A home decoration service for mums fleeing abuse and financial advisers in schools are two council projects to reduce child poverty in Glasgow.

Financial inclusion support officers have been helping families in 29 secondaries, 19 primaries and one additional support learning school with debt, benefits and money advice.

A total of 1,163 people have made “financial gains” thanks to the service between June 2022 and May this year.

Another anti-poverty programme sees mums who have suffered abuse get carpets, curtains and other home essentials.

The Make a House a Home package of support has assisted 194 women and 387 children last financial year. The support on average is about £762.

More than 40 ‘welcome places’ have been set up in the city with libraries offering free tea and coffee and other buildings being used to provide a refuge from cold homes.

The schemes are part of the council’s actions towards commitments under ‘mission 1’ in its ‘grand challenge one’ to reduce poverty and inequality.

Mission 1 aims to end child poverty in the city using early intervention to support families.

The council has created missions and challenges for its ‘council strategic plan.’

A report on the strategic plan performance will be presented to the operational performance and delivery scrutiny committee next week.

Councillors will also be presented with information about commitments related to mission 3, which aims to improve the health and well-being of local communities.

A council report said the “grand challenges and their missions are underpinned by commitments which services are undertaking to work towards the goal of each mission.”
The grand challenges are to reduce poverty and inequality in Glasgow communities, increase opportunity and prosperity for all our citizens, fight the climate emergency in a just transition to a net zero Glasgow, and enable staff to deliver essential services in a sustainable, innovative and efficient way for our communities.