Bringing Hope, Building Futures: Tackling child poverty delivery plan 2026-2031 – annex 2: Analysis of consultation and engagement

3. Increasing earned incomes

This chapter presents an analysis of comments made across the call for evidence about the first strategic theme: “Increasing earned incomes by supporting and providing opportunities for parents and carers, to enter, sustain and progress in work”. This includes through employability support and the provision of essential infrastructure such as childcare and transport.

Respondents emphasised the importance of ensuring that in-work parents can earn enough to lift their families out of poverty by ensuring that employers implement Fair Work policies, including committing to paying the Real Living Wage. Childcare and transport were frequently mentioned, often together, as being necessary to ensure parents have a pathway into and can maintain employment. Recommendations often included extending free childcare to families experiencing multiple stressors and ensuring that rural and island communities have access to childcare and transportation that enables parents to work.

The analysis below focuses on responses to Question 3, Question 4, and Question 5, i.e., what is working well, what could be done differently, or what new approaches could be considered.

Question 3. What is working well and what actions should Scottish Government and partners either continue to do or to do more of?

Question 4. Are there policies, actions or approaches that the Scottish Government and/or partners should either stop or do differently?

Question 5. Are there new policies, actions or approaches that Scottish Government should consider implementing?

Employability and Fair Work

The most common theme was the importance of employability and Fair Work policies. At Question 3, respondents expressed positive views on existing employability and Fair Work policies but emphasised the need for greater funding and widening participation in the current programmes. Programmes cited as successful included:

• Partnerships between local authorities and the Improvement Service.
• Child-poverty related aspects of No One Left Behind programmes (NOLB)
• Various employability programmes funded by local authorities, such as Perth and Kinross Council’s ‘Futures for Families’ initiative, ‘Life Chances’ organised by Fife Council, and Edinburgh Council’s Parental Employability Fund.
• Employability schemes, such as modern apprenticeship programmes, with anchor organisations, e.g. local authorities, the NHS or governmental departments.
• Skills training programmes, such as placements at a Heavy Goods Vehicle / Large Goods Vehicle driving skills academy, which provided training that allowed parents to move into better-paying jobs.

Some respondents recommended improvements to existing programmes. These included broadening the reach and goals of existing schemes, particularly those that have shown success in the past. Others also suggested extending the topics covered in employability schemes to other transferable skills, such as income maximisation and financial, emotional, practical, and health support. Initiatives which provide employee support, guidance and advocacy were recommended by a few respondents. One respondent suggested that providing guidance on good parenting practices, particularly when juggling work, would help to ensure children are supported by their parents.

The importance of engaging and working with private sector employers was mentioned by some respondents. They felt this was necessary to encourage fair work practices, including family-friendly policies such as flexible hours to accommodate caring responsibilities and gender-competent employability support. One respondent highlighted a new framework being piloted in the UK, called Family Friendly Workplaces UK, which is based on a similar framework for businesses in Australia. Respondents expressed the view that these types of frameworks embed family-inclusive best practices into working environments. Attendees at engagement events emphasised the importance of embedding human rights and strengthening public sector equality duties.

A few respondents raised concerns around discrimination and misogyny faced by certain groups in relation to employment or noted the importance of tailoring services for specific groups. This included the following suggestions:

• Emphasise the importance of fair pay for those who face persistently lower wages, including women, disabled people and ethnic minorities.
• Work with employers to promote sponsorship opportunities for migrants and create opportunities for young carers living in poverty through internship programmes.
• One organisation highlighted the importance of addressing what they felt was the persistent undervaluation of ‘women’s work’, such as cleaning, care and retail. They felt this would result in fewer experiences of low pay and reduce occupational gender segregation.

Childcare

In response to Question 3, several respondents expressed the view that there have been recent improvements to childcare provision in Scotland. Respondents spoke highly of the increased number of funded childcare hours (1,140) for children aged three and four, as well as eligible two-year-olds. These were seen to support efforts to address child poverty by supporting parents into work and improving outcomes for families and children. This was also supported by a few respondents as a way to enhance early learning, emphasising that high-quality childcare fosters social, physical, emotional, and cognitive development, which is crucial for achieving positive future outcomes (see Chapter 6). One respondent cited Fife Council as a best practice example, having established a Childcare Services Team to enhance childcare services.

However, several respondents also felt that parents still faced barriers in relation to childcare that prevented them from taking up meaningful and impactful employment. Some respondents raised concerns about the inconsistent delivery of childcare across Scotland, variable costs for purchasing additional childcare hours, and variations in quality between privately run and publicly funded nurseries. A small number of noted the importance of flexible childcare, particularly for low-income families working shift jobs, and highlighted that a lack of wraparound care could affect the employability opportunities of many parents. A few others felt this was particularly true for rural and island communities, and a small number emphasised the importance of increased provision and affordability of childcare in Scotland more generally. Staff retention in early years settings was raised as a concern by a few respondents, who expressed the view that high staff turnover negatively impacts the quality of childcare available, though it was noted that this varied by geography.

