We are proud to work alongside children, families and communities to better understand the challenges they face and what needs to change to make sure every child has the chance to thrive.
But how do we turn what we learn through our work into meaningful change for children and families across Scotland?
Last week we launched Childhood Matters, a new series sharing insights from our work with children, families and community partners to help inform policy and practice across Scotland.
This is a series of short, accessible papers bringing together evidence from families’ experiences, frontline partners and Save the Children’s wider insight to influence change. We’ll share practical insights from our work, highlighting the experiences of children and families, and exploring how this learning can inform policy and practice. Our aim is to contribute to the conversations that matter, helping decision-makers, practitioners and partners understand what works, where the gaps are and importantly, what needs to happen next to improve children’s lives.
Our first paper focuses on our Family Grants, exploring the role of crisis support in helping families experiencing, or at risk of, poverty.
Supporting families when they need it most
For families facing financial hardship, unexpected costs can quickly become overwhelming. Essential items that many people take for granted can become difficult to afford, putting additional pressure on parents who are already struggling to make ends meet.
Through our Family Grants, delivered in partnership with community organisations, families can access up to £300 towards essential items. The grant provides practical help with immediate costs through trusted local partners as part of community-based whole family support.
It also offers an opportunity to learn directly from families about the challenges they face and the support that makes a difference.
Our first Childhood Matters paper explores this learning and what it tells us about how families experiencing poverty can be better supported.
One message is clear: crisis support matters, but it cannot stand alone.
For many families, incomes are simply not enough to make ends meet. The grants are embedded in the offer of our network of community partners who offer whole family support in the communities where families are, providing additional and ongoing support. The grants cannot address the underlying causes of poverty. Families need to be able to meet their everyday needs without having to rely on crisis support in the first place.
That means ensuring every family has access to an adequate income, and high-quality services that provide the right support at the right time.
Turning learning into change
We believe that the experiences of children and families should help shape the policies and services that affect their lives. Listening to children and families, and learning alongside our community partners, is essential to developing responses that meet families’ needs and tackle the root causes of poverty.
The Childhood Matters Insights Series will provide a platform to share this learning more widely, connecting what we see through our work with the wider changes needed to give every child the best possible start in life.
Our first paper is an important starting point. By exploring the lessons from Family Grants, we want to contribute to a better understanding of how immediate, practical support can work alongside the longer-term changes needed to tackle child poverty.
Ultimately, our ambition is for every child to grow up with the security, opportunities and support they need to thrive.
Childhood matters. And what we learn from children and families must help shape the changes that make a difference to their lives.
Read the first paper in our Childhood Matters Insights Series: Family Grants – learning from our work with families.
