MCR Pathways is extremely grateful to be recognised in the most recent ‘Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan: Progress Report 24-25‘ published on the 17th of June 2025.
This report outlines the range of action taken across 2024-25 to drive progress on child poverty, in line with our second Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, ‘Best Start, Bright Futures’.
Despite levels of headline inflation falling across this period, low income households have continued to be disproportionately impacted by the legacy of increases to the cost of essentials, including food and energy. At the same time, the Scottish Government has had to make difficult decisions to prioritise limited resources in the face of extraordinarily challenging fiscal conditions.
This report also details progress against each of the interim targets set by the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017. Although child poverty levels remained above the interim child poverty targets, the proportion of children living in relative poverty reduced in the latest year and the 2023-24 rate was lower than it had been since 2014-15, while the proportion in absolute poverty has also fallen, with the annual figure the lowest in 30 years.
MCR Pathways is proud to work with the Scottish Government in the effort to tackle child poverty in Scotland through our transformational relationship-based mentoring programme. Our reach is significant: 71% of the young people we support nationally come from the 40% most deprived areas in Scotland (MCR Pathways Impact Report 2024).
In addition, our programme demonstrably improves outcomes for care-experienced young people, with an average of 24% more mentored care-experienced young people from more deprived areas achieving a positive outcome in their S5 attainment than non-mentored care-experienced young people.
Our programme would not be possible without the tireless commitment and dedication of volunteer mentors, schools, wider partnerships across sectors and of course, our young people. MCR Pathways will work until every single young person has someone to help them find their way.
Want to know more about our influencing and policy work?
Contact mandy.choi@mcrpathways.org
