Running through our objectives are our thematic priorities which define how we will contribute to change. These are Education Pathways, Financial Security, Work Pathways and Nurturing Relationships.
Poverty and trauma are closely linked challenges that can profoundly affect people’s wellbeing, opportunities, and life chances. They are not inevitable or fixed, but when they persist, they can create cycles that are hard to break without support.
Poverty is about far more than financial hardship. It can mean struggling to heat your home, pay rent, or afford essentials like food and clothing. It brings daily uncertainty, impossible choices, and stress that can affect emotional health, relationships, and the ability to participate fully in society.
Trauma, meanwhile, is a response to experiences that are frightening, harmful, or overwhelming. It can have lasting effects on wellbeing, sense of safety, trust, and relationships. Trauma can occur at any stage of life and may be triggered by a single event or by prolonged or repeated experiences. While many people recover and grow from trauma, for some the effects are long-lasting. Poverty itself can be traumatic, increasing stress and exposure to other risks, while trauma can heighten vulnerability to poverty. Addressing both together is essential to breaking these cycles and creating lasting change for individuals, families, and communities.
We focus on tackling both the causes and impacts of poverty and trauma. Meaningful change happens when people, families, and communities are supported to develop their own solutions. Our work is organised around four thematic priorities – Education Pathways, Financial Security, Work Pathways, and Nurturing Relationships – each designed to address interconnected challenges and help people and communities thrive.
We want to see a Scotland where people are financially secure and able to live lives free of poverty and poverty-related trauma. We want to support greater income adequacy and security, reduced cost of living pressure, and strengthened safety nets to ensure people are lifted out of and do not fall into poverty.
We want to see a Scotland where paid work is a more reliable route out of poverty. We want to contribute to tackling the drivers of in-work poverty and to removing barriers so that more people can access fair work.
We want to see a Scotland where people, families, and communities can thrive, free from cycles of persistent poverty and intergenerational trauma. We want to support nurturing relationships that help to break this cycle and support lasting recovery from the impact of poverty-related trauma.