Failure to tackle poverty will be ‘a betrayal of Britain’s children’

CHILD POVERTY REACHES RECORD HIGH

controversial two-child limit on benefits a key driver, says CPAG

YESTERDAY’S official poverty statistics show child poverty has reached a record high with an estimated 100,000 more children pulled into poverty last year.

The DWP’s annual Households Below Average Income shows 4.3 million children (30%) were in poverty in the year to April 2023. It shows:

100,000 more children were pulled into relative poverty (after housing costs). That means 4.3 million children (30% of all UK children) were in poverty – up from 3.6 million in 2010-11.
69% of poor children live in working families
46% of children in families with 3 or more children are in poverty, up from 36% in 2011/12.
Poor families have fallen deeper into poverty: 2.9 million children were in deep poverty (i.e. with a household income below 50% of after-housing-costs equivalised median income) 600,000 more than in 2010/11
36% of all children in poverty were in families with a youngest child aged under five
47% of children in Asian and British Asian families are in poverty, 51% of children in Black/ African/ Caribbean and Black British families, and 24% of children in white families
44% of children in lone parent families were in poverty
34% of children living in families where someone has a disability were in poverty

Alison Garnham, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group and Vice-Chair of the End Child Poverty Coalition, said: “In a general election year, nothing should be more important to our political leaders than making things better for the country’s poorest kids.

“But child poverty has reached a record high, with 4.3million kids now facing cold homes and empty tummies.

“We know that change is possible but we need to see a commitment from all parties to scrap the two child limit and increase child benefits. Anything less would be a betrayal of Britain’s children.”

Liv Eren 20, who grew up in poverty, says: “As an 8-year-old I couldn’t go on the school trip, as a 12-year- old I was wearing last year’s school blazer and that feeling – that knock to your self-esteem – never really leaves you.

“People say growing up in hardship can motivate you, but what could I do aged 8 or 12?. It’s awful.”

Schools are seeing the effects of rising child poverty every day.

Tom Prestwich, Headteacher at Jubilee Primary School in Lambeth said: The levels of poverty we are seeing in school now and the numbers of children affected by it, are the worst I have seen.

“This can have a significant impact on our pupils’ ability to learn and on their overall wellbeing. Pupils who are coming to school hungry, pupils who are overtired because they are struggling to sleep in difficult home conditions, pupils who are cold or uncomfortable because of the clothes they have to wear are all at a disadvantage right from the start of their day.

“We do as much as we can to counteract this. We have breakfast clubs, give out fruit and bagels every day, give out old uniforms and support as much as we can with parents battling for improved housing but it does feel like the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged families is widening.

“This is happening at a time when school budgets are ever more stretched and our capacity to help and support families is reduced as a result.”

Simon Kidwell, head teacher at Hartford Manor Primary School in Cheshire, and president of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “At my school even working families are accessing local food banks and seeking support with uniform and school trip expenses.

“We hear from our members how schools are increasingly finding themselves having to step in and support pupils and families, with local authority budgets stretched to breaking point.”

In addition to the rise in relative child poverty (measured as living on less than 60% of today’s median income) the DWP’s figures show an increase in the number of children in absolute poverty (measured as living on less than 60% of what the median income was in 2010).

Since absolute poverty should always reduce over time as living standards generally rise, the increase is a clear warning that not only are more children being dragged below the relative poverty line, but living standards for children are falling over time, their hardship deepening.

Commenting on the publication of the latest official figures on UK poverty, which show that the number of people living below the poverty line in working households is 1.6 million higher than in 2010, TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “Hard work should pay for everyone. But millions of working families in this country are struggling to cover even the basics.

“In-work poverty has rocketed over the last 14 years.

“The Tories have presided over epidemic levels of insecure work, brutal cuts to social security and years of feeble wage growth.

“Working people deserve far better.”

Households Below Average Income statistics can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/households-below-average-income-for-financial-years-ending-1995-to-2023

Scotland’s poverty levels remain broadly stable

Latest Accredited Official Statistics and Official Statistics published

Covering the period until March 2023, the latest statistics show little recent change in poverty levels for children and pensioners. Poverty for working-age adults is slightly higher than in recent years, which could be driven by people becoming economically inactive as a result of the pandemic.

The four child poverty measures in the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act (relative and absolute poverty, combined low income and material deprivation, and persistent poverty) are broadly stable over the recent period. These measures are based on single-year figures which tend to fluctuate year on year, and the three-year averages provide a robust indication of trends.

While the poverty risk is much lower for children where someone in the household is in paid work compared to those in workless households, not all work pays enough to lift the household above the poverty line. Over two thirds of children in poverty live in a household with someone in paid work. This proportion has increased markedly over the past decade or so as more people move into employment.

Other key points are:

Working-age adults (21%) and pensioners (15%) are less likely to be in relative poverty after housing costs compared to children (24%).
Relative poverty has been broadly stable for all age groups. Adults under 25 are more likely to be in poverty than older adults.
Minority ethnic households are more likely to be in poverty compared to white British households. Muslim adults have higher rates of poverty compared to adults of Christian and those with no religion. Some of this difference may be explained by these households being younger.

The two full statistical publications are available here:

Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland contains statistics on poverty, child poverty, poverty risks for various equality characteristics, household income and income inequality for Scotland. This report also includes statistics on household food security.

The data comes from the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Family Resources Survey, Households Below Average Income dataset. Comparable UK income and poverty figures are published on the same day by DWP.

Figures are presented as three-year averages of each estimate. Three-year estimates best identify trends over time. Data collected during the year between April 2020 and March 2021 are excluded from the most recent estimates as response rates were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, estimates covering this period are for two years rather than three.

The four child poverty measures in the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act are based on single-year figures. These are available in the reference tables and in the child poverty summary.

