Demand for child payment to be doubled immediately

Poverty targets will be missed if the Scottish Government fails to double the Scottish Child Payment this year, campaigners have warned.

Charities, MSPS and the government’s own Poverty and Inequality Commission have demanded “bold action” at a speed similar to that in responding to the Covid pandemic, to ensure Scots children are lifted out of poverty.

The demands came as the new social justice minister, Shona Robison, updated Holyrood on progress to tackling child poverty.

She said investment of almost £1 billion had been made in the past financial year, but also pledged to bring forward new “game-changing” policies and called for society to unite to eradicate child poverty in Scotland.

However,theprogressreport showed that before the pandemic, relative poverty had “slowly increased while absolute child poverty, persistent poverty and the proportion of children who are in combined low income and material deprivation” had “remained relatively stable, but still well above the targets”. And the stark conclusion of a Child Poverty Scrutiny Report by the Poverty and Inequality Commission, also released yesterday, was that urgent action was needed to “release Scotland’s children from the restrictions of poverty”.

The commission has advised the Scottish Government that more action is needed on social security, employment and fair work, and childcare in order to meet its povertyeradication targets, set in law in 2017.

The Child Poverty Act said less than 10 per cent of children should be living in relative poverty by 2030, and less than 5 per cent should be living in absolute poverty. Current statistics show one in four children are living in poverty.

Chair Bill Scott said: “Levels of child poverty in Scotland are, at best, stagnating and may actually be starting to increase.

“We appreciate the work the Scottish Government has done to address the impact of the pandemic and its intention to increase the Scottish Child Payment to £20 per week. However, this is not enough.

"Urgent action is still required.”