Increased in value to £25 per week

Scotland is now rolling out the Scottish Child Payment and increasing its value to £25 a week.

The payment helps towards the costs of supporting families. It's a weekly payment of £25 that people can get for every child looked after who's under 16 years of age.

Responding to the roll out, John Dickie, director of Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland said: “This will be a hugely welcome day for struggling families across Scotland, and a real step on the road toward ending child poverty.

“The £25 per week Scottish child payment is a significant and uniquely Scottish boost to family incomes at a time when it is needed more than ever. It’s now vital that we spread the word as widely as possible and ensure that every child that is eligible benefits from this crucial support.”

Dickie called on the UK government to use Thursdays Autumn statement to match the Scottish government’s investment in protecting children  from poverty.

“If the Scottish government can make this kind of serious investment in protecting our children from poverty then so too can the UK government,” he said.

“The Autumn Statement is the Chancellor’s opportunity to not only ensure UK benefits rise in line with inflation but to reverse the cuts made since 2010  - starting with a £20 a week uplift to child benefit.”