Persistent Poverty in Scotland presents estimates of the proportion of people in Scotland who live in persistent poverty. The data comes from the Understanding Society Survey, and the latest statistics cover the period from 2018 to 2022.

These poverty statistics are used by the Scottish Government and other organisations to monitor progress in tackling poverty and child poverty, and to analyse what drives poverty and what works for tackling poverty and income inequality.

Official statistics are produced in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics.

Key poverty measures:

Relative poverty: A person is in relative poverty if their current household income is less than 60% of the current UK median. Increases in the proportion of people living in relative poverty indicate that the gap between the poorest and middle income households is widening.

Absolute poverty: A person is in absolute poverty if their current household income is less than 60% of the UK median in 2010/11, adjusted for inflation. Increases in the proportion of people living in absolute poverty indicate that prices are rising faster than the incomes of the poorest households.

Combined low income and material deprivation identifies the number of children in families that cannot afford basic essential goods and services because of a low income (below 70 percent of the middle household income).

Persistent poverty identifies the number of people in relative poverty for three or more out of four years. People who live in poverty for several years may be affected by it through their lifetime.

Household income is adjusted for household size.

The poverty publications present poverty figures before and after housing costs. Before housing costs figures are a basic measure of household income from earnings and benefits. After housing costs figures subtract spending on rents, mortgage interest payments and other unavoidable housing costs from this basic income.

In Scotland, poverty statistics focus mainly on poverty after housing costs. The poverty estimates in the child poverty summary refer to relative poverty after housing costs.

Further information on income and poverty statistics within Scotland is available.

Budget choices must prioritise hardest-up families, say child poverty campaigners

“Scandal of child poverty in a rich country must end”

Scottish child payment must rise to £30 to protect lower income families who don’t benefit from proposed council tax freeze.

Campaigners at the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland are calling for tax and spending decisions to do more to prioritise hard up families ahead of tomorrow’s Scottish budget.

With the proposed £300 million council tax freeze set to benefit better off households they say the very least that is needed to protect lower income families is a £58 million investment to raise the Scottish child payment to £30 per week. CPAG were one of over 150 signatories to a letter sent to the First Minister Humza Yousaf last month urging him to deliver the increase.

The Scottish child payment, which currently provides a vital £25 per week extra support for children in lower income families, must by law be uprated in line with inflation.

However during the SNP leadership campaign the First Minister said he wanted to see it rise to £30 in his first Budget. In a pre-Budget briefing sent to all MSPs the campaigners say this is the “minimum extra investment that is needed to support lower income families and demonstrate the First Minister is genuinely ‘shifting the dial’ on child poverty.”

The group have also joined over sixty other groups today to call on all Scotland’s political leaders to build a fair tax consensus that can provide the social investment needed for ‘a more equitable, resilient, and prosperous Scotland’. They say the Scottish Budget must be a ‘pivotal moment for fundamental change.’

Speaking ahead of today’s budget statement John Dickie, Director of Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, said; “Struggling families desperately need a budget that will provide immediate support as well as help meet statutory child poverty targets.

“Increasing the Scottish child payment to £30 is a cost-effective investment that would provide much needed financial support to the lower income families who get little if any benefit from the proposed council tax freeze.

“It would make a substantive impact and demonstrate the First Minister is genuine in his desire to ‘shift the dial’ on child poverty.”

Recognizing the challenging fiscal backdrop Mr Dickie added: “Difficult budget choices will be needed. But the right choice is to prioritise tax and spending decisions that will help end the poverty that still blights the lives of tens of thousands of children across Scotland.

“We are a wealthy country and we need all our political leaders to work together to harness that wealth to end the scandal of child poverty in a rich country once and for all.”

Child Poverty Action Group is calling for a Scottish Budget that:

•   Increases the Scottish child payment at the very least to £30 per week from April 2024, as committed by the First Minister in his leadership campaign. This investment is supported by the Children and Young People’s Commissioner and over 150 trade unions, faith groups, children’s charities and community organisations from across Scotland.
•   Ensures sufficient resources are harnessed and allocated to fund the wider measures (including on childcare, employment and housing) set out in the statutory child poverty delivery plan – Best Start, Bright Futures.
•    Provides additional cash payments to families impacted by the two-child limit and the under 25 penalty in universal credit.
•    Invests in childcare so not only can the actions in Best Start, Bright Futures be delivered, but every parent can access the childcare they need, when they need it.
•    Is bold in using tax powers in a progressive way to ensure sufficient resources are available to fully deliver on the actions that are needed to tackle child poverty.

Cutting the cost of the school day

Education Secretary praises innovative approach

Pupils and staff at Braes High School in Falkirk have been highlighting their innovate approaches to help cut the cost of the school day for families, as part of Challenge Poverty Week.

Cost-saving initiatives include the creation of ‘Take What You Need’ trolleys with essential school items, toiletries and snacks. S1 pupils also receive a Braes Backpack which contains a school starter kit.

The school has received more than £369,000 of Scottish Government Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) in recent years, supporting a range of work including these latest initiatives.

Scotland has the most generous universal free school meal offer of any nation in the UK – saving families an average of £400 per eligible child per year – while the School Clothing Grant has been increased so that those who are eligible receive at least £120 per child of primary school age and £150 per secondary pupil.

The 2023-24 Programme for Government set out commitments to further support reductions in the cost of the school day by funding the removal of core curriculum charges, further expanding free school meals and increasing the school clothing grant for the next academic year.

On a visit to the school, the Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “It was hugely encouraging to visit Braes High School during Challenge Poverty Week and to witness the innovative approaches pupils and staff have adopted to deal with the challenges that, sadly, too many of our young people and their families are facing.

“This work has been supported by the Scottish Government’s Pupil Equity Funding scheme – with more than £520 million this parliamentary term empowering headteachers to take creative and innovative approaches to tackle the poverty-related attainment gap.

