Best Start, Bright Futures
Child poverty in Scotland is projected to fall to its lowest level in nearly 30 years as a result of the actions taken to date and commitments in the second Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan.
More than 60,000 fewer children could be living in relative poverty in 2023 compared to 2017, according to updated modelling.
Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison said a focus on long-term parental employment opportunities, strengthened social security and support to reduce household costs are at the heart of the new four year delivery plan, Best Start, Bright Futures.
In 2022-23 this work will be supported by investment of almost £113 million on top of funding already allocated to ongoing programmes.
Actions include:
- Significantly increasing employment services with the aim of supporting up to 12,000 parents to enter and progress in sustainable and fair work through actions taken over the life of the Plan, with initial investment of up to £81 million in 2022-23 in employability support for parents
- Increasing Scottish Child Payment from £20 to £25 when the benefit is extended to under 16s by the end of 2022. This means £1,300 of support per eligible child per year. It is five times more than originally asked for by campaigners and an investment of £671 million over the next two years
- Delivering a new Parental Transition Fund to tackle the financial barriers parents face in entering the labour market, particularly over the initial period of employment, with an investment of up to £15 million each year
- Taking immediate steps to mitigate the UK Government’s Benefit Cap as fully as possible within devolved powers, through Discretionary Housing Payments. This will support our priority families, in particular, who are disproportionately impacted by this policy
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Ms Robison said: “I am proud that our actions of the past four years, together with those set out in this plan, are projected to deliver the lowest level of child poverty in Scotland in 30 years.
“We are taking immediate steps to put cash in the pockets of families – tackling the cost of living crisis and helping to lift thousands of children out of poverty in Scotland.
“Our package of five family benefits for low income families, including the increased Scottish Child Payment, will be worth over £10,000 by the time a family’s first child turns 6, and £9,700 for second and subsequent children.
“That is a difference of more than £8,200 for every eligible child born in Scotland in comparison to England and Wales – highlighting the unparalleled support offered by this government to children across the early years.
“We will also build on our investment in employment support for parents, through new skills and training opportunities and key worker support to help reduce household costs and drive longer term change.
“Our national mission to tackle child poverty is already giving more children the best start and a bright future. We are determined to meet our ambitious targets set for 2023-24 and 2030 and beyond, so that no children in Scotland are living in poverty. We know there is not a silver bullet and this cannot be done overnight.”
Scottish Government Minister and Scottish Green Party Co-Leader Patrick Harvie said: “This plan delivers on key commitments to tackle child poverty and inequality in the cooperation agreement between the Scottish Government and the Scottish Green Party.
“We welcome the actions being taken, particularly in mitigating the UK Government benefit cap and increasing the Scottish Child Payment which will provide major support to thousands of low income households.”
Reacting to the Scottish Government’s publication of its Child Poverty Delivery Plan, Peter Kelly, director of the Poverty Alliance said: “Child poverty is unjust and unnecessary. It’s a sign of Scotland’s commitment to compassion and justice that there are stretching targets to end it.
“A clear message from Poverty Alliance members ahead of the new plan was to ‘put money in people’s pockets’. Commitments to increase the Scottish Child Payment to £25 by the end of this year and to mitigate the unjust benefit cap are therefore welcome. With one in four children in Scotland still growing up in the grip of poverty, and the rising cost of living meaning that many more families are being swept into hardship every day, this new plan needed to set out how we can do more to protect people from harm.
“On the back of the Chancellor’s failure of a Spring Statement yesterday, we needed to see real commitments that will make a positive impact on the lives of people on low incomes. Alongside the mitigation of the benefit cap, the expansion of employability support that provides tailored support to families can help to make that impact.
“However, there is significant scope to go much further to ensure that cash makes it to those who most need it. There is clear evidence that increasing the Scottish Child Payment to £40 would have an even greater impact in unlocking families from poverty and take us closer to the target of eradicating child poverty by 2030.
“The rising tide of poverty sweeping across the country demands that the actions contained in this Plan are not the peak of our ambitions, but merely a start. Our efforts cannot and must not cease.”
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