AMBITIOUS plans to eradicate child poverty have been unveiled by the Scottish Government.
Around one in five children in Scotland are currently living in poverty. If the proposed targets are met, fewer than 10 per cent will be living in relative child poverty and fewer than five per cent in absolute child poverty by 2030.
The aspirations are set out in a consultation document on the Child Poverty Bill, and are more ambitious than those of the UK Government. Other proposals include protecting families’ incomes by law.
Launching the consultation in Dundee yesterday, Cabinet Secretary for Equalities Angela Constance said: “I want to be absolutely clear that we are serious about our ambition to eradicate child poverty, and I want to work together with partners across Scotland to make that ambition a reality.”
The Scottish Government has already put in place a range of measures aimed at tackling poverty and inequality including promoting the Living Wage, free school meals and funded childcare.
“We’ve promised children a better start in life and more opportunities as they grow up,” said Constance. “We’ve offered parents more and better-paid jobs and greater security in which to bring up their families; and we are committed to tackling deep-seated inequalities, especially in education and health.”
However, Constance said the work had to be taken further and required input from across Scottish society.
“This isn’t only a job for government. The ambition to tackle child poverty must be shared across the whole of Scotland. I want to talk about how we can work together with local governments, businesses and the third sector, but most importantly with people who experience poverty.”
Last month First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the Conservative government at Westminster was “fundamentally wrong” in its approach. She was objecting to the move to repeal parts of the 2010 Child Poverty Act.
Anti-poverty campaigners welcomed the launch of the Child Poverty Bill consultation, which runs until the end of next month.
“We need focused and co-ordinated action to reduce poverty in Scotland, and setting out in law what needs to be done will help bring about that action,” said Peter Kelly, director of the Poverty Alliance. “If we are really to make progress towards eradicating child poverty then we need a comprehensive national anti-poverty strategy that involves all parts and layers of government.
“There are 220,000 children living in poverty in Scotland; two-third of them are in households where someone works. As part of a national anti-poverty strategy the Scottish Government must look at how we use new powers over social security to increase the incomes of these families.” We also need to recognise that tackling poverty increasingly means improving employment conditions for thousands of people in Scotland. That means reducing levels of low pay but also doing more to ensure that the jobs that are being created in Scotland are decent jobs that provide a real route out of poverty.
“The new Child Poverty Bill will be an important step forward. However, it is critical that the Bill is part of a long term, comprehensive national anti-poverty strategy, a strategy that ensures no-one – child, working age adult, pensioner – lives in poverty.”
Alison Todd, chief executive of Children 1st, welcomed the opportunity to put the voice of children and families at the heart of the consultation on child poverty strategy.
She said: “As fuel costs and other essential living costs continue to rise, it is essential that the Scottish Government does all it can to support families living in poverty and ensure that ending child poverty remains a priority on the political agenda with a tangible commitment to end child poverty in Scotland.”
At Children 1st our staff witness on a daily basis the impact of poverty and the difficulties and hardship it can bring to the lives of children and families. When Children 1st asked children what they wished for as part of their 130th birthday a young boy powerfully wrote down
“ I wish that I could win the lottery so that I can put food on the table for my family”
Alison Todd explains how this serves as a very powerful reminder of the lives and responsibility that young children living in poverty face on a daily basis
“Poverty often damages a child’s life chances and opportunities. If parents or carers are struggling financially and this is having an impact on family life, we would advise that they contact ParentLine Scotland for advice and support (08000 28 22 33).”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here