Martin Canavan 🧡

Migration is not colonisation — it’s contribution. Our CEO, Sabir Zazai, challenges harmful myths and calls for compassionate conversations about migration.

It’s time to reject toxic narratives and recognise the value of those who make Scotland home.

Full statement here: https://ow.ly/l8eC50Yf3SK

Just going to leave this here

More than a safety net: The welfare state as springboard to economic success and a better country | IPPR It is widely proposed that higher social spending – especially in the form of social security benefits – is damaging to the economy. Yet the evidence prese

📢 It's launch day!🚀

💷 Social spending ≠ economic damage.

💪Plenty of countries prove you can have strong social security and strong economies.

Read our new report, More than a Safety Net ⤵️

@stephenkb.bsky.social @davehawkey.bsky.social @caseysmithippr.bsky.social

www.ippr.org/articles/mor...

Our second call to all political parties ahead of the Scottish Parliament Election is Tackle the Public Debt Crisis. 

Read all our 'Supporting Families, Ending Child Poverty' calls: https://www.aberlour.org.uk/publications/supporting-families-ending-child-poverty-scottish-parliament-election-2026

We are celebrating 10 years of bringing relief to families trapped in poverty across Scotland through the Aberlour Urgent Assistance Fund!

If you know a family struggling to make ends meet, find out how to apply: https://www.aberlour.org.uk/get-help/urgent-assistance-fund

Our first call to all political parties ahead of the Scottish Parliament Election is #EndChildPoverty.

Read all our 'Supporting Families, Ending Child Poverty' calls: https://www.aberlour.org.uk/publications/supporting-families-ending-child-poverty-scottish-parliament-election-2026

Chart showing working age families by employment status

Working isn't working. Our analysis confirms that work is not a guaranteed route out of poverty.

In the latest data, the majority (55 per cent) of non-pensioner families in poverty had someone in work. This is up from fewer than two-in-five families in the mid-1990s.

It’s very good of Prince William to distance himself from his horrific uncle Andrew, while on a visit to hang out with journalist-murdering bastard Mohammed bin Salman. I

We don’t need more food banks, we need change.

Repost if you agree.

£40 feckin billion! Spurs built a brand new state-of-the-art stadium in West London for £1 billion that holds 60k folk. How about build a brand new parliament building for the same. Give the other £39 billion to poor families and help to rebuild our communities. Make Houses of Parliament a museum.

Today we're launching 'Supporting Families, Ending Child Poverty' our calls to all political parties ahead of the @parliament.scot Election. Read what we're calling on the next Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament to do to #EndChildPoverty for good: www.aberlour.org.uk/publications...

We're delighted to see the legislation to end the 2 child limit introduced at UK Parliament. To finally see the scrapping of this cruel and poverty creating policy.

This is a historic day for children and families across the UK as legislation to remove the two-child limit from our social security system starts to make its way through Parliament. The two-child limit was an awful experiment that hurt children. More than any other policy, the two-child limit is responsible for driving child poverty to its current record high. Poverty has a devastating impact on young lives. Children going without things they need to learn and grow, living in damp homes, struggling at school, facing isolation and stress. Today marks the moment when we start to turn things around for the next generation. We commend the government for making the choice to scrap the two-child limit and ask all MPs to stand with children and support this Bill. Every child deserves the best start in life, with a decent childhood that lays the foundations for a strong future. Ending the two-child limit sets our country on the right path to meet that ambition.

Today, the Bill to end the two-child limit begins making its way through Parliament.

The policy drove child poverty to a record high, hurting young people.

We commend the government's choice to scrap the two-child limit and join 65 other organisations in asking all MPs to support this Bill.

The current value of Universal Credit fails to provide those who rely on it with enough to cover even just the day-to-day basics. We need to see reform of social security that includes an #EssentialsGuarantee so that people’s income is at least adequate enough to cover life’s essentials.

We were delighted to have Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP visit our Mother and Child Recovery House to hear from mums we support about their recovery journeys. 

Read our Families in Recovery briefing: https://www.aberlour.org.uk/publications/aberlours-families-in-recovery-briefing 

#KeepThePromise

Parents tell us the Scottish Child Payment makes a real difference to their lives - it helps them afford basic essentials like food, energy bills, nappies, and children’s clothes. And we see this impact reflected in the latest figures on child poverty in Scotland too (🧵1/4)

With recent debate about impact of Scottish child payment on parents work incentives its important to remember the @scotgov evaluation found it "mostly reduced barriers to labour market participation" - helping pay for travel, childcare & clothing. 👉https://t.co/zzC57eFLRF

This is the BEST explanation I have seen so far.

Poverty is deepening.

🔎 Our #UKPoverty2026 report was launched this morning.

People in very deep poverty now make up the biggest group of people in poverty, at 6.8 million people.

This is unacceptable for the fifth richest country in the world, and it has consequences.

A graphic that says: Breaking news! Scot Govt is taking action to end the housing emergency

🎉 Breaking News!

A new national housing agency announced today by FM John Swinney will accelerate affordable homebuilding in Scotland.

Our research & campaigns helped push for this bold step. We now need ambition to be matched by the money needed to make it a reality.

🗨️ shelterscotland.org/MHSR

Not all children are born with an equal chance.

Thank you to @aberlourcharity.bsky.social for inviting me to their Family Support Centre in Falkirk and to the brave women who shared their experiences with me.

Aberlour are an excellent organisation that stands up for every child's right to thrive.

We're delighted @gillianmacmsp.bsky.social visited our Family Support Centre in #Falkirk. She was able to meet with families to hear how we support them, including our Intensive Perinatal Service helping to keep families together & Equally Safe Falkirk to support families affected by domestic abuse.

🚨 New analysis alert!

Our most recent polling revealed that nearly half of people in Scotland were feeling economically insecure.

They are concerned about being able to afford the cost of everyday essentials - like food and energy.

This has political consequences 🔽

Adam Lang, Carnegie UK, addressing the room

Alison Watson, Shelter Scotland, addressing the room

Martin Canavan, Aberlour Children's Charity addressing the room

...a jam-packed afternoon! We've hosted our two sets of lightning talks and response panels 🎙️⚡

We've heard from leading voices across the research and policy communities advocating for what they think Scotland should stop and start doing in public services.

#StopStart @glasgow.ac.uk

Great to be at @uofgpolicy.bsky.social #StopStart conference on public sector reform. Hearing @jimmccormick.bsky.social open the day with a sense of hope for what can be achieved urging us to move towards the “bright spots” of what is working already to help reduce child poverty and support families

Last month we held our Families Voices event in Glasgow!

The event helped our mums raise their voices to help shape the future of support for mums on their recovery journey with their children.

https://www.aberlour.org.uk/publications/aberlours-families-voices-project-report

Read our response to yesterday's #ScottishBudget: www.aberlour.org.uk/news-item/ab...

#ScotBudget #Budget2026 #Budget #EndChildPoverty

In today’s #ScottishBudget we must see investment and concrete commitments accelerating efforts to reduce child poverty and meet child poverty targets. This includes increasing 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Child Payment, creating sustainable routes out of poverty through fair work and tackling the public debt crisis.

In her latest blog, ahead of the #ScottishBudget announcement today, our CEO, Justina Murray calls on the First Minister to show children living in poverty that he is listening. She urges him to set out clear and concrete plans to lift families out of poverty for good.

The #ScottishBudget is a critical opportunity for politicians to rebuild trust by acting on the issues that matter most to people in Scotland, like child poverty. We are calling for the Scottish Government to build on what’s already working by increasing the Scottish Child Payment to £40 a week.