Community organisations and groups will be able to apply for support to carry out community-led action research in their communities starting this September. Continue reading Knowledge is Power applications open this month
Tag: Poverty Alliance
New £10 benefit to target child poverty
Children under six set to gain from 2021
A brand new benefit will provide eligible families with £10 a week for every child under 16, with introduction for under sixes starting by early 2021. Poverty campaigners have welcomed the announcement.
The Scottish Child Payment will give more immediate support to eligible families who need it most, as almost 60% of all children in poverty live in a family with a child under the age of six.
It will be delivered to all remaining eligible families with children under 16 by the end of 2022, with no cap on the number of children in families.
When delivered in full, 410,000 children could be eligible for the income supplement – over a third of all children. It is estimated it will lift 30,000 children out of relative poverty by 2023/24.
For a family with two children under the age of 16 this new payment would mean additional support of more than £1,000 a year.
Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “Scotland is facing a spike in child poverty as a result of welfare cuts imposed by the UK Government.
“We will not stand by and simply watch that happen. We will act.
“We will help families with £10 per week for every eligible child under 16 years old in Scotland, with over a third of all children benefitting.
“That can make a massive difference to thousands of children across Scotland – and tackle child poverty head on. It will mean more families are able to make ends meet.
“Almost 60% of all children in poverty live in a family where a child is under six years old, which is why we will deliver the payment for this group first.
“The Scottish Child Payment will not only help raise children out of poverty but is also designed to help prevent those just above the poverty threshold from sliding under.
“This is a real preventative measure that will tackle child poverty head on in Scotland and help mitigate against continuing UK Government austerity.
We’re using new social security powers to tackle child poverty in Scotland.
The new Scottish Child Payment will give eligible families £10 a week for every child under 16. pic.twitter.com/uWZj59iUmQ
— Scottish Government (@scotgov) June 26, 2019
Naomi Eisenstadt, the First Minister’s former Independent Advisor on Poverty and Inequality said: “The best way to help children out of poverty is to get money into parents’ pockets so I am absolutely delighted that the Scottish Government is introducing the Scottish Child Payment.
“It’s great to see the Scottish Government taking such ambitious and direct action to shift the curve on child poverty.”
The payment will be administered by Social Security Scotland alongside the existing programme of devolved social security benefits.
Ms Campbell added: “We understand this may have an impact on the timetable for the delivery of devolved social security benefits. But we believe it is worth it to introduce a visionary new benefit that will make such a big difference to so many lives.”
Responding to the announcement of the new Scottish Child Payment, Peter Kelly, Director of the Poverty Alliance said: “Amid a rising tide of poverty, the new Scottish Child Payment will act as a lifeline for families struggling to stay afloat. An additional £10 per week will help unlock tens of thousands of children from poverty and underlines the important role that Scottish social security powers have to address poverty.
“The early introduction of the new payment in 2020/21 for families with children under six is particularly welcome, and shows what can be done when there is political will to address poverty.
“As a society that believes in justice and compassion, with a Parliament that has unanimously supported action to tackle poverty, today is an important milestone. Those who experience poverty, and the organisations that support them, have been listened to and action is being taken. Today has shown that we can use our social security powers for a purpose; loosening the grip of poverty on people’s lives.”
The payment will be available a year earlier to under sixes than set out in the Scottish Government’s Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan.
It will be paid monthly and increase annually in line with inflation.
Disability Assistance for Working Age People, the Scottish replacement for Personal Independence Payment, will be delivered in early 2021, as already outlined to Parliament. Disability Assistance for Children and Young People will be delivered in summer 2020 also as announced.
However it is expected that Disability Assistance for Older People will need to be introduced in 2021, rather than winter 2020 as originally planned.
Scottish Carer’s Allowance will be put back a few months to early 2022. The transfer of benefit cases from DWP to Social
Security Scotland is expected to be completed by 2025 rather than 2024.
Further assessment on the impact of introducing the new benefit, including on IT systems, staffing, and supplier services, will be carried out over the summer and reported to Parliament.
Full statement on Income Supplement from Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell
Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan First year Progress Report 2018-19
New programme to support community-led action research
Scottish Community Development Centre and The Poverty Alliance have announced a new support resource for community-led action research, jointly funded by Scottish Government and The National Lottery Community Fund.
The two-year programme will fund six community organisations to develop their own evidence to influence change in their communities – and to take forward actions for improvement. The research evidence generated by the community organisations will be brought together through a new website and used to help shape policy at a national level across Scotland.
Community-led action research is where the community decides on the issue to be researched, designs and carries out the research, and makes use of the results.
This makes community-led action research different from traditional research which tends to be conducted on the community by researchers from outside the community.
A new website, www.knowledgeispower.scot, will bring together the experiences of the six projects, and will highlight how community-led action research can be used across Scotland to support communities to take action on the issues important to them.
