Supporting Families, Ending Child Poverty Scottish Parliament Election 2026
“I hope political parties do what young people have asked, like ending child poverty.”
- Young person supported by Aberlour
More than 1 in 5 children in Scotland continue to live in poverty.
The next Scottish Parliament must be the parliament where we prioritise ending child poverty above all else.
Our most disadvantaged families remain in the midst of a cost of living crisis, and much more action is needed in Scotland over the next five years to advance and sustain reductions in child poverty. Aberlour Children’s Charity is urging all political parties to go much further and faster if we want to achieve real and meaningful progress on reducing child poverty and meet Scotland’s statutory child poverty targets by 2030/31.
Children have a right to grow up free from poverty and for their families to get the help and support they need to help them to thrive and flourish. Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament have a duty to uphold these rights.
Social security support alone won’t lift families out of poverty in the long-term. It must be combined with practical action to better support families who need extra help. We must connect work across Government and the wider public sector to tackle child poverty, to support families and to Keep The Promise.
This means ending the housing emergency, strengthening routes into fair work, reducing drugs harm for children and families, removing barriers faced by children and families living with a disability and tackling the public debt crisis. Immediate support is needed for those in greatest need alongside longer-term strategies to build community capacity and create sustainable routes out of poverty for families.
Aberlour is calling for the next Scottish Government to move from managing poverty to ending it and to take forward our calls to improve the lives of Scotland’s most disadvantaged children, young people and families.
More than 60% of Scots would like to see the Scottish Government increase support for the poorest families.
Aberlour says the next Scottish Governement and Scottish Parliament must
- End child poverty
- Tackle the public debt crisis
- Support families who need extra help
- Keep families in recovery together, where it's safe to do so
- Improve the lives of families living with a disability
Read what the next Scottish Parliament must do to end child poverty.