Current status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 August 2026
To ask the Scottish Government how many families in each local authority have received support through the Scottish Child Payment each year since it was introduced, and what the current level of uptake is.
Social Security Scotland routinely publishes statistics on the number of parents or carers actively in receipt of Scottish Child Payment. These statistics also include the number and value of payments by local authority and financial year since launch and are available at: Scottish Child Payment statistics to 31 March 2026.
The latest published statistics show that, as of 31 March 2026, 189,620 parents or carers in Scotland were receiving Scottish Child Payment.
The most recent Scottish Government take-up analysis, published on 14 October 2025, estimated that Scottish Child Payment had a take-up rate of 94% among those eligible in Scotland in the financial year 2024-2025. The publication also includes estimated take-up rates for each local authority area and is available at: Take-up rates of Scottish benefits: October 2025.