Organisations help shape plan to reduce child poverty

North Ayrshire Council has brought community organisations on board to help shape approaches to reducing child poverty.

This is being done through a co-design process, which sees residents, community members, Third Sector groups and service users sharing their lived experience and knowledge to help shape services in advance rather than giving feedback when services are already in place.

The approach is very much a collaboration that gives residents a sense of ownership and, in this case, it will involve organisations that already have experience of working with our local communities to reduce child poverty.

The Council’s aim is to gather all of the ideas, experience and information available at a hyper-local level to create a programme of support based on local needs.

The aim is to link people up with existing services so they can access available support, maximise benefits and develop relationships that will improve their lives – and the lives of their families – in two areas: Saltcoats North East and Kilbirnie South and Longbar.

The co-design project has provided funding to two Third Sector organisations - Beith Community Development Trust and Argyle Community Association – so families who are struggling to make ends meet can share their experiences to help inform Council services going forward.

Following an application process, the Trust and the Association - which is working in partnership with Saltcoats Link Up – have both been given £22,500 to be co-design partners.

The funding can be used to cover expenses like staffing and carrying out community surveys, and to support people with lived experience to participate in the design process.

Applications for the project were considered by a panel including Council officers, The Ayrshire Community Trust (TACT), Arran Community and Voluntary Services and residents with lived experience.

Fiona Menzies, Project Development Officer at Beith Community Development Trust, has been involved and said: “It has been really inspiring to work on this test of change with the Council, and I can already see real, positive change happening that is going to impact people’s lives for the better.”

In 2024, the Council became a Fairer Futures Partnership (FFP) with the Scottish Government. This has seen a £350,000 investment being made in the Council to set up a Child Poverty Strategy Team, which has been working to address child poverty alongside various partners since January.

It is a key element of our wider priority of transitioning to a wellbeing economy that improves the quality of life for local people

The FFP exists to support families who are experiencing – or are at risk of - child poverty and the team is devoted to engaging with communities and delivering positive changes across the six localities.

The co-design project funding has come from the Fairer Futures Partnership and – so far - meetings have been held with the project’s partners to review local data and information, and people with lived experience of poverty have shared their stories.

Claire Tatlow, a Community Development Worker with Saltcoats Link Up, which is managed by The Ayrshire Community Trust (TACT), added: “Having the Council working alongside local community organisation like this is something quite different.

"It’s a new approach. The aim is to help alleviate financial pressure – and other types of pressures - for people and make a change in their lives.”

Published: 09 October 2025