“We are determined to do everything in our power to support families out of poverty, including investing in the game-changing Scottish Child Payment – part of a package of measures taken by this government which will help lift 90,000 children out of poverty in Scotland this year.

“We know that many families are still struggling, particularly as a result of the cost of living crisis. Tackling the cost of the school day is a key priority for the Scottish Government.”

Sara Spencer, Cost of the School Day Project Manager at Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland: “We have been delighted to work with Braes High School and their Cost of the School Day Pupil Group and see all of the meaningful ways young people have involved their school community and designed supports that help to make sure everyone can take part and feel included.

“Cost of the School Day at Braes is an inspiring example of what can happen when young people take the lead on equity in their own schools and a reminder of the impact that a poverty aware school culture and a clear focus on reducing the cost of the school day can have.”

Braes HS Head teacher Iain Livingstone said: “Our young people, staff, parents, carers and the wider community work well together to challenge poverty and support all learners. Pupil Equity Funding has helped us take forward a number of projects and support to help our young people get the most out of their education.

“We enjoyed being able to speak with the Cabinet Secretary, and seeing our young people discuss the many developments and ideas they lead.”

Braes High School worked with the Child Poverty Action Group to develop these initiatives. They are part of the new Cost of the School Day Voice network of children and young people.

Schools in Falkirk Council have received more than £26 million from the Scottish Government between 2015-16 and 2022-23 to close the poverty related attainment gap.

Seizing Scotland’s economic potential to help tackle poverty

Programme for Government will be published tomorrow

Scottish Government investment in the years ahead will be prioritised on measures that help grow Scotland’s economy, tackle poverty and deliver high quality public services, First Minister Humzah Yousaf said.

Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s publication of his first Programme for Government Humza Yousaf said that by supporting businesses and building a wellbeing economy – focused on well-paid jobs and growth – Scotland can unleash entrepreneurial talent and generate new investment that helps deliver targeted measures to lift families and communities out of poverty.

The Programme for Government will also set Scotland on a path towards tackling some of the big issues facing the country. It will ensure that responding to the climate crisis is at the heart of government, while also taking the next steps in reforming and modernising public services to help tackle the aftermath of the pandemic.

The First Minister said: “The challenges we face – including the cost of living crisis, the impacts of the UK Government’s hard Brexit, and pandemic recovery – are significant, but we have strong foundations that we can build upon, to grasp opportunities and deliver real change.

“During these challenging times, the people of Scotland need a government that is on their side. In the coming days we will outline our measures to support businesses and communities to unleash potential and promote entrepreneurship – helping provide well-paid jobs right across Scotland, and boosting national and local economies.

“Our focus on boosting economic growth will enable us to invest more in anti-poverty measures and support our vital public services, protecting the most vulnerable in society and raising the standard of living for everyone.”

CPAG: IT’S TIME TO DELIVER

Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s Programme for Government statement from the First Minister, John Dickie, Director of the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland said: “The First Minister has been right to say that tackling child poverty must be a top priority and his leadership campaign pledge to increase the Scottish child payment to £30 in his first budget was especially welcome.

“His first Programme for Government is his opportunity to show he will deliver on that promise. With low-income families still reeling under the pressures of the cost-of-living crisis there is not a moment to lose to turn his welcome words into concrete policies.”

In a briefing circulated to all MSPs the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland say Scottish government policies, including the Scottish child payment, are working to reduce child poverty.

However, they point to the government’s own analysis showing that the interim child poverty target may be missed, and that the government’s current policy package is not sufficient to meet the 2030 target of less than 10% of children living in poverty by 2030.

With one in four children still locked in poverty they say the Programme for Government must now include action that will:

•   increase the Scottish child payment at the very least to £30 per week from April 2024, as committed by the First Minister in his leadership campaign (note 2). To be sure of bringing child poverty below 18% (the interim statutory child poverty target) they say a £40 Scottish child payment is needed (note 3).
•   Provide additional cash payments to families impacted by the UK government’s poverty producing two-child benefit limit and by the young parent penalty in universal credit . CPAG analysis shows the two-child limit affects over 80 000 children in Scotland and pushes up to 15 000 of them into poverty.
•   Further invest in childcare so that every parent can access the childcare they need, when they need it.
•   Keep the manifesto commitment to increase the minimum school clothing grant in line with inflation. That would mean lifting them to at least £150 (from £120) for primary school and £185 (from £150) for high school pupils by summer 2024.
•   Ensure that schools have sufficient resources to remove cost barriers, including to provide every child with a device and connectivity; remove costs for curriculum related trips and activities and ensure all pupils can attend ‘rite of passage’ trips.
•   Be bold in using tax powers in a progressive way to ensure sufficient resources are available to fully deliver on the actions that are needed to tackle child poverty.

The 2023-24 Programme for Government will be published alongside the First Minister’s statement to the Scottish Parliament tomorrow (Tuesday 5 September).

This Programme for Government will build on the prospectus paper, ‘New Leadership – A Fresh Start’. This was published in April, shortly after the First Minister was appointed, and set out his three national missions: equality, opportunity and community.

Robertson Trust awards £1.7 million to six projects under Financial Security Programme funding

THE ROBERTSON TRUST has announced that six organisations have been awarded over £1.7M under their Financial Security Programme Awards. All of the projects are working to deliver big change that lasts on tackling poverty and trauma in Scotland.

Through our Financial Security theme, we want to fund, support and influence to improve income adequacy, income security, reduce cost-related pressures on finances and improve financial safety nets for people in financial trouble.

We made an open call for long-term change project ideas through our Programme Awards in October 2022 for organisations focused on delivering big change that lasts on financial security in Scotland.

