Innovative approaches to providing families with locally-based
wrap-around support will be backed in five more areas as part of
£1.57 million of additional investment this financial year.
The Fairer Futures Partnerships will ensure services are
integrated to help families where and when they need it. The
partnerships will build on the learning from three pathfinder
projects in Dundee, Glasgow and Clackmannanshire. In Dundee and
Glasgow these have seen key-workers helping at-risk families and
‘walking alongside' them until the right services or support have
been identified and provided, and changing the way services are
offered. In Clackmannanshire activities have focused on
supporting the community around the child, using schools as
anchor points for breakfast clubs, after-school childcare,
holiday provision, food services, childcare support and
transportation to support holistic child development and family
wellbeing .
The five new partnerships are in Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, East
Ayrshire, Aberdeen and Perth and Kinross.
Speaking ahead of a debate on Eradicating Child Poverty in the
Scottish Parliament, Social Justice Secretary said:
“Eradicating child poverty is the Scottish Government's single
greatest priority, but this relies on the contribution of many
partners.
“Five additional ‘Fairer Futures' partnerships within local
authorities will now be established.
"We know families will only be able to thrive if they have access
to the right support at the right time. Designing services around
people's needs means they work better for low-income families,
for example to help maximise their incomes, support parents into
work and improve the overall wellbeing of families.
“We want to work together with local government to deliver our
shared priorities, which include tackling child poverty, to embed
this model of whole family support with the potential for this to
continue to be expanded further over time to more parts of the
country.”
Background:
The initial three Place-based Partnerships have been focused on
supporting public service reform to tackle child poverty, testing
new ways of working in collaboration with local authorities and
third sector partners, providing holistic support to families in
the place and at the time they need it.
Existing Place-based Partnerships in Glasgow, Dundee and
Clackmannanshire will continue and we are providing them with
combined funding of more than £1 million in 2024-25.
