THE Scottish government has announced £20 million in funding for charities to help battle child poverty.

Ten organisations will share the cash over the next year with an aim of improving wellbeing, boosting incomes and supporting parents towards employment, including the Salveson Mindroom Centre in Dundee, Home Start Caithness, and Border Community Action as well as Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector.

Visiting Mindroom, which centres on supporting families with neurodivergent children, Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said:

“We have made great strides in our ambitious mission to eradicate child poverty. Within the powers we have, we have boosted incomes while delivering a transformational cost-of-living support package.

“But we know that more needs to be done, which is why we are driving whole-family support.

“This is about making sure that people can access the help they need easily, as simply as possible, and as quickly as possible.

“I am proud that this ambitious programme, which we will deliver in partnership with charities across Scotland, does just that.”

The charities involved have estimated that up to 35,000 families could benefit from the funding.

Welcoming the funding to expand its work across Scotland, Mindroom chief executive Alan Thornburrow said:

“Neurodivergent children and their parents have historically found it challenging to access the right support, in the right place – but we are determined to be there for them, tailoring services to meet their individual circumstances and giving children the best start in life in the process.

“This funding will help us do so on a larger scale, enabling us to reach more people in varied communities. 

“We look forward to pressing ahead with this work.”