Tackling child poverty priority families overview

Progress towards Child Poverty Targets in Scotland

The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 sets statutory targets to reduce levels of child poverty, including fewer than 10% of children living in relative poverty, by 2030. This means fewer than one in ten children living in households on low incomes, compared to the average UK household.

Child poverty levels appear stable over the medium term. Too many people are living in poverty in Scotland. Relative/absolute (single year) child poverty estimates were lower in the most recent year, but persistent poverty was higher. For the first time, the most recent figures cover the period of the pandemic which had significant economic and social impacts.

Last year figures reported showed the significant impact COVID-19 had on families across Scotland. Particularly, for those on low incomes. The full impact of the ongoing cost of living crisis is not yet known. However, emerging evidence shows that:

• low income households are feeling the ongoing cost of living crisis more acutely. They are entering this crisis with less resources and tools at their disposal
• increasing income through paid employment is an important tool. However, while hourly pay appears to be increasing, there remain challenges for many to increase the amount they work such as childcare availability and family commitments. Importantly, many people struggle to find work that matches their skills, which may pay better
• for many families, the real value of benefits is sharply eroded by high inflation. This is despite most elements of Universal Credit being uprated with other benefits at 10.1% in 2023-24