Our Programme Awards will allow us to work alongside some of the organisations best placed to achieve impact on poverty and trauma in Scotland, allowing us to learn from them and them from us as we go.

The successful organisations include proposals to develop strengthening social security in Scotland, reducing the costs of essential goods and services, and preventing and relieving financial crisis now and in the future in Scotland.

We are pleased to share details of the organisations awarded funding:

One Parent Families Scotland awarded £384,678.00. This project will deliver evidence-based recommendations to achieve transformational change to the UK child maintenance system to contribute to reducing child poverty. A partnership with One Parent Families Scotland, IPPR (Scotland) & Fife Gingerbread, each organisation will lead on different strands of work, while working together across all activities. Ambitious policy proposals will be developed, at both Scottish and UK government levels, to radically reform the child maintenance system (CMS), informed by robust evidence and lived experience. The project aims to see action to tackle immediate shortcomings of the existing child maintenance system, and secure public and political support for long-term, systemic reform.

The Poverty Alliance – awarded £492,697.00 to fund new work to tackle rural poverty. Too often people living on low incomes in rural parts of pay a premium for essential goods and services – food, energy, transport, etc. ‘Taking Action on Rural Poverty’ (TARP) will develop new ways of addressing rural poverty in Scotland by reducing the rural poverty premium. The project will do this by bringing together people with direct experience of poverty, community and voluntary organisations, the private sector and public bodies to identify and test solutions to the poverty premium. It will also work to improve processes to involve people in local decision making and to make changes to national policy that will affect rural poverty.
Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) – awarded £249,866.00 CPAG strengthening social security project aims to ensure the delivery of Scottish Child Payment and other national and local payments provide greater financial security and stability for those on the margins of entitlement or excluded altogether. The project will develop new ways of bringing together the voice of lived experience and CPAG’s social security expertise to develop and promote approaches that will ensure more families can access Scotland-based payments, and that these payments can be relied upon throughout changes in family’s circumstances. In so doing it will not only aim to prevent families being pulled into poverty but also look to secure greater financial stability for families in Scotland.
Save the Children – awarded £249,761.00. The aim of this ambitious project is to inspire and coalesce public support around sustainable policy solutions to meet Scotland 2030 child poverty targets and deliver financial security in Scotland. The project will provide evidence and deeper insight into public attitudes across Scotland on different interventions that could sustainably drive down child poverty. Importantly, it will build a narrative framework – informed by these insights and our lived experience panel – and work with partners across the sector to ensure policy makers and campaigners have evidence on where the public has an appetite for change. Through engagement and influencing the project will build a network of champions to help ensure that findings and insights are lived and breathed and can have real world impact far beyond the lifetime of this project.
The Trussell Trust – awarded £230,000.00. The Trussell Trust is launching a three-year project that will help gain an understanding of how to provide better access to and engagement with local advice and support services that reduce destitution and prevent food bank use. The project as a whole will run pilots in six areas – Glasgow, Perth & Kinross, North Lanarkshire, Dundee, Orkney, and Aberdeenshire. By testing different models in six localities that represent key geographies of Scotland, the aim is to learn which interventions work in different areas, support community-led priorities, evaluate and learn comparatively from their experiences, and make recommendations to local and national government. The Robertson Trust is providing funding to part-fund the whole project, alongside a number of other funders.
University of Strathclyde (Fraser of Allander Institute) – awarded £158,742.00. The Fraser of Allander Institute and the Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities (SCLD) are collaborating to address the limited understanding of the additional costs of disability in Scotland. The social model of disability recognises that people are disabled by barriers in society not by their impairment or disability. The extent to which financial barriers constrain and impact the lives of people with a learning disability and their families is a key part of our research. This project, co-produced with a researcher with lived experience, will provide valuable evidence for the Scottish Government for future programmes of social security reform.

Commenting on the announcement of the new Programme Awards, Robertson Trust Head of Programmes and Practice, Russell Gunson, said: “I’m delighted to share the details of the Robertson Trust’s new programme awards today.

“Each of the awards we have made have demonstrated the potential to deliver big change that lasts on poverty and trauma in Scotland. We’re really excited to be working together to make the most of the potential for long-term change in Scotland.

“Our support comes at a time when people and places facing poverty are experiencing gale force winds against them and their living standards. We have been living through crisis after crisis, stretching back through this cost-of-living emergency, the Covid-19 pandemic and at least back to the financial crash 15 years ago.

“It is often hard to think long-term when the immediate challenges are so pressing but the Trust has protected significant funds for this long-term change work so that we can prevent poverty and trauma in the future, while also helping to make a difference here and now.

“We will only be successful if we commit to the belief that things can change – we’ve made progress before and we know we can again – if we build the participation, partnerships and coalitions necessary to make change irresistible, and if we build social change over the long-term to reshape the systems and structures that sit underneath why we have the levels of poverty, trauma and inequality that we do.

“We look forward to working with each of the projects and are keen to learn alongside them, to understand what helps and hinders in achieving our mutual ambition of ending poverty and trauma, and its negative impacts, in our society.”

Commenting on the announcement of the Programme Awards, David Reilly, Communities and Networks Manager at the Poverty Alliance said: “Rural poverty is an issue of growing concern for the Poverty Alliance.

“This important grant from Robertson Trust will not only allow us to test ideas to practically take action on rural poverty, but will also help us to strengthen the networks and relationships that we need to make long term progress on rural poverty.”

John Dickie, Director of Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland said: “Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland is delighted to be awarded funding by The Robertson Trust. This grant provides us with a unique opportunity to help shape the way Scottish Child Payment and other local and national payments support those currently on the margins.

“It will enable us to bring our expertise together with the voice of lived experience to prevent poverty and increase families financial stability by helping create more inclusive, consistent and secure financial support through the social security system”.

