A third of families with young kids are rationing heating to make ends meet – with others skipping meals, a poll has revealed.
33 per cent of Scots parents have admitted to going without in the last 10 months according to the YouGov survey for charity ParentKind.
The survey, which covered a range of matters affecting parents, shows almost one in four are unhappy most of the time and have sought help from their GP over their poor mental health Parentkind CEO Jason Elsom said: “This large-scale parent survey is an important insight into what is really going on with families in Scotland and across the UK. Too many parents in Scotland are struggling with the cost of living and it’s taking its toll.
“Mental health concerns are a big worry and over a third of parents told us they have had to ration their heating in the past 12 months to save money.”
Almost 28 per cent of parents have missed work in the past 12 months as a result, while the number struggling to afford school meals, uniforms and trips has almost doubled.
The National Parent Survey findings mean an estimated 232,824 Scots children could be at risk of living in cold, damp homes.
Over a third of parents in Scotland are struggling financially, with 22 percent worryingly getting into debt each month. The same number are worrying about paying their rent or mortgage and 15 per cent of parents have reported skipping meals to save money.
Scottish Labour Social Justice spokesperson Paul O’Kane said “These damning figures lay bare the pressure too many families in Scotland have been under.
“It is a scandal that so many parents have had to sacrifice heating just to make ends meet.
“This is the consequence of 14 years of Tory failure and 17 years of SNP mismanagement.
“Labour has started the process of delivering change across the UK and is tackling poverty at its root with our plan to make work pay and our Child Poverty Taskforce – but we need change in Scotland too.
“The SNP must stop dodging responsibility for tackling poverty in Scotland and use the powers it has to re-instate the Fuel Insecurity Fund, insulate homes, and drive down costs in devolved areas such as housing and transport.”
YouGov spoke to more than 5500 parents across the UK making the National Parent Survey one of the largest nationwide polls of parent opinion.
It revealed concerns about the length of time children spend in front of electronic devices, with 14 per cent saying their child spends seven or more hours staring at a screen.
Elsom added: “The amount of time children in Scotland spend on screens is once again a big issue for their parents and the results show it is having a big impact on family life, causing disagreements as some children are now spending seven hours a day on smartphones and tablets – and it is stopping them from sleeping and ruining family time.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Ending child poverty is a national mission and we are continuing to do everything in the scope of our powers and limited budget to tackle and reduce poverty.
“We have allocated £3 billion a year since 2022-23 to policies which tackle poverty and the ongoing cost of living crisis. Modelling in February estimated that Scottish Government policies will keep 100,000 children out of relative poverty this financial year.
“These policies include the ‘game-changing’ Scottish Child Payment, which is supporting more than 325,000 under-16s and is only available in Scotland.
“The Scottish Government is also investing over £12.3 million in advice services this year, including more than £4.45 million to Citizens Advice Scotland to provide free advice to anyone worried about bills or money.
“The UK Government has continually failed to take the necessary steps to support people now and make the necessary changes – which only it can take – to ensure households and businesses never experience an energy crisis like this again. This includes providing meaningful, targeted support to those who need it most, through the introduction of a social tariff.
“As a government, we have spent around £1.2 billion mitigating the impacts of 14 years of harmful UK Government policies such as the bedroom tax, and we continue to call for the UK Government to scrap the two-child limit, given the irrefutable evidence that the policy is increasing poverty and hardship across the UK.”
Information including support on energy bills, is available from the Scottish Government cost of living site at https://costofliving.campaign.gov.scot
Child Winter Heating Payment helps to mitigate the additional heating costs that the households of the most severely disabled children and young people face in the winter months.
This type of assistance is not available anywhere else in the UK.
As of March 31, 2024, 30,400 Child Winter Heating Payments had been made for eligible children or young people in receipt of a qualifying benefit in the qualifying week for winter 2023/24, an investment of £7.2 million.
For winter 2024-25 the payment has been uprated by 6.7% from £235.70 to £251.50.
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – Sign up to our daily newsletter here.