FIRST Minister John Swinney has announced an expansion of the integrated poverty support programme in Scotland.
Using the Fairer Futures Partnerships (FFP), the Scottish Government is collaborating with local councils to test and improve services to better help families living in poverty.
The Scottish Government is now expanding these partnerships into five new areas – Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh, South Ayrshire, West Dunbartonshire, and West Lothian.
The five newly announced FFPs build on the previous work of the Social Innovation Partnership, which has been active since 2016.
The three original partnership projects are in Dundee, Glasgow and Clackmannanshire, and five existing FFPs in Aberdeen, East Ayrshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, and Perth and Kinross were announced in the 2024-25 Programme for Government.
A further three in Fife, North Lanarkshire and Shetland were announced in the 2025-26 Programme for Government.
Speaking ahead of a summit with frontline practitioners in Glasgow, Swinney described eradicating child poverty in Scotland as “a truly national mission”.
He said: “When I became First Minister, I said that I will pursue priorities that will make Scotland the best our country can be, and the most important priority that I have pursued in Government has been that of eradicating child poverty.
“The cornerstone of our approach is investment in more dignified and generous social security support, through game-changing measures like the Scottish child payment and ending the UK Government’s two-child limit.
“However, there are still far too many children growing up hungry, or cold, and unable to reach their full potential. In a country as wealthy as Scotland, that is unacceptable.
“It is my firm belief that nothing that is wrong with Scotland can’t be fixed by what is right in Scotland, and whole family support – which is about redesigning the system, both for the people who deliver vital services and for the people who rely on them – is key to that.
“It is already happening, right now, in areas across Scotland, where local authorities and their partners are already testing new and innovative ways of working together – reshaping and redesigning services in close partnership with local communities. But we need to see this in all areas of Scotland.
“Through the Fairer Futures Partnerships, backed by £4 million investment this year, we are working hand-in-hand with local authorities, communities, and the third sector to deliver real, lasting change.
“We are now rolling this out into even more areas of Scotland, allowing us to test and scale up what works, ensuring every child in Scotland can thrive.”
The Scottish Government is also making up to £1.12 million “Adopt and Adapt” funding available to local authorities not currently engaged in FFPs.
This funding is provided to embed relevant learning in local councils’ work on child poverty.
Swinney said: “I want to shine a light on the good work that is happening, encourage knowledge-sharing, hear directly from people about what is working well and how the Government can support them to make whole family support a reality in all areas of the country.
“It is our truly national mission to ensure that no child in Scotland grows up in poverty. It is everybody’s business, and our moral imperative – because there is no greater long-term investment we can make in our future and our success as a nation.”
