Save the Children boss demands action on Scots child poverty scandal

The Herald Scotland

04-05-2025

'I feel sad and angry,' she adds. Little wonder, given that more than one in three families with babies in this country now live in poverty.
The head of Save the Children in Scotland has just been recounting how there are parents across the nation who must choose between the cost of a bus fare to take their child to the doctor or putting food on the table; how mums and dads need to think twice about whether to run a bath; and how families can't afford decent clothes.
There are parents in Scotland 'missing meals all the time', she says, preferring to go hungry so their children can eat. 'Unfortunately, that's common.' Families in poverty 'are just surviving', Telfer says. 'They're not living, they're not thriving.'
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'No child should be hungry. It's time for action to eradicate child poverty'
In Scotland today, one in four children live in poverty.
Political decision-making has taken us to this point, she makes clear. UK government policies – like the two-child benefit cap – 'are harming children', Telfer says. In Scotland, the problem is lack of government action. 'We want to see the Scottish Government use the full extent of its powers to tackle poverty,' she adds.
Telfer is currently sculpting a plan to nudge the UK and Scottish governments into action by harnessing the power of public opinion. Evidently, politicians tend to act when they think the people back them.
Claire Telfer is one of the country's most influential charity chiefs
Many politicians have long pushed a 'shirkers versus strivers' narrative when it comes to poverty, with those on low incomes called 'scroungers' who fritter money away on expensive TVs, or accused of spending benefits on drink and drugs.
Telfer makes clear that most people in poverty are also in work; that people on low incomes are the 'best budgeters in our society'; and that drink and drugs affect the middle-class as much as the poor.
Poverty, she stresses, is a 'structural' and 'systemic' problem, not an 'individual' problem. It's caused by low wages, poor housing and inadequate childcare. If you are born poor, your life chances are hugely curtailed. Poverty isn't down to personal choice. Nobody wakes up and decides to be poor.
Telfer believes research which Save the Children commissioned can help 'give politicians the courage' to take the difficult policy decisions needed to alleviate poverty, like legislating for wealth taxes.
Save the Children's findings reshape how we think of public attitudes to poverty. Far from being hard-hearted, 85% of Scots say they are concerned about the number of children in poverty. More than half say they know families in their own neighbourhoods struggling to get by.
Drugs
The public are also aware that poverty isn't a personal choice, but a 'systemic' issue. When asked about the main causes of child poverty, people didn't say drink, drugs, individual decisions, or buying luxuries. Rather, 83% said the high cost of essentials; 45% said lack of affordable housing; 44% said insufficient job opportunities; and 31% said lack of accessible childcare.
The public also wants to see greater action to end child poverty. More than 85% support more affordable, good-quality social housing for families; improved pay and conditions for low-paid workers; and all parents having access to quality, flexible childcare.
Additionally, 75% of Scots support a 'minimum income guarantee' to ensure that family finances are sufficient. Nearly half say decision-makers aren't doing enough, and only 6% say the government is taking 'significant and effective action'.
You can see why Save the Children calls its research 'Changing the Story'. The study involved surveying more than 3,000 people across Scotland. Save the Children says it shows 'real public appetite for change', and for the government to 'go further, faster on child poverty ahead of the 2026 Holyrood elections'.
What the findings certainly do is focus the minds of politicians on whether they are 'keeping up with public attitudes'.
'Right now,' says Telfer, 'too many of the narratives about child poverty focus on the actions of individual families. We've found that the public understand the barriers that families face.'
She adds: 'People are clear that governments should shoulder the responsibility for tackling child poverty.'
Even though there's still 'a significant proportion of the public in Scotland [who] also believe there's a degree
of individual responsibility… our national conversation must focus on the actions that decision-makers can take to remove the barriers for families living in poverty – not blaming the families themselves'.
Save the Children Scotland wants the SNP government to hike the Scottish Child Payment, which currently stands at £27.15 weekly, to £40 by the end of this parliament.
However, in order to fulfil its mission – legislated for in the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 – of having less than 10% of children in 'relative poverty' by 2030, the government would 'need to go further still in the next Parliament', Telfer adds.
In March, it emerged that the government had missed its milestone interim targets of cutting child poverty. The government was supposed to have reduced relative poverty to 18% and absolute poverty to 14%. Instead the figures were 22% and 17% respectively.
This last week, as part of The Herald's investigative series into child poverty, First Minister John Swinney claimed increasing the child payment would keep families from seeking work. He angered charities by saying that upping the payment would 'reduce the incentive to actually enter the labour market'.
