SCOTLAND is not just the sick man and woman of Europe – this nation is also the sick child of the developed world.

Latest figures show 22 per cent, or 210,000 Scots children, are living in poverty. That’s set to rise to 26 per cent by 2020, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies – a figure estimated before the axing of tax credits. Now the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) says child health in Scotland is currently “among the poorest in Western Europe” and is pleading with politicians to make that the biggest issue in the 2016 Holyrood elections. Sadly, I doubt that will happen – though not for lack of evidence.

Last month, the EIS teachers' union said hunger among pupils was “moving from the exceptional to the more commonplace”.

Its members report issues including: l Increase in parental depression. Increase in children discussing "getting money tomorrow" and "getting food on Friday". l Children dreading non-uniform days due to lack of good casual clothing (knowing their peers will have this). l Need to expand breakfast club and provide toast at interval to help support children without breakfast.

I’ve heard from teachers first-hand that children appear at the age of four still wearing nappies and from dentists that four-year-olds need to have all their baby teeth removed through chronic neglect. Are these wild stories or accurate? Is this rare or commonplace? We need to know.

This week, Scottish Government Minister Alex Neil railed against the UK Government’s disregard for the inevitable consequences of its austerity programme and cuts to tax credit and benefits. Already some children are starving, some parents are in despair and denial, and children are being neglected. Neil is right to be furious, right to list the ways the Scottish Government is trying to mitigate UK welfare cuts, right to direct blame where it belongs and right to believe – as 1.6 million others do – that child poverty will not be resolved until Scotland is independent.

But that’s not enough.

We need to act now to alleviate suffering, restore morality, empathy and optimism to policymaking, and to save money. A 2013 Loughborough University study showed child poverty costs the UK £29 billion a year; it can only be rising.

There are things the Scottish Government can ask to do now ahead of the limited welfare powers coming their way soon. Most are vital but non-headline-grabbing. The Child Poverty Action Group suggests raising Sure Start maternity grants by 5.6 per cent to reflect the rising cost of living since they were introduced at £500 in 2002, offering them to all children, not just the first and automating payments.

Universal free school meals in years one to three of primary were brought in this year, saving a family with two children more than £800 annually and increasing levels of pupil concentration and attainment. Extending free meals for the whole of primary school would be even better – so would realistic school clothing grants.

Children’s Commissioner Tam Baillie points out energy-proofing homes would reduce the burden of heating on poor families. That’s vital and urgent since we may soon be facing an exceptionally cold winter.

Most of all, Scotland needs a dramatic shift of resources to fund universal high-quality childcare now – not after independence.

Every relevant professional body is agreed that high-quality, affordable childcare helps parents get jobs and improves health outcomes, future employability and educational attainment for children – particularly those from deprived backgrounds.

I know people are sick of hearing Nordic comparisons but facts are chiels that winna ding. Childcare costs a maximum of £1,200 per annum in real terms for the wealthiest Norwegians (poor parents don’t pay) compared to an average of £5,500 here.

At a recent talk to Norwegian councillors, I mentioned some working parents in Edinburgh pay £1,300 a month for full-time childcare. As they translated the sum into kronor, most believed I had made a mistake. One asked how much a cleaner earns here. Working full-time on the present minimum wage, he or she would earn less than £1,200 per month. The Norwegians were simply aghast.

“So how are these mothers managing?”

Dear knows.

The Scottish Government now must face up to the unpleasant task of robbing Peter to pay Paul and braving the storm of complaint. Poor parents and hungry children have no political clout and no expectation of change. But they do have articulate champions.

At the Scottish Greens conference former chief medical officer Harry Burns got a standing ovation when he concluded: “We can break the cycle of chronic insecurity and ill health by changing our welfare system to stop punishing people in difficulty and we can put compassion back at the heart of public policy.”

Such a big, bold measure is needed now if equality and social justice are to mean anything in Scotland. Over to Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP conference.


Expert: ‘Scotland can be one of the best places for children’