Press release: OPFS response to Scottish Government’s Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2026-31

12/03/2026

News

Satwat Rehman, OPFS Chief Executive at One Parent Families Scotland said:

“At One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS), we warmly welcome many of the important steps included in the plan that will make a tangible difference to people’s lives.

“In particular, we are encouraged by the commitment from the Scottish Government to supporting single parent families to access child maintenance. Our work in partnership with IPPR Scotland and Fife Gingerbread shows that 20,000 children in Scotland could be lifted out of poverty if they are supported to access money owed through child maintenance. We are grateful to the Scottish Government for the commitment of funding so we can continue and increase the support we offer families navigating the child maintenance system.

“At OPFS, we see first-hand the additional cost of work for single parents such as childcare and travel. Measures announced today will help will lift some of the burden of these for the families we support. The funded work placements in the NHS are also an important step towards supporting single parents to access sustained employment. Our work in partnership with Public Health Scotland, demonstrates the importance of employment opportunities that are flexible and supportive in leading to parents being able to sustain jobs.

“However, while these interventions are all welcome, they tinker around the edges of a system that is broken. Right now, four in ten children growing up in single parent families are living poverty. We know that people are feeling let down by a system that is stacked against them. But it doesn’t have to be this way. The Child Poverty Delivery Plan has missed the opportunity to deliver the systemic change we need to lift children out of poverty.

“The analysis published alongside the Child Poverty Delivery Plan shows that, even if the policies are delivered successfully, Scotland is still projected to miss our child poverty targets by a considerable margin. These targets matter and we need a bold credible plan to reach them. At the moment we have progress, but not yet the scale of action needed to meet the targets and ultimately eradicate child poverty.

“The Child Poverty Act was voted in unanimously reflecting Scotland’s shared values and commitment to tackling child poverty. We have seen the impact bold policy choices like the Scottish Child Payment can make on families’ lives. Reaching our 2030 child poverty targets will require a renewed commitment to cross party collaboration that delivers bold action. It’s time for politicians to take bold action and invest in a better future for our children and families.”