Post Legislative Scrutiny of the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017

One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS) is the national organisation for single parent families. We support family wellbeing; empower single parents with the
right advice and information; enable parents to access training, employment, and education; and campaign to reduce child poverty and inequality.

Our national services and family hubs in six local areas reach thousands of single parent families. We campaign for structural and systemic change
alongside single parents who are experts in their dual role of caregiving and providing for their children. We take an intersectional approach, recognising
most single parents are women and that many BAME, disabled and young single parents face multiple structural barriers affecting access to services and
opportunities. As a member of End Child Poverty Campaign OPFS was involved in the work of the group calling for a Child Poverty Act in 2016 and the
ongoing work to influence the contents of the Bill as it progressed through the Scottish Parliament.

The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 introduced a statutory framework aimed at reducing child poverty through specific targets and structured plans. We would argue that this framework has significantly influenced the Scottish Government’s approach in several ways:
1. Clear Targets and Accountability: The Act set bold targets to reduce child poverty by 2030, with interim targets for 2023. These targets include reducing
relative poverty, absolute poverty, combined low income and material deprivation, and persistent poverty. This has created a clear accountability
structure for the Scottish Government.
2. Strategic Planning and Reporting: The Act requires the Scottish Government to develop and publish delivery plans every four years, detailing the
actions they will take to meet the targets. These plans are accompanied by annual progress reports. This introduced continuous monitoring and the
ability to adjust strategies based on what is working and what isn’t.
3. Involvement of Public Bodies: The framework mandates that local authorities and health boards also create and implement plans to tackle child
poverty. This has led to a more coordinated and comprehensive approach across different levels of government and public services.
4. Evidence-Based Policies: The statutory framework has encouraged the use of data and evidence to inform policy decisions. This highlighted the need
for more targeted interventions aimed at the most vulnerable groups.
5. Establishment of the Poverty and Inequality Commission: The Act established this commission to provide independent advice and scrutiny on the
progress towards the targets. This has added an extra layer of oversight and expertise to the government’s responsibilities under the Act.

Overall, we believe the statutory framework introduced by the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 has made the Scottish Government’s approach to
reducing child poverty more structured, accountable, and evidence based. Child poverty targets, delivery plans and reporting requirements are
underpinned by the legislative framework in the Act.

The Act for all the reasons above has brought significant attention to child poverty, but we are concerned that it may have inadvertently overshadowed
the focus on women’s poverty, particularly when viewed through a gendered lens. The Act and its implementation have often taken a gender-neutral
approach, which can overlook the specific challenges faced by women. For instance, the use of terms like “parents” instead of explicitly addressing the
unique barriers single mothers face in employment and caregiving can dilute the focus on women’s poverty. While the Act aims to address child poverty,
it is crucial to recognise that women’s poverty is deeply interconnected with child poverty. Women are more likely to be primary caregivers and are
disproportionately affected by low wages, precarious work, and low social security. Benefits Addressing child poverty without a gendered lens can miss
these critical intersections. We believe there should be more gender-sensitive policies within the child poverty framework. For example, actions to
address the gender pay gap, support for women returning to work, and targeted training and education programmes are essential to tackle both
women’s and child poverty effectively.

Existing cultural and social norms around family and parenthood remain highly gendered and unequal. This can perpetuate single mothers' poverty if
their dual role of caregiving and providing for their children is not explicitly addressed in policy measures. Engender, for example, have highlighted the
need for a more explicit focus on women’s poverty within the child poverty strategy. We agree with them on the importance of gender mainstreaming in
policy responses and a stronger emphasis on the unique challenges faced by women.

In summary, while the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 has made improvements in addressing child poverty, there is a need for a more gendered
approach to ensure that women’s poverty is also effectively tackled. This includes recognising the interconnectedness of women’s and child poverty and
implementing policies that address the specific barriers faced by women.

The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 has significantly influenced how some local authorities and health boards approach reducing child poverty. Some
key changes include:
1. Joint Reporting: Local authorities and health boards are now required to jointly prepare and publish annual Local Child Poverty Action Reports. These
reports detail the actions taken and planned to reduce child poverty in their areas.
2. Strategic Planning: The statutory framework has led to more strategic and coordinated planning. Local authorities and health boards must align their
efforts with the national child poverty targets set for 2030, ensuring a unified approach.
3. Funding and Resources: Additional funding has been allocated to support the preparation of these reports and the implementation of child poverty
reduction measures. This includes financial support for income maximisation initiatives and formal referral routes between early years services and local
money/welfare advice services.
4. Accountability and Monitoring: The requirement for annual reporting has increased accountability and transparency. It allows for regular monitoring of
progress and adjustments to strategies based on what is working effectively
5. Collaborative Efforts: The statutory framework has fostered greater collaboration between different sectors, including health, education, and social
services, to address the multifaceted nature of child poverty.

