Scottish Government sets targets to reduce and ultimately end child poverty
The Child Poverty (Scotland) Bill was published yesterday and the new legislation will see Scotland become the only part of the UK with statutory targets in a bid to reduce the number of children experiencing the damaging effects of poverty by 2030.
The government will publish a three-year child poverty delivery plan by April 2018, which will be updated every five years, and annual reports to measure progress.
Equalities Secretary Angela Constance visited Fairy Job Mother, an innovative programme that helps 16-24 year olds into work, with 70% of those completing the programme finding employment, to mark the publication of the Bill.
Ms Constance said: “It’s utterly unacceptable that one in five children in Scotland live in poverty and this Bill sets out statutory targets to reduce and ultimately eradicate child poverty.
“Child poverty has been a systemic problem for decades. Tackling the immense challenge is an ambition all of Scotland – be that national and local government, health boards, businesses, the third sector or others – must work together to overcome.
“We’re absolutely committed to tackling the deep-rooted causes of child poverty, addressing the needs of those living in poverty today and preventing future generations from those circumstances.
“This Bill is a major step forward as we look to give our children the best start in life, and it establishes a framework by which we can be held to account for our efforts. We look forward to hearing the views of the Parliament and of stakeholders on the proposals.”
WATCH: @AConstanceSNP on the publication of the Child Poverty (Scotland) Bill #fairerScotland @scotgovfairer
Members of the End Child Poverty (ECP) coalition have welcomed the introduction of the new Bill aimed at eradicating the scandal of child poverty in Scotland.
The Child Poverty (Scotland) Bill, which will now be considered by MSPs, establishes ambitious new targets for the reduction and eradication of child poverty and places a duty on the Scottish Government to produce and report on delivery plans highlighting how those targets will be met. For the first time local authorities and health boards will also have a legal duty to report on the action they are taking to reduce child poverty.
Coalition members, which include Barnardo’s Scotland, the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland, Children First, the Poverty Alliance, One Parent Families Scotland and Children in Scotland had urged the Scottish Government to introduce legislation after the UK Government dismantled the UK Child Poverty Act 2010, scrapping the target to eradicate child poverty by 2020.
Peter Kelly, Director of the Poverty Alliance said: “The publication of this legislation is very welcome. Too many children in Scotland have their lives blighted both now and into their future as a result of poverty. By taking a more strategic approach and setting realistic targets, we can ensure that Scotland becomes a leader in tackling child poverty.”
Satwat Rehman, Director of One Parent Families Scotland said: “This is an important commitment by the Scottish Government. We look forward to working with them to improve a situation where 44 % of children in single parent families live in relative poverty. This will require an approach which integrates measures around social security & employability with childcare policy to stop that figure increasing over the next four years.
John Dickie, Director of the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, said: “This Bill is hugely welcome and could prove to be a turning point in the lives of more than 220,000 children living in poverty in Scotland today.
“The ambitious new targets and the legislative framework that underpins them will help ensure that child poverty remains high on the political agenda and that government is consistently held to account. We look forward to working with both the Scottish Government and Parliament to help identify the practical steps that must now be taken to make these ambitions a reality.”
Jackie Brock, Chief Executive of Children in Scotland said: “No child’s health, wellbeing and future life chances should be blighted by poverty, so we welcome this Bill as a positive step towards its reduction. As this Bill progresses through Parliament we will work with the Scottish Government, our network and members to ensure that the resulting legislation is as strong as it possibly can be. It must result in adequate resources to address the many complex issues associated with poverty such as inequalities in income, health, and attainment.”
Martin Crewe, Director of Barnardo’s Scotland said: “We know from our work across Scotland that poverty is one of the main factors affecting children’s ability to thrive and achieve their potential. We welcome the fact that as a country we will have a clear target to end child poverty. We need to make sure that the legislation creates a situation where we are all clear what steps are being taken to do so”
Alison Todd, Chief Executive, Children 1st said: “In a Scotland that is the best place in the world for children to grow up, no child would go hungry, live in substandard accommodation that damages their health, or be prevented from joining in at school or in community activities because of financial hardship. By creating a framework to hold this and future governments to account for their efforts to eradicate child poverty, this Bill marks a crucial milestone in achieving that vision.”
Alison Johnstone MSP, Social Security spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, has welcomed publication of the Scottish Government’s Child Poverty Bill and urged Ministers to focus on boosting families’ incomes. The Bill proposes a target that by 2030 fewer than 10 per cent of Scottish children are living in relative poverty. At the moment, in some parts of Scotland, a third of children live in relative poverty.
In recent months, the Green MSPs have secured a number of anti-poverty measures from the Scottish Government, including:
-A pledge to roll-out nationally Glasgow’s Healthier Wealthier Children scheme in which health visitors help vulnerable families access benefits to boost their incomes.
-A pledge to explore a Young Carer’s Allowance to help the estimated 30,000 carers under the age of 16, many of whom struggle financially.
-A pledge to review the funding formula for GP practices, as those in deprived communities with bigger workloads only receive £3.79 more per patient than those in affluent areas.
-A pledge to not use benefit sanctions in devolved employment programmes.
Green MSPs ran for election on a manifesto which pledged to use new powers over social security benefits to top-up Child Benefit by £5 a week. Research by the University of York shows that this would lift around 30,000 out of poverty, with around 200,000 children estimated to be in poverty currently.
Alison Johnstone, Social Security spokesperson for the Scottish Greens and MSP for Lothian, said: “Greens have made tackling child poverty a priority in this session of Parliament, and we’ve already pushed the Government to take action on a range of measures, most notably the pledge to expand the Healthier Wealthier Children scheme. We also continue to encourage them to consider a £5 a week top up of child benefit.
“The Child Poverty Bill is another good step forward but we need to go much further on boosting incomes in order to meet targets. We should consider creating duties for public bodies to deliver practical help, such as helping vulnerable families boost their incomes by helping them claim benefits to which they are entitled.
“I would also encourage the Government to consider additional measures. We need to know that reducing child poverty is not merely achieved by moving those just below the poverty line slightly above it. There is evidence to suggest that ‘the poverty gap’ is growing and that the average family in poverty is further below the poverty line than it has been previously.
“Green MSPs will engage constructively with the Bill and the forthcoming Social Security Bill, so that the scourge of child poverty is truly tackled.”
