Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund: Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment

CRWIA Stage 2 – Assessment of Impact and Compatibility

1. What evidence have you used to inform your assessment? What does it tell you about the impact on children’s rights?

In 2023, the Improvement Service published a paper on understanding child poverty as a children’s rights issue. It finds that child poverty undermines children’s rights guaranteed by the UNCRC, including:

• The right to an adequate standard of living including food, clothing and housing
• The right to education
• The right to the highest attainable standard of health
• The right to legal assistance
• The right to play
• The right to freedom of expression
• The right to benefit from social security
• The right to family life
• The right to alternative care
• The right to protection from all forms of physical or psychological abuse
• A wide range of rights of children with disabilities

As tackling child poverty is a critical mission of the Scottish Government, cross-government work and stakeholder engagement is ongoing and the government’s approach is informed by a wealth of evidence and statistics on child poverty.

Evidence on what works in tackling child poverty highlights the need for a person-centred, holistic approach, within a framework of understanding structural barriers, in order to maximise the effectiveness of policies and avoid perpetuating stereotyping and stigma. Also, clear targeting strategies that identify and support priority families are crucial.

Data shows that children in priority families are more likely to be in poverty. The Scottish Government has compiled evidence on each of the priority family groups which details the unique structural barriers they are likely to face and emphasises the need for services which address these barriers.

The evidence underpinning the delivery plan includes insights from consultation with people with lived experience of poverty and stakeholders who work closely with them. As such, the priorities behind the Fund are informed by what these families have told us about barriers they face and what works to support them.

2. Evidence from stakeholders/Policy Colleagues

The Fund was designed in consultation with external stakeholders including the Peer Support Network of child poverty leads from local authorities and health boards and the Local Child Poverty Co-ordination Group, consisting of national partners supporting local action on child poverty. Internal stakeholders were also consulted, including policy and analytical colleagues.

Stakeholders have welcomed the initiative as a means to accelerate progress on challenges that are shared across areas, but which require additional expertise or coordination to overcome, and in particular have welcomed a focus on testing and evaluating approaches to improve our collective evidence base.

Consultation indicated a need for support to identify and evaluate practice focused on overcoming the barriers faced by priority families, and on routes to earlier interventions with families not currently well served by mainstream provision. There was also eagerness to test approaches to data sharing to better identify and target families, and to explore options to greater evidence the impact of other sectors on the drivers of child poverty.

3. Evidence from children and young people

The Fund is part of the implementation of the delivery plan, which was written in consultation with community based and national third sector organisations, local authorities, health boards, COSLA, and the Scottish Parliament, in line with the requirements of the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017.

In partnership with The Poverty Alliance, we consulted people with experience of living on a low income. We also conducted deep dive sessions with gender, minority ethnic, and disability stakeholders.

In creating the delivery plan, the Scottish Government engaged with a range of organisations representing children's interests, as well as consulting children and young people themselves (UNCRC 12). Children's Neighbourhoods Scotland contributed feedback from participatory research with 746 children and young people (across 10 schools) who discussed their priorities for wellbeing and enablers/barriers to achieving their goals.

Building on the strategy set out in the delivery plan, the Fund was designed in consultation with the Local Child Poverty Coordination Group which includes third sector organisations which work directly with families with children.

Analysis of the evidence

4. How have the findings outlined in questions 1-3 influenced the development of the relevant proposal?

The assessment has reinforced the importance of tackling child poverty in furthering children’s rights. The evidence supports the Fund’s holistic, whole-family approach and particular focus on the families at highest risk of experiencing child poverty.

