Policy blog

Earlier this month on the one-year anniversary of Liz Truss beginning her short, ill-fated stint as Leader of the Conservative Party and UK Prime Minister, the First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf MSP, outlined his first Programme for Government (PfG). The PfG is an annual... Read more

"Child poverty in twenty-first century Britain is not just a disgrace, but a social calamity and an economic disaster." These are the words of the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, in his final report on extreme poverty and human rights in... Read more

Scotland is “mopping up the mess” of UK welfare policy, this was the key assertion from Aileen Campbell MSP, the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government, during last month’s Ministerial Statement on the interim findings from the UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme... Read more

Poverty is a political choice, this was the key message from the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, after he visited the UK this month. In a scathing denunciation of austerity Britain, the Special Rapporteur condemned the UK Government for... Read more

Communities and charities with new ideas to tackle child poverty will be given the opportunity to bid for part of a new £7.5 million Innovation Fund. Announced as part of the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, the fund, financed by the Scottish Government and the Hunter... Read more

On Wednesday, following a vigorous, four hour debate MSPs voted unanimously in favour of establishing Scotland’s first social security system. Around the Chamber, there were smiles from MSPs, while I, like many colleagues from the third sector, watched on from the gallery... Read more

Scottish Social Security Committee vote not to amend Bill to include ‘due regard’ duty This morning (Thursday 8 February 2018), the Scottish Social Security Committee continued to consider the many amendments (over 200 at my last count) lodged at Stage 2 of the Social Security... Read more

Yesterday saw the start of Challenge Poverty Week, an annual campaign designed to raise awareness of anti-poverty work in Scotland. Bringing together a whole host of campaigners, community activists and people with lived experience, Challenge Poverty Week 2017 is not to be missed... Read more

On September 25th 2015, Scotland, along with 192 other countries, adopted a set of goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. Upon looking at the set of goals, two that struck me the most were the goals... Read more

Like many colleagues across the sector, last week I finalised SCVO’s response to the Social Security Committee on the Social Security (Scotland) Bill (hurray!). In our response, as is echoed across the third sector, SCVO welcomed the Scottish Government’s aspirations to foster a... Read more

Reducing inequality, ending poverty and providing good quality education - no one argued that these weren’t the correct goals to aim for, but translating the Sustainable Development Goals (or SDGs) into a Scottish context with clear actions and outcomes which are inclusive and... Read more

Social and economic justice campaigners have long used the title of this blog as a slogan to campaign on a range of human rights issues. It means simply you cannot make fair and just decisions which significantly impact people’s lives without first listening to those people... Read more

The Trussell Trusts’s Lucy Keen reflects on the right to food after hearing Shami Chakribati at the Gathering. Read more

In the week where the UK Government has announced a 3% increase in the minimum wage, and a 20% increase in the minimum wage for apprentices, we ask whether we will soon see an end to in-work poverty. Read more

Policymakers must take heed of insight provided by people living in poverty in the Turning Up The Volume On Poverty report Read more

In the race for economic growth we have forgotten about people and communities. Read more