of reform – their strengths and insights are much needed. Children must not be excluded from decisions that affect their lives.   

“We recognise assessments, exams, and qualifications should be understood as part of the education system; they should not dominate the system. Older children told us they were stressed, had little time to relax and that exams had a lasting effect on their mental health.”   

The Commissioner added: “The Scottish Government – and others who have the power to create meaningful change – must deliver an education that has rights at the heart for every child.

http://bit.ly/3RsP6mt

GP plan ‘failing to deliver’

A Scottish Government agreement with GPs to improve general practice has failed to deliver on several of its commitments, says spending watchdog Audit Scotland.

The 2018 General Medical Service (GMS) contract aimed to address the financial pressures and growing workloads facing GPs, and to improve patients’ access to care.

However, seven years on:

  • the estimated number of whole-time equivalent GPs has fallen
  • pressure on general practice has increased
  • proposals to support GP teams with more nurses, physiotherapists and other specialists have moved more slowly than planned
  • and people report finding it more difficult to access care.

The Scottish Government has not set out how it intends to invest in general practice over the medium-term. And it is unlikely to hit its target of 800 more GPs by 2027. Spending on general practice as a proportion of overall NHS spending has fallen slightly in recent years. And between 2021/22 and 2023/24 spending decreased by 6 per cent in real terms, putting more pressure on GP practices.

National data for primary care remains inadequate. There is a lack of robust information about general practice demand, workload, workforce, and quality of care. This limits the Scottish Government’s ability to say whether the GMS contract changes represent value for money or have improved patient care.

Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, said: “The pandemic pushed back plans for general practice. But the new delivery deadlines that were put in place were missed, and there’s not been enough transparency about progress since then.

“The Scottish Government needs to clarify its plan for general practice and set out the actions, timescales and costs to deliver it.”

Where Do We Draw The Line? New study reveals shocking lack of awareness around abuse of older people

Punching and threats not seen as abuse to a quarter of respondents

A new study highlights a significant lack of awareness among university students about the abuse experienced by older people, according to recently released findings from lead researcher Dr Jennifer Storey with support from leading abuse prevention charity Hourglass.
 
Researchers Dr Jennifer Storey, Rhianna O’Brien and Dr Silvia Fraga Dominguez have found in their work that 25% of those surveyed (predominantly university students) did not view punching, kicking, threats, or theft towards older people as acts of abuse.
 
Likewise, over 1 in 4 (29% and 28%) respondents did not see taking an older person’s precious items, or spending an older person’s money without consent, both forms of economic abuse, as abusive acts. While 25% did not view sexual advancement without consent towards an older person as abusive.
 
Hourglass is the only UK-wide charity dedicated to calling time on the abuse, harm and exploitation of older people and the charity is calling for major improvements to the public’s understanding of the abuse of older people.
 
Recently released research from Hourglass suggests that the abuse of older people costs the UK economy over £16 billion every year and if current trends continue, the figure could rise to as much as £25 billion by 2050.
 
Danny Tatlow, Research and Policy Officer from Hourglass, said: “A lack of public understanding of the abuse of older people forms a key barrier to help seeking by older victim-survivors. Inadequate support solutions for older people, and a corresponding perception amongst older people that there is no alternative to abuse, or fear they will not be believed, helps continue violence and abuse.
 
“The abuse of older people continues to remain a taboo policy area, forgotten by politicians and the public. It’s time that we gave older victim-survivors their due and that they receive the same recognition as other demographics”

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The study builds upon the findings from Hourglass’ 2020 ‘Growing Old in the UK’ survey, which identified low public understanding of abusive behaviour towards older adults.

Veronica Gray, Deputy CEO and Director of Policy of Hourglass, said:
“Whilst, on the face it, the fact that young people having less of an understanding around abuse of older people seems obvious, this is actually a deeply worrying issue. This shows that the very people we are seeking to educate around this growing epidemic of abuse are less aware than ever.
 
“However, younger people are not alone. Data from a 2024 follow up to our “Growing Old in the UK” survey, which we’ll release in full in 2025, indicates that awareness and understanding of abuse remains critically low among all adults, not just university students.
 
“Our report found that 23% of people surveyed across the UK did not view ‘inappropriate or unwanted sexual comments or acts’ as abusive to older people. A quarter of respondents did not find ‘taking items from an older relative’s home without asking’ as abusive either. This is extremely worrying and adds a new level of concern in dealing with the issue.”
 
Lead researcher on the project Dr Jennifer Storey, Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology at the University of Kent said: “We were taken aback by our findings; everywhere that I have presented them I’ve been met with shock and concern from fellow researchers and practitioners. Knowledge and practice in the area of older adult abuse lags other forms of violence.

“I hope that this study can help to call attention to this issue, the work needed, and the importance of education and safeguarding for the older adults that we care for and will one day become.”
 
“Where Do We Draw the Line? Perceptions of Abuse of Older Adults and Their Association With Ageism”
https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/article/80/1/gbae190/7906484