Briefing for MSPs ahead of 5th September debate: Programme for Government – Eradicating Child Poverty

With public finances under severe pressure and Scottish Ministers under a legal requirement to meet child poverty targets, the 2024-25 Programme for Government was a key opportunity for the Scottish Government to set out how it will deliver on its ‘number one policy priority’. 

Reforming public services so that families can access support is important, but those services need to be enhanced and they need to be adequately funded. There is no credible route to eradicating child poverty that doesn’t involve further investment in social security, childcare, affordable family housing and action to support parents into decent jobs.

Summary

Looking ahead the priorities must be: 

  • Social security – Sustaining and enhancing the value of Scottish family benefits. The Scottish child payment is working effectively to substantively reduce child poverty. An above-inflation increase and commitment to ensuring the payment reaches at least £40 per week by the end of this Parliament are still needed as part of the wider action required to meet child poverty targets.
     
  • Employment and Childcare
    • Clear action to provide tailored employment support for parents and carers – with a particular focus on supporting lone parents, black and minority ethnic parents and carers, families with a disabled adult or child, and young parents.
    • Action to further expand funded childcare, make the current childcare offer as accessible and flexible as possible and to provide free periods of childcare to address gaps in the support for childcare costs provided in universal credit.
       
  • Cost of the school day – Delivering commitments of universal free school meals to all primary school pupils and access to a digital device for all school aged children. Any delay to the delivery of universal free school meals to pupils in P6 and P7 is deeply concerning.
     
  • Tax - Using devolved tax powers more ambitiously to raise revenue needed to tackle child poverty.
     
  • Housing - Sufficiently funding the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) and ensuring all children live in safe, secure and permanent homes.

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