This Challenge Poverty Week, Martyn Walker our Communications & Public Affairs Manager looks at the latest buzzword in town – eradicating child poverty – and how the rhetoric doesn’t match the action.
Since the summer, eradicating child poverty has become the latest buzzword in town, used by both of Scotland’s new governments at every possible opportunity.
And the rhetoric has been clear.
On his appointment as First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney MSP told us that:
“No one’s opportunities should be determined by the circumstances they are born into, which is why this year’s Programme for Government will prioritise measures focused on our single greatest priority of eradicating child poverty.”
Indeed, in our recent issue of URSPACE – our children and young people magazine – the First Minister said that “[e]nding child poverty in Scotland is my top priority as First Minister”.
When entering 10 Downing Street as the country’s new Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer MP told us that:
“For too long, children have been left behind and no decisive action has been taken to address the root causes of poverty. This is completely unacceptable – no child should be left hungry, cold or have their future held back.”
These statements gave us some hope of seeing a renewed partnership between both governments. A partnership that would foster new ideas, share learning and more importantly, transform the lives of the 240,000 children in Scotland who live in poverty.
That hope was short lived.
To date, what we have witnessed is the continuation of what came before.
What we have witnessed is the continuation of both governments using child poverty as a political punching bag, a means of which is to attack each other with for the lack of action. What we have witnessed is the failure to implement any of the actions that both includem and other campaigners have been calling for. Actions that we know will make a difference and transform the lives of children, young people and families.
With the Prime Minister’s words, campaigners began to hope that this meant the new UK Government would scrap the two-child benefit cap which we, along with other charity organisations had been calling for. This action alone could lift what CPAG Scotland estimate is 15,000 children out of poverty here in Scotland.
Our hopes were quickly dashed with the Chancellor’s announcement of a £ 20 billion black hole in the public finances and the announcement that there was “no money” available to scrap the cap. In recent weeks this messaging has been continued by frontbenchers when pressed to act. Consequently, we don’t expect to see this scrapped in the Autumn Budget later this month.
Here in Scotland, we hoped that the new First Minister, in line with his commitment to ending child poverty, would hear campaigners’ calls to increase the Scottish Child Payment to £40. This increase would lift a further 30,000 children out of poverty. We also hoped to finally see the government’s plans to roll out universal free school meals to Primary 6 and 7 students, as promised in their party manifesto.
Sadly, this didn’t happen!
In the latest public spending update, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, Shona Robison MSP, confirmed that instead of the £40 uplift, the Scottish Child Payment would instead be increased to £26.70. This is nowhere near enough to make the substantial impact that Scottish families need and doesn’t even match the earlier call to raise the payment to £30.
The recent Joseph Rowntree Foundation report goes further with their modelling on the Scottish Child Payment, suggesting that increasing to £50 per week would lift 15,000 children out of poverty by 2023/31. This would reduce the child poverty rate in Scotland by around 2% points. They explain that this increase could further lift 25,000 children from deep poverty.
A further blow came with the First Minister’s announcement that the rollout of free school meals to Primary 6 and 7 would no longer be universal but instead only be received by those in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment.
Again, we witnessed more rhetoric and very little action.
The situation was further complicated with the UK Government’s establishment of the Child Poverty Taskforce which will “oversee the development and publication of an ambitious cross-government child poverty strategy to reduce and alleviate child poverty.” (UK Gov, 2024).
On paper, this was the ideal opportunity that we had hoped for. The pulling together of government resources to focus on tackling child poverty.
But there was a catch.
This new taskforce was only looking at first in implementing this new strategy in England. Child poverty does not simply stop at the border. We hope this taskforce becomes an opportunity for both of Scotland’s governments to work together to bring substantial change. A taskforce that includes Scotland’s voice at a wider UK level. We look forward to seeing the publication of this strategy which will be published in the Spring.
In short, what we have seen so far from both new governments, is simply not good enough!
Why does this matter?
At includem, we see a world where every child and young person is respected, valued and has the opportunity to actively participate in all aspects of life and society. We know that child poverty is a huge barrier to those we support to achieving this.
For us, child poverty will never be solved in silo.
We see, every day from our services across Scotland that child poverty impacts so much more in their lives.
Through our own research, we know that child poverty significantly impacts a child and young person’s rights, their education, their involvement in youth justice and their own mental and physical wellbeing. Indeed, these themes formed the basis of our Transforming Lives campaign which we launched back in April.
Recently it was announced that the number of people in Scotland who say they have a mental health condition has doubled. For young people in Scotland the 2022 Scotland Census showed that 15.4% of 16–24-year-olds reported having mental health condition. Young women were twice as likely to report a mental health condition. (BBC News).
Now, we can’t put this solely down to living in poverty, but we can’t also ignore the role it plays.
A few years ago, we asked the question if it was time to start talking about the destitution and wellbeing gap?
The answer is a resounding yes.
We still believe that we need to look at developing infrastructure which addresses the root causes of the wellbeing gap, and which takes the whole community to support it. Not just one person, one voice or one location (such as a school). This needs both of Scotland’s governments working collectively. Not just more rhetoric!
Time and time again, we hear from families that what they really need is support that truly meets their needs. Support that gives them greater access to new experiences. Support that reduced their exposure to prolonged levels of household and community stress. Support that builds their financial, social and emotional resilience. Support rooted within their communities, free from stigma and shame.
Eradicating Child Poverty by 2030?
Recently, we submitted our response to Scottish Parliament’s Social Justice and Social Security Committee’s calls for views on the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017. It is well documented that Scotland, on current trajectory, will miss her 2030 targets of eradicating poverty. And although ambitious, we believe that the 2017 Act has not had the sufficient impact on reducing child poverty.
We see, every week, the phrase “tackling child poverty” being used as a political soundbite opportunity, a stick to hit the government with even, with no responsibility accepted and the blame continued to be shared between nations and parties.
If we truly want to tackle the wellbeing gap and child poverty, we also need to invest in practical and workable solutions and although we don’t have all the answers, we’re ready to play our part in the discussions on what that looks like that.
A big part of how we try to combat the impact of poverty here at includem is through our Young Person’s Fund.
Established in 2011 in recognition of the rise in poverty amongst those we support, it enables colleagues to provide essential additional support to children, young people and their families.
This could be simple things such as purchasing a new winter coat, accessing new hobbies or simply being there for emergency situations such as the costs of housing and the increase in bills when statutory avenues have all been exhausted. With the recent rise in the cost of energy, our fund will yet again become more important this winter.
If you can, we would appreciate if you could donate to the Young Person’s Fund at includem.org/donate.
What’s Next?
Later this month, we will begin working on our new poverty research – a follow up to our 2020 and 2022 reports.
We’ll ask those we support – those whose voices are not always heard – about the impact poverty has on their lives.
From this research, we’ll publish a new report and look to work with both Scotland’s governments to ensure their voices are heard by those who can make the decisions to transform their lives through our influence and engagement work.
Back in April, and throughout the general election, we called on both governments to take radical action to transform the lives of children and young people living in poverty – particularly by writing off public sector debt. We continue to call for that ask to be implemented.
We’ll continue to press both governments on this issue because as it stands:
It’s simply not good enough!
