A Chance for Everyone

Looking Back

Over the last decade there has been a growing focus on improving life chances from early childhood through to adulthood. Investment in early years, family support, education, employability and skills has aimed to reduce barriers and improve outcomes at key stages of life. Initial positive destinations for school leavers are at record levels. Child poverty has reduced over time, supported by national measures such as the Scottish Child Payment alongside local action on income maximisation and cost of living support. Improved targeting has helped more people access support when they need it. Fife has also sought to widen participation in community and economic life.

Since the Fairness Matters report in 2015, there has been a growing emphasis on community empowerment, participation and lived experience. Communities are playing a greater role in shaping services, policy and local priorities through participatory budgeting, citizens’ assemblies and other engagement approaches. Fife’s commitment to community wealth building reflects a wider ambition to reduce inequality and ensure the wealth generated in Fife benefits local people and places.

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  The Noisy Smoke Alarm: making fire safety accessible through BSL and inclusive design

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  Supporting households through a Cash-First approach to reduce food insecurity in Fife

Looking Around

There is growing recognition that people’s life chances are shaped by a combination of social, economic and environmental factors that interact throughout a person’s life. Evidence suggests that poverty, health, education, employment, transport, digital access and community connections all influence people’s ability to participate, contribute and thrive. While significant support exists across Fife, people can still experience multiple barriers, limiting opportunities and long-term outcomes.

Significant inequalities remain between people and places, particularly across Mid-Fife, where poverty, economic inactivity and lower participation continue to affect life chances. Around 16.2% of children live in relative poverty after housing costs, rising to 21.6% in some areas. Inequalities emerge early, with speech and language concerns over three times higher in the most deprived communities than the least deprived. Poor mental health and emotional wellbeing are increasingly affecting children and young people, while 41.8% of school pupils now have an additional support need.

While educational attainment, positive destinations and employability outcomes have improved for many outcomes continue to vary between communities and groups. Improving short term trends in initial positive destinations are masking disparities across Fife’s schools, as well as wider concerns about youth unemployment and young people’s mental health.

Looking ahead - Our key challenges

• Educational attainment – Inequalities emerge early and continue through people’s lives, influenced by factors including poverty, family circumstances health and wellbeing. There are persistent gaps between communities and growing concerns about children’s mental health, additional support needs and educational outcomes. The right conditions are needed for all young people to achieve their potential.
• Ready and able to work – Multiple and complex factors affect people’s ability to access and sustain employment, such as long-term illness, caring responsibilities, accessible childcare, changing labour market demands and wider barriers to participation.
• Whole family and community wellbeing – Evidence shows disadvantage is rarely the result of a single issue; it is often shaped by interconnected challenges experienced across families and communities. This raises questions about the resilience of community networks, relationships, support systems and community infrastructure and their role in helping people overcome barriers and promote community belonging.