This page provides an up-to-date overview of upcoming sessions hosted by the IS that may be of interest to those working to tackle child poverty locally, alongside further information about relevant networks supported by the IS, and their membership.
The IS provides support to a range of networks and groups for local government colleagues and their partners all working to tackle child poverty.
The Child Poverty Peer Support Network is solely dedicated to the tackling child poverty agenda, bringing together child poverty leads and practitioners from local government and health boards, and coordinated by the child poverty team at the Improvement Service.
A number of other Improvement Service teams manage respective peer support networks for local government practitioners and their partners, oftentimes leading sessions that cut across the child poverty agenda. These include Rural and Island Child Poverty Network; SAVVI; Fairer Futures Partnerships; Employability Leads Networks; UNCRC Peer Network.
We aim to highlight upcoming sessions across the networks, enabling practitioners to remain informed, connected, and able to participate in those of interest.
Networks
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The Child Poverty Peer Support Network includes child poverty leads from local authorities and health boards across Scotland and meets online every 4 to 6 weeks. The Network provides an informal opportunity to share information and approaches to tackling child poverty.
Find out more information about the wider work of the team here and reach out to us if you’d like to be added to the network distribution list.
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Rural and Island Child Poverty Network meets quarterly. It provides an informal space to share practice, build links and identify and raise common concerns. The group has a particular focus on understanding poverty and how data, intelligence and the voice of lived experience can support more effective approaches to service delivery and poverty reduction.
Find out more information about the wider work of the team here and reach out to us if you are interested in joining.
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The SAVVI team in Scotland is focused on enabling better use of data to tackle vulnerability and improve outcomes for individuals and communities. By supporting local authorities and partners to identify, understand, and respond to vulnerability more effectively, the team helps ensure services are better targeted and coordinated.
Find out more information about the wider work of the team here.
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Fairer Futures Partnerships (FFPs) are locally driven, place-based, targeted tests of change to tackle child poverty, with a view to learning and spreading successful approaches across Scotland. There are now 16 FFPs across Scotland.
The Improvement Service (IS) provides a range of opportunities to bring together FFPs to share learning and provide peer support.
The IS and the Scottish Government have co-produced an online Learning, Engagement and Resources space for FFPs to share learning and resources. Spotlight Session Learning Reports can be found in the ‘FFP Learning and Engagement Event Outputs’ section.
Contact: psr@improvementservice.org.uk
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There are three key employability-related networks coordinated by the IS.
The Scottish Local Authorities Economic Development (SLAED) People Group, which brings together all 32 Local Authority. Employability Leads and their deputies. The network meets monthly to share updates on operational activity, working groups, contribute to policy developments and works closely with key partners to strengthen the employability landscape in Scotland.
The Parental Employability Support Leads Network who are responsible for oversight and co-ordination of employability support activities in their own Local Employability Partnerships. They meet 6-weekly to share good practice, contribute to policy development and offer peer support.
The Local Employability Partnership Chairs Network meet quarterly to review policy developments, share learning from local delivery, keep an eye on emerging priorities for the sector and ensure collective leadership across the wider employability system.
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The Scottish Community Planning Network (SCPN) exists to build relationships and identify opportunities to support Community Planning Partnership (CPP) colleagues across Scotland by developing best practice examples and sharing learning. Throughout the year, the SCPN run various events including both in-person and online whole network events alongside monthly Spotlight Sessions, focussed on relevant thematic topics.
You can find out more about the work of the SCPN here.
Upcoming Events
August
19th: Scottish Community Planning Network – Collaboration for Health Equity in Scotland Spotlight Session
This session will allow colleagues to hear from Aberdeen City, North Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire about the work they have been undertaking as part of the Collaboration for Health Equity in Scotland (CHES). It will provide the space to share learning followed by an opportunity for questions and discussion.
If you are interested in attending, please contact communityplanning@improvementservice.org.uk.
Open to all networks | Online
20th: Child Poverty Peer Support Network – Income Maximisation for families with children, 10:00-11:30
The focus of this session is to support local authority leads to maximise uptake of entitlements amongst low income families.
If you are interested in attending, please contact: childpoverty@improvementservice.org.uk
Open to all networks | Online
20th: Whole Family Support System Change Programme Transition Year Session, 14:00-15:00
Organised by the Scottish Government’s Whole Family Wellbeing team and Improvement Service's ELC, CP, and FFP team, this session focuses on the development of the Whole Family Support System Change Programme, which will bring together Fairer Futures Partnerships, Whole Family Wellbeing Funding and the Whole Family Support early adopter work.
If you are interested in attending, please contact: psr@improvementservice.org.uk
Closed network session | Online
25th: Fairer Futures Partnerships - Spotlight Session: Third Sector
This session will focus on FFPs' approaches to third sector involvement/ ownership of approaches.
