Community Power aims to prevent poverty from holding children back in the early years in Glasgow. It provides practical support for families through grants and works with families and communities across the city to understand their needs, and test and share ideas for change with decision makers.
Nearly one quarter of children are affected by poverty in Scotland. With our programmes and campaigns, we aim to give every child the help they need to make their mark.
Our vision is a Scotland where all children live free from poverty and have what they need to grow and succeed; supported by strong, connected communities that listen to and act on children’s voices.
That’s why it’s devastating that one in five children, and over one in three babies grows up in poverty. It’s no wonder that families feel overlooked and ignored by politicians and let down by an economy that simply isn’t working for everyone. These shocking figures should drive us to invest in a better future for children – and for Scotland.
We want every child and their family to have enough money to thrive, to be able to access the services and help they need locally to give their children the best start in life and the power to end child poverty.
We do this by listening to, amplifying, and acting on the voices of children and families, collaborating with communities, and influencing and informing powerholders. We use evidence, insight, and strong partnerships to encourage power holders to make decisions that are right for families and for children.
Working with children, young people and families to challenge poverty
The voices and perspectives of children and families with experience of living on low incomes are at the core of everything we do. We work to ensure children and families have opportunities to share their perspectives meaningfully and that those perspectives are heard and acted on by those in power. We also work with national and community organisations, like Home-Start, across Scotland to understand the challenges facing families in communities across the country, and to work together for change.
Our policy and influencing work
Our policy and influencing work is grounded in the insights of families and children who have experienced poverty – we listen and learn from them. We work with families, communities and partners to share insights and solutions on what matters most to children and families with those in power to deliver better childhoods for all children in Scotland.
Investing in a better future for children and for Scotland means ensuring there are no limits to childhood. We’re campaigning for Scotland’s 2030 targets to be met, with strong action to boost family incomes and investment in the vital services that every family needs to thrive. We’re campaigning for better support for families with babies and joined up practical, emotional and financial support for every family.
Read all of the policy papers in our No Limits to Childhood election series here.
Better for Babies Guarantee
Investing in our youngest citizens is how we sow the seeds of better childhoods today and a brighter tomorrow for Scotland. To ensure every family with a baby is financially secure and has access to high-quality services, we need the Scottish Government to introduce a Better for Babies Guarantee by increasing Best Start payments and Whole Family Support. With 1 in 3 Scottish families with a baby living in poverty, now is the time for urgent and bold action to ensure babies can be happy, healthy, and thrive.
Changing the Story
Changing the Story aims to tell a new story of child poverty in Scotland. Working with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation we created a practical guide to help campaigners talk about child poverty in a way that connects with the public, builds support for bold policy solutions, and drives action to create a better future for every child in Scotland. The guide is based on new evidence from public attitudes research, message testing and insights from parents with experience of poverty.
Our work in Scotland
Community power
family grants
Rising costs of housing, food and childcare mean that too many families in Scotland are having to make impossible choices. Delivered via a network of community partners, Family Grants provide practical, immediate help to families facing financial hardship. Families receive up to £300 that can be used flexibly on the day-to-day essentials they need to support their children.
child power
We’re working with the Children’s Parliament to find out what matters most to children to tackle child poverty. Child Power will grow a Scotland-wide movement of child activists, giving them a louder voice in campaigning to address the causes and impact of child poverty in a way that improves children’s lives and focusses on the action and policy change they care about.
from struggle to stability
We’re working with Close the Gap to gather evidence on young mothers’ employment experiences and use this to influence employment practice and policymaking so that young mothers have increased access to fair work and reduced poverty. We are working with a group of parents to deliver a creative campaign so that young mothers better understand their employment rights and employers better understand how to support them.
CHILDREN'S RIGHTS TRAINING TOOL
As part of our work with the Scottish Government, we would like to promote the following Children's Rights Training Tool.
'Introducing Children's Rights' is a 10-minute training kit aimed at helping you get and understanding of children’s rights, rights frameworks (e.g. UNCRC) and rights-based legislation (e.g. the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014). The kit provides practical tips on how we can all promote and protect children's rights, such as by listening to children, reporting abuse, and advocating for policy changes.
REPORTS AND RESOURCES
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Reports and Publications
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2026 Holyrood Election: Supporting Families for Better Childhoods
Published April 20262026 Holyrood Election: Getting to 2030
Published April 20262026 Holyrood Election: A Better for Babies Guarantee
Published March 2026Families' priorities for action to tackle child poverty: Evidence from parents of babies and young children living on a low income in Scotland 2022-2024
This report shares evidence and lived experiences to shape Scotland’s Child Poverty Delivery Plan and strengthen family support.
Published in January 2025Parents' experiences and views on supporting early learning and development (at home)
Independent research commissioned by Save the Children, conducted by The Lines Between.
Published in November 2023Better for Babies Briefing
With 34% of families with a baby under one living in poverty in Scotland, further significant action must be taken to reduce these rates and improve outcomes for babies and their families.
Published in September 2023Tipping the scales: The social and economic harm of poverty in Scotland
With IPPR Scotland and Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Discover the damaging impacts of poverty on individuals and our economy, and how bold action can unlock Scotland's collective prosperity.
