Summary

The Scottish Government’s Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 sets clear targets for reducing child poverty across Scotland, with interim goals to be achieved by 2023. The aim is that by 2030, fewer than 10% of children in Scotland will be living in households experiencing relative poverty; the figure currently sits at nearly one in four. The first annual progress report was published on 26 June 2019.

Such a complex task requires multi-layered responses. For the first time in Scotland a duty is placed on public bodies and their partners to address measurable change on child poverty in their area through innovation action. Every Child, Every Chance, the Act’s linked Delivery Plan, requires that local authorities and community planning partnerships across Scotland develop and deliver new work that will impact on child poverty - and describe this in annual reports that set out current and future plans.

These first Local Child Poverty Action Reports need to be submitted to the Scottish Government at the latest by the end of June 2019. Each local authority area is expected to work with their partner NHS Board, health and social care partnership, other key public agencies, as well as the third sector and community groups to initiate actions, interventions and services that will make a genuine difference.

A National Coordinator for Local Child Poverty Action Reports, funded by the Scottish Government to support the work, is based at the Improvement Service.

The latest reports are available from the Improvement Service

Child poverty strategies Scotland

LOCAL CHILD POVERTY ACTION REPORTS

Summary