If you are interested in attending, please contact: psr@improvementservice.org.uk
Open to all networks | Online
Date TBC: Employability Leads Network - Domestic and financial abuse
This session is open to the Parental Employability Support Leads Network.
If you are interested in attending, please contact: Susie.Donkin@improvementservice.org.uk
Open to all networks | Online
September
5th: Rural and Island Child Poverty Peer Support Network - Childcare Session
This session is aimed at officers working in rural and island authorities with an interest in how childcare can be used to prevent and alleviate child poverty.
If you are interested in attending, please contact: James.Taylor@improvementservice.org.uk
Open to all networks | Online
17th: Child Poverty Peer Support Network – Local Child Poverty Action Reports
This session will provide an overview of Year 7 LCPAR analysis and plans for Year 8. This session is primarily aimed at the Child Poverty Peer Support Network and Rural Support Network but is open to all networks.
If you are interested in attending, please contact: childpoverty@improvementservice.org.uk
Open to all networks | Online
29th: Fairer Futures Partnerships - In-person event
The focus of this session is TBC. It’s aimed at Fairer Futures Partnerships and Adopt and Adapt areas.
Closed network session | In-person
October
1st: Child Poverty Peer Support Network & Rural Support Network - Fuel Poverty
To provide an update and share current and historical successful practice on tackling Fuel Poverty given the increase in fuel costs moving into winter.
If you are interested in attending, please contact: childpoverty@improvementservice.org.uk
Open to all networks | Online
6th – 10th: Child Poverty Peer Support Network - Challenge Poverty Week Morning Briefings
The Child Poverty Peer Support Network will run daily sessions (9:15-10am) during Challenge Poverty Week in relation to learning on the 6 priority groups. The aim is to raise awareness of the importance of understanding barriers experienced by the priority groups, including local examples of what works.
- Monday: BME households (focus NRPF)
- Tuesday: Lone Parents
- Wednesday: Babies under 1
- Thursday: Disability
- Friday: Young Parents
If you are interested in attending, please contact: childpoverty@improvementservice.org.uk
Open to all networks | Online
29th: Fairer Futures Partnerships - Spotlight Session: FFP Products and Resources
This session will focus on showcasing products and resources developed by FFPs. This could include data tools, comms products, etc.
If you are interested in attending, please contact: psr@improvementservice.org.uk
Open to all networks | Online
22nd: Rural and Island Child Poverty Network – Childcare Subgroup (2/3)
This session is the second of three Childcare Sprint sessions taking place over September, October, and November. These are aimed at officers working in rural and island authorities with an interest in how childcare can be used to prevent and alleviate child poverty.
If you are interested in attending, please contact: James.Taylor@improvementservice.org.uk
Open to all networks | Online
Date TBC: Employability Delivery Plan session
This session will take a thematic approach to understanding the recent Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan.
If you are interested in attending, please contact: Susie.Donkin@improvementservice.org.uk
Open to all networks | Online
November
11th: Rural and Island Child Poverty Network – Childcare Subgroup (3/3)
This session is the third of three Childcare Sprint sessions taking place over September, October, and November. These are aimed at officers working in rural and island authorities with an interest in how childcare can be used to prevent and alleviate child poverty.
If you are interested in attending, please contact: James.Taylor@improvementservice.org.uk
Open to all networks | Online
12th: Child Poverty Peer Support Network - Lived experience and tackling stigma
Practice sharing around meaningful engagement of those with lived experience of poverty.
If you are interested in attending, please contact: childpoverty@improvementservice.org.uk
Open to all networks | Online
17th: Fairer Futures Partnerships - Spotlight Session: Transition Year for Whole Family Support – Sustainability of FFP
This session will provide an opportunity to consider the changes being considered to a number of related SG programmes: FFP, WFWF and Whole Family Support Early Adopters and what the transition year means for you locally.
If you are interested in attending, please contact: psr@improvementservice.org.uk
Open to all networks | Online
Local Employability Partnership TBC
Parental Employability Support Leads TBC
December
10th: Child Poverty Peer Support Network and SAVVI In-Person Annual Conference – Local Action to Prevent Child Poverty
Initially delivered to the 32 local child poverty leads. This session will explore learning from across Fairer Futures Partnerships, Local Child Poverty Action Reports, Rural Childcare Sprint, SAVVI.
Closed network session | In-person
January 2027
Date TBC: Child Poverty Peer Support Network - Public Debt
This session will explore local responses and action to prevent public debt.
If you are interested in attending, please contact: childpoverty@improvementservice.org.uk
Open to all networks | Online
21st: Fairer Futures Partnership Session – Topic TBC
If you are interested in attending, please contact: psr@improvementservice.org.uk
Open to all networks | Online
Parental Employability Support Leads TBC
February 2027
16th: Fairer Futures Partnership In-person event – Topic TBC
This event will provide an opportunity for FFP colleagues to come together in person, to network, share learning and collaborate.
Closed network session | In-person