Cash should be given to Scotland’s poorest families to help them get through the school holidays, a new report has recommended.
The Poverty and Inequality Commission report explains the pressures that low-income families face during holidays, including social isolation, the struggle to get enough food and the lack of opportunities for play.
During the school holidays, it says pupils and their families lose the support of free school meals, breakfast clubs, after-school clubs and pastoral support.
The independent body published the report, Advice for the Scottish government on addressing poverty during school holidays, following a request by the Scottish government.
The report says direct cash transfers would provide the most “dignified” way to reduce financial pressures on families, and recommends that the amount should at least match the cost of school meals.
Commission chairman Douglas Hamilton said: “School holidays make up a quarter of the year so it is no surprise that they can create significant pressures for Scotland’s poorest families around finances, food, opportunities for play, social isolation and parenting.
“The holidays bring additional costs and challenges to already hard-pressed families, particularly over the six-week summer break and at Christmas.
“Free school meals are seen as a vital benefit for the rest of the year but are, in effect, withdrawn during school holidays at a time when families face the most financial pressure.
“The commission believes that money is the most dignified way to respond to food insecurity, offering families choice in how to meet their needs.”
The report also recommends that the Scottish government and local authorities come up with a system of support during the school holidays that addresses the full range of pressures faced by low-income families.
It advises, for example, that holiday clubs with nutritious and culturally appropriate food should be available for all children from low-income families.
Previous research has suggested that “summer learning loss” may be more significant for children from low-income families.
The Scottish government has previously committed to introducing a wider income supplement by 2022 for low-income families. About one in four children in Scotland live in poverty - a total that is projected to rise.
John Dickie, director of the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, said: “Families face acute pressures during the school holidays around food, childcare and paying for rewarding holiday activities. The result is that, for too many children and parents, holidays are a time of extra stress rather than of fun new opportunities.
“We very much welcome the Scottish government’s existing commitment to an income supplement, but families can’t wait until 2022. They need next month’s Scottish budget to deliver new financial support immediately.”
A Scottish government spokesman said more than £125 million had been invested in an attempt to mitigate UK government welfare cuts, including through its Fair Food Fund.
He added: “We thank the commission for its detailed report and will give careful consideration to its findings.”
Stephen McCabe, children and young people spokesman for local authorities body Cosla, said: “We know from our own data that the vast majority of local authorities provide some form of out-of-school-hours provision for children and young people experiencing poverty.
“This is work that is funded largely by local authorities themselves at a time when there are significant budget pressures on essential services.”
Bruce Adamson, children and young people’s commissioner for Scotland, said: “Children have a right to be free from hunger - poverty is the biggest human rights issue facing children in Scotland and the UN has recently condemned our failure to address it.”
