New advice for schools on boosting family incomes and talking about costs

To mark ‘Adequate Incomes’ day of Challenge Poverty Week 2024, we are sharing two new resources designed to help with approaches to talking about costs and maximising incomes in schools and early years settings.  

A new briefing on referral pathways from schools

Pathways to money and welfare rights advice from education settings is a briefing by Public Health Scotland, supported by their Child Poverty in Schools Practice Network. Aimed at school leaders, local authorities and elected officials, this briefing is vital reading for anyone thinking about how to maximise family incomes in their schools or local areas. 

“Providing pathways to money and welfare rights advice from education settings can help prevent child poverty or mitigate its effects, and from a setting that most families with children engage with.” 

Public Health Scotland

The briefing showcases different kinds of welfare rights and advice pathways across Scotland, drawing on examples from East Ayrshire, Glasgow, West Lothian, Angus, Edinburgh, Stirling, Dundee and Falkirk. It also sets out the key features of robust referral pathways, consolidates evidence on the benefits of advice and what we know about the impact of existing referral pathways, and makes practical recommendations on how to ensure parents and carers get access to advice in education settings.

Advice from parents and carers on talking about costs

Talking about costs and money at school - advice from parents and carers with accompanying animation, offers advice to schools from over 1800 parents and carers on the best way to communicate and support families on low incomes.

“It's the way they talk to you, you don't feel embarrassed or small.” 

Parent

This practical advice from parents and carers highlights the good practice taking place in schools, as well as insights on what could change. Parents and carers offered straightforward tips on how teachers and senior school management can:

  • create poverty aware school communities with an understanding of money problems and stigma 
  • show leadership and demonstrate commitment to equity 
  • effectively share information on financial support and help with school costs 
  • approach conversations about costs and financial support. 

The resource also includes reflective questions for practitioners, great examples from schools across Scotland and links to other Cost of the School Day resources.