Commitment to tackling child poverty

Our Child Poverty Commitment document explains how we are working with partners and communities to reduce and mitigate child poverty in South Lanarkshire. Our vision is simple: to offer the right support, at the right time, in the right way, to help families reach their full potential and thrive within their communities. We publish an annual update in our Local Child Poverty Action Report.

Child poverty affects around 19.5% of children in South Lanarkshire, and rates are higher in some neighbourhoods. Families most at risk include lone‑parent households, minority ethnic families, families with three or more children, young mothers, and households where someone is disabled. We also know that families who are care-experienced are more at risk of the impact of poverty.

Because poverty has many causes, our work is carried out in partnership with organisations such as the Department for Work and Pensions, Social Security Scotland, NHS Lanarkshire, Skills Development Scotland, VASLAN and a wide range of voluntary and community groups.

The commitment focuses on the areas that make the biggest difference to families:

1. Increasing income from employment
2. Reducing the cost of living
3. Increasing income from social security

Read the most recent Child Poverty Action Plan and our commitment on the Community Planning website.