Mother feels 'undeserving' after John Swinney child payment response

The Herald Scotland

02-05-2025

He again told The Herald any further increase would risk reducing the incentive for moving parents into the labour market.
But Vongayi, a single mother, warned these comments make parents in her situation feel "undeserving" of support.
Her comments follow The Herald's call - backed by 23 leading charities - for the Scottish Child Payment to be uprated to £40 per week, for each child.
The increase would cost approximately £261 million.
Vongayi is a single parent to three children, aged 16, 14 and four. She works 16 hours per week for a Glasgow-based charity offering support to women from migrant backgrounds with childbirth, pregnancy and early parenthood.
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Her youngest also has autism, meaning she is unable to take on additional working hours to care for her son.
She said: "Taking action to support low income families is vital. It means recognising both the additional costs children bring and the barriers many families face when trying to increase their income.
"In my case, my four year old is autistic, which limits the numbers of hours I can work and, therefore, the income I can earn.
"I'm often asked why I only work 16 hours a week, and once, someone said to me, 'once you get yourself into this dependency culture, you become too comfortable'."
She added: "Society doesn't understand that I've had to turn down extra hours and promotions because of my autistic son's needs.
"Families like mine are often seen as undeserving."
Vongayi met the First Minister last week as part of the Changing Realities programme, a collaboration of parents and carers, researchers and the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG).
After the meeting, Mr Swinney told The Herald the stories of hardship he heard had a "profound" impact on him.
In responding to The Herald's open letter, the First Minister said the Scottish Government was "committed" to going further on tackling child poverty.
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The Programme for Government, where the Scottish Government sets out its financial agenda, will take place next week in Holyrood, with hopes it will lead to progress on the Scottish Child Payment.
However, following First Minister's Questions (FMQs), Mr Swinney said: "The government has got to make a number of carefully balanced decisions about the use of public finance and about support to families.
"I think the level at which the Scottish Child Payment is set at currently delivers the impact of the Scottish Child Payment that we think is possible whilst maintaining the incentivisation of employment.
"And that's a very careful balance the government has got to strike and I know people want us to go further and I understand that entirely but we've also got a range of other ways to tackle child poverty, around for example, early learning and childcare, around family support, all of which are assisting.
"I want to see combined measures having an effect in reducing child poverty in Scotland."
Vongayi said: "While the Scottish Child Payment offers some relief, its not enough to meet the rising cost of living and the additional pressures we face.
"I urge the Scottish Government to increase the payment - an extra £10 per child per week would make a big difference.
"For families like mine, it would mean access to healthier food and the ability to buy proper school wear, including the nice shoes my children always wish for but which always seem out of reach."
She added that the impact of growing up in poverty is starting to take its toll on her children.
"We are classified as a low-income household, and this has a significant impact on our quality of life," she said.
"My children notice the difference — it means no holidays, no new shoes, and no access to many of the things their peers enjoy. It breaks my heart to hear my teenagers ask me if we are poor and when things will get better.
"My son recently turned sixteen, and I can see him putting pressure on himself to find a job instead of focusing on his National 5 exams.
"This will affect how well he performs in school. He's being forced to grow up too quickly, dealing with financial worries and adult responsibilities when he's still a child."