www.cpag.org.uk/scotland

Child Poverty in Scotland – context, challenges and priorities for action

Dundee Fairness Commission 26 May 2015

Child Poverty in Scotland

• 220 000 (22%) children living in poverty • (2012/13 after housing costs – 19% or 190 000 before housing costs)

• well over half (59%) in working families• some children at even greater risk

− families someone is disabled (I in 3)- one parent families (nearly half)- families without paid work (over two thirds)

• affects families across Scotland, − Local child poverty map www.endchildpoverty.org.uk− Dundee 28% children in poverty: East End 35%,

Coldside 33%, West End 23%, The Ferry 15%

Headline poverty measure and the minimum income standard

Weekly income of family with income 60% national median after housing costs(£ per week)

MIS Minimum requirements not including rent or childcare(£ per week) http://www.jrf.org.uk/topic/mis

Lone Parent with two children

£264 £383.36 69%

Two Parent family – 2 children

£357 £482.29 74%

Impact on health and wellbeing

• health compromised from birth - average birth weight significantly lower (ECP, 2008)

• more likely to have chronic illness as toddlers (ECP, 2008)

• more likely to suffer mental distress (CPAG, Poverty in Scotland 2011)

• long term health problems and poor general health increases as deprivation increases (NHS Health Scotland, March 2013)

• greater risk of problems with psychosocial health and language (GUS, 2010)

• increased risk of unintentional injury (GUS, 2010)

• increased exposure to risk factors relating to maternal ill health and poorer diet (GUS, 2010)

Impact on education

• children in poverty nine months behind in terms of “school readiness” by age three (Centre for Longitudinal Studies, 2008)

• by age 5 gap of 10 months in problem solving and 13 months in vocabulary development.(GUS 2011, in JRF 2014)

• by S2 pupils in areas of low deprivation twice as likely to be performing well on numeracy, with 16 percentage points difference in reading (JRF 2014)

• school leavers from areas of high deprivation − lower attainment tariff score - half that of least deprived− less likely to enter positive destinations – 22% don’t,

compared to 5% of least deprived (Scottish Government 2012)

• attainment gap remains stubbornly wide

Impact

There've been times when I’ve said to my child, “Tonight, we'll light candles, and we'll get our books in bed”. And it’s because I’ve no electric. And when I’ve run out of gas and there's no hot water we'll boil kettles for the bath. I don’t tell Mike - who's only 12 - because I don't want him panicking and thinking “Oh my god my mum hasn't got any money.”

I had to go and pick him up from the school one day because he had been sick. Just before lunchtime. He never had any dinner money left. And I said to him “what’s happening? What’s going on?” and he said “I’m getting bullied because I’m poor and I’ve not got any money for a bacon roll”.

‘The school is always coming up with wee trips and things like that and then you’re caught out. And maybe it's only two or three pound and they don't really see that two and three pounds is a big issue, but when you're struggling it is’.

Progress made – what’s worked?

• Real progress: between 1997 and 2011

• 160 000 fewer children in poverty in Scotland

• positive impact on measurable child wellbeing• Policy works: at UK and Scotland level:

−commitment to eradicate child poverty by 2020

−investment in child benefit and tax credits, −childcare, including Working for Families−employment – NMW, parental rights,

employability support−income maximisation −affordable housing

Challenges

…..but huge challenges

• UK social security cuts - £2bn pa in Scotland alone, hitting poorest and families hardest , including those in work (Dundee: £56m lost pa)

• massive rises in child poverty forecast by IFS as result of current policy – up to 100 000 more children into poverty by 2020 in Scotland alone

• Child poverty already up by 30 000 between 2011/12 and 2012/13

• Poverty increasingly acute – crisis, foodbanks

The future…

Priorities

At UK level:

• a credible plan to end child poverty

• increase the national minimum wage

• improved work allowances within UC

• end to delays and errors in DWP decision making, and an end to fixed term sanctions,  

• restore value of children’s benefits with a ‘triple lock’ on uprating

• increased support for childcare under UC

http://cpag.org.uk/content/our-programme-2015-government

Priorities

At Scotland and local level:

• Work that works: living wage, but also progression, skills childcare; hours/flexibility, employers policies

• Education for all: reduce attainment gap, remove additional costs at school (poverty proofing), free school lunches, clothing grants, early years

• Housing: affordable rents and energy costs

• Transport

• Devolved ‘welfare’: CTRS, SWF, new powers?: investment and administration

• Advice and information: maintain investment in maximising incomes, make more accessible

www.cpag.org.uk/scotland