This is one of a series of blogs spotlighting our Commissioners who provide independent advice to Scottish Ministers on poverty and inequality; monitor progress: and propose solutions to reduce poverty and inequality in Scotland. In each post, we’ll introduce you to to one of our Commissioners – sharing their background, what drives them, and the unique perspective they bring to our work.
In this edition of our Meet the Commissioners blog series, we’re introducing Louise Hunter, Commissioner.
Meet Louise Hunter
My whole career of 20-plus years has involved working with marginalised groups across the third and public sectors, involving issues including homelessness, justice and commercial sexual exploitation.
I am currently the Chief Executive of Who Cares Scotland? which is the national advocacy organisation for care experienced people. There are about 250,000 care experienced people in Scotland and it is a community disproportionately affected by poverty-related issues. Our role is to ensure people have their rights upheld, both individually and collectively, and we do that via independent advocacy and political influencing.
I also serve as a member of the National Suicide Prevention Advisory Group.
Everyone should have the opportunity to thrive
I want a society where everyone can thrive. Unfortunately, people with care experience are just one of the groups who are more likely to live in poverty and less likely to have a traditional support network.
I can bring an understanding of the inequalities and the barriers some members of society face. We need to make sure we are listening to people and not assuming we have a diverse and inclusive approach to policy.
I believe every person in Scotland should be given the opportunities and conditions to thrive and I want the voices of people with lived experience of poverty and inequality to be at the forefront of the work we do.
Legitimacy to scrutinise
Being on the Commission is a privilege. Working with the Lived Experienced Panel provides a platform for their views to be shared and heard. It has a very specific role to play in this regard.
Our most recent work in scrutinising key areas of the Scottish Government’s child poverty strategy provided an opportunity for the Commission and Panel to work together to consider what matters most to people living in poverty. This approach supported the effective discussions with Scottish Government officials and brought lived experience and the implementation realities to the fore. I’m particularly proud of this work.