Overall, the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 has created a more structured and accountable environment for tackling child poverty, ensuring that local
authorities and health boards work together towards common goals.

The inclusion of targets, delivery plans, and reporting requirements in the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 has made a significant impact at the national level. Here are some key differences:

1. Clear Targets and Accountability: The Act sets clear targets for reducing child poverty, which creates accountability. The Scottish Government is
required to report annually on progress towards these targets, ensuring that efforts are continuously monitored and evaluated.
2. Strategic Planning and Coordination: The delivery plans outline specific actions and initiatives to be undertaken over set periods. This strategic
approach aims to ensure efforts are well-coordinated across different sectors and levels of government, leading to more effective interventions.
3. Focused Resource Allocation: With defined targets and plans, resources can be allocated more effectively. The Scottish Government has invested
significantly in various programs aimed at reducing child poverty, such as increasing the Scottish Child Payment and supporting parental employment
4. Enhanced Policy Impact: The reporting requirements have led to a more data-driven approach, allowing for the assessment of the cumulative impact of policies. This helps in understanding what works and what needs adjustment, offering the potential to more impactful policies
5. Stakeholder Engagement: The transparency brought by regular reporting has increased stakeholder engagement. This has offered a more collaborative environment where various stakeholders, including local authorities, health boards, and community organisations, could work together. However, there is still clearly a power imbalance with the third sector and experts by experience having less resources and influence.

The Act has led to the development of initiatives like the Child Poverty Pathfinders in Glasgow and Dundee, which aim to provide person-centred support to families most at risk of poverty. These Pathfinders are designed to create ‘joined-up’ services, making it easier for families to access the support they need.

By bringing together various stakeholders, including local authorities, health boards, and the third sector, the Act provided the framework to encourage a
holistic approach to tackling child poverty, so that efforts are coordinated and effective. This is still an area which requires further investment in breaking
down siloed thinking and a focus on where systemic and structural barriers hold back progress.

The scrutiny measures established by the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 have been quite effective in several ways:
1. Greater Accountability: The Act requires the Scottish Government to report annually on progress towards child poverty reduction targets. This has
increased accountability and transparency, enabling an assessment of whether the aims of the Act are being supported by actions.
2. Poverty and Inequality Commission: The establishment of the statutory Poverty and Inequality Commission was a key recommendation from the ECP
charities in the development of the legislation. It aims to provide independent scrutiny of the government’s child poverty strategy and whether it is doing
enough to reach the targets, involves the third sector and gives recommendations. The Commission embeds participation in its work. This year, the
Commission focused its scrutiny by looking more closely at the Scottish Government’s ‘priority family types’. These are the six family types that are at
higher risk of poverty. OPFS was one of the eight organisations who worked with the Commission this year to involve single parent to give their views on
Scottish Government policies designed to reduce poverty, how well they felt these policies were working, and what else they felt was needed.
3. Data-Driven Approach: The scrutiny measures offer a framework for a more data-driven approach to policy-making. Regular reporting and monitoring
offer the opportunity for assessment of the effectiveness of various initiatives, helping to refine and improve strategies over time. However this is an area
which requires further resourcing.
4. Focus on Long-Term Goals: By setting clear, long-term targets, the Act has a focus that ensures efforts to reduce child poverty are sustained over time. This long-term focus helps to maintain momentum and prevent short-term political changes from derailing progress.
5. Stakeholder Engagement: The scrutiny measures have also increased stakeholder engagement. Regular reports and reviews provide opportunities for feedback and collaboration. However we feel there could be an increased focus on resourcing the involvement of experts by experience and the
organisations which can facilitate that.

Overall, the scrutiny measures have been effective in maintaining a focused, accountable, and transparent approach to reducing child poverty in Scotland. Limited funding and resources can hinder the Commission’s ability to scrutinise and offer recommendations on poverty reduction initiatives. Ensuring that policies and recommendations are evidence-based requires robust data collection and analysis. There can be challenges in accessing timely and comprehensive data, which is crucial for informed decision-making.

