Programme for Government 2026-31

Date: 7th September 2026
Category: General measures of implementation, Child poverty

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The Scottish Government has presented its programme for 2026-31. It will run for five years and focuses on four key priorities: eradicating child poverty, growing Scotland’s economy, tackling the climate emergency, and delivering high-quality and sustainable public services. Together members have been sharing their views.

Key commitments from Scottish Government include:

Tackling child poverty

·       Increase Scottish Child Payment- Develop the systems and legislation needed to increase Scottish Child Payment to £40 a week for children under one from 2027–28, supporting around 12,000 children each year.

·       Tackle school meal debt- Provide up to £2.8 million to help local authorities write off school meal debt for families affected by the cost-of-living crisis and  further increase access to free school meals for primary school children.

·       Support young people into work- Improve pathways from education into training and employment, including more work-based learning, better transition support and employability services.

·       Support women and children leaving abuse- Make the £2 million Fund to Leave permanent and increase investment to help more women and children leave abusive relationships and build safer, independent lives.

Delivering a stronger NHS and public services

·       Strengthen the teaching workforce- Support more primary teachers to retrain for secondary teaching and improve recruitment in rural and island communities.

·       Promote early literacy- Expand Bookbug to reach 20,000 more families and introduce a nationwide Imagination Library programme to encourage a love of reading.

·       Improve online safety- Support children, parents and schools to deal with online risks and push for stronger action against platforms that fail to protect children.

·       Support care-experienced children- Continue reforms to foster care, kinship care and adoption, while providing more support for carers.

·       Keep The Promise- Publish an updated plan showing progress towards keeping The Promise by 2030 and the actions still needed.

·       Strengthen early years support- Ensure families receive better support from pregnancy through a child’s first three years, helping parents feel prepared and confident in caring for their children.

Growing the Economy

·       Support young entrepreneurs- Help young people taking part in the First Minister’s Start-Up Challenge and expand support for more women to develop their businesses.

·       Build trust in AI- Develop AI Scotland to improve public understanding and confidence in AI, while exploring its impact on society and the economy.

·       Attract investment- Promote Scotland as a good place to invest through the Invest Scotland portal and events, including the 2027 Scale-Up Summit.

Read the Programme for Government 2026-31

Together members and partners have been sharing their views on the announcement:

·       CPAG Scotland: Child poverty promises and progress are welcome, but Programme for Government falls short

·       Children First: Response to Programme for Government 2026-2031

·       Family Fund: Response to Programme for Government 2026-31

·       CCPS: Response to the 2026-31 Programme for Government

·       Includem: Response to Programme for Government 2026

·       Scottish Human Rights Commission: Response to Programme for Government 2026