Families struggling as one in five Highland children grow up in poverty

One in five children in Highland and Argyll & Bute now live in poverty, according to a new health board report.

Its author has called for “bold, collective action” to give every child in the area the best possible start.

Her research found that of the almost 13,000 children under the age of five in the NHS Highland area, 21.9% live in relative poverty – a figure that has not improved since 2010.

Among health findings, tooth decay in five-year-olds in the most deprived communities is almost 43%.

Childhood vaccinations have slipped since 2020, leaving the most vulnerable communities at greatest risk.

NHS Highland director of public health Jennifer Davies, said: “The solutions to this don’t lie in one sector or with one organisation.

“And the solutions necessarily need to be about a collaboration that goes beyond maybe what we’ve been doing to this point.

“So, I would say being able to act early and act with equity and acting collaboratively would be the three calls to action from my perspective.”

The charity Highland Action for Little Ones (HALO) has helped thousands of families during the cost-of-living crisis, easing pressure on parents struggling to afford essentials including clothing and bedding.

It provides tailored care packages for people referred to it by various agencies. It also runs “young mums” groups.

That has proved a god-send for young mum Kym Turner from Inverness.

She said: “I didn’t really know very many young mums before I joined the Halo group.

“It gives you a safe space to talk about things and get other opinions and almost validation that you’re doing well when sometimes you think you’re not.”

HALO co-founder Lauren Thomson urged the Scottish Government: “Don’t forget about the Highlands. We have rural communities here.

“Everybody matters and every child deserves to thrive and they need the essentials to do that.”

Citizens Advice teams are not surprised by the report.

Alasdair Christie at Inverness CAB said: “The real cause is income.

“Income today is just not sufficient to easily maintain a reasonable cost, or to mitigate the cost of living and to provide reasonable expenses for families to put food on the table, pay their rent, cover their energy and have a good standard of living.”

Jennifer Davies’ report prescribes a five-point plan of action involving local authorities, non-government organisations and communities with a key focus on poverty prevention.

It seeks to strengthen family support and maximise access to childcare, healthy food and income benefits – and to address a growing demand for housing and better transport.

In a statement, the Scottish Government said: “Tackling child poverty is critically important and our policies are estimated to keep around 100,000 children out of relative poverty this year.

“More than £111 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, during 2027-28, with 12,000 expected to benefit.”

It added: “Previously announced action includes a new £20million 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 £21m 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.”