Campaigners renew calls on First Minister to demonstrate his commitment to tackling young parent poverty

The Scottish Government is legally committed to tackling child poverty – and children with mums under 25 are one the groups its plans explicitly recognise as a “priority group” because they face higher rates of poverty.

But over three months into a campaign supported by 81 charities calling for an end to young parent poverty, campaigners say ministers have not been able to answer questions on what they will do to prioritise getting support to young families.

The campaigners, led by One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS), are asking the Scottish Government to introduce a top-up to the Scottish Child Payment for young parents as a matter of urgency, especially in light of the cost-of-living crisis.

At the same time, the campaign is calling for an end to age discrimination in the UK welfare system which currently means a couple under 25 is £120 worse off under Universal Credit, and a single person under 25 is £75 worse off.

Nearly half (47%) of children with mums under 25 are in single parent households, which means that many of these young mums are struggling to cover the cost of living with one very low income.

As First Minister Humza Yousaf’s first Programme for Government setting out plans for the year ahead approaches, campaigners say it’s time for a tangible commitment to be made.

Chief executive of One Parent Families Scotland Satwat Rehman said:

“The First Minister has an opportunity to demonstrate his commitment to tackling child poverty, to supporting the most vulnerable in our society, and to opposing discrimination in all its forms.

“The Scottish Government points to the Scottish Child Payment as its flagship policy for tackling child poverty. This support for low-income families is welcome, but it does not address the inequality young parents face.

“The Scottish Child Payment provides £100 per month for one child – an amount which sadly doesn’t even close the gap between under 25s and over 25s in Universal Credit.

“During a cost-of-living crisis, simply receiving the same as over 25s in social security could make the difference between a young mum being able to pay her electricity bill or not. We also know that supporting these families when they need it most can have a lifelong impact.

“There is no dispute that these families are facing additional challenges and are in desperate need of a boost to their income. The Scottish Government’s own report on tackling child poverty says so.

“If the First Minister wants his government’s investment to have a real impact for the most vulnerable families, he needs to be serious about taking action to address inequalities.”

Chief executive of One Parent Families Scotland Satwat Rehman said:

“The First Minister has an opportunity to demonstrate his commitment to tackling child poverty, to supporting the most vulnerable in our society, and to opposing discrimination in all its forms.

“The Scottish Government points to the Scottish Child Payment as its flagship policy for tackling child poverty. This support for low-income families is welcome, but it does not address the inequality young parents face.

“The Scottish Child Payment provides £100 per month for one child – an amount which sadly doesn’t even close the gap between under 25s and over 25s in Universal Credit.

“During a cost-of-living crisis, simply receiving the same as over 25s in social security could make the difference between a young mum being able to pay her electricity bill or not. We also know that supporting these families when they need it most can have a lifelong impact.

“There is no dispute that these families are facing additional challenges and are in desperate need of a boost to their income. The Scottish Government’s own report on tackling child poverty says so.

“If the First Minister wants his government’s investment to have a real impact for the most vulnerable families, he needs to be serious about taking action to address inequalities.”

According to One Parent Families Scotland, the depth of poverty faced by young parent families (with 55% of children in relative poverty) means that there is an even greater and more urgent need to ensure that social security available to them is at least equal to other families, especially in the context of the of cost-of-living crisis.

The charity states that young parents are struggling even more than others with their essential living costs, not only because they receive a lower rate of benefits but because they face multiple barriers to securing work that pays well enough. This includes lower qualifications and employment experience, a lack of affordable childcare to support them into education, training or work, and the fact that people under 23 are entitled to a lower minimum wage.

Cara Hilton, Senior Policy & Public Affairs Manager at Trussel Trust Scotland said:

“No parent in Scotland should have to use a food bank to feed their family right now, yet food banks are the busiest they’ve ever been. Cost of living pressures are hitting young parents especially hard, because single parents under 25 receive £75 less per month than over 25s and young couple parents under 25 receive £120 less per month. This isn’t right. If the Scottish Government is to deliver on its child poverty reduction targets, it’s time to end the young parent penalty and work to ensure all young parents can afford the essentials.”