We use cookies to collect anonymous data to help us improve your site browsing experience.

Click 'Accept all cookies' to agree to all cookies that collect anonymous data. To only allow the cookies that make the site work, click 'Use essential cookies only.' Visit 'Set cookie preferences' to control specific cookies.

Set cookie preferences

Your cookie preferences have been saved. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

Publication - Research and analysis

Child poverty - monitoring and evaluation: policy evaluation framework

Published
31 January 2023
Directorate
Tackling Child Poverty and Social Justice Directorate
Topic
Children and families, Communities and third sector, Equality and rights, +1 more … Work and skills
ISBN
9781805254669

Evaluation framework to create a shared understanding of how we measure the impact of individual policies on child poverty. Namely around setting common definitions, providing guidance in identifying child poverty outcomes, setting the rationale for data collection and presenting options

View supporting documents Supporting documents

Annex C: Conceptual layers of poverty

Further detail explaining the conceptual layers of poverty can be found in the evaluation strategy (see pages 6-8).

Due to these different circumstances, experiences and barriers, tackling child poverty will mean totally different things to different families and will require different combinations of response including a range of services and supports. We have found it helpful to think of different conceptual tiers of response. The first tier of support responds to circumstances where one or more adults in the family are in work or near to the labour market. Here policy action around fair work, reducing costs, improving the balance between work and benefits, and easier service navigation could allow families to pull themselves over the poverty line with minimal public or third sector interference. The second tier of support responds to families where adults have the skills, confidence and desire to work if the infrastructure worked better to allow this to happen. Policy action which seeks to make infrastructure more family friendly and logistically easy, such as family-friendly employer policies, workplace adjustments, inclusive recruitment practice, accessible and affordable child care, flexible health and social care for families with a disabled member, logistically sensible transport and digital inclusion could all help in this space. The final tier of support responds to families experiencing a range of adversity for whom directly accessing any of the drivers is currently a step too far; trust may be at such a level that even engaging with social security is problematic for them. For these families, supporting factors such as improved material conditions, skills, capabilities, confidence, mental health and wellbeing, will be needed alongside income support, before we can expect them to begin to engage with the wider range of services related to the drivers.

Contact

Email: socialresearch@gov.scot

Back to top