Tackling Child Poverty: Third Year Progress Report published

Record £978 million committed to help deliver change

Investment of almost £1 billion to tackle child poverty in the last financial year has been welcomed by Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison.

She has also pledged to bring forward “game changing” policies as she called for society to unite to eradicate child poverty in Scotland.

Ms Robison was speaking as she detailed the findings of the third progress report on Tackling Child Poverty. She said: “The report highlights our investment in low income families with children continued to grow as we sought to offer support during the pandemic.

“Direct support to families with children rose to more than £978 million in 2020-21 – including £118 million in response to COVID-19.

“This was part of almost £2.5 billion invested to support low income households, including more than £434 million of COVID-related investment in social assistance.

“The report also shows that all 66 of the actions we have previously reported on are either in progress or being delivered.

“We have made considerable progress over the first three years of this plan, but further action is needed.

“We must continue to deliver at the pace and scale with which we responded to the pandemic.

“We must work across government and with wider society to bring forward the game-changing policies needed to deliver on our ambition to eradicate child poverty.”

Ms Robison highlighted a range of important supports introduced in the last 12 months. These include:

• Scottish Child Payment for eligible children aged under six, with thousands of families already benefitting from an additional £40 every four weeks
• Investment of more than £56 million in the free school meal provision for low income families during school closures, periods of online learning and school holidays
• The distribution of Pandemic Support Payments, with £100 paid in spring and a further £100 being paid around the start of the summer holidays. This is part of a £520 package this year, benefitting around 145,000 children and young people from low income households

Ms Robison added: “We have always been clear that delivering upon the child poverty targets will be incredibly challenging, especially given the limited powers available to this Parliament.

“The Covid pandemic will make reducing poverty that much harder. However, we are serious about ending child poverty in Scotland and have committed a wide range of actions to do just that.”

Lothian MSP Miles Briggs asked Shona Robison, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government, what plans the Scottish Government has to make sure we see an end to households with children and pregnant women living in temporary accommodation – and how this will be prioritised during this Parliament.

The number of children in temporary accommodation in Edinburgh has risen to 1,750 as of 30^th September 2020, 245 children more than 30 September 2019, when 1,505 children were in temporary accommodation, an increase of 16%.

Across Scotland there are 7,900 children in temporary accommodation, with Edinburgh making up 22% of all children in temporary accommodation.

The number of children living in temporary accommodation has increased over the last two years, with 1,190 children living in temporary accommodation on 30 September 2018, increasing to 1,750 on 30 September 2020.

The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government said that reducing the number of children in temporary accommodation would be one of her top priorities.

Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said: “We all know that a safe and stable home is vital for a child’s wellbeing and development. After 14 years of this SNP Government the situation is getting worse and worse, especially here in the Capital.

“No child should be without a secure home and it is unacceptable that the number of children in temporary accommodation is increasing year on year under this SNP Government.

“It is concerning that we are seeing a significant increase in the Capital. The underfunding of Edinburgh City Council by SNP Ministers must be addressed if we are to address the crisis in housing we are seeing running out of control in Edinburgh.”