During his speech, First Minister John Swinney highlighted the Scottish government’s legislative plans for the remainder of the Holyrood term, these included:
- Expanding free school meals in S1-S3 in eight local authority areas – covering pupils in urban, rural, semi-urban and island authorities in receipt of Scottish Child Payment – from August 2025.
- From August, delivering a £3 million ‘Bright Start Breakfasts’ Fund to create more free club places for families who need it most across Scotland.
- Developing the systems needed to effectively scrap the impact of the two-child cap.
- Launching a national campaign on attendance in autumn of 2025, to support improved attendance at school.
- Improving mental health support for young people – clearing Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services backlogs and meeting the 18-week standard nationally by December 2025 – backed by £123.5 million recurring funding for mental health.
- Delivering more than 150,000 extra appointments and procedures, including surgeries and diagnostic tests, and target cancer pathways to tackle backlogs against the 62-day referral to treatment standard.
- Supporting the recruitment, retention, and training of the Additional Support Needs workforce, backed by an additional £29 million in 2025-26 in local and national programmes.
RCPCH Officer for Scotland, Dr Mairi Stark, said:
While the Scottish Government has reaffirmed its commitment to eradicating child poverty, actions must follow words. Scrapping the harmful two-child cap and ensuring child poverty targets are met is essential to protecting children’s health and wellbeing. As a paediatrician, I see firsthand the serious and lasting effects of poverty on children's lives. Those growing up in poverty are more likely to have low birth weight, suffer poor physical health, and experience mental health challenges.
Reducing poverty in Scotland is undoubtedly a pressing priority. The limited expansion of free school meals and introduction of more breakfast clubs are welcome steps that we have long called for. These initiatives not only provide nutritious meals but also help to tackle health inequalities, while offering additional educational and economic benefits.
We also welcome the increased funding for CAMHS backlogs and additional appointments. However, similar commitments must be made to reduce paediatric waiting times and invest in the child health workforce. While the Scottish Government has committed to continue the Child Payment, they have failed to make a significant increase to the weekly payment, which is necessary to better support families in need.
These are necessary changes that cannot be delayed. The Scottish Government must deliver on its promises because investing in children's health today ensures a stronger, healthier future for all.