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xChildren’s charities welcome Scottish Government’s decision to end two-child benefit cap
Date: 11th December 2024
Category:
General measures of implementation, Disability, Basic Health and Welfare
Organisations across the sector have welcomed the Scottish Government's decision to end the two-child benefit cap, calling it a significant step toward reducing child poverty. In this article we hear from Children in Scotland.
Finance Secretary Shona Robison announced during last week’s Scottish Budget that the cap, described as "pernicious," will be scrapped by 2026. The move is expected to lift over 15,000 children out of poverty.
Introduced in 2017, the UK-wide policy limits child tax credit and universal credit to the first two children in most households. It has disproportionately affected low-income families, exacerbating financial struggles.
The budget includes a focus on education plans to expand breakfast clubs and free school meals to more primary school pupils from low-income families, allocation of £120 million to schools to address the poverty attainment gap and creating a £29 million fund for Additional Support Needs (ASN) teacher training.
Having campaigned for years through efforts like the End Child Poverty Coalition, Children in Scotland Chief Executive Dr Judith Turbyne said:
“It’s really positive news from the Scottish Government that they are committed to scrapping the two-child benefit cap. We also welcome the renewed commitment to combating child poverty.
“Now is the time to put children’s rights at the centre of our child poverty work, and we look forward to engaging with the Scottish Government on how to do things differently so that we can really deliver on that promise.”