Important discussion on child poverty convened by Centre for Public Policy at SNP Conference
Published: 5 November 2025
5 November 2025: The Centre for Public Policy hosted a conversation on eradicating child poverty at this year’s SNP Annual Conference fringe, drawing an audience of party members, MSPs and Ministers.
5 November 2025: The Centre for Public Policy hosted a conversation on eradicating child poverty at this year’s SNP Annual Conference fringe, drawing an audience of party members, MSPs and Ministers.
The discussion, chaired by LBC’s Scotland Political Editor Gina Davidson, focused on the Scottish Government’s targets to eradicate child poverty and whether they have the powers required to do it.
The panel included:
- Professor Nicola McEwen, Centre for Public Policy Director
- Professor Kezia Dugdale, Centre for Public Policy Associate Director
- Chris Birt, Joseph Rowantree Foundation Associate Director for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice
They also discussed what more can be done within devolved powers and working across governments and sectors, and whether Scottish Government and UK Government strategies and policies are in alignment or in conflict.
The theme of the event was driven by the Centre’s current The Robertson Trust-funded research project, the State of Poverty. It looks at poverty in Scotland as a multi-level, multi-sector grand policy challenge, and the impact of siloed decision making on people living with poverty.
The Centre for Public policy published the first outputs from this work just ahead of the conference, including the first two ‘composite stories’, a central part of this work and an innovative approach to including lived experience in the project.
Composite stories will be developed throughout the project and are designed to illuminate the systems surrounding those living in poverty in Scotland, and the impact of siloed decision making.
Visit the State of Poverty project webpages
Thank you to everyone who joined us for this important discussion.
The Centre for Public Policy regularly attends party conferences to convene timely policy conversations with varied audiences.
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First published: 5 November 2025
