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Additional funds allocated to address child poverty
North Ayrshire Council has committed a further £276,000 to support work to tackle child poverty, reinforcing its long‑term focus on prevention, early intervention and improving wellbeing for local families.
The additional funding will be directed to the Council’s Child Poverty and Early Intervention Fund (CPEIF), which was established as part of the 2023–24 budget to deliver priorities within the Child Poverty Action Plan 2023–2026.
Early intervention to reduce the risk and impact of child poverty remains a core Council priority. Through the CPEIF, the Council and its partners are supporting families facing a range of pressures, including childcare costs, digital exclusion, barriers to employment, housing challenges and wider cost‑of‑living impacts.
To date, the Fund has committed £1.013 million, supporting activity that ranges from rapid-response measures to more collaborative, preventative programmes.
At its meeting on 28 April, Cabinet also approved improvements to the governance of the Fund, introducing a more standardised and consistent approach to applications, appraisal, monitoring and evaluation.
Quote: This additional investment allows us to build on the positive work already being delivered by Council staff and our partners in communities across North Ayrshire. By continuing to closely align funding decisions with our Community Planning Partnership, we can better target support to where it will make the greatest difference for children and families.
Quote from: Sam Anson, Executive Director for Education
While the CPEIF initially focused on immediate interventions such as school meal debt and emergency support, it has evolved to support longer‑term, preventative approaches linked to financial inclusion, childcare, employability and community capacity building.
Recent activity supported through the Fund includes:
- test‑of‑change programmes co‑designed with residents with lived experience and delivered alongside third sector partners, in line with national policy direction
- investment in Smart Data Foundry licences, supporting the use of financial data to inform policy decisions that reduce poverty and improve economic wellbeing and
- funding to pilot a Family Enterprise Programme with Ayrshire College’s Kilwinning Campus, enabling parents to develop entrepreneurial skills and explore pathways into self‑employment.
Mr Anson added: “Despite positive progress, child poverty levels in North Ayrshire remain significantly above the national average.
“That’s why tackling child poverty remains central to our ambition to transition to a wellbeing economy that genuinely improves quality of life for local people.”
As part of the Cabinet decision, members also agreed to strengthen future governance of the CPEIF by introducing a standardised application process, embedding partnership working, implementing a revised monitoring and evaluation framework, and publishing annual impact reviews through the Child Poverty Action Plan 2026–2029.
Published: 30 April 2026