Throughout November, Save the Children spoke to fifty-five parents in Scotland about how they are coping this winter amidst the cost-of-living crisis. The response? They’re not. The hardship so many families with children are facing is simply unbearable.
“Just being... in our circumstance and not knowing what’s going to happen is a horrible feeling.”
We know from these conversations with parents that some children have stopped asking for things they need because they know there is no money, and that children are cold and hungry in their homes this winter. One parent told us that her youngest child overhead her speaking about how she was struggling with bills and, taking this worry to heart, the child found five pence in the street and gave it to the mother to put towards the bills.
This year, babies will have their first winter in cold and damp homes. Children will not understand why Santa cannot come to their home. Christmas dinner for some children will come from a foodbank
Children don’t deserve to live like this. Despite the welcome progress that has been made by the Scottish Government, for a country whose national mission is to “eradicate child poverty,” these stories show that we have a long way to go before realising this vision.
That is why it is critical that the Scottish Government’s budget on 15th December not only sets out how the Scottish Government will protect children in the next financial year but how they will continue to prioritise efforts to eradicate child poverty in Scotland.
When asked to describe the crisis in one word, parents said it was “crippling,” “a nightmare,” “overwhelming,” and felt like they were “helpless” and playing “survival games.”
Parents spoke to us about all the big issues they face, issues which make it extremely difficult for them to manage the significant increase in costs they are facing: insufficient income from social security; a lack of quality, affordable and accessible childcare; employers who provide little or no flexibility with shifts, meaning parents are unable to increase their hours or take up employment at all, and low pay.
“I feel overwhelmed at work and I’m trying to do more hours to get by.”
While each family’s particular set of challenges are unique, one thing they all have in common is that the severe hardship they are facing is having an immensely damaging effect on their mental health. This is a highly significant issue – one that seems to be coming up more and more – and it is doubly impactful for families because parents' wellbeing is so intrinsically linked to the wellbeing of children, especially babies.
“They ask all these questions when you need a crisis loan and it’s hard when you’re in crisis and you need out.”
At Save the Children we have been pushing the Scottish Government to take further and faster action on all these issues. The most recent Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan (TCPDP) sets out an ambition roadmap to building a society where parents can find decent, well-paid employment and where barriers to sustaining employment are removed, where they have easier access to the support they need, and where children can play, learn, and thrive. But the economic environment and the cost-of-living crisis mean delivering on that ambition is even more challenging.
And while the Scottish Government is set to meet the interim relative child poverty reduction targets by 2023 – in large part due to the increases in value and entitlement of the Scottish Child Payment – assessing progress made against relative child poverty rates risks masking the depth of hardship being experienced. Progress towards meeting our targets is warmly welcomed, but the dramatic rise in living costs means those children who will be lifted out of poverty are unlikely to see this translate into a rise in living standards.
“The Scottish Child Payment’s gone up from £10, £20, to £25 a week per child’ but it still doesn’t match inflation.”
In a recent article we highlighted that, while the Scottish Government will have to make tough decisions in the budget due to unprecedented financial constraints, families living on the lowest incomes are facing impossible choices.
This is why we launched our #InvestInChildren campaign. We have been highlighting the real sorrow and hardship that too many families are facing this winter, many of whom were already struggling to get by even before the crisis hit. We want to urge the Scottish Government to ensure that choices made in the upcoming budget fully protect spending commitments made in the TCPDP.
Children’s futures start with choices made today, so we must ensure that choices made in the budget will not harm children in the longer term.
“It’s frightening to think about what could happen in the future.”
