Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan: Progress Report 2025-26

Section 1: Summary of actions delivered through ‘Best Start, Bright Futures’

Despite facing the most challenging fiscal environment since devolution, action taken by the Scottish Government over the life of ‘Best Start, Bright Futures’ has made a real difference to families and driven further progress toward eradicating child poverty.

Following publication of the plan in March 2022, the impacts of high inflation and continued UK Government austerity meant that difficult decisions were required to prioritise immediate support for households alongside investment in action needed to realise change in the longer term. As a result, some commitments have evolved over time with a focus on what can be achieved within the constraints of funding available.

However, by ensuring that eradicating child poverty is a priority across all Scottish Government portfolios we have ensured that, despite external factors, we have made continued progress.

Implementation of the plan was underpinned by a strengthened approach to delivery and accountability. This includes establishment of a governance programme to oversee implementation of key commitments and Ministerial oversight of collective action – firstly through a Ministerial Oversight Group and then a Cabinet Sub-Committee on Child Poverty. It has also been supported by the strengthening of relationships with key partners, including through the Verity House Agreement with Local Government and the Fairer Funding approach for third sector partners.

In the face of strong headwinds, over the four years of the plan we have delivered meaningful action. This includes:

• Establishing 16 Fairer Futures Partnerships and providing ‘Adopt and Adapt’ funding to all other Local Authority areas to change the way services are delivered and bring together the support families need to break the cycle of poverty. This is in addition to establishing our Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund, supporting innovative local approaches and solutions, and investing £154.5 million as part of our Whole Family Wellbeing Funding programme.
• Strengthening financial support for families by more than doubling the value of the Scottish Child Payment and expanding the payment to all eligible children under the age of 16. This is in addition to providing additional funding to Local Authorities to mitigate the UK Government Benefit Cap through Discretionary Housing Payments and completing delivery of the most complex phase of our social security devolution programme.
• Taking steps to deliver the childcare services of the future, with the delivery of ambitious Early Adopter Communities, a new partnership with the Scottish Football Association providing after school and holiday activities for school age children, and the launch of Bright Start Breakfasts. This is in addition to continued investment in funded Early Learning and Childcare and action to improve the take-up of this offer amongst eligible two year olds.
• Supporting more parents to progress toward work and to increase their earnings through dedicated investment in Parental Employability Support, as part of our No One Left Behind approach with Local Government. This has been further strengthened with the launch of Specialist Employment Support for disabled adults and people with long term health conditions.
• Driving positive change in our economy by strengthening our Fair Work First approach, including by requiring public sector grant recipients to pay at least the real Living Wage, and by investing to increase the pay of workers in social care and childcare settings. This is in addition to our continued investment to promote the real Living Wage and Living Hours, and wider action as part of our National Strategy for Economic Transformation and Fair Work Action Plan.
• Investing to support families impacted by the cost of living crisis, including providing £50 million through the Fuel Insecurity Fund and £4.4 million through the Islands Cost Crisis Emergency Fund. This is in addition to delivering a £150 Cost of Living Payment to an estimated 1.85 million households and strengthening protections for renters through the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022.
• Supporting children and young people to realise their rights and flourish by investing over £750 million in our Scottish Attainment Challenge, driving forward work to Keep the Promise, and further expanding the provision of Free School Meals. We have also incorporated the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into domestic law in Scotland, putting children’s rights at the heart of decision making.

These steps are in addition to maintaining investment in wider support for families. This includes continued investment in free tuition for undergraduate students, free prescriptions for all, and free bus travel for under 22s and disabled people, which help to tackle everyday costs of living, and in essential action such as the delivery of more affordable homes and targeted support through our Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

The action we have taken is making a difference, with Scottish Government policies estimated to keep 100,000 children out of relative poverty and to halve the number of children experiencing deep poverty in 2026-27.

‘Bringing Hope, Building Futures’, the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan for 2026-31 sets out how we will strengthen our approach and drive further progress toward the eradication of child poverty in Scotland.

Key milestones reached over each year of ‘Best Start, Bright Futures’ are set out in the timelines below covering 2022-23 to 2025-26.

