The team at Amazon in Dunfermline has delivered bundles of baby and toddler essentials to child poverty charity, Save the Children to distribute to vulnerable families across Scotland.
Save the Children Scotland works to give every child an equal chance; believing that all children have a right to a decent standard of living, to play and to learn. In partnership with Amazon, the charity was able to provide ‘Play Well’ packs to families which contain hints and tips to assist children’s play and learning at home.
In total, the team from Amazon in Dunfermline packed 200 boxes full of items including baby mats, bath bundles and sensory toys which they delivered to the charity for distribution to those who would benefit the most.
Speaking about the donation, Jamie Strain, General Manager at Amazon in Dunfermline, said: “The team at Save the Children has changed the lives of so many families across Scotland and I could not be prouder of the team’s efforts to support the charity and show our gratitude.
“We hope the toys deliver smiles to the children that receive them and that the baby products help out parents in need.”
Alasdair Brown, an employee from Amazon in Dunfermline who took part in the packing, added: “I am pleased that we can support Save the Children with our donation of packages.
“We had a great day assembling the packs and I’m delighted that parents across Scotland will be supported with baby and toddler essentials.”
Claire Telfer, Head of Scotland at Save the Children, added: “We want to extend a big thank you to the team at Amazon in Dunfermline for helping us provide families with necessary items to assist learning and play.
“At Save the Children, we work to lessen the impact of poverty on children’s learning and development in the early years, and support from organisations like Amazon is essential in helping us achieve our mission of giving every child in Scotland an equal chance.”
The donation to Save the Children was made as part of Amazon’s programme to support the communities around its operating locations across the UK.
THE ROBERTSON TRUST has announced that six organisations have been awarded over £1.7M under their Financial Security Programme Awards. All of the projects are working to deliver big change that lasts on tackling poverty and trauma in Scotland.
Through our Financial Security theme, we want to fund, support and influence to improve income adequacy, income security, reduce cost-related pressures on finances and improve financial safety nets for people in financial trouble.
We made an open call for long-term change project ideas through our Programme Awards in October 2022 for organisations focused on delivering big change that lasts on financial security in Scotland.
Our Programme Awards will allow us to work alongside some of the organisations best placed to achieve impact on poverty and trauma in Scotland, allowing us to learn from them and them from us as we go.
The successful organisations include proposals to develop strengthening social security in Scotland, reducing the costs of essential goods and services, and preventing and relieving financial crisis now and in the future in Scotland.
We are pleased to share details of the organisations awarded funding:
One Parent Families Scotlandawarded £384,678.00. This project will deliver evidence-based recommendations to achieve transformational change to the UK child maintenance system to contribute to reducing child poverty. A partnership with One Parent Families Scotland, IPPR (Scotland) & Fife Gingerbread, each organisation will lead on different strands of work, while working together across all activities. Ambitious policy proposals will be developed, at both Scottish and UK government levels, to radically reform the child maintenance system (CMS), informed by robust evidence and lived experience. The project aims to see action to tackle immediate shortcomings of the existing child maintenance system, and secure public and political support for long-term, systemic reform.
The Poverty Alliance– awarded £492,697.00 to fund new work to tackle rural poverty. Too often people living on low incomes in rural parts of pay a premium for essential goods and services – food, energy, transport, etc. ‘Taking Action on Rural Poverty’ (TARP) will develop new ways of addressing rural poverty in Scotland by reducing the rural poverty premium. The project will do this by bringing together people with direct experience of poverty, community and voluntary organisations, the private sector and public bodies to identify and test solutions to the poverty premium. It will also work to improve processes to involve people in local decision making and to make changes to national policy that will affect rural poverty.
Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) – awarded £249,866.00 CPAG strengthening social security project aims to ensure the delivery of Scottish Child Payment and other national and local payments provide greater financial security and stability for those on the margins of entitlement or excluded altogether. The project will develop new ways of bringing together the voice of lived experience and CPAG’s social security expertise to develop and promote approaches that will ensure more families can access Scotland-based payments, and that these payments can be relied upon throughout changes in family’s circumstances. In so doing it will not only aim to prevent families being pulled into poverty but also look to secure greater financial stability for families in Scotland.
Save the Children – awarded £249,761.00. The aim of this ambitious project is to inspire and coalesce public support around sustainable policy solutions to meet Scotland 2030 child poverty targets and deliver financial security in Scotland. The project will provide evidence and deeper insight into public attitudes across Scotland on different interventions that could sustainably drive down child poverty. Importantly, it will build a narrative framework – informed by these insights and our lived experience panel – and work with partners across the sector to ensure policy makers and campaigners have evidence on where the public has an appetite for change. Through engagement and influencing the project will build a network of champions to help ensure that findings and insights are lived and breathed and can have real world impact far beyond the lifetime of this project.
