Social security ‘key to cutting child poverty’

THE Scottish Government must make significant use of new social security powers if it to meet “extremely challenging” targets to reduce child poverty over the next 12 years, according to a report.

Scotland’s Poverty and Inequality Commission said ministers must be “realistic” about the scale of the challenge the country faces in tackling the problem, adding that there is a “long way to go” to reach ambitious targets for 2030.

It found that investment in social security is a “necessary element” to meet the child poverty targets and said topping up the child element of Universal Credit could be the most cost-effective way of achieving that aim.

The commission has made 40 recommendations for ministers on ways of cutting child poverty, which also suggests there should be action in areas such as getting parents into work, reducing housing costs and improving quality of life.

The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 sets four targets relating to child poverty in law which are to be met by the end of the next decade.

The Scottish Government has to publish three plans over the period to 2030, setting out the actions it will take to meet the targets, and it asked the commission to advise on its first delivery plan.

Bruce Adamson, Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland, welcomed the report saying: “Child poverty needs to be recognised as a significant children’s rights issue in Scotland and we need a sustained, systematic and human rights based approach to tackle and eradicate it.”