Satwat Rehman, CEO of One Parent Families Scotland, said: “One Parent Families Scotland is delighted to receive this funding from The Robertson Trust. Child maintenance is an issue which single parents have raised with us time and again, calling for there to be a fairer and more equitable system.

“Four in ten children in poverty in Scotland live in a single parent family but maintenance payments can contribute to the costs of raising a child and in giving them a decent quality of life.

“However, over £474 million in child maintenance in the UK has gone unpaid – money owed to children. This is an issue of children’s rights and the rights of the child to financial support.

” Working alongside our amazing partners IPPR Scotland and Fife Gingerbread we will develop ways of supporting families through the maze that is the current child maintenance system and work with families to design a model that works for them and contributes to lifting children out of poverty. “

Claire Telfer, Head of Scotland, Save the Children said: “We are thrilled to have received The Robertson Trust grant for this exciting work.

“We believe this will be a game-changing project in the development of policy and actions to drive down child poverty and we can’t wait to get started”.

David Brownlee, the Trussell Trust’s Financial Inclusion Lead, Scotland, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with The Robertson Trust for this ambitious project. The Trussell Trust has just released its end of year stats, showing the highest levels of need ever in Scotland.

“The record levels of need seen this year, represents a 50% increase in the number of parcels distributed by food banks in the Trussell Trust network in Scotland compared to five years ago in 2017/18.

“The chronic cost of living crisis has only deepened our commitment to end the need for food banks in Scotland and the whole of the Trussell Trust network – this project will play a key part in enabling us to see how to achieve that aim.”

Emma Congreve, Deputy Director of Fraser of Allander Institute, said: “The Fraser of Allander are delighted to be collaborating with SCLD and embarking on this project to produce better evidence to underpin more effective policy for people with learning disabilities in Scotland, especially as this will enable us to recruit and support a researcher with lived experience which we would not have been able to do without this investment.”

Helping families with their living costs

Extra funding to help offset UK Government benefit cap

The Scottish Government is providing £8.6 million in direct support for people affected by the UK benefit cap as part of its work to tackle child poverty.

An estimated 4,000 families with around 14,000 children are now able to apply for extra financial support through their local council’s Discretionary Housing Payments scheme.

Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison said: “We are increasing funding to help bridge the gap between what people need in benefits from the UK Government and what they actually receive. Eligible households could be £2,500 better off on average per year as a result.

“We will spend up to £84 million in 2023-24 on Discretionary Housing Payments to mitigate not only the UK Government’s bedroom tax and the on-going freeze to Local Housing Allowance rates, but now also the benefit cap which is pushing families into hardship.

“Our child poverty targets are ambitious and that is why we are choosing to invest significantly more in social security than the funding we receive from Westminster and helping to mitigate the damaging impact of UK Government welfare cuts.”

John Dickie, Chair of the Child Poverty Action Group, said: “Mitigating the UK benefit cap is absolutely the right thing to do. Support for struggling families shouldn’t have an arbitrary limit that pushes children into deeper poverty.

“It’s now vital that everyone affected by the benefit cap applies to their local authority for a Discretionary Housing Payment to replace as far as possible the cash support removed by the cap. The Scottish Government has done the right thing, now the UK Government must act to scrap the cap altogether.”

Laura Millar, Strategic Manager at charity Fife Gingerbread, which helps lone parents and families in need, said: “Last year Fife Gingerbread supported the ‘Scrap the Cap’ campaign calling on Westminster to end the benefit cap and the financial hardship this causes.

“Therefore, the Scottish Government’s commitment to empower local authorities to mitigate the impacts of the benefit cap using Discretionary Housing Payments is a positive step.

“Although the number of households affected across Scotland may be relatively small this is an important measure. The greatest risk is that households may be unaware of their entitlement, and every year millions of pounds of benefits go unclaimed. Therefore, we must all raise awareness of this announcement to ensure those most in need of support receive it.”

Funding for benefit cap mitigation by Scottish local authorities through Discretionary Housing Payments is as follows:

2022-23	£2.6 million
2023-24	£6 million
Total	£8.6 million

The benefit cap is a UK Government policy which limits the total amount of benefit that most working age people can receive, even if their full entitlement would be higher.

Discretionary Housing Payments are administered by Local Authorities to support with housing and living costs.

Further information about support available for people during the cost of living crisis can be found at gov.scot/costoflivingsupport.

Best Start, Bright Future: Poverty Alliance webinar on the Scottish Child Poverty Delivery Plan

Best Start, Bright Future – a Poverty Alliance Webinar

Monday 6 June 2022: 10am – 1pm

Scotland is a country where compassion is strong, but where child poverty is an ongoing injustice that we have to end together.

Best Start, Bright Future, the Scottish Government’s Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, was published at the end of March. It’s designed to help create the change we need to drive down child poverty and reach Scotland’s interim child poverty targets in 2024.

There are a lot of commitments in the plan, and we are hosting a special morning webinar to explore how we can make sure they are implemented, and how they can best deliver practical change in our communities.

The plan includes pledges to: increase the level of the Scottish Child Payment; create a new employability offer to help parents get into work, and; mitigation of the benefit cap.

There is lot more besides, and Best Start, Bright Futures will touch on all areas of anti-poverty activity in Scotland. It is crucial for groups and organisations across the country to understand what it all means for their work.

Please join us for a morning of discussion on how we can all work together to ensure that the ambition contained in the plan is delivered.

Click here to register!

Agenda

10:00 Welcome Peter Kelly, Director, the Poverty Alliance

10:05 Best Start, Bright Futures: What you need to know!

