Child poverty rates in Scotland are falling which is good news. Latest figures show a child poverty rate of 23% in Scotland cpag.org.uk/news/child-p... But SC has (rightly) set itself a target of getting child poverty below 10% by 2030 so there's still a long way to go.

First Minister Swinney had committed to mitigating the two-child limit from April this year if Westminster did not act to abolish it so Starmer’s decision freed up almost £130 million for SG to invest elsewhere to further its commitments on child poverty.

Some of this will go for increasing Scottish Child Payment, which is paid to families with children who are receiving Universal Credit aged 0-15yo. SG will increase SCP to £28.20 per week per child for 2026-27 & will add a 'baby premium' from April 2027 for under 1yos.

While this is welcome news, our evidence from the Family Finances study shows that families with older children also need more support. And there are children in poverty who are currently ineligible for SCP altogether.

Our findings show that SCP makes a real & lasting difference, allowing families to spend more on essentials like food & utility bills as well as investing in children's activities & well-being. sticerd.lse.ac.uk/case/_new/pu...

We also find that the fear of some in gov that raising SCP further could create a cliff-edge that disincentives transitions and increases in employment is not supported by the evidence. sticerd.lse.ac.uk/CASE/_NEW/PU...

But for parents like Elspeth – a single mum with a teenager - the SCP “helped massively”. She said: “It does take a bit of the weight off your mind, especially when you are doing it all yourself and you’ve got everything else to worry about on top of the money situation.”

Our comparative mixed-methods study spoke to 60 parents with children on UC in Scotland (40) & England (20). While all parents in Scotland who received SCP welcomed any extra support they got, many also spoke about the struggles they still faced, which would best be eased by boosting support.

It was right to increase the Scottish Child Payment to £40 for babies. But SG should have been braver & increased it for all children on a low income.

They could do this by extending the age range to include 16-19yos still in education, aligning with rules for Child Benefit. Support should also be available to children who currently miss out because their parents have ‘no recourse to public funds’ (NRPF) so no access to UC, CB or SCP.

More on our findings & recommendations here: familyfinances.study/Investing-in... and the Family Finances study: familyfinances.study - in partnership with @ruthpatrick0.bsky.social @kittyjstewart.bsky.social @katejandersen.bsky.social Suzanna Nesom @ilonapin.bsky.social @cpagscotland.bsky.social

These are crucial next steps, which will hopefully feature in many of the parties’ manifestos for the May elections.

As politicians and their advisers consider what pledges to make in these manifestos, they should think of the 125 babies being born in Scotland today, and the opportunity they have to make sure every one of them can have the very best life possible, and not just in their first year.