Reflections on championing lived experience to tackle poverty
/This article was featured in the SCDC Weekly - 23rd April 2025
A new report highlights reflections from people with lived experience of living on a low income, and their involvement in anti-poverty participatory processes.
Published by The Poverty Alliance, participants shared their views on a range of topics, including the importance of embracing diversity, ensuring truly open discussions, and the value of organisations providing support and removing barriers to participation.
The report details the pride many people felt in being part of participatory processes and citizens’ panels that led to tangible change, such as the development of Social Security Scotland and changes to the Scottish Child Payment.
Attendees also highlighted their frustration in how some lived experience processes fed into policy making, but did not see this translate into policy itself. There were also reflections on the importance of avoiding tokenistic engagement and ‘backtracking’ on policy promises.
For Scotland’s anti-poverty plans going forward, a focus on true co-production, transparency, and long-term vision were seen as key. There were also key reflections on the inadequacy of social security overall, the impact of the rise of the far right, and the important role the 2026 elections in Scotland will play.
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