SASW Supports Bridge the Gap Campaign

SASW has joined with 120 organisations calling on the Scottish Government to double Scottish child bridging payments.

Earlier this year, the Scottish Child Payment was doubled for low income families with a child under the age of six. However, low income families with older children will not be supported with a similar increase until the end of the year. This will leave them financially vulnerable as energy bills rise during the autumn and winter.

As a member of the Poverty Alliance, SASW has written to the First Minister urging her to address this inbalance by doubling the October and Christmas bridging payments to £260. This would be an appropriate and proprtionate measure to support struggling families until the child payment is increased and fully rolled out. 

The letter references a recent Scotpulse survey which found that over half of adults with children felt their mental health was being negatively impacted by the cost of living crisis, with women particularly affected. While social workers are doing everything they can to help families at this challenging time, we need central government to step up and provide the desperately needed financial support to those under pressure. It goes on to say that:

"Acting to provide further cash support to families would help prevent further long term damage to individual families and children, and would also support Scotland’s much welcomed child poverty ambitions. We urge you to take this action."

The full letter is available here. If you would like to be kept updated on this campaign, please contact our Policy Officer on jonny.adamson@basw.co.uk