ONE in five Scots children lives in poverty, and efforts to improve their lives stalled five years ago, according to a study today.
The figures show 210,000 children were living in low– income poverty in 2006-7, about 21 per cent of youngsters.
While levels of child deprivation have fallen faster in Scotland than other parts of the UK in the past decade, the downward trend has
stalled since 2004-5, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report.
Barnardo's Scotland said the study should act as a "distress flare" and warned the recession would exacerbate the problem.
The report suggests the UK government's target of eradicating child poverty by 2020 will not be met if progress continues at the current rate.
Measures to reduce deprivation in Scotland are now fairly similar to the rest of the UK, according to the study, which was compiled by staff at Glasgow Caledonian University's Poverty Information Unit.
It called on the Scottish and UK governments to do more to reduce child poverty north of the Border and suggested a broad range of measures.
Dr Stephen Sinclair, the report's joint author, said action was slowing down at a time when economic conditions were much more challenging. He said: "The political opportunities to end child poverty in Scotland are potentially greater than in many parts of the UK. This places a huge responsibility on the Scottish Government to do all it can to achieve the target of eradicating child poverty by 2020."
The report, Child poverty in Scotland: Taking the Next Steps, found the issue of childcare was one of the most significant barriers to employment. It urged the Scottish Government to introduce measures such as encouraging employers to create more flexible jobs and increasing access to affordable, flexible childcare.
The report defines child poverty as those children living in relative low-income poverty – households whose income is below 60 per cent of UK median income – before housing costs.
It has called for serious consideration to be given to the concept of a Scottish living wage and has urged the Scottish Government to commit to paying this to public-sector employees.
It also warned the devolved administration that its policy of targeting the poorest 30 per cent, rather than 20 or 10 per cent, could dilute the resources focused on those experiencing the most severe poverty if there are not enough extra resources to cope with it.
The authors of the report acknowledge that some measures required to reduce child poverty in Scotland are hampered by devolved powers, but said they should be considered.
It suggests the two governments could work more closely to reduce the benefits trap by allowing greater overlap between employment and benefit entitlement, and look at adapting UK government welfare reforms to local labour market conditions.
Martin Crewe, the director of Barnardo's Scotland, said: "This report should be seen as a distress flare for the one in five children in Scotland living in poverty. Child poverty is a moral disgrace and a ball and chain around our future economic development."
Douglas Hamilton, Save the Children's head of Scotland said: "
Over the past five years, the number of children living in poverty in Scotland has remained at a shamefully high level. Today's JRF report shows that current Scottish Government policies are not enough to make any significant progress towards the goal of ending child poverty."
John Dickie, head of the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, said: "This is not just about statistics, it's about over 200,000 real children whose lives are too often being damaged, diminished and cut short because their parents, despite their best efforts, have to bring them up on hopelessly inadequate incomes."
Day-by-day struggle to put food on the tableJEAN is a mother of five who lives in Glasgow's Easterhouse area with her 14-year-old daughter and three sons aged 16, 20 and 24.
She receives £129 week in benefits, but spends £90 on gas, electricity, and heating.
Jean often finds herself borrowing and paying back money to friends, family and neighbours, leaving her feeling trapped in what she calls a "cycle of poverty".
Her home has had no carpets for five years; her family often eat only one meal a day.
She said: "I spend about £10 a day on gas and if I don't have enough money, I try to squeeze it out, with my family sitting frozen to keep money for the next morning because it's always cold in the morning.
"My sons also have to share a double bed because I can't afford another bed. My house is in such a bad condition that I find it embarrassing to invite my family round. My daughter doesn't bring any of her friends round for the same reason.
"Sometimes, I don't have any tea or food all day… about four days out of the week, I pretend that I have had my dinner."