Key Milestones: 2022-23

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April

• Scottish Child Payment doubled to £20 per week
• Employability Shared Measurement Framework published

May

• School leavers toolkit launched
• Glasgow Pathfinder launched

June

• Child poverty in rural and island Scotland research published

July

• Initial allocation of Whole Family Wellbeing Funding for Children’s Services Planning Partnerships confirmed
• Children, Young People, Families and Adult Learning (CYPFAL) Third Sector Fund launched

October

• Strategic early learning and school age childcare plan published
• Emergency rent freeze and moratorium on evictions agreed by Scottish Parliament
• Fuel Insecurity Fund doubled to £20 million
• Dundee Pathfinder established

November

• First Place Based Social Justice National Learning event
• Scottish Child Payment increased to £25 per week and expanded to all children under the age of 16

December

• Final Scottish Child Payment Bridging Payment of £260 delivered
• Island Cost Crisis Emergency Fund launched
• Fair Work Action Plan and Anti-Racist Employment Strategy published

January

• Additional funding provided to Local Authorities to mitigate the UK Government Benefit Cap

February

• Winter Heating Payment launched

March

• Independent review of the Scottish Welfare Fund published
• NHS Anchors Workforce Strategic Group established

Key Milestones: 2023-24

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April

• Advice in Accessible Settings Fund launched
• Fuel Insecurity Fund tripled to £30 million
• Phase 6 of CashBack for Communities launched
• Funding for Employability Child Poverty Coordinators made available to Local Authorities

May

• Anti-Poverty Summit convened
• Bairns’ Hoose Standards published

June

• Scottish Welfare Fund Action Plan published
• Cash-First Plan to end the need for food banks published
• Verity House Agreement reached by COSLA and the Scottish Government

July

• Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund launched
• Real Living Wage grant conditionality came into force for public sector grants

August

• First Bairns’ Hoose opens in Scotland

October

• Council Tax debt advice pilot launched in three Local Authority areas
• ScotRail peak fares removal pilot launched
• Extra Time partnership with Scottish Football Association launched

November

• Carer Support Payment pilot launched and eligibility extended to many full-time students

December

• UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill passed by Scottish Parliament

February

• Eligibility for Best Start Foods expanded by removing income thresholds for all qualifying benefits
• Transfer of Carer’s Allowance awards to Carer Support Payment began

March

• Fair Fares Review published

Key Milestones: 2024-25

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April

• Childcare staff delivering 1140 funded hours paid at least the real Living Wage
• Scottish scheme for Discretionary Housing Payments established
• The Promise Partnership Youth-Led Grant Programme established

May

• Fund to clear School Meal debt launched
• Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund round 2 launched
• National housing emergency declared

June

• Programme for Scotland’s Childminding Future launched

August

• Active Schools made free for all children and young people
• Interim evaluation of 1140 hours published

September

• Guidance on school uniforms and clothing published
• Publication of the No One Left Behind: Employability Strategic Plan
• Publication of Whole Family Wellbeing Funding programme investment approach
• Launch of new Traveline Scotland website and app

October

• Fairer Futures Partnerships expanded to a further five Local Authority areas bringing the total number of partnerships to eight

November

• Carer Support Payment rolled out across Scotland
• £41 million package of winter support announced including £20 million boost to the Scottish Welfare Fund

December

• First Fairer Futures Partnerships network learning event held
• Council Tax debt advice pilot expanded into a further six Local Authority areas

February

• Rollout of Free School Meals to Scottish Child Payment recipients in P6 and P7 began

March

• Launch of a Parent Club social media marketing pilot focused on money advice and employability support

Key Milestones: 2025-26

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April

• Council Tax debt advice project expanded nationally
• Advice in Accessible Settings Fund expanded
• Third Sector Fairer Funding expanded for 51 organisations
• New Fair Work resource hub for employers launched
• Free foot passenger travel on inter-island ferries for under 22 year old islanders delivered

May

• Bright Start Breakfasts fund launched

June

• ‘Whole Family Support - Getting it right through collaborative leadership’ event held
• Public Service Reform Strategy published
• National Concessionary Ferry Scheme extended
• Minimum Income Guarantee Expert Group final report published

July

• Specialist Employability Support launched

August

• Fairer Futures Partnerships expanded to a total of 16 Local Authority areas

September

• Housing (Scotland) Act passed
• Housing Emergency Action Plan published
• ‘Whole Family Support – Working Together to Get It Right’ event held
• Peak rail fares abolished on ScotRail services

October

• Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund round 3 launched 17

November

• Young Carer Grant extended to young carers aged
• Over 4,000 employers in Scotland Real Living Wage accredited

January

• Warmer Homes Scotland supported its 50,000th customer

February

• Community Wealth Building Bill passed by the Scottish Parliament
• Publication of the National Islands Plan

March

• £2 bus fare cap pilot introduced across the Highlands
• Scottish carer benefits improved, including through launch of Carer Additional Person Payment
• Scottish Government and Business in the Community publish shared statement on inwork and child poverty