The Trussell Trust – awarded £230,000.00. The Trussell Trust is launching a three-year project that will help gain an understanding of how to provide better access to and engagement with local advice and support services that reduce destitution and prevent food bank use. The project as a whole will run pilots in six areas – Glasgow, Perth & Kinross, North Lanarkshire, Dundee, Orkney, and Aberdeenshire. By testing different models in six localities that represent key geographies of Scotland, the aim is to learn which interventions work in different areas, support community-led priorities, evaluate and learn comparatively from their experiences, and make recommendations to local and national government. The Robertson Trust is providing funding to part-fund the whole project, alongside a number of other funders.
University of Strathclyde (Fraser of Allander Institute) – awarded £158,742.00. The Fraser of Allander Institute and the Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities (SCLD) are collaborating to address the limited understanding of the additional costs of disability in Scotland. The social model of disability recognises that people are disabled by barriers in society not by their impairment or disability. The extent to which financial barriers constrain and impact the lives of people with a learning disability and their families is a key part of our research. This project, co-produced with a researcher with lived experience, will provide valuable evidence for the Scottish Government for future programmes of social security reform.
Commenting on the announcement of the new Programme Awards, Robertson Trust Head of Programmes and Practice, Russell Gunson, said: “I’m delighted to share the details of the Robertson Trust’s new programme awards today.
“Each of the awards we have made have demonstrated the potential to deliver big change that lasts on poverty and trauma in Scotland. We’re really excited to be working together to make the most of the potential for long-term change in Scotland.
“Our support comes at a time when people and places facing poverty are experiencing gale force winds against them and their living standards. We have been living through crisis after crisis, stretching back through this cost-of-living emergency, the Covid-19 pandemic and at least back to the financial crash 15 years ago.
“It is often hard to think long-term when the immediate challenges are so pressing but the Trust has protected significant funds for this long-term change work so that we can prevent poverty and trauma in the future, while also helping to make a difference here and now.
“We will only be successful if we commit to the belief that things can change – we’ve made progress before and we know we can again – if we build the participation, partnerships and coalitions necessary to make change irresistible, and if we build social change over the long-term to reshape the systems and structures that sit underneath why we have the levels of poverty, trauma and inequality that we do.
“We look forward to working with each of the projects and are keen to learn alongside them, to understand what helps and hinders in achieving our mutual ambition of ending poverty and trauma, and its negative impacts, in our society.”
Commenting on the announcement of the Programme Awards, David Reilly, Communities and Networks Manager at the Poverty Alliance said:“Rural poverty is an issue of growing concern for the Poverty Alliance.
“This important grant from Robertson Trust will not only allow us to test ideas to practically take action on rural poverty, but will also help us to strengthen the networks and relationships that we need to make long term progress on rural poverty.”
John Dickie, Director of Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland said:“Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland is delighted to be awarded funding by The Robertson Trust. This grant provides us with a unique opportunity to help shape the way Scottish Child Payment and other local and national payments support those currently on the margins.
“It will enable us to bring our expertise together with the voice of lived experience to prevent poverty and increase families financial stability by helping create more inclusive, consistent and secure financial support through the social security system”.
Satwat Rehman, CEO of One Parent Families Scotland, said:“One Parent Families Scotland is delighted to receive this funding from The Robertson Trust. Child maintenance is an issue which single parents have raised with us time and again, calling for there to be a fairer and more equitable system.
“Four in ten children in poverty in Scotland live in a single parent family but maintenance payments can contribute to the costs of raising a child and in giving them a decent quality of life.
“However, over £474 million in child maintenance in the UK has gone unpaid – money owed to children. This is an issue of children’s rights and the rights of the child to financial support.
” Working alongside our amazing partners IPPR Scotland and Fife Gingerbread we will develop ways of supporting families through the maze that is the current child maintenance system and work with families to design a model that works for them and contributes to lifting children out of poverty. “
Claire Telfer, Head of Scotland, Save the Children said:“We are thrilled to have received The Robertson Trust grant for this exciting work.
“We believe this will be a game-changing project in the development of policy and actions to drive down child poverty and we can’t wait to get started”.
David Brownlee, the Trussell Trust’s Financial Inclusion Lead, Scotland, said:“We are delighted to be partnering with The Robertson Trust for this ambitious project. The Trussell Trust has just released its end of year stats, showing the highest levels of need ever in Scotland.
“The record levels of need seen this year, represents a 50% increase in the number of parcels distributed by food banks in the Trussell Trust network in Scotland compared to five years ago in 2017/18.
“The chronic cost of living crisis has only deepened our commitment to end the need for food banks in Scotland and the whole of the Trussell Trust network – this project will play a key part in enabling us to see how to achieve that aim.”
