Scotland has ‘A very long way to go’ to tackle child poverty

Scotland is relatively well-placed to tackle child poverty compared with other parts of the UK, but there is still “a very long way to go” to eradicate the problem, a new report has found.

140,000 children in Scotland are growing up in poverty.

The latest state of the nation report from the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission looks at how child poverty is being addressed across the UK and makes recommendations for action.

It found that while child poverty levels are lower in Scotland than the rest of the country, 140,000 children are still growing up in poor families.

The report states: “Out of the 12 devolved nations and English regions, Scotland has the lowest rate of child poverty after housing costs, the second highest parental employment rate, the fourth lowest proportion of children in workless households and the third lowest prevalence of low-paid jobs.

“However, there is no room for complacency. There is still a very long way to go to eradicate child poverty in Scotland. Continued fiscal consolidation over the next few years will pose a number of challenges and social mobility outcomes appear to be as bad in Scotland as they are in England.”

The commission has made four main recommendations the Scottish Government could take to help reduce child poverty.