Urgent action demanded to tackle ‘childhood emergency’ despite fall in poverty

Campaigners have insisted there is an “urgent need for action to tackle Scotland’s childhood emergency” – despite figures showing a reduction in youngsters in poverty.

Scottish Government figures show that for the period 2022 to 2025, 21% of children in Scotland – around 210,000 youngsters each year – were in living in relative poverty, once housing costs had been accounted for.

John Dickie, director of Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland, said the figures provide some “welcome confirmation” that action from ministers, such as the introduction of the Scottish child payment, “have been working to reduce and prevent poverty”.

But with Holyrood having passed legally-binding targets to cut the number of children in relative poverty to 10% by 2030, he added the new data is “also a stark reminder of how much more is needed to meet the child poverty target”.

Mr Dickie warned: “One in five of our children are still locked in poverty and there is a very real risk progress will stall.”

With the figures coming on the first day of campaigning ahead of the May Holyrood election, he insisted it “is vital that all Scotland’s political parties set out how they will ensure that child poverty falls each and every year the next parliament sits”.

Claire Telfer, head of  Save the Children Scotland, said the latest figures “make it clear that we are not moving fast enough” for the 2030 target to be met.

“The statistics indicate a small drop in child poverty rates, but the real headline is that one in five children remain locked in poverty and we simply must do more to give every child the best start in life,” she said.

“These figures show that progress is possible and policies like the Scottish child payment are making a difference to families.

“But it isn’t going far enough – too many families aren’t seeing a big enough change in their day to day lives and that makes them feel that politicians aren’t doing enough to help them.”

Jamie Livingstone, the head of Oxfam Scotland, said: “It’s welcome that child poverty has edged down in Scotland, but progress remains too little and too slow, with the number of children still left in poverty remaining a damning political failure.”

Mary Glasgow, chief executive of Children First, said: “A small drop in child poverty does not change the urgent need for action to tackle Scotland’s childhood emergency and meet Scotland’s 2030 child poverty target.

“It is not acceptable that one in five children in Scotland are living in poverty. It has a devastating impact on children’s mental health, wellbeing, education and prospects that can last into adulthood.”

Someone is classed as being in relative poverty when their household income falls below less than 60% of the current UK median income – with the report adding that for the period 2022 to 2025, the median household income before housing costs was £707 per week.

The report said relative child poverty rates, after housing costs, fell from about a third of youngsters (32%) in the mid-90s to 21% in the period 2010 to 2013. This however was followed by the poverty rate rising to 25% in 2018 to 2021.

The report added: “The most recent linked data estimates that 21% of children (210,000 children each year) were living in relative poverty after housing costs (2022-25).”

The proportion of children living in poverty was higher than for both working age adults and pensioners.

According to the figures, 18% of working age adults and 13% of pensioners were in relative poverty after housing costs for the period 2022 to 2025.

Chris Birt, associate director for Scotland at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said the data shows “politicians of all stripes need to stop and reflect upon the shocking levels of poverty in the communities they seek to represent”.

He added: “With almost a million people, including more than 200,000 children, living in poverty across Scotland, it is no wonder that people are feeling overlooked and ignored by those who seek to represent them.

“The next Scottish Parliament must step up to this challenge and focus on the things that people care about, such as driving down child poverty in Scotland.”

Debbie Horne, policy and public affairs manager for Scotland at Independent Age, said the statistics show “there are still too many pensioners living in poverty in Scotland”.

She said: “As the national charity supporting older people on low incomes, we know that older people are skipping meals, washing in cold water and not turning the heating on. This is wrong and a social injustice.

“As the Holyrood election approaches, all political parties must prioritise action to reduce pensioner poverty.

“This should start with a national strategy, a plan setting out the key actions to reduce poverty in older age and act as a map for how we will get there.

“They must also pledge to improve the social security support for older people on low incomes, and commit to supporting older people improve the energy efficiency of homes.”