Publications

The Allies Project, delivered in partnership with Guardianship Scotland and the NHS Glasgow Psychological Trauma Service – Anchor, is a psychosocial group supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking and / or trafficked children and young people to build individual and community resilience.

The project was funded by Comic Relief from 2019 to 2022 and is currently funded by the EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund from September 2020 to December 2023.

The aims of the programme:

• Teach young people coping strategies to help them manage symptoms of trauma, anxiety, stress and tension.
• Help young people reflect on their past experiences and identify their aspirations for the future.
• Help young people understand how their experience as an unaccompanied asylum-seeking and / or trafficked child or young person impacts their feelings of safety, relationships, identity and access to justice.

Discover all about the Allies Project in the pilot evaluation and evaluation summary document.

A young person supported by the project told us: “I liked the Allies Project because I got to meet people. I learned about breathing. I learned how to steer my thoughts in the direction away from my past and to focus on the present and my future.”

The facilitators of the project reflected on its importance: “The Allies Project is a place where young people are noticed and listened to, where their favourite food or drink is remembered, and where we take note of what they say, like, feel and we respond to it.

The groups were a place of learning and growth for us as well as the young people. Each group brought stories of strength, courage, pain and resilience.”

The evaluation recommends the Allies Project must continue to support unaccompanied asylum-seeking and / or trafficked children and young people.

The Allies Project has helped young people attending the group in developing resilience, feeling safe, and that they belong in their new country.

Download the full evaluation report and evaluation summary to read more about the four recommendations from the pilot.

For more information on the Allies Project, please contact the Guardianship Scotland team by email, guardianship.admin@aberlour.org.uk

Since child poverty targets were set in the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 child poverty has failed to reduce. Most recent official figures show that 1 in 4 children in Scotland continue to live in poverty. It is clear that action taken in recent years hasn’t yet been enough to begin to turn the tide on child poverty or to meet the Scottish Government’s child poverty targets.

Read our recent briefing paper to the Scottish Government on what must be done to end child poverty in Scotland.

Aberlour has completed their 7th Gender Pay Gap Report as required by the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017.

Our workforce continues to be predominantly female (82%). Furthermore, we continue to use a job evaluation scheme to grade all posts supporting equal pay for work of the same value.

Aberlour is delighted to have been part of Together Scotland’s ‘The Rights Detectives’ project. One of our young people, Vange, was heavily involved in the project and we are proud that she has helped drive forward children’s rights in Scotland.

The Right’s Detectives project was commissioned  by the Scottish Government to ensure children and young people’s voices are able to shape and inform the new Human Rights Bill for Scotland.

This report is the second instalment of reports from The Rights Detectives.

View the full report below or read and download the child friendly version of the report.

New report highlights public debt pulls families further into poverty

Aberlour has evidence that public debt pulls families deeper into poverty and holds them there.

A new report commissioned by the charity outlines and evidences what the impact of public debt, such as Council tax and rent arrears, has especially on low income children and families in Scotland. The report also indicates that low income families are in the midst of a debt crisis.

The qualitative research was conducted by Professor Morag Treanor from Glasgow University, as part of a wider public debt research project which has examined school meal debt and public debt arrears faced by low income families receiving Universal Credit. She reports that for too many low-income families their income simply is not enough to enable them to afford the basics for themselves and their children, forcing many into debt just to survive.

Aberlour in partnership with Kibble and a group of charities and councils working in the child and youth care sector have reaffirmed their commitment to The Promise through a pilot programme aimed at reducing the use of restraint in care settings.

Read our comprehensive evaluation, and a subsequent report, The Promise – Rethinking Restraint published on 30 May 2023, based on the views of young people, care staff, Promise Development Workers and Leadership teams.

Since child poverty targets were set in the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 child poverty has failed to reduce. Most recent official figures show that 1 in 4 children in Scotland continue to live in poverty. It is clear that action taken in recent years hasn’t yet been enough to begin to turn the tide on child poverty or to meet the Scottish Government’s
child poverty targets.

Read our latest briefing paper to MSPs on what more must be done to reduce child poverty in Scotland.

Welcome to the Spring 2023 edition of Aberlour News! In this edition you can read all about how our Poverty Relief Fundraising Appeal has helped over 700 families across Scotland this winter. You can also find updates on much needed new Aberlour services, supporting families burdened by debt, and mums on their recovery journey.

Through our work we see the impact of problem drug use on families every day and recognise that for too many families the support available does not meet their needs. We believe that the provision of rehabilitation and recovery services for mothers and their children which allows families to remain together is essential to further prevent drug related deaths of mothers during and after the perinatal period.

It is clear that residential rehabilitation and recovery services for women and their children can play a vital role in our drive to tackle drug related deaths in Scotland and in addressing the rising number of deaths of women. Such services can also help Scotland to #KeepThePromise for families living with addiction by enabling families to stay together during treatment and recovery and reduce the likelihood of children being taken into care.

Read our full evidence paper to the Cross Committee on Tackling Drug Deaths in Scotland

We welcome the opportunity to contribute to the National Discussion on Scottish Education, and our contribution reflects our experience supporting the learning of children and young people at Aberlour, as well as what children and young people we support across Scotland have told us about their learning and education. To inform this response we facilitated discussion groups with primary school aged children in Dundee and secondary school aged children in Moray. We have also used the range of evidence, insight and views of children and young people Aberlour works with from across Scotland who have contributed to other discussions on learning and education since the pandemic.

Please read our response to the Scottish Government’s National Discussion on Scottish Education.

Aberlour Children’s Charity has published a new report which reveals that low-income families are facing high levels of debt to public bodies. The report shows that more than half of families (55%) with children in Scotland receiving Universal Credit are having their incomes reduced by the DWP to pay off these debts.

New research commissioned by the charity highlights a worrying proportion of the poorest families’ monthly income being deducted to cover debts to public bodies. This includes paying back Universal Credit advance payments, as well as ‘third party deductions’ on behalf of local authorities and other public bodies for rent arrears, service charges and council tax payments.

Find below our Annual Report and Financial Statements for year ended 31 March 2022

21-22 Rising to the Challenge. Progress has been made in our aims to fight against poverty and discrimination. Read how we are growing our reach to help even more disadvantaged children, young people and families throughout Scotland.

Welcome to the Autumn edition of Aberlour news! Discover how, with your help, we have been able to keep Connie and her family together and read about how we have been fighting hidden school hunger.

Scotland has a well-articulated ambition that Scotland should be ‘the best place in the World to grow up’.

For Scotland truly to be the best place in the World to grow up this must mean that no child or young person: lives in poverty;is removed from their family when they can safely be supported to stay at home; experiences discrimination; suffers a mental health crisis due to a lack of support; dies from alcohol, drugs or suicide as a result of the ongoing impact of childhood trauma.

In order to achieve this, we need radical change within the delivery of children’s services that guarantees all children, young people and families the help they need when they need it.

Read our response to the call for evidence on the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill which focuses on the potential impact of the National Care Service on children, young people and families and on the delivery of children’s services using the link below.

Aberlour has undertaken their Gender Pay Gap Report as required by the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017.

The gender pay gap in an organisation is the difference in pay levels between male and female employees, irrespective of the position held. This is different from equal pay – where companies are required to ensure that men and women are paid the same for doing the same or similar roles.