We all want our babies and youngest children to thrive, but a combination of the high costs of having a baby, low and insufficient maternity pay and social security means that too many families with a baby are struggling to get by. Devastating evidence of this is that 1 in 3 families with a baby under one in Scotland are in poverty - much higher than the national average. We don’t have to accept this.

Alongside a decent social security system, so families have enough money to cover the essentials, Whole Family Support plays a critical role in preventing and reducing child poverty in the long-term, while providing the support families who are experiencing poverty need in the here and now. 

We outline findings of new research which highlights Scottish parents’ experiences and views on supporting their babies early development and learning.

How the Scottish Government could use Barnett consequentials from the UK budget 2023

Poverty and the climate emergency are two sides of the same coin, that can and need to be addressed together.