Bringing Hope, Building Futures: Tackling child poverty delivery plan 2026-2031 – annex 4: Child Poverty Measurement Framework (2026 update)
This annex to Bringing Hope, Building Futures: the third tackling child poverty delivery plan 2026 to 2031 provides an update on the measurement framework to monitor whether and how the drivers of poverty change over time.
Updated measurement framework
The updated Measurement Framework is set out below.
Driver: Income from employment
Indicator
Hourly Pay
Description and source
Average hourly earnings of low-income households (bottom three income deciles) with children where at least one adult is in employment.
Source: Family Resources Survey
Indicator
No Paid Employment
Description and source
Percentage of children living in households where no adult is in paid employment.
Source: Annual Population Survey
Indicator
Hours Worked
Description and source
Average number of hours of paid employment per working-age adult, in low-income households with children where at least one adult is in employment.
Source: Family Resources Survey
Indicator
Under-employment
Description and source
Percentage of parents (16-64) who are in work but would prefer to work more hours in their current job (at the same rate of pay), in an additional job or in a new job with longer hours to replace their current job.
Source: Annual Population Survey
Indicator
Underutilisation of Skills
Description and source
Percentage of employed working age (16-64) parents with degrees who are in low or medium skilled occupations. Source: Annual Population Survey
Indicator
Secure Work
Description and source
Percentage of parents (16+) in employment who have a permanent work contract.
Source: Annual Population Survey
Indicator
Parents' Qualifications
Description and source
Percentage of parents (16-64) with no or low qualifications. Low, or no, qualifications means that parents hold qualifications equivalent to Scottish Credit & Qualifications Framework level 4 or lower.
Source: Annual Population Survey
Driver: Cost of living
Indicator
Childcare Availability - Holidays
Description and source
Percentage of children's day care places that are in settings that operate during the school holidays.
Source: Care Inspectorate Data
Indicator
Childcare Availability - Outside School Hours
Description and source
Percentage of children's day care places that are in settings that are open before, during and after school hours.
Source: Care Inspectorate Data
Indicator
Childcare Affordability
Description and source
Percentage of households with one or more children aged between 0 and 11 who pay for childcare and that say they find it difficult or very difficult to afford childcare costs.
Source: Scottish Household Survey
Indicator
Childcare Costs
Description and source
Annual household spend on childcare (all households with children 0-11) as a percentage of annual income.
Source: Scottish Household Survey
Indicator
Transport Affordability
Description and source
Percentage of people, from low income families with children, reporting that they find it difficult to afford transport costs.
Source: Scottish Household Survey
Indicator
Transport Costs
Description and source
Percentage of income spent on transport costs by low income households with children .
Source: Scottish Household Survey
Indicator
Housing Costs
Description and source
Percentage of net household income spent on housing by low-income households with children.
Source: Family Resources Survey
Indicator
Fuel Poverty
Description and source
The percentage of households with children in fuel poverty or extreme fuel poverty.
Source: Scottish House Condition Survey
Indicator
Food Affordability
Description and source
Percentage of net income spent on food and non-alcoholic drinks by low income households with children.
Source: Living Cost and Food Survey
Indicator
Managing well financially
(new)
Description and source
Percentage of low income households with children who feel that they are managing well financially.
Source: Scottish Household Survey
Indicator
No Savings
Description and source
Percentage of low-income households (bottom three income deciles) with children that have no savings (respondents that have no savings or investments at all).
Source: Scottish Household Survey
Driver: Income from social security and benefits in-kind
Indicator
Reach of Benefits
Description and source
Proportion of children, in Scotland, who are eligible for Universal Credit.
Scottish Government analysis using UKMOD, based on Family Resources Survey 2019-20 and 2021-22
Indicator
Value of out-of-work benefits
Description and source
Real terms value (£/per week) of reserved social security entitlement (Universal Credit including housing element) for out-of-work lone parent/couple households with two children in Stirling.[1]
Source: DWP, OBR
Indicator
Value of in-work benefits
Description and source
Real terms value (£/per week) of reserved social security entitlement (Universal Credit including the housing element) for a lone parent working full-time / couple with one working full-time and one not in paid employment, on minimum wage, with two children in Stirling.1
Source: DWP, OBR, ONS
Indicator
Value of the Five Family Payments
(new)
Description and source
Annual value of the Five Family Payments for a family with one newborn baby.
Source: Social Security Scotland
Indicator
Benefit take-up: Scottish Child Payment
Description and source
Estimated take-up (percentage of those entitled to benefit who receive it) of Scottish Child Payment.
Source: Social Security Scotland
Contact
Email: TCPU@gov.scot