Supporting families with the cost of living and eradicating child
poverty will be a key focus of the Scottish
Government, First Minister has said.
Ahead of a visit to meet parents and children at
a Bookbug session in Wester
Hailes, Edinburgh, the First
Minister said tackling the cost of
living, ensuring people get support before reaching
a crisis, and helping children and
parents in the early years will be
key priorities for the new Cabinet.
In March, the Scottish Government set out plans to drive further
reductions in child poverty. This includes committing an
additional £500,000 over two years to expand Bookbug, supporting
a further 20,000 low-income families across Scotland.
Mr Swinney said:
“Every child in Scotland deserves a future free from the
scourge of poverty. It will be the defining mission of my
government to support families with the cost of living and
eradicate child poverty.
“Our policies are already helping to keep an
estimated 100,000 children out of relative poverty this
year - but we are determined to deliver truly
ambitious change to reduce the cost of living.
“This includes expanding all year round childcare to all children
from nine-months to the end of primary school, introducing a
£2 nationwide cap on bus fares, increasing the Scottish Child
Payment to £40 for under-ones and delivering comprehensive
‘Whole Family Support' that wraps around families in their
communities, helping break the cycle of poverty.”
Social Justice and Housing Secretary said:
“I am delighted to take on the role of Cabinet Secretary for
Social Justice and Housing. I look forward to driving further
progress on the work started in the last parliamentary term to
eradicate child poverty, tackle the cost of living and accelerate
the delivery of more affordable homes.
“Reducing child poverty in Scotland is at the heart of this
government's ambitious agenda for change and we will work across
government, the parliament and with our much-valued third sector,
to give families the safety and security they need.”
Background
Tackling Child Poverty Delivery
Plan 2026-31: Bringing Hope, Building Futures is the Scottish
Government's final statutory delivery plan under
the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017.
Cumulative Impact Assessment of
the impact of Scottish Government policies on child poverty
rates
Bookbug - Scottish Book
Trust
