First Minister has described his priority of
eradicating child poverty in Scotland as “a truly national
mission” and our “moral imperative” ahead of an event in Glasgow.
Addressing over 500 delegates from across the public and third
sectors, the First Minister also announced that more families
across Scotland are set to benefit from investment in innovative
projects that join up local services, making it easier for people
to access the support they need.
Through the Fairer Futures Partnerships (FFP), the Scottish
Government is collaborating with local councils to test and
improve services to better help families living in poverty. These
partnerships bring together a range of services, across
childcare, education, health and social care, housing, employment
and beyond, to provide whole family support.
Building on the success in three pathfinder areas, and eight
existing FFPs, the Scottish Government is now expanding these
partnerships into five new areas – Dumfries & Galloway,
Edinburgh, South Ayrshire, West Dunbartonshire and West
Lothian.
Speaking ahead of the event, the First Minister said:
“When I became First Minister, I said that I will pursue
priorities that will make Scotland the best our country can be,
and the most important priority that I have pursued in Government
has been that of eradicating child poverty.
“The cornerstone of our approach is investment in more dignified
and generous social security support, through game-changing
measures like the Scottish Child Payment, and ending the UK
Government's two-child limit.
“However, there are still far too many children growing up
hungry, or cold, and unable to reach their full potential. In a
country as wealthy as Scotland, that is unacceptable.
“It is my firm believe that nothing that is wrong with Scotland
can't be fixed by what is right in Scotland, and whole family
support - which is about redesigning the system, both for the
people who deliver vital services and for the people who rely on
them – is key to that.
“And it is already happening, right now, in areas across
Scotland, where local authorities and their partners are already
testing new and innovative ways of working together – reshaping
and redesigning services in close partnership with local
communities. But we need to see this in all areas of
Scotland.
"Through the Fairer Futures Partnerships, backed by £4 million
investment this year, we are working hand-in-hand with local
authorities, communities, and the third sector to deliver real,
lasting change. And we are now rolling this out into even more
areas of Scotland, allowing us to test and scale up what
works, ensuring every child in Scotland can thrive.
“I want to shine a light on the good work that is happening,
encourage knowledge-sharing, hear directly from people about what
is working well and how the Government can support them to make
whole family support a reality in all areas of the country.
“It is our truly national mission to ensure that no child in
Scotland grows up in poverty. It is everybody's business, and our
moral imperative – because there is no greater long-term
investment we can make in our future and our success as a
nation.”
Background
The five newly-announced Fairer Futures Partnerships (FFPs) build
on the work of: the Social Innovation Partnership since 2016; the
three original partnership projects in Dundee, Glasgow and
Clackmannanshire; the five FFPs in Aberdeen City, East Ayrshire,
Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and Perth & Kinross announced in
the 2024-25 Programme for
Government; and the further three in Fife, North
Lanarkshire and Shetland announced in the 2025-26 Programme for
Government.
Alongside this, Scottish Government is making up to £1.12 million
“Adopt and Adapt” funding available to local authorities not
currently engaged in Fairer Futures Partnerships. This funding is
provided to support councils' efforts to access and engage with
the learning and evaluation programme, and to embed relevant
learning in their local work on child poverty.
