First Minister sets out progress being delivered on child poverty in Scotland

First Minister John Swinney is due to set out progress being made by the Scottish Government on his main priority of eradicating child poverty. In a speech to anti-poverty campaigners and partners, he will emphasise the importance of on-going collaboration with organisations across the public and third sectors to deliver the right support for families and ensure every child growing up in Scotland can realise their full potential.

His address in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, comes ahead of the launch of the new Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan later this week.

The First Minister said:

“Eradicating child poverty is my Government's top priority and we are making significant progress. Child poverty rates in Scotland are 9 percentage points lower than in the UK as a whole – meaning 90,000 fewer children are in poverty in Scotland than would otherwise be the case. In 2023-24, rates of relative child poverty here fell to their lowest level in almost a decade.

“That is evidence of the Scottish Government and our valued third sector partners delivering meaningful progress, and we are determined to build on this through our approach to whole family support.

“I am determined to give children a brighter future by working with the third sector to tackle the root causes of poverty, taking the bold steps necessary to bring down everyday costs for families and ensuring services help people when and where they need it. That will be the foundation of our ongoing efforts to eradicate child poverty here in Scotland.”