Emma Congreve, Deputy Director of Fraser of Allander Institute, said: “The Fraser of Allander are delighted to be collaborating with SCLD and embarking on this project to produce better evidence to underpin more effective policy for people with learning disabilities in Scotland, especially as this will enable us to recruit and support a researcher with lived experience which we would not have been able to do without this investment.”
All children in Ukraine – at least 7.5 million under 18-year-olds – are in danger of physical harm, severe emotional distress and displacement, following the escalation in conflict.
As a member of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), we’ve joined forces with 14 leading aid charities to help children and families in Ukraine survive war.
Help us reach children by donating to our #Ukraine appeal today.
We’re on the border of Romania and Ukraine giving supplies to children and families in need.
We’re distributing warm clothes and blankets as temperatures plunge below freezing, providing cash and vouchers to help families pay for food, accommodation and medicines, and also offering vital mental health and education support to children whose lives have been torn apart.
You can help us reach more children and keep them safe.
A majority of people in Scotland support next month’s Scottish Government budget being used to double the Scottish Child Payment immediately, new polling released today has found, as campaigners continue to press for Kate Forbes, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy, to back the move.
The polling, conducted by Survation for the End Child Poverty coalition in Scotland, revealed that – once ‘don’t knows’ were excluded – 68% of people in Scotland support the immediate doubling of the benefit for low income families.
Among those who voted for the SNP at May’s Holyrood elections, this figure jumped to 74%. Young people aged 16-34 were even more likely to back the call, with that figure reaching 79% in favour.
It comes amid mounting pressure on the Scottish Government to respond with urgency to what campaigners are calling a “rising tide of child poverty” across Scotland. On 18th November, over 100 organisations from across Scotland wrote to Kate Forbes urging her to “do the right thing” and use December’s budget to double the payment.
While the Scottish Government have said the payment will be doubled ‘as soon as possible’ during the course of this Scottish Parliament, as of yet they have resisted calls to do so immediately. But anti-poverty campaigners have warned that, unless the Finance Secretary uses December’s budget to act immediately, Scotland’s child poverty targets risk failure.
Responding to the poll findings, Peter Kelly (Director, Poverty Alliance) said: “In Scotland, people believe in protecting one another and in doing the right thing. As this new polling makes clear, they overwhelmingly support taking action now to stem the rising tide of child poverty.
“Children and families living in the grip of poverty right now simply cannot wait. Scottish ministers must listen to people across the country who are calling on them to do the right thing, and double the Scottish Child Payment now.”
Polly Jones (Head of Scotland, Trussell Trust) said: “Families across Scotland are facing a really difficult winter. Right now, food banks in the Trussell Trust network in Scotland are giving out a food parcel every three minutes to people in crisis.
“This isn’t right, especially when we have the power to change this. Doubling the Scottish Child Payment now would be a huge boost to Scotland’s struggling families and I hope Ministers will listen to the public and act.”
Claire Telfer, head of Scotland, Save the Children, said: “This polling confirms what we know and what we’re hearing from parents and families across Scotland: the Scottish Child Payment is making a huge difference but it’s not going far enough and it needs to be doubled.
“Just last week a parent told us ‘Doubling the Scottish Child Payment would make a massive difference, any extra money a week would help.
“We know that many families with young children in Scotland are struggling to make ends meet, parents are going without food or not putting the heating on, to care for their children.
“As a society we can – and must – do better. Next month’s budget is a golden opportunity to act now and support families and drive down poverty by doubling the Scottish Child Payment.”
As restrictions lift, getting back to ‘normal’ is simply out of reach for many families and children, who are lacking the funds and resources to reconnect with friends and family, play sport, visit attractions and play outdoors.
At the same time, Oxford Brooks University research has highlighted that lockdown restrictions have had a detrimental impact on children in particular, as reduced play and more sedentary behaviour has the potential to damage their long-term development.
In response, In Kind Direct, the UK charity that distributes large scale donations of products to charitable organisations, has set it’s sights on supporting Save the Children and the #SummerOfPlay initiative aimed at helping children get mentally and physically active this summer. At it’s heart it aims to give children the summer they deserve.
Over 100,000 products have been donated to In Kind Direct so far, which they will be distributing to the 7,000 UK charitable organisations in their network across the summer.
