Here’s why tackling child poverty matters
by Eradication of child poverty is the SNP Scottish Government’s number one priority.
In the 1980s, Tory Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher asserted there was no such thing as society.
In our view that is wrong – there is nothing without society, nothing without community.
As a community Scotland thrives and flourishes when we stand with others.
If one child in our community hurts, we all hurt. If one child struggles, we all struggle.
It is wrong to condemn a child to a life of disadvantage because of the economic circumstances they were born into.
But along with the moral imperative there is an economic and social one.
Scotland won’t reach its full potential until everyone has the opportunity to flourish.
Poverty leads to lower achievement at school; resources are needed to repair the damage caused when a child is brought up hungry, or lives in a damp, draughty home.
Too much has already been lost. Too much damage has been done. Too many communities get left behind.
Eradicating child poverty is about what sort of country Scotland can become.
Imagine a Scotland where no child lives in poverty.
A wealthier Scotland making the most of our vast energy wealth to bring new jobs and opportunities.
Among the world’s wealthiest countries, the five with the lowest child poverty are Denmark with a population of 6 million, Slovenia with 2.1 million, Finland at 5.6 million, Czech Republic, 10.5 million, and Norway, 5.5 million.
These countries are among the most equal in the world.
So why not Scotland with a population of 5.4 million?
We believe that the more decisions made in Scotland, the better for Scotland, because no one cares more about this country than the people who live here.
We’ve got what it takes to create a better Scotland. There is nothing wrong with Scotland that can’t be fixed by the people of Scotland making decisions in Scotland.
The cornerstone of our approach to child poverty is investment in a dignified and generous social security support.
The Scottish Government’s new range of family benefits is already making a difference by putting money directly into people’s pockets.
We’re helping with the day-to-day essentials and the cost of living and that includes the Scottish child payment which is expected to support over 330,000 children.
But there’s more that can be done and that is why we are investing resources to build a system that allows us to effectively remove the 2-child cap in Scotland.
We can make two guarantees as we start this year.
First, we can guarantee that if the systems are up and running this year, the first payments will be made this year.
Secondly, if Westminster does the right thing and abolishes the two-child cap across the UK, the resources we already committed will continue to be used to eradicate child poverty in Scotland.
All of us care about Scotland’s future, and that’s why we want people in Scotland to see tackling child poverty as everybody’s business – as a long-term investment in our future success as a nation.