Child Poverty Scotland Act Parenting Across Scotland conference

Child Poverty (Scotland) Act Parenting Across Scotland conference 26 April 2018

Child Poverty (Scotland) Act • The Act consists of the following key elements: – Four statutory income targets to be met by 2030, based on the 2010 Act targets. Key difference: After Housing Costs – Four statutory interim targets to be met by 2023, based on the same measures – Duties on Scottish Ministers to publish: • Delivery Plans in April 2018, 2022, and 2026 • Annual progress reports • A final progress report setting out whether the targets have been met – Duty on local authorities and health boards to produce annual reports on activity they are taking to reduce child poverty; both retrospective and forward looking – Provisions for a statutory ‘Poverty & Inequality Commission’

Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan • Scottish Government published their first Delivery Plan, Every Child, Every Chance, on 29 March 2018 Sets out: • new priorities for action to tackle child poverty between now and 2022 • ongoing activity to support children and families in poverty • partnership activity

Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan New Actions: Cost of Living • A new guaranteed minimum amount for the School Clothing Grant, providing more money for school uniforms and sports kits. • A new focus on families in our Warmer Homes Scotland programme, delivering an average saving of £ 350 per year for new customers. • New support for childcare after school and in the holidays to help parents work more flexibly and increase their incomes. • £ 3 million investment in the Financial Health Check guarantee to help low income families avoid the ‘poverty premium’ of higher costs for essential goods and services and maximise their incomes. • Invest £ 1 million in providing help for children experiencing food insecurity during school holidays over the next two years. • £ 1 million for the Carnegie UK Trust’s Affordable Credit Loan Fund to tackle insecurity of income and help the affordable credit sector to grow.

Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan New Actions – using devolved social security powers • committed to bringing forward a new income supplement for low income families; and will consider the most effective means to deliver this. • will deliver our enhanced Best Start Grant from summer 2019, providing eligible families with much needed financial support in early years. • will provide a range of financial and other support for carers; topping up Carer’s Allowance, an additional payment for carers of more than one disabled child and a Young Carer Grant. • will provide £ 250 for young parents out of work for six months to cover the basic costs of starting a new job through our new Job Grant.

Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan Informed by consultation with: • Local partners/COSLA/NHS Health Scotland • Groups of children and young people, and organisations representing them • Groups of parents, including those with protected characteristics, and organisations representing them • The Scottish Parliament (key Committees) Also informed by advice of Poverty and Inequality Commission

Local Child Poverty Action Reports • Local authorities and Health Boards are required to prepare annual reports setting out action they have taken during the reporting year to tackle child poverty, plus any measures they intend to take in future (forward look) • First set of local action reports due April 2019 • Working with cross-sectoral Reference Group to develop guidance – will be published in Summer 2018

Local Child Poverty Action Reports • Reports must set out action local authorities and NHS Boards have taken, and will take, jointly with partners, to meet the child poverty reduction targets set out in the Bill • The Bill also requires that local partners must set out what they are doing specifically around supporting families with income maximisation advice • The guidance will also highlight the priorities and underpinning Drivers set out in the first Delivery Plan and indicate that local partners may wish to reflect this in local reports • Beyond this: emphasis on innovative practice and taking a new approach to tackling child poverty, linked to evidence on drivers of poverty

Support for local partners Every Child, Every Chance also sets out package of support for local partners around the production of local plans and driving activity to tackle child poverty more broadly: • A national child poverty coordinator. • A new analytical partnership. • Support for communities to get their voices heard.

Statutory PIC Commission • Child Poverty Act makes provision for the creation of a new statutory Commission • Introduced as an amendment to the Act to ensure independence from Scottish Government • Public appointments process will be run for both the Chair and the Commissioners • Will engage widely to promote opportunity to apply across sectors and among those with lived experience of poverty • New Commission to be up and running from 1 July 2019

Conclusion Questions? Kathryn. chisholm@gov. scot 0131 244 0274