John Swinney must show “urgency” in tackling child poverty after he forms his cabinet later this week, a charity has said.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation said the First Minister must put child poverty at the heart of his government’s agenda.
Mr Swinney is expected to be formally appointed as First Minister later this week, after which he will assemble his team of ministers and cabinet secretaries who will make up his cabinet.
The SNP leader has repeatedly said that tackling child poverty is a key focus of his government.
Scottish Government figures show that for the period 2022 to 2025, 21% of children in Scotland – around 210,000 youngsters each year – were in living in relative poverty, once housing costs had been accounted for.
The Scottish Parliament has passed legally binding targets to cut the number of children in relative poverty to 10% by 2030, but campaigners have warned that not enough is being done to reach these.
Chris Birt, associate director for Scotland at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: “One of the stories of the election was a sense that what was on offer was underwhelming, contributing to a general feeling of political disaffection.
“The campaign was often focused on political posturing rather than on what should be at the core of politics – making people’s lives better.
“As he appoints his cabinet this week, the First Minister must put the eradication of child poverty at the heart of his government.
“This would not only lead to a dramatic improvement in the lives of children across Scotland, but would also be transformational for our economy and public services.
“To achieve that, ministers will need to show urgency and match the public’s thirst for change.
“This is a huge test of the Scottish Government and the new parliament. Can they deliver a genuinely fairer Scotland where every child has the chance to flourish?”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Tackling child poverty is critically important to the Scottish Government and our policies are estimated to keep around 100,000 children out of relative poverty this year.
“More than £111 million is being committed to updated plans in 2026-27 and we are also laying the foundations to raise the Scottish Child Payment to £40 a week per child under one in 2027-28, helping parents at this critical stage of their child’s life, with 12,000 expected to benefit.
“Previously announced action includes a new £20 million fund for charities to streamline support and link up services so that people get help where they need it, when they need it, committing a further £21 million to upskill parents to boost their incomes through work, and the expansion of breakfast clubs so that all primary school children are able to access a free breakfast club by August 2027, while free school meals are being expanded to a further 5,500 pupils in 2026-27.”