Julie Humphreys, Deputy Director, Tackling Child Poverty & Financial Wellbeing, Scottish Government

10:20 From Plan to Practice: Perspectives on Best Start, Bright Futures

Professor Morag Treanor, Deputy Chair, Poverty and Inequality Commission

John Dickie, Director, Child Poverty Action Group Scotland

Bruce Adamson, Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland

10:50 Panel Discussion

11:15 Comfort Break

11.30 Workshops

1. Making Employability Work for Priority Group Families

Jack Evans, Policy Manager, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Laura Millar, Strategic Manager, Fife Gingerbread

2. Social security: Priorities for tackling poverty

Tressa Burke, CEO, Glasgow Disability Alliance (tbc)
Polly Jones, Head of Scotland, Trussell Trust (tbc)

3. Childcare and Child Poverty – Meeting the Challenges

Anna Ritchie Allan, Executive Director, Close the Gap (tbc)
Satwat Rehman, Chief Executive, One Parent Families Scotland (tbc)

12.30: Feedback from groups and concluding remarks

13:00 Close

From Bad to Worse: Universal Credit families face another income cut

UP TO £660 PER YEAR COULD BE SLASHED FROM HOUSEHOLD INCOME

In a letter to the chancellor last week, the Bank of England stated that it expected inflation to be “around 8 per cent” this spring. With Universal Credit set to rise by just 3.1 per cent in April, families with children on universal credit now face a real-terms cut of around £660 per year, on average.

This is an increase on Child Poverty Action Group’s original analysis which showed a cut of £570, when inflation was expected to be 7.25 per cent.

The £20 cut to universal credit last October plunged out-of-work benefits to their lowest level in 30 years. Latest analysis shows that the picture for families is going from bad to worse.

Without government action, families will be pulled deeper into poverty. Increasing benefits by anything less than 8 per cent risks pushing those with already stretched budgets past breaking point.

Anti-poverty charities wrote to the Chancellor last week calling for a minimum 7% benefits rise:

Prices are rising at the fastest rate in 30 years, and energy bills alone are going to rise by 54% in April. We are all feeling the pinch but the soaring costs of essentials will hurt low-income families, whose budgets are already at breaking point, most.

There has long been a profound mismatch between what those with a low income have, and what they need to get by. Policies such as the benefit cap, the benefit freeze and deductions have left many struggling.

And although benefits will increase by 3.1% in April, inflation is projected to be 7.25% by then. This means a real-terms income cut just six months after the £20 per week cut to universal credit.

Briefing_UC_Feb_2022_final Download

Child Poverty Action Group’s analysis shows families’ universal credit will fall in value by £570 per year, on average. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has calculated that 400,000 people could be pulled into poverty by this real-terms cut to benefits.

The government must respond to the scale of the challenge. Prices are rising across the board. Families with children in poverty will face £35 per month in extra energy costs through spring and summer, even after the government’s council tax rebate scheme is factored in. These families also face £26 per month in additional food costs. The pressure isn’t going to ease: energy costs will rise again in October.

A second cut to benefits in six months is unthinkable. The government should increase benefits by at least 7% in April to match inflation, and ensure support for housing costs increases in line with rents. All those struggling, including families affected by the benefit cap, must feel the impact.

Much more is needed for levels of support to reflect what people need to get by, but we urge the government to use the spring statement on 23 March to stop this large gap widening even further. The people we support and represent are struggling, and budgets can’t stretch anymore.

Alison Garnham, Chief Executive, Child Poverty Action Group

Emma Revie, Chief Executive, The Trussell Trust

Graeme Cooke, Director of Evidence and Policy, Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Morgan Wild, Head of Policy, Citizens Advice

Dan Paskins, Director of UK Impact, Save the Children UK

Imran Hussain, Director of Policy and Campaigns, Action for Children

Thomas Lawson, Chief Executive, Turn2us

Sophie Corlett, Director of External Relations, Mind

Dr Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah, Chief Executive, Oxfam GB

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director, Age UK

Eve Byrne, Director of Advocacy, Macmillan Cancer Support

Kamran Mallick, CEO, Disability Rights UK

Katherine Hill, Strategic Project Manager, 4in10 London’s Child Poverty Network

Mubin Haq, Chief Executive Officer, abrdn Financial Fairness Trust

Bob Stronge, Chief Executive, Advice NI

Dr Ruth Allen, Chief Executive, British Association of Social Workers

Joseph Howes, Chief Executive Officer, Buttle UK

Helen Walker, Chief Executive, Carers UK

Balbir Chatrik, Director of Policy and Communications, Centrepoint

Gavin Smart, Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Housing

Leigh Elliott, CEO, Children North East

Niall Cooper, Director, Church Action on Poverty

Lynsey Sweeney, Managing Director, Communities that Work

Anna Feuchtwang, Chair, End Child Poverty Coalition

Claire Donovan, Head of Policy, Research and Campaigns, End Furniture Poverty

Victoria Benson, CEO, Gingerbread

Neil Parkinson, co-head of casework, Glass Door Homeless Charity

Graham Whitham, Chief Executive, Greater Manchester Poverty Action

Yasmine Ahmed, UK Director, Human Rights Watch

Sabine Goodwin, Coordinator, Independent Food Aid Network

Jess McQuail, Director, Just Fair

Gemma Hope, Director of Policy, Leonard Cheshire

Paul Streets, Chief Executive, Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales

Jackie O’Sullivan, Director of Communication, Advocacy and Activism, Mencap

Mark Rowland, Chief Executive, Mental Health Foundation

Chris James, Director of External Affairs, Motor Neurone Disease Association

Nick Moberly, CEO, MS Society

Anna Feuchtwang, Chief Executive, National Children’s Bureau

Charlotte Augst, Chief Executive, National Voices

Jane Streather, Chair, North East Child Poverty Commission

Tracy Harrison, Chief Executive, Northern Housing Consortium

Karen Sweeney, Director of the Women’s Support Network, on behalf of the Women’s Regional Consortium, Northern Ireland