Products include arts and crafts, board games, stationery, lunch boxes, backpacks, jigsaws, books, toys, sports kits, balls and outdoor play equipment – all to support schools, charities and community groups with their holiday activities and aiming to address the startling statistics:
Almost a quarter (23%) of children revealed they’re playing less sport and being less active than they used to be
77% of charities in In Kind Direct’s network are seeing declining health and wellbeing in their areas
76% of respondents from In Kind Direct’s charity network report people they support are feeling increasingly isolated and lonely
In Kind Direct has joined forces with a number of incredible donating organisations and brands such as; Flying Tiger Copenhagen, PZ Cussons, TCC Global, Micro Scooters, Amazon, Mitre Sports and Hasbro – all have generously donated a wide range of products that will have an incredible impact and enable charitable organisations to do so much more across the summer holidays.
Activity specialists Merlin, Junior Adventures and Big Game Hunters, have also donated generously, offering free placements at theme parks, opportunities to attend activity camps and chances to win outdoor play equipment – helping to boost physical and mental wellbeing at a time when it has been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Debbie, from Pilton Youth & Children’s Project in North Edinburgh, said: “We work with children living in an area of multiple deprivation, so we try to make summer school holidays as fun as possible.
“We want children to remember their summers and have stories to tell their children when they become adults. By giving them access to toys and fun activities they are very happy and can start to create some happy memories together.”
Rosanne Gray, In Kind Direct CEO, comments: “It’s heart-breaking to see the statistics of how much the pandemic has impacted children’s mental and physical development. Not having access to simple pleasures like a football or puzzles which many families take for granted has stopped many kids from being active and social.
“We cannot let this pandemic continue to impact physical and mental wellbeing for our younger generation, which is why we are encouraging any businesses with products or services to donate and make a difference over these summer months.”
If you are a manufacturer, retailer or supplier and want to donate contact:
Save The Children Scotland has launched “Dropped into a Cave”, a report telling the stories of how families with young children living on low income or experiencing low income for the first time fared in the last year:
‘We listened to parents across Scotland who had received one of the over 1500 Emergency Early Years Grants we issued since April 2020. We heard how the pandemic was a tipping point for many.
‘Now is the time for the newly elected members of the @ScotParl to ensure families on low incomes are prioritised, listened to and involved in decision making as we recover from the pandemic
‘We need commitments now to:
ensure holistic family support for all families, incl. financial, practical & emotional support
protect family incomes while working towards a minimum income standard
opportunities for children to play & build relationships.
Enjoy an evening of outstanding entertainment featuring baroque, traditional Scottish music and jazz. Starring Richard Michael and supported by Joanna Duncan and Hilary Michael this concert has music for all tastes.Continue reading Music for a Spring Evening at St. Serf’s
Leonardo employees at Crewe Toll wore their Christmas jumpers to work yesterday to raise funds for Save the Children – and carried out a salute as a mark of respect for the men and women in the military who serve over Christmas as part of the #saluteourforces campaign.
Hearts FC players Arnaud Djoum, Jack Hamilton and Michael Smith took over Save the Children’s charity shop on Nicolson St, Edinburgh yesterday in a ‘Christmas Jumper Off’ challenge to raise as money as possible, as well as taking part in the charity’s annual Christmas Jumper Day fundraiser.
The two teams of players, based in two of Save the Children’s Edinburgh shops on Nicholson Street and Dalry Road battled against each other, redesigning the shop window displays, taking selfies with fans and sorting through donations, all whilst wearing their tackiest knits to support their charity partner.
Sixteen families from Craigroyston Primary ‘graduated’ from a pioneering education programme this week, proven to help children achieve more in schools and strengthen their relationships with their families.
Parents and carers and their children aged three to eight, who attend Craigroyston Primary School, have successfully completed an eight week Families and School Together (FAST) programme. This is the second time the local primary School has run the programme.
The FAST programme, backed by Save the Children, supports families by working with parents and children in schools and has been endorsed by the United Nations.
Originally developed in the US by Professor Lynn McDonald, FAST now runs throughout the UK. It is entirely voluntary, open to all and is designed to give all children the chance to succeed at school.
Typical activities include singing, family games such as emotional charades and special play, sitting down together to eat a family meal and supporting parents in setting boundaries.
FAST aims to provide a fun and relaxed space for families to experience a mixture of play and learning activities, hands on coaching and support for parents and carers. Each week families can win a resource hamper to help support children’s learning in the home. The programme has high success rates in improving family relationships and links between home, school and the local community.
Save the Children say: “FAST has been so successful and the feedback we get from schools and parents is always so positive. The programme has been a great success in schools. Parents have the biggest influence on their children’s learning and development and FAST gives families the opportunity to build on this.
“We believe that every child should have a fair chance to do the best they can at school and that every family should have access to proper support in their local area.”
Total Craigroyston CLD worker Sarah Neal added: “The FAST programme was a great success. Our families got a lot out of the programme and there was a real buzz about the sessions. I’ve no doubt that they will go on to build on what they have achieved and learned together over the last few weeks.”