In June 2016 leading members of the Campaign to End Child Poverty (ECP) in Scotland ( CPAG; Poverty Alliance; Children 1st; Barnados; Save the Children and OPFS) wrote to the then Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities. The letter said "as a grouping of third sector organisations united in our vision of a Scotland free from child poverty…... We believe that one vital way of tackling poverty in Scotland is ensuring that we have ambitious targets for the eradication of child poverty. As such we are writing to ask if you will introduce a Child Poverty (Scotland) Bill during the current session of parliament.

As you will be aware, the Resolution Foundation has forecast a 50% increase in child poverty in the UK by 2020. Yet despite a growing poverty crisis, the UK Government has dismantled the UK Child Poverty Act 2010, scrapping the binding commitment to eradicate child poverty in the UK by 2020. It has also removed the definition of child poverty from legislation and left no requirement on public bodies (including the Scottish Government) to produce
strategies setting out how they will tackle child poverty or its effects.

The Scottish Government has made it clear over the past year that it does not support these changes. ……. We are therefore asking that the Scottish
Government act now to give effect to this statement and establish a Child Poverty Act for Scotland to replace and improve upon the Child Poverty Act
2010. Such legislation could:
• Set ambitious but achievable targets for the reduction and eradication of child poverty in Scotland
• Provide a legislative basis for the Scottish Government commitment to continue to report annually against the poverty measures previously contained
within the Child Poverty Act 2010
• Ensure the production of a Child Poverty Strategy every three years outlining how the Scottish Government intends to contribute to the reduction of
child poverty in Scotland
• Introduce a legislative duty on local authorities and their planning partners to take a strategic approach to addressing and reducing child poverty locally.
We very much welcome the fact that the Scottish Government has already set out a range of policy and legislative commitments that will contribute
significantly to improving the health and wellbeing of children living in poverty in Scotland. There is, however, still an urgent need for a Child Poverty
(Scotland) Act to ensure that – as well as tackling the effects of poverty and the prospects of children experiencing poverty – the Scottish Government and local authorities make direct and immediate steps to reduce and eradicate child poverty itself.

Only by reducing income inequality and maximising the financial resources available to families in Scotland can real and lasting progress be made
towards reducing wider societal inequalities and improving child wellbeing.

A legislative framework that enshrines existing income based measurements of poverty, establishes poverty reduction targets and requires the Scottish
Government to produce child poverty strategies will not only improve transparency and ensure ongoing focus on this issue, it will also provide a useful
prism through which to assess and measure the success of wider policies aimed at reducing poverty and socio-economic inequality in Scotland.

Indeed, the Child Poverty Strategies produced to date by the Scottish Government under the Child Poverty Act 2010 have already helped to sharpen the
Scottish Government’s focus and ensure that the issue of child poverty has maintained a high political profile in Scotland.

Whilst we recognise that legislation itself will not end child poverty, we believe a Child Poverty (Scotland) Act will help build upon the Scottish
Government’s existing focus on poverty reduction while holding this and future governments to account.

We also believe that Scotland specific legislation provides an opportunity to improve upon the Child Poverty Act 2010. While the duty to produce child
poverty strategies under the CPA 2010 was limited to the Scottish Government, we believe there would be advantages to extending the duty to local
authorities and their community planning partners requiring these bodies to demonstrate that they are taking a strategic approach to reducing child
poverty. One potential way of doing this would be –through their Children’s Services Plans and Locality Plans – which would help to improve
accountability and transparency whilst also ensuring that identifiable and appropriate action is being taken at every level of government”
In July 2016 we welcomed the then First Minister’s announcement that the Scottish Government would bring forward legislation that intended to set out a new approach to tackling poverty and inequality. We said then that its success would depend not only on policies to reduce poverty but to also address
the fundamental structural inequalities in our society. In Feb 2017 members of the End Child Poverty (ECP) coalition welcomed the introduction of a new
Bill aimed at eradicating the scandal of child poverty in Scotland and that for the first time local authorities and health boards would also have a legal duty to report on the action they are taking to reduce child poverty.

During the passage of the Bill OPFS was actively involved in working with opposition MSP’s and the government to ensure children in single parent families were a key part of the proposed child poverty strategy and delivery plans. We supported the proposal of Pauline McNeill MSP to ensure single parent families were included as a priority family and that requirements around specific measures for single parent families were brought into the overall list of areas that the delivery plans must cover. A letter from the then Cabinet Secretary for Communities ,Social Security and Equalities to the Chair of the Social Security Committee in October 2017 said “ This will mean that Ministers will be required to set out specific measures they propose to take in relation to single parent families in each delivery plan. “

We also wrote a proposed amendment to the Bill which suggested an additional area to be covered in the Delivery Plans would be ‘that the provision of Scottish Government funded employability services should be designed to be accessible to and take account of the particular needs of single parents and carers.’

