Fairness and Child Poverty Update

Grassroots examples of how Dundee City Council and partners are tackling fairness and child poverty issues are to be showcased to councillors.

The frontline actions are contained in a new report which highlights the scale of the task faced by local agencies during the continuing cost of living crisis.

While Dundee is setting itself the ambitious goal of matching the Scottish Government’s overall national target of reducing child poverty to less than 10% of children living in relative poverty, latest figures show a rate of 26.1 % for the city.

A combined Fairness and Local Child Poverty Action Plan Report for 2024/25 is to go before the City Governance committee at its next meeting on Monday June 23. The document sets out how the council and partners will continue to work together to improve the situation for families and communities across Dundee.

It also takes on board the latest recommendations of the Dundee Fairness Leadership Panel, which is looking to prioritise efforts around mental health and isolation, fair housing and support to third sector projects offering crisis assistance to tackle poverty.

In the report, areas of improvement over the last year are highlighted.

These include:  

• The number of council and registered social landlord housing completions (increased by 29.2%).
• percentage point gap in literacy in p1-p7 between pupils living in SIMD 1 areas and SIMD 5 areas (decreased by 16.6%)
• number of children living in temporary accommodation (decreased by 13.4%) 

Within the report, a number of case studies are used to illustrate the efforts that are ongoing throughout the city. These are grouped under themes and some of the projects listed include:

Social Inclusion and Stigma

Strengthening family support through volunteering – DVVA Programme

Promoting community-led suicide prevention – Dundee Creating Hope Awards Pilot

Work and Wages  

Supporting young people into employment – Employability Pathfinder (LFI Linlathen)

Safe Housing Enabling Employment – Housing & Communities Team

Benefits and Advice

Preventing housing insecurity through school-based advice

Securing backdated benefits for an older resident

Attainment and Child Poverty

Tackling poverty and increasing attainment in Longhaugh and St Francis’ Primary Schools

Closing the attainment gap through the Strategic Equity Fund

Health Inequalities

Promoting wellbeing and resilience in schools – S2 Health & Wellbeing Group

Supporting mental health through community-led events – Hilltown Community

Housing and Communities

Adapting homes for children with disabilities

Providing coordinated housing and community support

Committee depute convener Councillor Willie Sawers said: "The voices of communities with experience continue to be listened to as they are a vital help to us to develop responses to inequalities and poverty.

"Statistics concerning child poverty in Dundee are stark, that is why we committed to doing as much as we can to turn this around.

"I am heartened by the strong partnerships that exist between Dundee organisations and agencies across the public, private and third sectors and the ongoing desire to work together to transform life for people in the city."