Eradicating child poverty is central to building a more prosperous and equal Scotland, Social Justice Secretary Shirley Anne Somerville has said as Challenge Poverty Week begins.

Somerville said the Scottish Government’s efforts must now go further by bringing services together around families and concentrating on preventing poverty rather than simply responding when people reach crisis point.

The Cabinet Secretary described eradicating child poverty as the government’s defining mission and argued that improving the way public services work together can make a practical difference to families in their everyday lives.

“Eradicating child poverty is the Scottish Government’s defining mission.

“We want to enable every family to flourish.

“That is the fair and equal society that befits the people of Scotland, and how we create a more prosperous nation.

“While we have made great strides, with our policies keeping around 100,000 children out of poverty this year, we know there is more to do.”

The government says its next stage will place greater emphasis on services working together and being designed around people’s needs, allowing families to receive support at the right time and in the right place.

Whole family support is central to that approach, including a £20 million Whole Family Support Third Sector Delivery Fund alongside longer term efforts aimed at preventing families falling into poverty.

“The time to go further is now.

“That means changing how services work together, ensuring they are joined up and designed around need, so that families can get the right support, at the right time and in the right place.

“Whole family support is central to that ambition.

“Our efforts combine action to strengthen support now, such as through our £20 million Whole Family Support Third Sector Delivery Fund, while also ensuring poverty prevention is our long-term focus.

“That is public service reform in action, with the aim of improving daily lives.”

The Scottish Government says the work is being developed alongside charities, public services and local communities, with organisations closest to families being encouraged to develop approaches suited to the communities they serve.

Somerville also pointed to the Scottish Child Payment, which the government says is providing financial support to families of more than 320,000 children.

Its Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan includes plans for a national breakfast club offer and investment of more than £40 million intended to improve parents’ access to transport and skills.

“We are doing so in partnership with charities, public services and local communities, empowering those closest to families to develop solutions that work for their communities.”

The Scottish Government says around £3.5 billion is being committed during 2026/27 to policies addressing poverty and the cost of living, including £41 million for the Scottish Welfare Fund and funding for free bus travel available to more than 2.4 million people.

For Somerville, the argument at the beginning of Challenge Poverty Week is that reducing child poverty is not separate from Scotland’s wider prosperity, but an essential part of creating it.