FAMILIES battling poverty are £4.5million better off thanks to a Glasgow project.

A team of dedicated money advice workers was funded by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to help tackle a known link between deprivation and poor health.

The Healthier Wealthier Children ­pilot specifically targeted parents with young families and pregnant women and ran from October 2010 to March 2013.

More than 5000 families were helped by the service, which offered advice on reducing debt payments, changing gas and electricity suppliers and help to apply for benefits, one-off grants or loans.

The service is currently dealing with around 200 referrals each month and the project may now be rolled out across other board areas in Scotland.

The health board worked with local ­authorities, voluntary sector organisations and the Glasgow Centre for Population Health (GCPH) with support from the Scottish Government.

A report by the GCPH, released today, notes that by 2020, UK child poverty rates are predicted to rise to 24%, resulting in an additional 50,000 children in Scotland living in poverty.

It recommends wider adoption of the HWC partnership model across Scotland and calls for a new fund to be set up to promote ­financial security and tackle poverty.

Dr Linda de Caestecker, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde's Director of Public Health, said: "More than 200,000 children in Scotland live in poverty - that's nearly one in four children.

"We want to help improve our children's health and part of that is to help families out of poverty."

Judith Paterson, of the Child Poverty ­Action Group in Scotland, said: "We welcome this progressive approach to making a real difference to people's everyday lives."

Following the success of this pilot, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has decided to mainstream this service in the future.

caroline.wilson@ eveningtimes.co.uk