Policy Overview

Reducing inequalities in income and opportunity is critical to achieving the Scottish Government's aim of making Scotland a better, fairer place for everyone, no matter where they live.  The framework to tackle income inequality and disadvantage is Achieving our Potential.

The framework outlines the key actions required by the Scottish Government and its partners such as the strengthening of income maximisation work, launching a campaign to raise awareness of statutory workers' rights and supporting people who find it hardest to get into jobs or use public services.

Achieving Our Potential works alongside Equally Well and the Early Years Framework.

Equally Well
Tackling health inequalities is a matter of social justice. It’s unacceptable in 21st century Scotland that some people can expect to die earlier than others, simply due to an accident of birth or circumstances. For that reason alone, the work of the ministerial Task Force, as outlined in this report, is worthwhile. Indeed, it is imperative. But it goes further than that. Reducing health inequalities is vital to achieving the Scottish Government’s overall purpose: sustainable economic growth. If Scotland is to live up to its potential in terms of economic success, healthy life expectancy must increase – particularly among those whose lives are currently cut short due to deprivation or other inequalities.

Early Years Framework
The framework seeks to maximise positive opportunities for children to get the start in life that will provide a strong platform for the future success of Scotland. We know that children are the future of Scotland and we know that early years experiences provide a gateway to learning and skills that will power Scotland's knowledge economy. Equally importantly, it seeks to address the needs of those children whose lives, opportunities and ambitions are being constrained by Scotland's historic legacies of poverty, poor health, poor attainment and unemployment

Child Poverty Strategy
This strategy sets out what the Scottish Government will do to reduce the levels of child poverty in Scotland, and to ensure that as few children as possible experience any kind of socio-economic disadvantage. There are two very distinctive aims within the strategy:

• To reduce the levels of child poverty by reducing income poverty and material deprivation

• Improve children's wellbeing and life chance - with the ultimate aim being to break inter-generational cycles of poverty, inequality and deprivation

At its heart is a delivery plan for the Scottish Government's Economic Strategy