5. Assessing for compatibility against the UNCRC requirements

UNCRC Articles

What impact does/will your relevant proposal have on children’s rights

Positive | Negative | Neutral

Article 1 Definition of the child - Neutral

Article 2 Non-discrimination - Positive

Article 3 Best interests of the child - Positive

Article 4 Implementation of the Convention - Positive

Article 5 Parental guidance and a child’s evolving capacities - Neutral

Article 6 Life, survival and development - Positive

Article 7 Birth registration, name, nationality, care - Neutral

Article 8 Protection and preservation of identity - Neutral

Article 9 Separation from parents - Neutral

Article 10 Family reunification - Neutral

Article 11 Abduction and non-return of children - Neutral

Article 12 Respect for the views of the child - Neutral

Article 13 Freedom of expression - Neutral

Article 14 Freedom of thought, belief and religion - Neutral

Article 15 Freedom of association - Neutral

Article 16 Right to privacy - Neutral

Article 17 Access to information from the media - Neutral

Article 18 Parental responsibilities and state assistance - Positive

Article 19 Protection from violence, abuse and neglect - Neutral

Article 20 Children unable to live with their family - Neutral

Article 21 Adoption - Neutral

Article 22 Refugee children - Neutral

Article 23 Children with a disability - Positive

Article 24 Health and health services - Positive

Article 25 Review of treatment in care - Neutral

Article 26 Social security - Positive

Article 27 Adequate standard of living - Positive

Article 28 Right to education - Positive

Article 29 Goals of education - Neutral

Article 30 Children from minority or indigenous groups - Neutral

Article 31 Leisure, play and culture - Positive

Article 32 Child labour - Neutral

Article 33 Drug abuse - Neutral

Article 34 Sexual exploitation - Neutral

Article 35 Abduction, sale and trafficking - Neutral

Article 36 Other forms of exploitation - Neutral

Article 37 Inhumane treatment and detention - Neutral

Article 38 War and armed conflicts - Neutral

Article 39 Recovery from trauma and reintegration - Neutral

Article 40 Juvenile justice - Neutral

Article 41 Respect for higher national standards - Neutral

Article 42 Knowledge of rights - Neutral

First optional protocol

Positive | Negative | Neutral

Article 4 - Neutral

Article 5 - Neutral

Article 6 - Neutral

Article 7 - Neutral

Second Optional Protocol

Article 1 - Neutral

Article 2 - Neutral

Article 3 - Neutral

Article 4 - Neutral

Article 6 - Neutral

Article 7 - Neutral

Article 8 - Neutral

Article 9 - Neutral

Article 10 - Neutral

Article 11 - Neutral

6. Impact on children and young people

The use of the Fund and its likely impacts are dependent on the projects proposed by local authorities and health boards. The articles ticked above align with the national strategy for tackling child poverty set out in the delivery plan and so indicate the articles likely to be addressed by funded projects.

The delivery plan and the Fund feature a focus on the six priority families at highest risk of child poverty: lone parent families, minority ethnic families, families with a disabled adult or child, families with a younger mother (under 25), families with a child under one, and larger families (three or more children). Families in these groups are especially likely to benefit positively from the Fund.

7. Negative Impact/Incompatibility

No likely negative impacts have been identified. Local and national monitoring and evaluation will monitor for any unintended consequences and will inform any modifications.

With regards to compatibility with the UNCRC – Article 1 of the UNCRC provides that for the purposes of the UNCRC, a child is anyone under the age of 18. However, for the purposes of the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017, a child is "(a) a person under the age of 16, or (b) a person who is a qualifying young person for the purposes of Part 9 of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992."^[6] With regard to the latter, a “qualifying young person” is currently a person under the age of 20 (and over 15) who is in “relevant education” or “approved training” under the 1992 Act.^[7]

Consideration of this issue is contained in section 2 on page 3 of this assessment.

8. Options for modification or mitigation of negative impact or incompatibility

N/A. National and local monitoring and evaluation of funded projects will allow us to monitor for any unintended consequences and inform modifications.

9. Positive impact: Giving better or further effect to children’s rights in Scotland

The aim of the Fund is to accelerate action to reduce child poverty in Scotland and to drive progress towards the statutory child poverty targets set out in the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017.

The specific uses and impacts of the Fund depend on the projects designed by local partners. In tackling child poverty, the Fund is likely to impact a range of children’s rights including the right to an adequate standard of living including food, clothing and housing and the right to the highest attainable standard of health.

The Fund is part of the implementation of the delivery plan, which is intended in the best interests of children, working to move them out of poverty. It focuses on the six priority families at higher risk of child poverty, working to mitigate the discrimination they often face.

10. Impact on Wellbeing: does or will the relevant proposal contribute to the wellbeing of children and young people in Scotland?

The wellbeing indicators are:

• Safe - Growing up in an environment where a child or young person feels secure, nurtured, listened to and enabled to develop to their full potential. This includes freedom from abuse or neglect.
• Healthy - Having the highest attainable standards of physical and mental health, access to suitable healthcare, and support in learning to make healthy and safe choices.
• Achieving - Being supported and guided in learning and in the development of skills, confidence and self-esteem, at home, in school and in the community.
• Nurtured - Growing, developing and being cared for in an environment which provides the physical and emotional security, compassion and warmth necessary for healthy growth and to develop resilience and a positive identity.
• Active - Having opportunities to take part in activities such as play, recreation and sport, which contribute to healthy growth and development, at home, in school and in the community.
• Respected - Being involved in and having their voices heard in decisions that affect their life, with support where appropriate.
• Included - Having help to overcome inequalities and being accepted as part of their family, school and community.
• Responsible - Having opportunities and encouragement to play active and responsible roles at home, in school and in the community, and where necessary, having appropriate guidance and supervision.

The uses of the Fund and the consequent impacts on wellbeing are dependent on the projects designed by local authorities and health boards so the likelihood of impacting each wellbeing indicator is unknown. However, the overarching aim of the Fund is to tackle child poverty and reducing poverty is conducive to improving all the above indicators.

The Fund and the delivery plan align with Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) principles which are embedded at local authority and health board level.

Post Assessment Review and sign-off

11. Communicating impact to children and young people

Each project supported by the Fund will include its plans for project design, monitoring and evaluation, and communications. The Fund guidance highlights the importance of engaging with people with lived experience of child poverty in the design and implementation of projects and this features in the assessment criteria for fund applications.

The value of the funding is low and therefore it is inappropriate to include a specific requirement for funded projects to communicate directly to children and young people. However, this will be considered at a national level in communications about the Fund overall.

As set out in the CRWIA for the delivery plan, the Scottish Government is committed to ongoing engagement with people with lived experience of child poverty – including engaging with the voices of children and young people.

12. Planning for the review of impact on child rights (Stage 3)

CRWIAs for actions undertaken through funded projects are the responsibility of the respective local authority/health board. Successful bids to the Fund are required to monitor and evaluate their project and will be supported by a national monitoring and evaluation coordinator.

Stage 3 of the CRWIA will take place as part of the assessment processes for the national delivery plan. The Scottish Government’s third tackling child poverty delivery plan will be prepared during 2025/26 – two years into the Fund – and will present an appropriate time to review the CRWIA.

13. Compatibility sign off statement

This relevant proposal has been assessed against the UNCRC requirements and has been found to be compatible.

Policy Lead Signature & Date of Sign Off: Emma Teale, 26 October 2023

Deputy Director Signature & Date of Sign Off: Julie Humphreys, 27 October 2023

SGLD Sign Off: Yes