As the SNP Government continues to prioritise giving every child the best start in life, I am proud of the fact that families across Orkney are benefiting from one of the most generous packages of early learning, childcare, and family support anywhere in the UK.

Since 2021, Scotland has delivered 1140 hours of high-quality funded Early Learning and Childcare for all three- and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds. For Orkney families this is worth more than £6000 per child, per year. Meanwhile, in England, the same number of hours is only available to working parents who meet strict eligibility rules.

The charity Coram Family and Childcare warned that in England ‘a child with working parents eligible for the entitlements will receive three times as much government-funded early education than a disadvantaged child, by the time they start school’.

In contrast, the SNP’s approach ensures fairness and equality, regardless of parents’ working status. Alongside early learning, the SNP Government is cutting child poverty and saving families money through several key policies.

Every child will receive at least 14 free books through Bookbug before they start school, and free school meals are now available for children in P1–P5 and special schools.

On the transport front we have free bus travel for all under-22s, and I was delighted – having campaigned hard for it – to see this extended to inter-island ferry journeys for all island residents under the age of 22 within Orkney earlier this year.

And the Scottish Child Payment – still unique in Scotland in the UK – is worth up to £25,000 by the time an eligible child turns 16. With 760 children in Orkney benefitting from this payment, this helps put money into the pockets of those who need it most, easing household pressures and tackling child poverty head-on.

Of course, we are also protecting folk against the worst of Westminster, for example by mitigating Labour’s cruel two-child cap from 2026 – a move that will lift 20,000 children out of poverty.

In these ways, and many others, the SNP is delivering for Orkney families, saving parents thousands of pounds every year and giving every child the best start in life. This level of support simply isn’t available south of the border.

The UK government is following the SNP’s lead, but where it differs is that its plans, as well as its current policies, risk leaving disadvantaged children behind and punishing families through policies like the two-child cap. 

The SNP’s mission under John Swinney is to eradicate child poverty. Every child in Scotland deserves the best start in life, no matter their circumstances. That is what the SNP is delivering, and we will continue to build a fairer, more equal future for Scotland’s families. Independence would allow us to do so much more.

This is a regular column by SNP MSP Emma Roddick. All Highlands and Islands MSPs have been offered the same space in The Orkney News to share their views.