Satwat Rehman, CEO, One Parent Families Scotland

Mark Winstanley, Chief Executive, Rethink Mental Illness

James Taylor, Executive Director of Strategy, Impact and Social Change, Scope

Irene Audain MBE, Chief Executive Scottish, Out of School Care Network

Steve Douglas CBE, CEO, St Mungo’s

Richard Lane, Director of External Affairs, StepChange Debt Charity

Robert Palmer, Executive Director, Tax Justice

Claire Burns, Director, The Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection (CELCIS)

The Disability Benefits Consortium

Dr. Nick Owen MBE, CEO, The Mighty Creatives

Peter Kelly, Director, The Poverty Alliance

Elaine Downie, Co-ordinator, The Poverty Truth Community

Tim Morfin, Founder and Chief Executive, Transforming Lives for Good (TLG)

UCL Institute of Health Equity

Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, Director, Women’s Budget Group

Natasha Finlayson OBE, Chief Executive, Working Chance

Claire Reindorp, CEO, Young Women’s Trust

Businesses in Scotland are also calling for the Chancellor to announce new measures to help with rising costs ahead of his Spring Statement tomorrow, according to a recent survey from Bank of Scotland.

As inflation hits the highest levels seen since 1992, over half (55%) of Scottish businesses said that direct help with energy bills and rising costs tops their wish list for the Chancellor. This was followed closely by calls for a reduction in VAT, cited by two-fifths (40%), while almost a quarter of firms (23%) want increased funding to help create new jobs and develop skills.

Rising prices remain a key challenge for business. Almost half (46%) of respondents said they are concerned about having to increase the costs of goods and services and over one in ten (14%) stated that inflation is reducing profitability. Almost one in ten (9%) said rising prices had caused them to worry about having to make staff redundant and a further one in ten (9%) were concerned about not being able to pay their bills.

To help specifically with rising prices Scottish businesses are asking the Chancellor for a VAT reduction (46%), while a third (35%) have called for grants to cover rising energy costs. A further quarter (23%) called for grants to support investment in energy saving measures.

The data comes as businesses face continuing supply chain challenges, which are reducing the availability of stock (40%), causing hikes in freight costs (39%) and disruption through Rules of Origin and VAT requirements from EU suppliers (33%).

Fraser Sime, regional director for Scotland at Bank of Scotland Commercial Banking, said: “Rising prices are causing multiple challenges for businesses across Scotland and the pressure from inflation shows no sign of abating in the near-term.

“As we wait for the Chancellor’s Spring Statement, we’ll continue to remain by the side of business in Scotland and support the country’s ongoing economic recovery from the pandemic.”

Responding to the ONS public sector finances statistics for February Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak said: “The ongoing uncertainty caused by global shocks means it’s more important than ever to take a responsible approach to the public finances.

“With inflation and interest rates still on the rise, it’s crucial that we don’t allow debt to spiral and burden future generations with further debt.”

“Look at our record, we have supported people – and our fiscal rules mean we have helped households while also investing in the economy for the longer term.”

All will be revealed when the Chancellor delivers his Spring Statement (Budget) at Westminster tomorrow.

Online advice booklet launched to support Scotland’s kinship carers

A new online booklet is launched today to help people across Scotland who care for the child of a relative, or friend, after the vast majority (88%) of kinship carers said they were not given enough information about how to access vital financial and emotional support.

What Now? produced by the Kinship Care Advice Service for Scotland (KCASS), includes a guide to the kinship assessment system, as well as contact details of organisations and support groups who can offer help and advice to carers.

Since 2010, there has been a significant increase across Scotland in the number of children being cared for by family member or friend because they are unable to live with their birth parents, an arrangement known as kinship care.

The latest Scottish Government statistics show there were 4,456 children formally looked after in kinship care in 2019-20, (31% of the looked after children population), compared to 3,172 children in 2009-2010 (20% of the looked after children population). **

KCASS, which is operated by Adoption UK Scotland and Adoption and Fostering Alliance Scotland in collaboration with the Child Poverty Action Group, is urging kinship carers and social workers to access What Now? online, or request a hard copy of the booklet, launched to mark the start of this year’s Kinship Care Week.

Susan Hunter, KCASS project coordinator, said: “Since its inception our KCASS Advisory Group, all of whom are kinship carers, has highlighted the lack of suitable information available to them, particularly at the start of their kinship journey.

“All too often kinship carers get in touch with our helpline asking for assistance; they have taken on the care of children at short notice with no understanding of what this will entail for them and their family.

“Kinship carers describe feeling overwhelmed and very much alone. Where they have been provided with information, they have found this to be difficult to comprehend with terms they are not familiar with, leaving them confused and uninformed.”

Children’s Minister Clare Haughey said: “Kinship Care Week provides an opportunity to celebrate and pay tribute to the important role that kinship carers play in providing loving, secure, stable, and nurturing homes for children and young people who can no longer live with their parents.

“All kinship carers deserve to get the support they need, and I welcome publication of the What Now? booklet, which will help kinship carers access important information. I would like to thank members of the KCASS Advisory Group who ensured the voices of those with care experience were heard when the booklet was developed.”

Fiona Aitken, director, Adoption UK Scotland, said: “We’re proud to be facilitating Kinship Care Week as an opportunity for us to raise the profile of the carers who tirelessly provide loving homes for their children.

“The week allows us to provide valuable opportunities for children in kinship families to take part in fun activities, workshops and group sessions for carers and learning and networking events for practitioners, encouraging all Scottish kinship care families, and those who support them, to take part.”

Robin Duncan, Adoption and Fostering Alliance Scotland director, said: “Kinship Care Week is a great opportunity to increase awareness of kinship care and give recognition to the carers for the remarkable, and often unsung, contribution they make. It also gives us the chance to spread the word about the new What Now? booklet so that this can be as widely available as possible helping to improve the availability and consistency of support to people when they take on the care of a child.”