When we look at the statistics for child poverty in single parent families in Scotland compared to England these show notable differences. In Scotland 38% of children in single-parent families live in poverty compared to 44% in England. A difference of six percent. Even so the fact that over one in three children in single parent families live in poverty in Scotland is unacceptable so in that respect the Act has not had the impact we hoped for.

The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 commits Scottish Ministers to set out in their delivery plans what measures they propose to take in relation to children living in single-parent households; and to include in their annual progress report the effect of those measures on reducing the number of children living in single-parent households for each of the four poverty targets.

So in addition to recognising the wider picture of the challenges that poverty presents to all parents and the generic actions that would tackle poverty for all children in Scotland, the specific challenges that are faced by single parent families are important. This includes the higher risk rate of child poverty for those living with a single parent, compared to couple parent families; draconian work conditionality expectations in Universal Credit that are specific to single parents; the barriers to finding and sustaining employment that single parents face and the need for flexible affordable early years and out of school childcare.

In Every Child Every Chance, the first delivery plan for 2018-2022 and the recent Best Start, Bright Futures: Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022-2026 children in single parent families are identified as one of six ‘priority groups’. What is most striking about single parent poverty (as well as younger parents, those from BME households and those in which a disabled person lives) is the higher relative risk of poverty for these groups.
The specific references to actions to support single parents mainly relate to employment. Recognising the particular structural barriers that single parents face in accessing sustainable employment is to be welcomed. However, there is also a need for a single parent specific focus when it comes to the other key drivers of child poverty, i.e. reducing the cost of living and social security. Moreover the projected impact on single parents of many of the key actions that are proposed are vaguely specified.

The Act has clearly had a major impact on reducing child poverty but there are challenges affecting the Scottish Government’s ability to achieve the
targets set out in the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act .One of the major challenges is the financial constraints faced by the Scottish Government. Budget cuts and financial pressures have made it difficult to allocate sufficient resources to effectively tackle child poverty. This has led to criticisms that the
government is not doing enough to meet its ambitious targets.

Budget cuts at the local authority level have also impacted the effectiveness of child poverty reduction efforts. Reductions in funding for local services
have been criticised for undermining the overall strategy. Broader economic and social factors, such as the cost-of-living crisis and economic instability,
have made it challenging to reduce child poverty. These factors are often beyond the control of the Scottish Government but significantly impact its ability to meet its targets.

There have been criticisms regarding the implementation and coordination of the various plans and strategies. It is our experience that there needs to be
better alignment and coordination between different levels of government and public bodies to ensure a more cohesive approach
Despite these challenges, the framework with its clear targets and structured approach, has brought more focus and accountability to the issue of child
poverty in Scotland.

When looking back at the development of the Bill to the Act and where we are just now, it is very much the correct direction of travel. Statutory targets as
a way of driving policy have resulted in investment in social security payments which has had a very positive impact on reducing child poverty and it is
important that costs for many families are reduced by free prescriptions, more social housing which has cheaper rent ( because the sale of council
housing was stopped) and the compensations implemented to reduce the impact of the bedroom tax, and the benefit cap are important too as is free
bus travel for young people . There is still much to do - but we believe a statutory framework for reducing child poverty is the right model but
improvements in delivery and resourcing are needed esp. around support into childcare, training, education & fair work.

We would like to see a strengthening of data collection methods and ensuring timely access to comprehensive data can support evidence-based
decision-making. Improving collaboration with and resourcing of various stakeholders, including government bodies, local authorities, and community
organisations, can ensure a more cohesive approach to tackling poverty. Increasing the involvement of single parents with lived experience of poverty in
decision-making processes can provide valuable insights and ensure that policies are grounded in real-world experiences.

Effective child poverty reduction requires coordinated efforts across various sectors, including education, health, and social services. Our experience is
that seeing that these sectors work together seamlessly is a complex and ongoing challenge.

Many excellent initiatives require long-term investment and commitment to see significant results. However, political and funding cycles often prioritise
short-term gains over long-term solutions, making it difficult to sustain impactful programmes.

Despite these challenges, the Scottish Government say in their Programme for Government 2024 they remain committed to reducing child poverty.
Addressing these challenges requires a concerted effort from all stakeholders to ensure that the progress made is not only sustained but also built upon.

Overall, the implementation of the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 demonstrates that statutory targets can be an effective tool for driving policy,
provided they are supported by adequate resources, robust data, and strong collaboration among stakeholders.