FM John Swinney
Babies
TELFER dismissed the First Minister's claims, saying: 'There's no evidence that the Scottish Child Payment acts as a disincentive to work. Most families in receipt of the payment are in work. Politicians of all parties need to dig deeper and get to grips with the realities families are facing.
'It's unhelpful to link increasing social security as a disincentive to work. It's not either/or. We need increases to social security and good, flexible, well-paid jobs.
'We won't end child poverty if we pit one against the other.'
To underscore just how severe life is for many in Scotland, she said there has been an increase in the number of 'families with a baby living in poverty', to 35%. 'It's deeply concerning that for many families having a baby pushes them into poverty at a time of crucial child development. We want to see a guarantee that no baby in Scotland is born into poverty.'
Telfer describes the level of child poverty 'in Scotland and the UK as a collective failure that's on all of us –government, campaigners, charities, the public sector. We see poverty almost accepted as the norm. We should never accept child poverty'.
She adds: 'We've seen the growth of foodbanks, baby banks. Essential needs aren't being met for families. We're in a state of crisis, emergency, where families are doing the best they can – doing everything to protect their children – but living in poverty means you just don't have enough to provide all the essentials. So what we constantly hear is parents sacrificing meals and clothes for themselves to support their children and sometimes that's not enough.
'The common story across the UK, across Scotland, is there's just not enough money to feed the family, provide clothing, and heat the home, particularly in winter. Children miss out opportunities we'd expect for any child, whether that's birthday parties or learning opportunities.'
Poverty impacts child development from pregnancy onwards, she says. Last year, it emerged that British children were getting shorter due to poverty. 'Cognitive development' is harmed by poverty – meaning 'worse outcomes' educationally – as is health. Long term, the effects of poverty 'lead to worse outcomes' in adulthood for those who grow up poor.
'Parents going without a meal – that kind of sacrifice – is a common experience. Telfer asks: 'Is that acceptable in 2025 in Scotland?'
Children's 'self-esteem' is damaged by experiences like not being able to go on school trips, or afford school uniforms. 'I don't think that ever leaves people,' she adds.
Research by Save the Children showed that, if you grow up poor, you'll have 25% lower income aged 30 than if you didn't grow up poor. The unemployment rate for those who grew up poor is 16%, compared to 2% for others. 'That tells a story about hardship,' Telfer explains.
As she points out, this all clearly 'has an impact on public services'. The connection between been higher rates of ill health and poverty is well established. Failing to tackle poverty costs the state money. Less poverty means lower benefits bills and higher tax intake.
Economy
SAVE the Children research shows that £2.3 billion 'of Scottish health board budgets are directed towards responding to the impact of poverty. We spend at least a quarter of a billion yearly addressing the consequences of poverty in schools'.
'So it's a missed opportunity for each individual who isn't able to reach their full potential but also for society as a whole,' says Telfer. 'Imagine a Scotland full of people supported to reach their full potential and where that could take us. Recognising that we need to invest in good childhoods from birth makes a difference, not just to individuals but to all of us in terms of the economic impact for us as a society.'
Telfer's goal is getting that message through to the public so politicians change course. 'It's about the structural barriers that create poverty, the political choices, the systems, the lack of support and opportunity. But how do we tell that story in ways that more people who haven't experienced poverty directly in childhood understand the impact on individuals and the collective good of our society and economy? How do we have that mature, grown-up conversation as a country?'
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In terms of political failure, Scotland comes off better than the UK. The Scottish Government has the 'right diagnosis' on poverty. The government is clear that poverty is 'about lack of income, the high cost of living, low wages and a social security system that isn't helping people meet the essentials'.
However, what Scotland needs is 'a stronger prescription. We know the things that are needed to support children but we're not doing them quickly enough. We're not bold enough'.
Public support is key to getting the government to act. 'We need significant changes to public policy, which means we need to maximise public support and demonstrate demand for more action to reduce high levels of poverty.'
That's what Save the Children's 'Changing the Story' research is all about: capturing the truth about public attitudes and using the facts to nudge government in the right direction.
'People can see poverty in their communities and they want more done about it. People recognise the big policy areas where we need to make a shift.'
The 'good news' is that, despite 80,000 children living in poverty in Scotland, overall child poverty is 'reducing in Scotland, whereas it's actually rising in the rest of the UK, and that's a direct result of Scottish Government policies, particularly the child payment. That's fantastic and should be welcomed.
'But those statistics don't get across the true extent of the scale of poverty in Scotland. When you look behind the statistics, you see in some parts of Glasgow more than one-third of children are in poverty, closer to half in some communities.'
Those most at risk of poverty include single parents, families with disabilities, young mums, minority ethnic families, and families with babies. Poverty for families with babies has increased from 34% to 35%.
