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Projects to share over £2.5 million funding.

Four projects are set to share over £2.5 million of funding to help tackle poverty in Scotland.

The funding comes ahead of the publication of ‘Child Poverty Strategy for Scotland: Our Approach 2014-17’. The strategy aims to tackle the causes of poverty by addressing them early and sets out plans to maximise household incomes and make sure all children have the same chances in life.

The £2.5 million will be used to provide advice to people dealing with the impacts of Westminster welfare reforms, give advice on managing debts and household budgets as well as encouraging employers to adopt the ‘Scottish Living Wage’ and engaging communities in tackling poverty.

Over the next two years MacMillan will receive £900,000, Child Poverty Action Group will receive £750,000, One Parent Families Scotland will receive £424,000 and Poverty Alliance will receive £433,000.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:

“It is shocking that there are children in Scotland still living in poverty. We want to be a modern, dynamic country – and that is simply not possible while some in our society are trapped in poverty.

“We know there have been improvements to the number of people who are living in poverty in recent years – we also know that this progress is under threat from the changes to the welfare system.

“For example, because of changes to child and working tax credit, the average household in receipt of these benefits will be £700 a year worse off.

“Today we are setting out how we plan to use £2.5 million to help fund advice and support services that provide front-line help to hard-pressed families.

“But we know that this is not enough - only independence can provide the powers needed to tackle poverty. We want to develop a society that not only provides fair support and decent opportunities for all but also protects the vulnerable in our society. And the only way to guarantee that is to have possession of the powers to deliver it.”

Head of Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, John Dickie said:

“This funding is vital to helping CPAG in Scotland ensure individuals and organisations working on the frontline have the high quality advice, information and training they need to support families secure the financial support they are entitled to, both when parents are in and out of work. Maximising family incomes is critical to preventing and eradicating child poverty.”

Elspeth Atkinson, Director of Macmillan Cancer Support in Scotland said:

“This funding will allow Macmillan to continue to give financial and benefits advice to parents, carers and grandparents to ensure they can support their families following a cancer diagnosis.

“There is a huge hidden price tag that comes with cancer, having Macmillan benefits advisers in Scotland’s cancer centres is vital to ensure everyone gets the help they need.”

Peter Kelly, Director of the Poverty Alliance, said:

“We are grateful to the Scottish Government for the continued financial support of the work of the Poverty Alliance. This funding enables us to maintain a network of civil society organizations and groups that can come together to highlight the problems of poverty.

"Perhaps most importantly, it allows us to support people with direct experience of poverty to speak out and to challenge the many myths that exist about poverty in Scotland. If we are to make real progress in tackling poverty it is vital that we continue to listen to these experiences and act on them. ”