More than £2 million will fund wrap-around support to households.
The Scottish Government will invest nearly £2.2 million to enable
the Wise Group to provide wrap-around support to individuals and
families on low incomes in six local authority areas.
The investment, from the Tackling Child Poverty Fund, was
announced by Social Justice Secretary during a Scottish
Parliament debate on supporting households with cost-of-living
pressures and rising energy bills.
It will allow the Wise Group to continue with work which has so
far helped 3,200 households, enabling people to find work,
increase their skills and improve their financial situation.
The wrap-around nature of the support means mentors from the Wise
Group are also able to support people to improve their mental
health and wellbeing.
Ms Somerville said:
“We know people continue to face pressures with the cost of
living and the recent announcement that energy bills are set to
rise again this month will only add to those pressures.
“The Wise Group work we are funding, offers support not just with
an immediate crisis, but aims to help people make long-term
improvements to their financial stability, helping them to access
help with issues such as childcare, training and finding
sustainable work.
“Eradicating child poverty is the Scottish Government's
overriding mission. This year's budget commits more than £3
billion to a range of actions to tackle poverty and the cost of
living. However our efforts are undermined by the social
security policies of the UK Government, not least the two-child
cap which prevents parents from claiming universal credit for
more than two children.
“That is why we will develop the systems necessary to effectively
scrap the impact of the two-child cap in 2026. The Child Poverty
Action Group estimates that scrapping the cap in Scotland could
lift 15,000 children out of poverty.”
Sean Duffy, Wise Group Chief Executive said:
"This investment is a vital opportunity to rethink how we deliver
services, strengthen local partnerships, and take a preventative,
‘invest to save' approach that drives lasting change in tackling
poverty."
Background:
The funding of £2.185 million will enable the Wise Group to
continue its work in six local authority areas for 2025-26:
Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire,
Renfrewshire and Scottish Borders.
The Scottish Budget for 2025-26 contains a wide range of measures
to help individuals and families with the cost of living and to
help eradicate child poverty:
- more than £3 billion to a range of actions to tackle poverty
and the cost of living
- more than £6.9 billion for benefits expenditure - almost £1.3
billion more than the UK Government gives to the Scottish
Government for social security
- £768 million to boost delivery through the affordable housing
supply programme and support the delivery of at least 8,000
affordable homes.
- more than £2.6 billion to support public transport and to
make our transport system available, affordable and accessible to
all, making it easier for parents to access employment, training
and skills opportunities and the services that they need to
navigate their way out of poverty.
- around £40 million to expand meals to children in receipt of
Scottish Child Payment in primaries 6 and 7, and to trial an
expansion for those in S1 to S3 in eight local authority areas.
- a universal pension-age winter heating payment from winter
2025-26 of at least £100 for every Scottish pensioner household,
with those in receipt of a relevant low-income benefit receiving
£200 or £300 depending on their age.