In 2018 SCDC and the Poverty Alliance jointly published ‘Knowledge is Power’. This report was the result of series of conversations with community organisations about what is needed to support them to undertake their own research into the issues that affect them, or the opportunities they want to pursue. This work has now come to fruition with the launch of the Knowledge is Power programme.
Maureen McGinn, The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland Chair, said: “People understand what’s needed in their communities, and we believe that when people are in the lead, then communities thrive.
“Community-led action research empowers individuals and groups to generate and use evidence to influence and achieve positive change in their community. That is why I am delighted to see National Lottery funding supporting this project along with funding from the Scottish Government.”
Fiona Garven, Director of SCDC, welcomed the new resource. She said: “We are delighted at this announcement. Community-led action research is about putting communities in control of the generation of evidence needed to support better policy making and better decision making about where resources should be targeted.
“This funding will give communities the opportunity to make their case for the changes they know they need, backed up by their own robust research evidence.”
More information and details on how to apply to be part of the programme will be announced shortly at www.knowledgeispower.scot
One in four Scottish children live in poverty as parents locked out of job market
Ambitious targets to reduce child poverty will stall, warns charity
In its state of the nation report, Poverty in Scotland 2018 (below), the independent Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) warns one in four (230,000) children in Scotland live in poverty. The report comes as Challenge Poverty? Aye we can! gets underway, a campaign by the Poverty Alliance which shows how poverty in Scotland can be solved and allow everyone to take part in society. Continue reading One in four Scottish children live in poverty as parents locked out of job market
Shocking impact of welfare cuts revealed
UK Government urged to end benefits freeze
Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville has called on the UK Government to use this month’s autumn statement to announce an end to the benefits freeze that has brought misery to families and communities.
In a letter to Esther McVey, the Work and Pensions Secretary, Ms Somerville has highlighted the findings of the annual Welfare Reform Report, which estimates that the UK Government’s welfare cuts will lead to a £3.7 billion fall in social security spending by 2021 in Scotland.
The report estimates the benefit freeze has the biggest impact, reducing spending by around £190 million in the current year, rising to around £370 million by 2020/21.
Other findings include:
- Over the first year of its implementation around 3,800 Scottish families have seen their incomes reduced due to the Two Child Limit – each year more children will lose out on up to £2,780 per year because they were born after the arbitrary April 2017 cut-off date
- Around 3,500 Scottish households have been capped each month since the Benefit Cap was lowered in 2016 – 89% of families with capped legacy benefits have children, while 64% are lone parent households. 45% of these households lose out by £2,600 per year or more
- Because of the decision to reduce Universal Credit (UC) work allowances, each year sees more and more working people lose out as they move onto UC. By 2021 working UC claimants in Scotland are expected to lose around £250 million per year in total
Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “This detailed report paints a stark picture of the reality of life for many people in Scotland. It represents damning evidence against the DWP’s current programme of welfare cuts which are only set to get worse.
“These cruel cuts are forcing more people into poverty at the very time the Scottish Government is focussed on getting children and families out of poverty.
“More and more families are finding it hard to make ends meet as prices of essentials go up and the levels of their income and benefits go down. The increased reliance on food banks is a damning indictment.
“Esther McVey cannot ignore this report. That is why I am sending her a copy and urging her to immediately end the freeze on benefits. I will also be sending a copy to the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights in advance of his visit to the UK later this year.
“Scotland’s social security system is being built upon principles of dignity and respect. Today’s report – published at the start of Challenge Poverty Week – shows that the current UK system is built upon the complete opposite.”
Director of the Poverty Alliance, Peter Kelly said: “Scotland is a compassionate country where we all believe everyone should have a decent standard of living. The help that people receive through social security is important in helping to make that happen. This report shows that more needs to be done.
“In order to ensure everyone has a decent standard of living we need to see an end to the freeze in benefit levels. The cost of living hasn’t been frozen, so it’s right that social security payments should keep up with those costs.”
Challenge Poverty Week runs from Monday 1 until Sunday 7 October. More than 100 groups and organisations are expected to take part in the annual event to highlight the problem of poverty in Scotland, to show its impact on the whole of society and showcase solutions.
A full list of activities can be found at www.challengepoverty.net/events/
The Benefit Cap refers to the UK Government’s policy to limit the total benefit entitlement for working age households, with some exemptions. From November 2016, couples with or without children (living outside London) cannot receive more that £20,000 in benefit entitlement per year. The cap is lower for single people without children (£13,400 per year).
The Benefit Freeze refers to the UK Government’s policy to not uprate with inflation the main working-age rates of Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance (excluding the support component) and Housing Benefit, as well as most elements of Working Tax Credits and Child Tax Credit (and the corresponding element of Universal Credit) and Child Benefit. The policy is in place for four years from 2016/17 until 2019/20 inclusive.
