Scottish child payment has handed £1.3bn to 241,000 parents in five years

The Scottish child payment has delivered more than £1.3 billion to over 241,000 parents and carers since it launched five years ago.

The Social Justice Secretary said the benefit is a key part of the Scottish Government’s strategy to eliminate child poverty.

Shirley-Anne Somerville told the Press Association the policy is improving the lives of those on low incomes across Scotland.

The payment was introduced by then first minister Nicola Sturgeon in 2021 and is set at £27.15 a week per eligible child up to 16 years old.

The Government estimates the policy is keeping around 40,000 children in Scotland out of poverty.

In last month’s Budget, the Finance Secretary said a new rate of £40 for children under the age of one would be introduced in 2027 – worth around £500 a year.

As of September 2025, more than 322,000 children were in receipt of the payment.

The Scottish Government said the payment, along with other family benefits delivered by Social Security Scotland, could be worth around £25,000 by a child’s 16th birthday.

Danielle Shennan has two children, four-year-old Robbie and 10-month-old Sean, who receive the Scottish child payment.

The 23-year-old, from Edinburgh, said: “It’s made a big impact financially and mentally because I don’t normally just use it for food and clothes and stuff.

“At the end of the month, if I’ve got £20 left and it’s like a Friday and my little boy wants to do something fun, like going swimming, that makes a big difference.

“Mentally, I feel like having that little extra bit I don’t feel like I’m struggling as much. I feel like I don’t have to ask for help as much either.”

She added that life would be a “struggle” if she did not receive the payment.

Speaking on a visit to Home-Start Edinburgh, Ms Somerville said the Scottish child payment has improved the lives of thousands of children and families across Scotland over the last five years.

“Our plans to raise the weekly payment to £40 for eligible children under one shows the Scottish Government’s level of ambition and determination to end child poverty in Scotland,” she said.

“This payment helps ease the pressure on family budgets and forms part of the best cost-of-living support package in the UK.

“It helps pay for essentials like food and clothing, things that people who are better off may take for granted but which children in these households might otherwise go without. I urge families to check if they are eligible.”

But Scottish Conservative social security spokesman Alexander Stewart said the payment should be limited to a family’s first two children.

He told the Press Association: “It’s vital that Scotland’s welfare system offers a safety net for the most vulnerable.

“But, equally, the benefits bill is spiralling out of control under the SNP, and they have no plans to rein it in.

“The Scottish Conservatives believe it is fair and necessary to limit this payment to the first two children in a family, focusing support where it is needed most.

“No benefit should ever act as a barrier to work or leave people worse off for taking a pay rise or extra hours.

“We need a system that protects those most in need, is fair to the over-taxed Scots who fund it, and ensures work always pays.”