Bringing Hope, Building Futures: Tackling child poverty delivery plan 2026-2031

Our approach to Delivery

Eradicating child poverty is the Scottish Government’s top priority, but it is also a mission that belongs to all of us. Only by working together – across local government, the NHS, third sector and employers – can we create the conditions to allow every child and family to thrive.

Within government, we will continue to ensure there is strong leadership, collaboration and accountability for the delivery of the actions in this plan and that we create an enabling environment for our delivery partners. We will continue to lead by example, including by putting child poverty at the heart of both the Scottish Budget for 2026-27 and the Scottish Spending Review.

At a national level, we will keep working with the third sector, COSLA, SOLACE, Public Health Scotland, the Improvement Service and other partners to strengthen local action and share learning. This collaborative approach will enable our partners – including councils, third sector and community organisations – to make the greatest possible difference for the communities they know best.

As part of our commitment to collaborative delivery, we will develop an agreement with the third sector to strengthen its voice and improve lives. The Third Sector Partnership will be co-designed with the sector, guided by the key principles put forward by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, to set out how government and the third sector can work together to enhance services.

Our partners and their local governance and planning structures are critical to delivering this plan. From the role of local authorities and LEPs in delivering employability services, to the role of the third sector and other community organisations in delivering Whole Family Support – local partnerships help link services together so families can have an easy, positive experience and get the support that best meets their needs. We will continue to work with local planning and delivery partnerships to drive progress together, in line with our shared approach to Public Service Reform.

Alongside this, we will continue to work with the UK Government as they implement their Child Poverty Strategy to maximise the impact of our collective efforts. We will also continue to call on the UK Government to go further in areas where they are not taking sufficient action. This includes, for example, the introduction of an Essentials Guarantee, fundamental reform to the UK social security system including abolition of the bedroom tax, benefit cap and young parent penalty, enhancing parental leave and targeted discounts to reduce fuel bills for households.

The publication of this plan is the start of the next phase of our joint delivery of the actions needed to eradicate child poverty in Scotland. Underpinned by our updated evaluation strategy we will continue to strengthen our evidence base to guide our future action and inform the next steps we take. We will continue to work with our partners to oversee the implementation of actions set out in this plan, and to ensure a shared approach to accountability for delivery – with families at the heart of everything we do together. Crucially we will also ensure that those with lived experience of poverty help shape both how we deliver and how we assess impact.

Case Study - Working together to deliver Whole Family Support

Through the introduction of the Whole Family Support Third Sector Delivery Fund, we recognise the crucial role our third sector partners play in providing targeted and innovative support to families in need. This will increase the impact of our integrated Whole Family Support systems change programme – providing an accessible front door to an increasingly integrated, person-centred public service landscape.

Yipworld is among three third sector organisations embedded in the East Ayrshire Fairer Futures Partnership. Through their Families First Initiative, Yipworld has provided housing advocacy, emotional support, access to employability services, and essential household items for lone parent Katie and her two children.

Katie’s children are Martha, aged eight, who has Additional Support Needs; and Beth, aged sixteen, a school leaver with persistent nonattendance and no qualifications. The family rely on social security, and their income reduced when Beth left education, increasing pressure on an already strained household.

The family’s housing application progressed in September 2025. With support from Yipworld, Katie moved in on 8 October. Immediate practical help was provided, including bedding, household essentials, and kitchen items.

Ongoing support included successful applications to the Scottish Welfare Fund for flooring and a cooker, Christmas food parcels and gifts, benefits advice, and help setting up utilities. The family were also linked into employability services.

This holistic, person-centred approach reduced duplication across agencies, prevented rent arrears, and minimised reliance on public funds. Beth is now engaging with employability support and Katie feels more settled.

This integration of third and public sector support, drawing on the strengths of both, is what we will continue to deliver through the Whole Family Support Third Sector Delivery Fund and Whole Family Support Integrated Change Programme working in tandem, nationally, to make Katie’s experience the norm and not the exception.