How did each Scottish Political Party respond to Aberlour’s key calls to influence their manifestos?

Date: 22nd May 2026
Category: Child poverty, Childcare, General measures of implementation

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Aberlour analysed manifesto commitments across all major Scottish parties, focusing on the charity’s core asks: tackling child poverty, strengthening family support, improving the care system and investing in early years. The responses show clear differences in ambition, funding and focus, with some parties embracing multiple recommendations and others offering only partial or limited commitments.

Across the board, parties were most aligned on the need to reduce child poverty, though the scale and mechanisms varied from expanding income support to reforming social security. There was also broad recognition of the need to improve support for care‑experienced young people, though not all parties committed to the full package Aberlour proposed.

On early years and family support, some parties backed expanded childcare, family wellbeing services and preventative investment, while others offered narrower or less detailed plans. Aberlour said that while several parties made encouraging pledges, gaps remain, particularly around long‑term funding and statutory guarantees for families in crisis.

The charity says the analysis is designed to help voters, practitioners and campaigners understand where parties stand and where further pressure is needed to ensure Scotland delivers for its most vulnerable children.

Read the full analysis

Read Aberlour’s calls in their manifesto