Swinney announces £1m funding boost to help get low-income parents into work

First Minister John Swinney has announced an additional £1 million in funding to help parents on low incomes get into work.

The investment, announced on Monday, is aimed at helping with the costs of getting to work, attending job interviews or undertaking training.

It forms part of the Scottish Government’s £20m Transport to Employment programme.

The First Minister announced the additional funding during a visit to Crieff Connexions, which provides support including childcare, training and employment assistance, to mark the start of Challenge Poverty Week.

Swinney said the new investment is helping to “tackle the cost of living”.

“We must break the cycle of poverty, and we know that access good, stable jobs offers a sustainable route out of poverty for many families”, he said.

“The first steps into work – whether that is attending a job interview, or travelling to work before the first payslip arrives – can create real financial barriers for parents seeking employment.

“The Transport to Employment programme is helping more people make the most of job opportunities.

“As Challenge Poverty Week gets under way, it was great to visit Crieff Connexions and hear about how parents are being supported in a range of ways, including access to childcare as well as support to access training and employment.

“This is what it means to deliver real help for families, improve lives and create a brighter future in which no family faces poverty.”

The programme is being used to support new bus services in East Lothian and Midlothian, helping shift workers travel to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

It is also said to help apprentices in rural areas travel to college and provide travel tickets for parents to attend job interviews and their first few weeks of employment.

One person benefiting from the scheme is Winifred Preye-Akpasigbe, who uses the service to travel from Menzieshill in Dundee to her job at Stracathro Hospital.

“The Transport to Employment service has helped me get to my job at Stracathro Hospital from Menzieshill in Dundee as the existing bus service is unsuitable for getting me there and back in a way that works with my shift start and end times”, she said.

“This is a huge weight off my mind and means that I can get to and from my job without any worries about transport and without needing a car.”

The Scottish Government says the £20m Transport to Employment programme is part of its efforts to tackle child poverty and support parents into employment.

The social justice secretary also announced on Monday that more than 250 paid NHS placements would be made available to parents across Scotland as part of the Scottish Government’s efforts to eradicate child poverty.

Shirley-Anne Somerville said placements, covering roles such as porters, caterers, healthcare support workers, administration assistants and assistant technical officers, will be available across 18 health boards.

Placements will typically range from six-18 months and will target those facing the greatest risk of poverty.