Poverty

We strive to support the ongoing battle against poverty and do so by working with our members and partners on research, campaigns and influencing activity.

Current policy context

Approximately 1 in 4 children live in poverty in Scotland according to the latest statistics. Poverty can have many detrimental effects on a person’s life and can exacerbate other inequalities, including health, education and wellbeing.

We know poverty creates a great deal of stress on those in parenting roles, with a recent study from Heriot Watt University finding that poverty intensified metal health problems for parents, which in turn affects children’s mental health.

Within Scotland, there are policies and initiatives aimed at reducing and easing child poverty and taking pressure off those in a parenting role. The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 sets out targets for the Scottish Government to significantly reduce the rates of child poverty by 2030. The Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022-26 outlines that actions the Scottish Government will take to achieve these targets. These include the Scottish Child Payment and support for childcare and work.

Our policy work

At Parenting across Scotland, we believe that all children should have the best possible start in life. That means a Scotland in which poverty is a thing of the past.

We sit on the Transforming Child Maintenance Project National Advisory Group. This two year project delivered by One Parent Families Scotland, Fife Gingerbread, IPPR Scotland and the Poverty Alliance is working with parents, practitioners, and policymakers to make the case for a fairer system for children and families.

We are also members of the following groups which aim to influence national policy and practice to reduce poverty:

• The End Child Poverty Coalition
• The Cross-Party Group on Poverty
• The Poverty Alliance