Increasing family incomes and reducing living costs will be prioritised through the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, says Angela Constance

Actions include plans to develop a new income supplement, which would provide financial support to families who need it most.

A new £12 million employment support fund will help parents in work progress their careers and support unemployed parents into work.

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Other initiatives include a new national entitlement for the School Clothing Grant, to help with the costs of uniforms and sports kits, and new support for after-school and holiday childcare, helping parents work more flexibly and increase their incomes.

The delivery plan is a key feature of the Child Poverty Act and will be backed by a range of investment, including a £50 million Tackling Child Poverty Fund.

TheEvery Child Every Chance: Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2018 – 2022, externalis a key feature of theChild Poverty Act, externalwhich saw Scotland become the only UK country with statutory child poverty targets set for 2030.

Analysis published ahead of the plan’s publication, externalrevealed that 130,000 more children in Scotland could be pushed into poverty as a result of UK Government welfare cuts.

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Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie says JRF have drawn the connection between poor mental health and child poverty

Mr Rennie says he can't see any new investment in child mental health in the plan.

Ms Constance says there is a significant section of the plan that mentions mental health.

The equalities secretary says the purpose of this plan is to demonstrate how to get more money into the pockets of families.

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Scotland's progress in reducing poverty is in "peril", the Scottish government has been warned.

A new report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) found that poverty is lower in Scotland than in the rest of the UK.

And it discovered that falls in poverty among pensioners and families with children have been greater and more sustained north of the border.

But it said housing costs, low pay and benefits changes put progress at risk.

Read more here.

Green MSP Alison Johnstone inquires about gains anticipated from the Healthier Wealthier Children scheme roll-out.

Ms Constance says it will ensure families get better, earlier advice, and claim their entitlements.

Work around the health visiting pathways is "exciting" she says, as this will make signposting to other services the norm.

There are pockets of "intense" child poverty among the most affluent areas of Scotland, new analysis has found.

While East Renfrewshire has some of the most prosperous communities in the country, the local authority includes Arthurlie and Dovecothall, where 54.9% of children live in poverty.

Researchers from Glasgow Caledonian University found similar inequality in Aberdeenshire, Orkney and Shetland.

They said two-thirds of those classed as poor lived outside "deprived" areas.

Read more here.

Labour MSP Elaine Smith says while the Tories "callous welfare cuts" are causing child poverty to rise the Scottish government cannot abidcate responsibility.

"Much of the statement seems to promise jam tomorrow."

She calls for child tax credit to be topped up and for free school meals for all primary children.

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Ms Constance says tackling child poverty is a complex matter with "no 60s sound bites".

The minister cites the report of the Scotland's Poverty and Inequality Commission, external.

The equalities secretary says the scale of the challenge is getting worse and the expert advice on lifting children out of poverty must be listened to.

The minister reiterates her point about the income supplement being introduced.

Ms Constance rounds on laugher from somewhere in the chamber saying it is an obscenity when she is talking about children going hungry in Scotland.

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Increasing key benefits could help to reduce child poverty in Scotland, a major report has said.

Scotland's Poverty and Inequality Commission, external made 40 recommendations including topping up the child element of Universal Credit.

It added that the ambitious target of cutting child poverty by 100,000 would incur "substantial costs".

Equalities Secretary Angela Constance welcomed the report saying a "delivery plan" would be presented soon.

Read more here.

Tory MSP Jeremy Balfour suggests the Scottish government will miss its target on affordable housing which will have a significant impact on poverty.

Mr Balfour says a recent Audit Scotland report indicated that the government had not attempted to work out the cost of bringing the social security system to Scotland, expressing concern that any excess cost will come from the equalities budget.

He says MSPs need to be given a better idea of costs for financial planning going forward.

The equalities secretary asks if Mr Balfour is "absolutely raging" at the UK government given welfare reforms have been repeatedly cited as a driving cause of poverty.

Turning to the Audit Scotland report, Ms Constance says much of the Scottish government's progress depends on the DWP's cooperation.

The report recognises "good early progress" and that the Scottish government was on time to deliver the first phase, she adds.

The Scottish government has "bent over backwards" to keep the parliament informed of financial costs, the minister says.

She refutes the suggestion that affordable housing targets will not be met, referring to a recent study by Shelter Scotland indicating it was on track.

"We know there is more to do, absolutely more to do, and we are up for the challenge."

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Ms Constance says the government will work to a minimum school clothing grant.

Millions will be invested to tackle food insecurity during the holidays, she says.

The equalities minister cites the funding for financial health checks.

The new Best Start Grant will give payments to low income families, with no cap on the number of children, she says.

The minister says the government will introduce an income supplement providing financial support to those who need it most.

Metting the child poverty targets means transforming Scotland, she says as she commends the plan to parliament.

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MSPs have passed a bill containing a series of new targets for the reduction of child poverty in Scotland.

The Child Poverty (Scotland) Bill, external sets out four statutory goals which the government is expected to hit by 2030.

It was brought forward in response to the repeal of sections of the UK Child Poverty Act, to reinstate the use of a set of income-based targets.

Equalities Secretary Angela Constance called the bill a "historic milestone" in the fight against poverty.

Read more.

Ms Constance says the plan was created by engaging with stakeholders, including parents and children.

The plan focuses on families most at-risk of poverty, such as minority ethnic families, larger families, families with children under one, she says.

The interventions take into account earnings, cost of living and social security, the equalities secretary adds.

Ms Constance confirms the Scottish government is investing:

• £2m in a pilot for the Children's Neighbourhoods initiative
• £500,000 for a community education programme for Gypsy/Traveller communities
• £7.5m for an innovation fund to support new approaches to preventing and reducing child poverty
• £500,000 for the Healthier Wealther Children approach to support income maximisation

Image source, Scottish government

This is the first Child Poverty Delivery Plan, external due under the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017, outlining action for the period 2018-22.

It sets out new policies and proposals to make strong progress towards the child poverty targets set for 2030.

Its actions are organised in two ways:

• Actions to make progress now on the three main drivers of child poverty (income from

work and earnings; costs of living; income from social security)

• Actions to help children and young people in poverty now avoid bringing up their own children in poverty in 2030 (this includes a focus on quality of life and partnership working).

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Equality Secretary Angela Constance says she is delighted to introdcuce to the chamber 'Every Child Every Chance Scotland's Child Poverty Delivery Plan'.

Ms Constance says the plan could not be more timely given last week's child poverty statistics.

She says behind every statistic, there is a child whose life chances are being hit by poverty, which is unacceptable.

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One in three children will be living in absolute poverty by 2030/31, according to new analysis published by the Scottish government.

It commissioned independent projections as part of work to draw up a poverty action plan.

Ministers said the figures reflected the damage caused by UK government welfare cuts.

Opposition parties said the SNP had to do more to tackle the "complex causes" of deprivation.

The Scottish government commissioned the research into child poverty levels as part of its Tackling Poverty Delivery plan.

Read more here.

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Equality Secretary Angela Constance delivers a statement on the Scottish government's tackling child poverty delivery plan.