'The impact of poverty on babies and young children can be more significant than in later years, because the early years are the golden years in terms of children's development. Everything that happens in the first 1,001 days is so significant for brain development and future learning.
'For some families, having a baby is creating poverty. How do we get to a point where we have a 'baby guarantee'
– that no baby is born into poverty? If we get it right, we prevent children from falling back [in terms of outcomes] from the impact of poverty.'
Development
WE need a 'preventative approach', rather than dealing with the consequences of poverty further down the line when children have grown up. 'How do we create a society where a family's income doesn't predict the outcomes of children from when they're babies? There's strong evidence which shows the link between lack of money and children's outcomes. The strongest correlation between lack of money in early years and children's outcomes is in cognitive development.'
Cognitive development suffers as parents can't afford books and toys to aid learning, time to sing to or play with children is constrained due to parents 'working two jobs just to stay afloat', and parents are unable to provide activities like trips to museums due to travel costs. Being unable to provide these opportunities has a knock-on effect for 'parents' mental health'.
Telfer adds: 'If families get the right support, then it's not inevitable that growing up in poverty means that children will fall behind or miss out on opportunities.'
Claims that poor families are scroungers, addicts or drunks infuriate Telfer. 'Poverty is misunderstood,' she says.
'Issues like addiction aren't poverty. They may compound poverty, but they equally affect families who have money. It's very frustrating.
'We need to be clear that poverty is about lack of money, not addiction.'
Among poor families, she stresses, 'there's no poverty of ambition for their children. There's lack of opportunities. Every parent wants the best for their child and a better life than they had. You can't budget your way out of poverty'.
She rolls her eyes at those who say you can't be poor if you have access to television, for example.
What those in poverty really need is 'power'. They need to have a say in the decisions that are taken about their lives, and that includes children. 'We can make better policy if those who are using the services are involved. Lived experience should be at the heart of policy.'
People experiencing poverty understand the issues much better than politicians. 'Part of the reason social problems become so entrenched is that those affected have the least power.'
Telfer thinks that a commissioner for families in poverty – similar to the children's commissioner – is worth consideration. 'Parenting is hard for everyone. Put a layer on top of that in terms of dealing with poverty and it's much more complicated.'
Although Save the Children campaigns for youngsters around the planet, Telfer resists any comparison between what's happening here and in the developing world.
Stark
NEVERTHELESS, her summation is stark: 'The severity and depth of poverty that we're seeing some families face in Scotland today is really difficult and a lot of people maybe just wouldn't believe it exists in Scotland.
'I feel sad and angry about the current situation for children. Sad in terms of the missed opportunities – the missed potential – for children and their families, and angry about the fact we know what can help. It's not complicated what needs to be put in place. It's just not seen as required.
'Poverty doesn't have to hold children back. The fact that we're in a society where money determines outcomes to such an extent is really sad and frustrating. We know that unequal societies have the worse outcomes. The anger I feel is around how we get to the point of distributing the resources we have more evenly so that everybody gets a chance to reach their full potential.'
The Scottish Government 'has set tackling child poverty as their priority, but are we really tying it into every policy area', she asks. 'Are we thinking about what the impact on the NHS would be if we did more to tackle child poverty?
'Ultimately, it's about political choices, where we prioritise and spend money.' Telfer says policy needs to 'shift from crisis to intervention. That requires additional investment, and longer-term thinking in contrast to shorter election cycles'. Policies on issues like housing and health need synched together.
For Telfer, there's a 'gap between what the Scottish Government says and what it does. They talk a good game but suffer from an implementation gap. It might have good policy but it's not following through into making a real impact on families' lives'.
She did stress, however, that policies like the child payment were 'absolutely game-changing', although it does need increased.
Blame extends to opposition parties. Telfer notes that when statistics were published in March on the failure to meet interim targets for reducing child poverty, it wasn't mentioned in Parliament. 'In terms of scrutiny, it was the whole Parliament which signed up to the 2030 targets, not just government.
'With a year to go to the next election, all parties need to step up about what they would do to tackle child poverty. How can we take this issue above party politics?'
The 2030 targets 'can be met, but not without significantly more action', she adds. 'My frustration is wanting to see progress faster and more of it. In order to get to the 2030 targets, we need bolder action and investment, and to do that quickly. Social security must be part of that equation.'
Telfer referred to the decision by Humza Yousaf, when first minister, to cut the affordable housing budget while 10,000 children were homeless. He also claimed that child poverty was a priority.
It 'seemed at odds with tackling child poverty', she says.