Published on 31 May 2023Delivering for Families?
With the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) - Family’s responses to recent Scottish Government budgets and policies aimed at tacking poverty.
Published on 22 June 2022Tackling Child Poverty & Destitution
With The Trussell Trust - How The Scottish Child Payment and the Scottish Welfare Fund can go further and faster to protect people across Scotland from the coming storm.
Published in March 2022Dropped into a Cave
How families with young children experienced Lockdown.
Published in 2021Thriving at two and beyond
Improving uptake of funded early learning & childcare for 2-year-olds.
Published on 19 June 2019FAST Forward
Findings from independent research by The Robert Owen Centre for Educational Change at the University of Glasgow, into the FAST programme.
Published in 2015Ready to read – Scotland
Closing the early language skills gap so every child reads well. On behalf of the Read On. Get On. campaign.
First published in 2015Learning lessons
With Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People (SCCYP) - Young people’s views on poverty and education in Scotland.
First published in 2014A fair start for every child
Why we must act now to tackle child poverty in the UK.
First published in 2014
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News and Press Releases
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27 March 2025 - Save the Children Scotland statement on today’s child poverty statistics
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Briefings and Policy Papers
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May 2026
Expanding Childcare: Briefing for debate (May 2026)
September 2025
A better for babies guarantee: boosting the impact of best start payments in the first 12 months
March 2025
September 2024
Child Poverty Briefing Paper (September 2024)
June 2024
Child Poverty Briefing Paper (June 2024)
February 2024
Save the Children 2024-25 Budget Briefing
September 2023
April 2023
Scottish Government Debate: Supporting Scotland with the Cost of Living and Reducing Child Poverty
August 2022
Briefing: Cost of Living Crisis - Protecting children in Scotland from the cost-of-living crisis
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Resources
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Early Years Research Tender
Parents experiences and views on supporting early learning and development (at home)
Applications close on 17 March 2023Play Scotland Resources
We teamed up with Play Scotland to create two Play Well packs, which are packed full of suggestions, ideas and tips to support children's play and learning at home.There are games and activities designed for children aged three to six. These can easily be changed to suit younger or older children too. Lots of these activities help develop the skills that will be a good start for when they begin or go back to school.
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Scotland Blogs
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Volunteers' Week 2024 - Meet our some of our volunteers
3 June 2024
Read about the work of some of our amazing volunteers from across Scotland and the UK.Underlining the value of the early years
15 January 2024
Fiona King, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Save Scotland makes the case for focusing policy, practice and resource on the youngest children.Why we can’t wait for progress on closing the attainment gap
15 December 2023
Fiona King, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Save the Children looks at the latest attainment gap figures in Scotland.Changing the poverty story in Scotland
12 December 2023
At Save the Children, we are working with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation to change the story about child poverty in Scotland.Parents voices need to shape the next steps on early child development in Scotland
04 December 2023
Stefanie Keir outlines the findings of new research which highlights Scottish parents' experiences and views on supporting their babies early development and learning. This research was carried out by social research agency, The Lines Between.Why NOW is the time to act on child poverty in Scotland
23 June 2023
Fiona King looks at the Scottish government’s latest report on how they are delivering on a commitment to drive down child poverty.Child Poverty 'TIpping the Scales' in Scotland
30 May 2023
Read our research that makies the economic case for bolder action to drive down poverty and invest in all families being financially secureOur message to Scotland's new First Minister
29 March 2023
Latest child poverty figures should be a wake up call for Scotland's new First Minister.What does the UK budget mean for children in Scotland?
17 March 2023
Could Scotland use extra cash to extend free early learning and childchare?The undeniable link between poverty and the climate emergency
07 October 2022
Poverty and the climate emergency are two sides of the same coin, that can and need to be addressed togetherAll eyes on Scotland's emergency budget
05 October 2022
Suzi Murning looks at what policies the Scottish Government should announce as part of the Emergency Budget ReviewReal life stories: Listening to parents to challenge poverty
04 October 2022
Challenge Poverty Week 2022: Listening to parents real life experience of poverty in the UK, and using these to take actionScotland's Cost of Living Crisis
06 September 2022
How children living in the grip of poverty are suffering the most in Scotland's Cost of Living CrisisChild poverty in Scotland: What the numbers tell us
28 July 2022
Suzi Murning looks at the latest figures on child poverty and what needs to happen nowAre we delivering for families?
22 June 2022
Fiona King outlines findings of a new report into child povery in scotland with partners JRFWhy doubling the Scottish Child Payment can't happen soon enough
17 November 2021
No parent in Scotland should be going hungry to feed their child. this budget comes at a critical time for delivering on child poverty ambitions.
FIND OUT MORE
For more information about our work in Scotland, please call us on 0131 527 8200 or click the link below to send an email.
Email us
Follow Save the Children Scotland on:
Twitter @SaveChildrenSCO
BlueSky @savechildrensco.bsky.social
Instagram @savethechildrenscot
LinkedIn save-the-children-scotland
DONATIONS
For any questions around donations please contact our Supporter Care Team on 020 7012 6400
Please send any donations to our head office in London for processing: Save the Children, 1 St John's Lane, Farringdon, London EC1M 4AR
