Scottish Child Payment - helping poverty in Scotland: FOI release

Information requested

Can you please provide the following information on the Scottish Child Payment and the claim that 100,000 children have been removed from poverty as a result of it.

1) What metrics were used to measure the claim that 100,000 children have been removed from poverty?

2) Who conducted this exercise?

3) How was this data collected?

4) How was this data verified?

5)  When was this information published?

6) Can you provide a link to the published information used to back up the claim on the 100,000 children being removed from poverty?

Response

To clarify, the Scottish Child Payment is estimated to keep 60,000 children out of relative poverty in 2024-25, with the relative child poverty rate 6 percentage points lower than it would have been without this policy in place. The figure of 100,000 children pertains to the cumulative impact of a selection of Scottish Government policies, one of which is the Scottish Child Payment. These policies are estimated to keep 100,000 children out of relative poverty in 2024-25, with the relative child poverty rate 10 percentage points lower than it would have been without these policies in place.

1) What metrics were used to measure the claim that 100,000 children have been removed from poverty?

The figure refers to relative poverty, which is defined as having household income below 60% of the median. A fuller description of this measure can be found in the official poverty statistics publication: Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland 2020-23 (data.gov.scot)

2) Who conducted this exercise?

The estimate was produced by Scottish Government analysts.

3) How was this data collected?

The reports linked in our answer to Part 6 of your question, below, contain details of the methodology used to produce the estimate. Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

4) How was this data verified?

The reports linked in our answer to Part 6 of your question, below, contain details of the methodology used to produce the estimate. Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

5)  When was this information published?

The estimate was included in a report that was published on 28 February 2024.

6) Can you provide a link to the published information used to back up the claim on the 100,000 children being removed from poverty?

The report can be found at the following link: Child poverty cumulative impact assessment: update - gov.scot (www.gov.scot). The report was an update to modelling originally published in March 2022 with the second Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, and further details of the methodology can be found in that publication: https://www.gov.scot/publications/annex-4-cumulative-impact-assessment/ 

About FOI

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