This year’s Kinship Care Week takes place from 14^th -18^th March and features a range of webinars and discussion groups for carers, social workers, and childcare professionals. A full programme of events can be found at https://kinship.scot/kinship-care-week-2022/

Kinship carers or professionals can order a hard copy of What Now? by contacting KCASS at advice@kinshipscot.org, or by calling 0808 800 0006.

What-Now-booklet-2022_online Download

Case Study

Michelle became a kinship carer to her two granddaughters five years ago. She says she and her husband were not given any advice or guidance at the time about kinship care or what was expected of them as carers.

She said: “When I first became a kinship carer I got a call out of the blue asking me to look after my granddaughters for a few weeks whilst social work got things sorted out at home. Five years later they are still with us.

“The day they arrived I heard the words kinship carer, something I had never heard of before and knew nothing about. My husband, daughter and I looked like rabbits caught in headlights with two little children. We were given no help, advice, or guidance as to what to do or what was expected of us, we felt so very alone and angry. We had no contact numbers and did not even receive a phone call. If I had been given this booklet then it would have made things a little easier. Just to know that we were not alone and that help was out there, it would have been an absolute lifeline.

“I suggested developing a booklet like this at the KCASS Advisory Group which I am a part of. I didn’t want anyone else to go through the horrible, sometimes debilitating situation I was left in. This booklet would have helped so very much.

“That is why I am so very passionate and determined that it should be given to all kinship carers when they take on the care of a child, just so they know that they are not alone and have all the information they will need.”

Scottish Child Payment to be doubled, First Minister confirms

The Scottish Child Payment will be doubled to £20 per week per child from April 2022, the First Minister has announced. The decision has been welcomed by poverty camapigners.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that more than 105,000 children will immediately benefit from the increased payment, which supports low income families with children aged under 6.

First introduced in February 2021 as a £10 per week payment designed to tackle child poverty, it provides regular, additional financial support for eligible families.

The benefit, which is unique in the UK, will be fully rolled out to children under the age of 16 by the end of 2022, subject to data on qualifying benefits being received from the Department of Work and Pensions. It is expected over 400,000 children could be eligible for the doubled payment from that point.

From 2023/24 it will represent an annual investment in tackling child poverty of around £360 million a year. The increase to £20 per week further underlines the Scottish Government’s national mission to tackle child poverty.

The First Minister said: “The Scottish Government is determined to lift children out of poverty.

“Of the £2 billion a year that the Scottish Government invests to support people on low incomes, over £670 million is already targeted at children. Through the range of new payments delivered by Social Security Scotland, low income families receive, in the early years of each child’s life, £5,000 of additional financial support.

“At the heart of this is the Scottish Child Payment – the only payment of its kind anywhere in the UK, designed solely to lift children out of poverty and give them better lives. The £10 per week payment for eligible children under age 6 will be extended to all eligible children under 16 at the end of 2022; and we committed to doubling the payment to £20 per child per week within this Parliamentary term.

“I am proud that our budget will confirm that we will double the Scottish Child Payment from the start of the new financial year. This increase to £20 per child per week will reach over 105,000 children under age 6 in just four months’ time. When we extend the Scottish Child Payment to all under 16s at the end of next year, over 400,000 children and their families will be eligible.

“This is the boldest and most ambitious anti-poverty measure anywhere in the UK. Delivering it isn’t easy. It will involve hard choices elsewhere in our budget. But it is a choice we are opting to make.

“Eradicating child poverty is essential if we are to build the strongest foundation for Scotland’s future. And that is what we are determined to do.”

Scottish Government Minister and Scottish Green Party Co-Leader Patrick Harvie said: “With rising inflation, energy costs and the recent UK Government cuts to Universal Credit, further action to tackle child poverty could not have been more urgent.

“I’m therefore delighted that the Scottish Government has been able to double the Scottish Child Payment from April, just months after our policy of free bus travel for children and young people goes live.

“These bold actions deliver on key commitments made in the cooperation deal between the Scottish Government and the Scottish Green Party, and will make a real difference to families across Scotland.”

Scottish Greens MSP Lorna Slater said the decision will be pivotal to tackling child poverty in Lothian.

Ms Slater said: “With a new Covid variant, rising energy costs, inflation and the catastrophic impact of a Tory Brexit being felt, it is more important than ever that we do everything we can to help people that are being hit by Westminster’s cuts and austerity.

“That is why I’m delighted that we will see the Scottish Child Payment doubled in the forthcoming Scottish budget. This will be pivotal to tackling child poverty and will be welcomed by families that are feeling stretched, particularly those that have been hit by Boris Johnson’s punishing Universal Credit cut.

“With Greens in government we are delivering for people and the planet and making a real difference to families in Lothian and beyond.”

“That is why we are introducing free bus travel for everyone under 22 from January, extending free school meals to all primary school pupils and ensuring that government contracts pay the real living wage. We will continue to work towards a fairer, greener Scotland.”

Social Security Scotland delivers a number of benefits for families. These include Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment, Early Learning Payment, School Age Payment and Best Start Foods.

The newly doubled Scottish Child Payment, together with the three Best Start Grant payments and Best Start Foods, could give families up to £8,400 by the time their first child turns 6.

Campaigners have welcomed the announcement:

Chris Birt, Associate Director for Scotland at Joseph Rowntree Foundation said: “This is very welcome news that will provide vital support for families with young children following what is expected to be a challenging winter as the cost of living continues to rise. Doubling the payment for older children cannot come soon enough.

“As we noted in our Poverty in Scotland report, this investment alone will not be enough to meet the interim child poverty targets, but it is an important step in the right direction and will make a real difference to families.”