'How are we assessing decisions? What's the impact assessment on child poverty of a decision on something like housing? We need to get much better at that. We have to take a holistic approach across government to make sure everything is working in the same direction.'
Jobs
SHE adds: 'We know that, to improve children's outcomes, we need to look at both income and services. They both have about the same impact. We need to do both together. It's not one or the other.'
That means investing in services like the charity Home-Start, which is funded by the government and supports families in financial need or with health or disability issues.
However, cuts mean Home-Start services are closing or losing staff. 'When money is tight, statutory services are prioritised,' says Telfer, 'and things like community-based family support are the first to go. But, actually, we know that in the long term they're the backbone of all other support. So to not have that creates gaps and holes in the system, and families fall through the cracks.'
When it comes to income, what's required is 'investing in social security' and 'creating more flexible, well-paid jobs for parents, particularly mums. That's critical in the long-term'. Better childcare is essential so parents can work. But how do we fund these policies in an era of austerity?
'We need to look at how we raise money, whether that's through wealth taxes, income tax or reform of the council tax system… We need to look at whether those who can afford more contribute to that system'. Scotland also needs 'more scrutiny on how we spend money as well'.
The UK Government's two-child limit 'is a cruel policy that has a severely negative impact on families and pushes 15,000 children into poverty in Scotland every year. It's great that the Scottish Government is going to mitigate that impact, but we'd prefer to see the policy reversed at UK level'. Telfer also 'worries about the cuts' to disabled benefits.
'We're concerned that some of the decisions the UK Government has made have actually made poverty worse. Child poverty is increasing under this government. They've said they want to reduce child poverty, that it's one of their priorities, but we've yet to see any progress or policies that are turning the tide.
'In fact, some of the decisions are making it worse. We need different thinking from the UK Government and we'll be pushing the UK Government particularly on the two-child limit and reversing some of the decisions around families with disabilities.
'The UK Government has an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to supporting children and childhood in Scotland. The best way to do that would be through the social security system.'
Poverty is a 'compounding' factor when it comes to the emotional state of children, already burdened by social media and Covid. When Save the Children talks to families in poverty,
'it couldn't be clearer that mental health is a big one, almost every parent mentioned it'.
Telfer adds: 'There's a dearth of support for families who really need it. There's no doubt poverty has an impact on feelings of being valued, dignity, and respect, whether that's children or parents. It stays with people.'
Judgement
IN Scotland, she notes, the state is less judgemental. 'There are good examples of how we're doing it differently in Scotland. The social security system, for example, is founded on dignity and respect, which has been different to what's been in place in other parts of the country. So there's a lot to build on.'
She adds: 'The government had a laudable ambition that Scotland would be the best place in the world to grow up. We're not achieving that at the moment. It's definitely the case that some policies are harming children, and that's a terrible place to be as a society.
'So we need to end the two-child limit. But we also need to be clear about what a good childhood means and have a public conversation about that so we agree on the core elements: that every child feels loved and safe and protected and has food on the table, heating, all the basic stuff, and also access to opportunities.
'You know the quote: it takes a village to raise a child. It's all our responsibility in terms of bringing up children. Obviously parents have an important role, but there's a collective societal role as well.'
There's a saying within Save the Children, Telfer explains, that 'ending child poverty is possible, but it's not probable'.
Telfer wants to make sure ending child poverty becomes probable. That means 'changes to the economy, and building better jobs and social security systems'.
To do that, politicians have to be led by 'public attitudes' to make hard policy choices, and the people who live with poverty need a voice in the decision-making process. It's a big change that Telfer and her Save the Children team want to see.
Telfer says that rather than one story of one family standing out as an example of what's gone wrong in our society, 'what strikes me is the similarity of all the stories'.
The specific circumstances are all different for every family, but the story they're telling is that they can't put food on the table, can't heat their home, buy clothes. They feel like they're just surviving.
'What also strikes me, from conversations with parents, is how little they want. They're not asking for much.
'All they can see is what's right in front of them, whether that's 'how am I going to pay for the electricity meter' or 'how am I going to pay the bus fares to get my child to their health appointment' – even though the bus fare might not be that much but it's still too much for them so they'll miss the appointment and then struggle with their own mental health because as a parent they weren't able to take their child.
'There are stories like that where parents just see the step in front of them, and they don't get to the point of how outraged they should be about the lack of support.'
To then see so many billionaires in the world, 'it just feels unthinkable that this has been allowed to happen', she adds.
Despite everything, Telfer tries to remain optimistic. But she can't help doubt and worry creeping into her thoughts sometimes.
'My pessimism,' she says, 'is that I don't want us to be talking about 2040 child poverty targets. That's my biggest fear.'