Swinney to urge Scotland to “think big and act bold” in mission to eradicate child poverty

First Minister John Swinney will this week urge Scotland to ‘think big and act bold' to eradicate child poverty.

Warning there are no easy solutions to such a complex and deep-seated problem, Mr Swinney will call on all of Scotland to work together to eradicate child poverty – not just as an end in itself, but also to help Scotland to reach its economic potential.

In a speech this Wednesday in Stirling, he will call for the Scottish Budget to receive the backing of the Scottish Parliament which contains a raft of measures to help alleviate poverty, including:

• £3 million to develop the systems required to mitigate the two-child cap, which could lift 15,000 children out of poverty
• investing almost £1.3 billion more for devolved benefits than would have been spent by the UK Government if these benefits had remained reserved
• wider support including providing £768 million to increase delivery of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme in 2025-26

Mr Swinney will also set out how he believes services and organisations can become more closely aligned in order to best support families affected by poverty. He will make clear that eradicating child poverty requires buy-in from across society.

On Wednesday, the First Minister is expected to say:

“I care so much about eradicating child poverty because I believe it is wrong to condemn any child to a life of disadvantage simply because of the economic circumstances in which they were born.

“There is a moral imperative – helping our most disadvantaged children is the right thing to do – but there is also an social and economic imperative.  Scotland will never reach its full potential unless and until each and every one of us is able to flourish.

“As a nation, I want us to think big and to act bold about our future. Put bluntly, nobody else is going to fix Scotland's deep-seated challenges for us.

“As First Minister, I am committed to putting in the hard yards – to bringing people together and identifying lasting solutions. Yes, in many cases these involve investment – but in many cases about ensuring support is joined up, and there when families need it. Working harder – but also working smarter.

“All of us care about Scotland's future, and that's why I want people in Scotland to see tackling child poverty as everybody's business – because there is no greater long-term investment we can make in our future success as a nation.”