Beyond the Budget: Amplifying the Voices of Young People and Families

“I can’t see anything getting better!”

Laura Parent/Carer

“We Live from day to day!”

Taylor Parent/Carer

These are just a few of the powerful words families told us as part of our new Beyond the Budget report. With tackling child poverty at the forefront of both the Scottish and UK governments’ agendas, it is concerning that we continue to hear from families about how much they are struggling to manage household finances as the cost of living continues to rise.

One of the vital aspects of our work at includem is amplifying the voices of those we support with key decision makers. For us to get a better understanding of what families were facing, research was carried out through a survey and some discussions with our Youth Inspire Group towards the end of 2024.

The findings are stark and shaming.

64% told us that in the past year, their household finances have worsened.

The experiences of families we work with have not improved, and the rising cost-of-living continues to have a devastating effect on their quality of life. Families even reported that they were faced with making difficult choices between buying food or heating their homes.

This is not acceptable and cannot continue.

Highlights of our findings includes:

• 69% reported struggling to pay for food.
• 76% struggled to pay their energy bill.
• 63% struggled to pay their bills.
• 52% struggled to pay with costs related to school.
• 78% told us in the past year, their family’s mental health had got worse.
• 68% told us in the past year, they felt judged, ignored or treated unfairly due to their financial situation.

To improve the lives of families across Scotland, there are actions we ask both the Scottish and UK Governments to:

• Urgently fund children and young people’s mental health services alongside better financial support for families, recognising this is a key contributor to poor mental health for many of the families we work with.
• Increase the Scottish Child Payment to £50 a week and end the two-child benefits cap.
• Take radical action to transform the lives of children and young people living in poverty by writing off public sector debt.
• Make energy affordable for low-income families.
• Urgently review the School Clothing Grant. At minimum, the grant should be doubled and paid throughout the school year, recognising that children don’t grow to order.

Over the coming months, as we begin our preparations for the 2026 Scottish Parliament Elections, we will be reaching out to all parties in Scotland to work with them to transform the lives of children, young people and families we support.

The findings of our report are stark, but the words of the families we support are even more powerful. For their sake, we hope our findings are taken seriously and the recommendations we make are acted on.

Read Beyond the Budget here.