28-04-2025
- General
- The Herald Scotland
80,000 children currently live in 'very deep poverty'
That is despite overall child poverty rates falling from 32% to 24% in 2020-23.
Our exclusive figures are as revealed at The Herald launches Scotland's Forgotten Children - a three day series investigating the severity of child poverty across the country.
Our in depth investigation will explore the harrowing realities of growing up in poverty.
While it is First Minister John Swinney's central mission in government to eradicate child poverty, SNP ministers have been warned the goal will now be "almost impossible".
The Scottish Government aims to reduce the number of children in relative poverty to under 10% by 2030 and absolute poverty to under 5%.
But interim targets were missed, with an estimated 240,000 - 23% - in relative poverty, where they receive 50% less than the average UK household.
Very deep poverty, meanwhile, is described as families facing the most severe impacts of poverty.
Read more:
Herald investigates scale of children poverty in Scotland
The report, seen exclusively by The Herald, warned: 'With such a high proportion of children in very deep poverty it is almost impossible to reach child poverty targets without lifting these children, who are the furthest from the poverty line, out of poverty.'
"That one child and their family has to get by on such low incomes is a tragedy; that 80,000 do should enrage and empower our politicians and decision-makers to vanish this hardship from our country," the report added.
It also means that any measures to reduce poverty by the Scottish Government is unlikely to be effective for this proportion of children.
The 80,000 figure is equivalent to every under 16 in Edinburgh, according to the research from lead analyst Carla Cebula.
Research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that families in very deep poverty were, on average, 54% below the poverty line.
That means their incomes are less than half of what is needed to reach the poverty line.
For a couple with two primary aged children in very deep poverty, being 54% below the poverty line equals to a gap of £1,160 per month.
Researchers suggest they would ned to work an additional 15 days to earn this - or the Scottish Child Payment, which currently sits at £27.15, would have to be increased to £120 per week to take them to the poverty line.
The analysis found that three in 10 of the families in very deep poverty have more than 90% of their income coming from benefits.
Meanwhile, 55% in very deep poverty have less than half of their income coming from benefits and within that group, three in 10 have 10% or less from benefits.
More than 40% of children in the most extreme levels of poverty have no adult in the household in employment, while one in three are pulled into poverty by housing costs.
The report has been published to mark almost a year until the 2026 Scottish Parliament election, with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation warning that whoever forms the next government must take urgent action.
It said: 'The prevalence of younger children in very deep poverty is concerning and highlights the need for more support for parents in the early years."
Chris Burt, associate director for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, said: "We've heard a lot recently about people feeling left behind by politics. What more striking evidence of that is needed than the stark findings of this report?
"If this happened overnight, it would be an emergency. The outcry should be the same even if we've got here after 30 years.
"Politicians want to rebuild trust in politics so they must take action for these children that are being left behind. And take that action at scale.
"We know the drivers of poverty in Scotland are poor work, poor housing and even poorer social security.
"You can't pull one of these levers only and expect the substantial impact we need to see.
"Progress on all three will truly give children in Scotland a more hopeful future."
The report calls for an uplift of the Scottish Child Payment to at least £40 per week, acknowledging the significant impact it has had on reducing child poverty so far.
However it also calls for the UK Government to scrap the two-child benefit cap.
Mr Birt told The Herald: "Whichever party wins the next Holyrood election will carry the heavy burden of meeting the Scottish Parliament's child poverty targets.
"Succeeding against the target will deliver a Scotland where all our children are able to flourish, and trust in our political institutions can be restored.
"The UK Government must also not sit idly by - it can also play a massive role in improving the lives of children in Scotland and across the UK. They must also keep up their end of the bargain."
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: 'Our policies are having to work harder than ever to make a difference, against a backdrop of a continuing cost of living crisis, rising energy costs and UK Government decision making. However, we know these policies are working.
'Recently published statistics show that the proportion of children living in relative poverty has reduced while the proportion in absolute poverty has also fallen with the annual figure the lowest in 30 years.
'We are committed to doing all that we can with the 2025-26 Scottish Budget prioritising action to eradicate child poverty, including through investment in breakfast clubs, employability support and to develop the systems to mitigate the two-child limit.
"On average, households with children in the poorest 10% of households are estimated to be £2,600 a year better off in 2025-26 as result of Scottish Government policies, with this value projected to grow to an average of £3,700 a year by 2029-30.
"While JRF predict child poverty will rise in other parts of the UK by 2029, they highlight that policies such as our Scottish Child Payment, and our commitment to mitigate the two-child limit, 'are behind Scotland bucking the trend'.
'But decisions taken by successive UK Governments are holding us back, and the Spring statement will only make things worse. The DWP's own figures show that proposed welfare cuts will drive 50,000 more children into poverty.'
