The Scottish Government has confirmed it will begin mitigating the two-child benefit cap from March 2026.
This announcement is welcome and will make a positive difference to an estimated 20,000 children in Scotland, but change is not happening at the pace families tell us they need.
The Scottish Government has also published the Best Start, Bright Futures Tackling Child Poverty Progress Report 2024-25.
In his introduction, the First Minister, John Swinney MSP, quite rightly states that “Although this is promising, the Scottish Government is under no illusion as to the scale of the challenge we face in meeting the 2030 targets – and delivering the future that the children of Scotland deserve”.
We work with families across some of the poorest and most deprived communities in Scotland. For them, change cannot come quick enough.
During our recent engagement with those we support, we heard about families’ experiences of the rising cost-of-living and the impact this was having on them. It was no surprise to hear that the rising cost-of-living impacts all aspects of people’s lives. Families are living in homes without basic household items like beds and cookers, children and young people are missing out on educational experiences or not engaging because of the levels of stress at home. The level of fear, hopelessness and worry was astounding. We call this the deprivation of hope.
For many of the families we support, budgeting is not about choices or cutting back on luxuries – it’s about survival. Parents told us that this has a significant impact on their family’s wellbeing, as their own mental health is declining. Families told us that they do not expect things to get better, that they have no hope for the future. This should alarm all of us.
We heard from families that poverty is not just about income. It’s about the pressures and judgment families face every day, the lack of mental health support, the crisis in housing, and the challenges in accessing education that meet the needs and rights of children.
You can find out more about what families told us in our Beyond the Budget report here.
We believe that Whole Family Support is central to Scotland’s approach to tackling child poverty.
Includem workers deliver practical and emotional support, enabling families to better meet their own needs, build on existing strengths and improve their community links.
This often means that families can access more of the support they are entitled to, both financially and practically. It means parents and young people have improved mental health and have a better likelihood of engaging in training, education or employment.
It means inspiring hope.
The Scottish Government remains committed to the delivery of Whole Family Support, but it needs to be adequately funded, widely available, and led by the experiences and voices of families who receive it.
We should be proud that Scotland is leading the way in reducing child poverty and the policy decisions taken by the Scottish Government are making a difference.
For those we support, words are meaningless. Their lives must be tangibly improved through bold action. This includes action by the UK Government who have made claims about their commitment to reducing child poverty without any action to back this up to date.
We will continue amplifying the voices of children, young people, and families we support in our campaigning efforts and the support we deliver across the country every day.
