The last three years have seen no improvement in the level of child poverty in Scotland, according to a new report published today.

Research conducted for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that after factoring in housing costs a quarter of Scotland's children are living in poverty. While noting that this is relatively low for the UK, the report stresses there has been no change in the figure of 250,000 children living in poverty in recent years.

Child poverty in Scotland has seen above-average declines in the last decade, with reductions similar to Wales and the north of England, with pension poverty also dropping by around 100,000 individuals.

However, there has been an increase in working-age adults without dependent children living in poverty, both employed and unemployed.

"While most of Scotland has become better off financially, the real value of the social security safety net for the largest group of adults in poverty hasn't changed for two decades," said Tom MacInnes, a co-author of the report.

"As unemployment rises, the effects of this are going to be felt much more widely."

The report does welcome Scottish Government moves to focus its anti-poverty efforts on those most at risk, while also warning that many of the working-age adults living on benefits are concentrated in certain poor areas, much like ten years ago.