OPFS response to 2025/26 Programme for Government
On 6 May 2025, First Minister, John Swinney announced the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government, 12 months ahead of the May 2026 Holyrood election.
06/05/2025
News
Satwat Rehman, OPFS Chief Executive at One Parent Families Scotland said:
“We welcome the Scottish Government’s continued commitment to eradicate child poverty in Scotland.
“However, 23% of all children in Scotland remained trapped in poverty in 2024— rising to a staggering 36% for children in single parent families.
“Increased investment in income maximisation services, an expansion of debt advice services and mitigating the two-child limit are welcome and necessary steps towards tackling child poverty in Scotland. But to get back on track to meet our statutory targets by 2030, we need bolder and faster action that rises to the scale of the challenge.
“Going forward, we need to see sustained investment in social security to 2030 and beyond, including further increases to the value of the Scottish Child Payment, an acceleration in the rollout of free school meal provision and an increase in targeted interventions to reduce higher levels of poverty among the six priority family groups.
“While attention is focused on Scottish Government today it’s crucial to remember that the Westminster government must also rise to the occasion. They need to utilise their considerable policy levers to combat escalating child poverty across the UK, beginning with the abolition of the two-child limit in the benefits system. Both governments must collaborate to eradicate the disgrace of child poverty in a wealthy nation.”
OPFS Programme for Government priorities:
Social security
- Mitigate the two-child limit at the earliest possible opportunity through Social Security Scotland.
- Increase the Scottish Child Payment to £40 before the end of the current Parliament.
- Target additional support through the Scottish Child Payment to families affected by the Young Parent Penalty.
- Increase funding for income-maximisation services, with targeted investment in services which are best able to reach priority families.
Education and training
- Increase the School Clothing Grant, and the income threshold for accessing this, in line with inflation, and ensure that eligible families are auto enrolled.
- Extend free school meals to all primary school pupils and commit to introducing universal free school meals for all pupils in secondary schools.
- Support single parents into training, education and sustainable, family friendly employment, which pays the Real Living Wage, through specialist employability support and actions to reduce inequalities in the labour market.
Care
- Accelerate progress towards expanding universal childcare to one and two-year-olds and actions to create a system of funded school age childcare, whilst committing to a more radical childcare ambition including the choice of up to 50 hours of ELC.
- Introduce a new National Outcome on valuing and investing in care, and all those who provide it.
Tax powers
- Use the Scottish Parliament’s devolved tax powers to generate more revenue in Scotland to fund action on poverty and inequality, while investing in care, and tackling the climate crisis.