The new Scottish budget is anchored in the four central priorities which guide this Government’s agenda: eradicating child poverty, growing the economy, tackling the climate emergency, and improving public services.
Key updates include:
- Uprating the Scottish Child Payment to £28.20 per week and introducing a premium for children under one (£40 per week from 2027–28).
- £61.5 million Tackling Child Poverty Fund and £50 million Whole Family Support package to help parents into sustainable employment.
- £22.5 billion total funding for health and social care, including £17.6 billion for NHS Boards and £2.3 billion for Social Care and integration.
- £200 million for the Scottish Attainment Challenge to close the poverty-related education attainment gap.
RCPCH Officer for Scotland, Dr Mairi Stark, said:
The Scottish Budget offers some welcome measures, including the Scottish Child Payment rise to £28.20 and the introduction of a £40 premium for babies (from 2027), but support must go further. Our manifesto calls for an immediate increase to £40 for all eligible children, and tackling child poverty must remain an urgent national priority.
The £7.5 million to improve neurodevelopmental assessments is also encouraging, and we look forward to greater clarity on how this will be delivered to reduce long waits and strengthen support for families. We also welcome the commitment to expand access to swimming lessons. This is a simple but powerful intervention that is essential for children’s health, safety and wellbeing, and we are pleased to see this recognised.
Overall, while there are promising elements in this budget, it does not yet amount to the transformative investment Scotland’s children deserve. The needs of children and young people have been overlooked for far too long, and these commitments alone will not close the gap. We urge the Scottish Government to go further.