Throughout the call for evidence, but particularly at Question 4 and Question 5, some respondents suggested various improvements that could be made to childcare in Scotland. One or two respondents each suggested:

• Extending the eligibility for free childcare for children under three years of age.
• Providing childcare to families with no recourse to public funds.
• Subsidising childcare for families on low incomes seeking employment.
• Changing the Scottish Child Payment to a childcare subsidy (for ages 0-12 years) to increase children’s access to social situations and early educational environments.
• Amending the restrictions on public employability funding and No One Left Behind (the Scottish Government’s strategic plan for employability) funding to provide childcare for workshops, especially for women, where a lack of childcare is seen to restrict employability development and a return to work.
• Implementing a “granny scheme”, where older people provide childcare and housekeeping assistance although there was no further explanation as to how this would work.
• Supporting parents with parenting queries, such as Open Kindergartens, an idea pioneered in Nordic countries, where early years practitioners and experts work with carers, parents and children in the community to develop their skills, experience and knowledge.
• The Scottish Government use its wage-setting powers to ensure that all early years and childcare practitioners across Scotland receive the Real Living Wage.

Transport

The importance of transport in enhancing employability was highlighted throughout the call for evidence. Some respondents highlighted the need for safe, dependable and accessible transport to enable employment at Questions 3 and Question 4 and in smaller numbers at other questions.

Transport-related barriers to employment were particularly mentioned in relation to remote and island communities, where limited rural transport options impacted the work options that families could access. Respondents also noted high petrol costs in rural areas as another barrier. A few respondents suggested conducting a specific impact assessment to examine transportation in island communities. The impact of expensive public transportation on migrant communities, particularly those with no recourse to public funds, was mentioned by a small number of respondents. One respondent mentioned how poor transport options can impact the employability of low-income workers undertaking shift work who need to commute when there are limited public transport options available.

Other considerations mentioned by one or two respondents included the following:

• Ensuring that public transport funding is directed at safe and reliable travel networks.
• Suggestion to extend free bus travel to refugees.
• Allowing No One Left Behind funding to pay for transport costs if needed.
• Recognition of disabled people’s, particularly disabled women’s, dependence on public transportation and the associated costs.

Transport improvements were also highlighted in relation to accessibility and use for children and young people. At Question 3, some respondents mentioned that the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme for Under 22s is helping children and young people from lower-income families access education, healthcare and social activities. A few noted that while the provision of free bus travel for young people is working well, the Scottish Government should extend eligibility to the age of 25. A small number of respondents suggested extending free bus travel to people receiving Universal Credit.

Training and skills development

A few respondents highlighted current programmes and support that they feel are assisting parents in training and developing employability skills. Respondents mentioned the positive impact of “earn as you learn” routes, such as apprenticeships or other pathways to employment, including some offered by public bodies such as the NHS. Others mentioned the positive impact of Scottish Government funding for third-sector organisations that provide adult learning and training programmes, such as Workers' Educational Association courses, or funding for employers who are willing to reskill or upskill parents.

While these programmes and supports were mentioned as having a positive impact, a few respondents at Question 4 and Question 5 suggested that there should be more of these programmes and called for additional funding to be set aside to help improve employability support for parents living on low incomes. At engagement events, attendees emphasised the importance of employers investing in upskilling, with a discussion at one event highlighting the value this could bring to employees in private sector organisations and businesses.

A small number of respondents suggested the following approaches for improving training and skills development for parents, although some of these are provisions already offered by the Scottish Government:

• Increased, and ring-fenced, funding for local authorities to provide adult education programmes and courses. Currently, it feels to respondents that there is variation in provision across Scotland, with some local authorities providing no adult education.
• Increased funding and provision for career services.
• Investment to create and improve employability schemes that are targeted at specific groups. For example, creating gender-sensitive programmes or specific tracks for single parents under the No One Left Behind funding.
• Restart the currently paused Adult Learner Strategy.
• A reconsideration of the importance of funding programmes that build confidence and self-esteem. One respondent noted that these traits are an important part of employment success, but the measurement of this does not align well with current targets and metrics for funding.
• Access to financial support and planning, particularly financial education, for low-income families if they felt it would be useful.
• At an engagement event, there was a call to improve recognition of international qualifications, particularly to support minority ethnic migrant families.

Other comments

A few respondents provided suggestions for the drafting of Theme 1 (Increasing earned income). These included:

• Making a clear connection to the Scottish Government’s Fair Work First approach.
• Explicit alignment with Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC).
• Clearer alignment with human rights policies, particularly policies that reduce discrimination.