The Scottish Government decision to increase the Scottish Child Payment to £40 per week for children under one from 2027-28 puts a spotlight on babies. The earliest years of a child’s life are crucial and the most effective point for intervention. Early childhood - the critical five-year window from pregnancy until a child starts school -  is the period where the brain develops at its most rapid rate, laying the foundations for lifelong health, learning, and emotional resilience.

Going into this election year, what other factors do our politicians need to consider to ensure that all families with babies are able to access the financial, emotional and practical support that they need?

The first five years are a key period of development in a child’s life: evidence shows that experiences during this time fundamentally impact later-life income, education levels, and physical health. Early childhood offers a unique window of opportunity to set children on positive developmental trajectories that can affect the rest of their lives.

Yet, too many children in Scotland are already experiencing delays in reaching expected milestones before they even begin Primary 1:

• 17% of all children in Scotland are identified as having a developmental concern by their 27-30 month health visitor check.
• This rises to 25% for children growing up in the most deprived areas and 40% for looked-after children.
• Children growing up in the most deprived communities are 2.5 times as likely to have a concern recorded as those in the wealthiest.

As the focus shifts toward the May election and the next Scottish Parliament, Nesta is hoping to see a new focus on improving outcomes for the 0-5 age group reflected in the upcoming manifestos. 

We’ve identified three specific pillars that, if committed to, will make a real difference for babies, young children and their families.

1. Prioritise babies and early childhood 

Every family in Scotland with a young child should have access to a consistent core of practical, emotional and financial support during the most transformative five years of their children’s lives. The next government can make childhood a priority for both central and local delivery leads by setting out clear expectations around the delivery of this core offer of holistic family support, reestablishing the importance of families within policy.

Scotland’s new government must continue to set the course for local delivery of this holistic early years support. Local partners, such as children’s services planning partnerships, will need support and resources to prioritise families with babies within their strategic plans. 

The next government should set out and fund a core offer of services that should be available to families with babies.

Through Nesta’s current project, Improving early help for babies and their families in Scotland, we will create recommendations on the “core offer” of support and early help needed to give all babies in Scotland the best start in life.

2. Push further on reducing child poverty rates for families with a baby under one

The decision to uprate the Scottish Child Payment to £40 per week for a child under one from 2027/28 will lead to positive change, lifting more children out of poverty. A continued focus on this group remains critical: 35% of children in families with a baby currently live in poverty, compared to 22% of all families. While the range of reasons for this are complex, a substantial factor is that when household costs are going up due to a new baby many families experience a fall in income, as one parent (usually the mother) moves onto maternity/paternity benefits. As every child goes through this stage, the fact that families with a baby are a relatively small group within the Scottish population should not undermine how important it is to provide support to this group.

There are various options for a new government to consider, including increasing Best Start payments targeted at under ones and extending statutory maternity pay to 52 weeks, as modelled by JRF. Increasing support around income maximisation is also essential to ensure that all families get the benefits they are entitled to during this crucial stage.

3. Meet the developmental concern target by focusing on prevention

The Scottish Government has set a target to reduce developmental concerns by 25% by 2030. Analysis of the most recent child health assessments shows that not all children are affected equally by developmental concerns. Certain groups within Scotland’s population are more likely to be identified as having concerns with their development than others. These groups include children growing up in the most deprived communities: looked-after children, and boys. These inequalities are not unique to Scotland and are mirrored in equivalent data and findings from England. Collectively, we understand more than ever before about the drivers of early child developmental concerns and the inequalities at their root. We also know far more about the solutions that can be put in place to address them: targeted and holistic early help for families most at risk. 

To make meaningful change, and ensure no child’s future is predetermined by their circumstances, the new government in Scotland should go one step further. Improvements, resources, and specific targets should be focused on the families most at risk of not meeting development goals, ensuring support reaches those who need it most during those vital first five years.

Nesta’s mission is for every child to have the same chance of developing to their full potential in the early years - poor outcomes for young children are not inevitable. By putting babies at the centre of policymaking, the next Parliament can ensure that every child in Scotland grows up with everything they need to thrive.