Children are more likely to live in families with limited resources, meaning they have low income and cannot afford three or more out of a list of 22 basic necessities, in Glasgow (43%) and South Ayrshire (36%) compared with Scotland as a whole.

Children were less likely to live in families with limited resources in East Lothian and Aberdeenshire (both 5%), and East Renfrewshire (9%).

The list of necessities includes access to a computer and internet for homework; a garden or outdoor space nearby to play safely in; day trips with family once a month; and a warm winter coat.

Families are defined as being on a low income if the household income is below 70% of the Scottish median income after housing costs.

Children in families with limited resources across Scotland 2014-2017, published by Scotland’s chief statistician, provides local estimates for the proportion of children in families with limited resources.

Children in the most deprived areas of Scotland are ten times more likely to live in families with limited resources than those from the least deprived areas: 41% in the 20% most deprived areas, falling to 4% in the 20% least deprived areas.

Children living in accessible rural areas were also less likely to have limited resources (13%).

More likely to have limited resources compared to Scotland as a whole were children who lived in households with at most one adult in employment (39%) or lived in rented accommodation (43%).

Children were less likely to have limited resources if they lived in families with at least two adults in employment (5%).

Responding to statistics, Officer for Scotland for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), Professor Steve Turner, said:

“This latest data tells us that one-in-five children in Scotland continue to miss out on what most parents would see as a basic right, e.g. having a warm winter coat, having some new clothes, an outdoor space to play in.  The families finding it hardest to get by continue to struggle.”

The findings are in line with existing evidence that children were more likely to have limited resources compared to Scotland as a whole if they lived in single parent households (41%), households with disabled adults (33%) or four or more children (39%). Children were less likely to have limited resources if they lived in families with two children (16%).

 “The Scottish Government has acknowledged that poverty remains a problem and has recently published a series of proposals that aim to reduce relative child poverty to less than 10% by 2030”, Professor Turner added.

“Babies born today will be children in 2030 so the time for talking is over, and action is required now.

“One proposed action which RCPCH supports is the Best Start Foods scheme, which provides access to healthy food for families on low income and which may free up funds for parents to spend on their children’s other basic needs.  Proposals like this will help give every child in Scotland equal opportunity to learn, live and thrive.”