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Introduction
1. The overarching Purpose of the Scottish Government is " to create a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth."
2. Sustainable economic growth is therefore the one central Purpose to which all else in government is directed and contributes.
3. The Government Economic Strategy ( GES) sets out how we will deliver on that Purpose through an entirely fresh approach. It identifies five strategic priorities through which growth will be driven - and also sets out, for the first time in Scotland, a number of national, time-bound Purpose targets.
4. The focus of the GES is on maximising Scotland's richest resource - its people - and on making Scotland a wealthier and a fairer place. The GES is clear, therefore, that delivering sustainable economic growth must also involve delivering on the Government's three 'Golden Rules' of Solidarity, Cohesion and Sustainability.
5. The Cohesion Golden Rule involves giving greater priority to achieving more balanced growth across Scotland, to give all across Scotland the chance to succeed. The Solidarity Golden Rule, on the other hand, involves providing the opportunities, and incentives, for all to contribute to Scotland's sustainable economic growth.
6. As the GES makes clear, delivering on the Solidarity Golden Rule will mean focusing "Government policy…on reducing inequality in Scotland and influence[ing] the UK Government to ensure welfare reform addresses Scotland's social equity issues."
7. Quite apart from the economic imperative, we believe Scotland must tackle poverty because of the blight and strain it places on individuals' lives, on the communities in which they live, and on society in general; we believe Scotland has a proud history and ethos of being a compassionate nation with a strong sense of social justice and addressing the needs of the vulnerable, and we want to embrace this ethos on the basis that it is simply morally unacceptable that over 20% of our children still live in poverty
8. This discussion paper will help inform the Scottish Government's development of a framework for delivering the aspects of the GES related to tackling poverty, inequality and deprivation, most prominently reflected in the Solidarity Golden Rule but also in other aspects such as learning, skills, health and wellbeing.
9. The framework is intended to improve the co-ordination of action by the Scottish Government, its agencies and our delivery partners to tackle poverty, inequality and deprivation; to explain how the various policies being pursued across the Government come together to contribute to a coherent and unified approach to tackling these challenges; to audit and review these policies and identify any gaps, setting the future direction for work on tackling poverty in Scotland, in the context of the GES; and to articulate how national policy will connect with local policies and delivery on the ground, working with partners to maximise the impact on poverty, particularly child poverty, in Scotland.
10. This paper is designed to spark discussion and debate to help us develop a framework in a way which reflects the views and concerns of partners and stakeholders beyond the Scottish Government. It sets out some broad proposals for the future direction of anti-poverty policy in Scotland, and seeks to clarify where the Scottish Government can maximise its impact on poverty, in partnership with the UK Government and others. It identifies key questions and issues to address through the consultation process leading to development of an approach which in particular will help deliver the Solidarity Golden Rule - providing the opportunities and incentives for all to contribute to Scotland's sustainable economic growth.
11. The Concordat between the Government and CoSLA and the development of single outcome agreements has established a new relationship between central and local government. This is a relationship based on trust, mutual respect and full partnership working on the development of strategic approaches and achievement of shared outcomes. It also recognises the strategic role of local authorities in pursuing their own policy priorities for tackling poverty and providing services to address the needs of the most vulnerable. CoSLA is therefore working as a full partner with the Government in taking forward this work.
12. Policies to tackle poverty in Scotland, as in the rest of the UK, have developed considerably over recent years, and we now have a better understanding of the key issues and barriers to greater progress, as well as a clearer idea of what works to prevent people falling into poverty or to help lift them out of it. We must draw on this evidence in considering what our future approach should be. We must also draw on the expertise of people working in the field and, importantly, from people experiencing poverty themselves. The development of our framework will be an inclusive process as we seek to draw on the knowledge and experience of people from right across Scotland on what is working and what more needs to be done to tackle poverty effectively in Scotland.
13. The final section of this paper outlines our plans for consultation and how you can get involved.
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