Article 27 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child sets out that every child has the right to a standard of living that is good enough to meet their physical and social needs and to support their development. It also says that Governments must help families who cannot afford to provide that.

For months, anti-poverty and children’s organisations and many others have been calling on the Scottish Government to implement a payment that would be equivalent to the Scottish child payment, and which would tide families over until that benefit is available in February. Will the Scottish Government now turn its rhetoric into reality and make that payment to the families that need it?