The Two-Child Limit refers to the UK Government’s policy to restrict the Child Tax Credits (CTC) and child element of UC to two children per household. The rule applies to new births after 5 April 2017 for Child Tax Credits and new claims to Universal Credit. A number of exceptions apply, in the cases of multiple births and non-consensual conceptions.
Scottish Living Wage Campaign: plans and priorities for the way ahead
Poverty Alliance are holding an event on 6th September from 10am – 12 at The Quaker Meeting House in Victoria Street. Continue reading Scottish Living Wage Campaign: plans and priorities for the way ahead
Support the Scottish Living Wage campaign
Are you interested in campaigning the for the Living Wage in Scotland? Come along to our event in Edinburgh on the 6th of September! Continue reading Support the Scottish Living Wage campaign
Democracy Matters: sign up for discussion event
Working together, Community Development Alliance Scotland, The Scottish Community Development Centre and the Poverty Alliance invite you to discuss the next phase of the Local Governance Review and share your ideas about how local democracy could change.
Join us for the morning, chat to us over lunch and learn how you can help others have their voice and make a difference.
- The Studio, 67 Hope Street , Glasgow
- 10 am til 2pm
- 9th August 2018
Register here >>
Democracy Matters
The Scottish Government has launched the next phase of its Local Governance Review, inviting people to join a conversation called ‘Democracy Matters’.
The campaign asks five key questions about how decisions should be made at a more local level. It asks whether communities, of place or identity, should have more control of decisions and what those might be. It also asks how this should look and what new or existing decision-making processes could be used.
The Local Governance Review was launched earlier in the year aims to find out what changes are needed to encourage a more local, participatory and inclusive democracy in Scotland.
A short animation summaries the review and the five questions being asked:
“In modern Scotland power must work in a way that involves and benefits everyone. To get this right, we will review how responsibilities and resources can be shared across national and local government in a way that delivers the greatest benefit to Scotland’s different places. However, the starting point must be with our citizens and the power and potential within our communities themselves.”
The review encourages people to hold conversations in their communities to discuss Democracy Matters and includes a community engagement fund where groups can apply for £100 – £300 to help make conversations happen. They have also published guidance about how the discussion might work and how it could be facilitated.
The review of local governance was set out in the Scottish Government’s 2017-18 programme for government and will be part of the forthcoming Local Democracy Bill
You can download the report and view more information on the Scottish Government website here.
Register for the event here >>
New plans to make Scotland a Living Wage nation
Plans to increase the number of people benefitting from the real Living Wage have been outlined by Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work Keith Brown. Over the next three years the Scottish Government will work with the Poverty Alliance to build a ‘Living Wage Nation’, boosting the wages of those on low pay and supporting inclusive growth.
Measures being announced include:
- At least 25,000 more people over the next three years to benefit from their employer becoming Living Wage accredited
- Launch a regionally-focussed accreditation scheme to create the UK’s first Living Wage towns, cities and regions
- Increase the proportion of accredited organisations in low-paid sectors, such as hospitality and tourism
Mr Brown said: “We are serious about supporting fair work and putting equality at the heart of our labour market. That is why Scotland punches well above its weight in terms of the proportion of people paid at least the Living Wage.
“However we cannot become complacent. We now need to build on this success to ensure even more organisations and individuals benefit in the future.
“Our commitment to create a Living Wage Nation is challenging, but achievable, and it will help those in low-paid sectors who need it most.
“By using the Living Wage to make pay fairer and jobs more sustainable, we will support our commitments to build a more resilient economy, a more equal labour market, and foster inclusive growth.”
Peter Kelly, Director of the Poverty Alliance, added: “It is now just over three years since the Poverty Alliance launched the drive to increase the number of accredited Living Wage employers in Scotland. Working in partnership with the Living Wage Foundation and thanks to support from the Scottish Government we have seen real change.
“We have seen employers from all sectors, in companies large and small, adopt the Living Wage and do their bit to help make the economy fairer. However, despite the progress that has been made, we know there is still much to be done.
“Scotland faces real challenges in some important sectors . If we are to deliver a fair economy for all then we must begin to address these head on. We are grateful for the Scottish Government support that will allow us to take the positive message for the Living Wage to employers in all parts of Scotland and into key sectors.”
Last week Stoats was confirmed as Scotland’s 1,000th Living Wage-accredited employer. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited the company’s Edinburgh HQ where she met staff and congratulated the company on gaining accreditation.
Edinburgh College is Living Wage employer
Edinburgh College receives Living Wage accreditation
The Scottish Living Wage Accreditation Initiative has granted Living Wage employer status to Edinburgh College. Edinburgh College already paid staff the real Living Wage but receiving formal accreditation for this strengthens its commitment to fair pay for all staff. Continue reading Edinburgh College is Living Wage employer