A new income supplement is to be introduced by the Scottish Government as part of measures to combat child poverty.

Communities secretary Angela Constance announced plans to use Scotland's new welfare powers to provide "financial support to those families who need it most".

She was laying out the government's Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan for meeting targets contained in legislation passed by MSPs last November.

She told parliament the new supplement would be introduced between 2018 and 2022 as part of the overall strategy.

Constance added: "We will now consider the detail of such a supplement, the level at which it should be set and those at whom it should be targeted in order to help lift the maximum number of children out of poverty."

The minister also announced a £12m investment in intensive employment support for parents to help those in work develop their skills and help the unemployed into work.

She claimed this would help at least 38,000 adults over three years and have a positive impact on around 7000 children.

In addition, a new minimum amount will be introduced for the school clothing grant to help with the costs of school uniforms and sport kits, along with £1m of funding for children experiencing food insecurity during school holidays.

Constance told MSPs: "This plan builds on the determination we showed by bringing the Child Poverty Act to parliament and gaining unanimous support, but it is what happens next that is important now as we work to deliver on the commitments that I've set out.

"It means a country where every child has every chance in life and meeting the child poverty targets means transforming Scotland."

Tory MSP Jeremy Balfour said the findings of a recent Audit Scotland report showed that ministers had not clearly estimated the costs of implementing the new social security powers and called for greater transparency.

He said: "If ministers are caught out by these costs the excess cash will have to come from her budget and thus affect priority families."

Labour's Elaine Smith dismissed much of the announcement as promising "jam tomorrow".

Douglas Hamilton, chair of Scotland's Poverty and Inequality Commission, welcomed the plan as potentially making a "significant impact".

He said: "To achieve the 2030 child poverty targets we advised the Scottish Government to set out the extent to which it would use its new social security powers, and to do more to strengthen the supports given to parents to enable them to enter employment and progress in work.

"It is therefore particularly encouraging to see the Scottish Government's commitment to introduce a new income supplement, and the proposals to invest in targeted employment support for parents.

"I look forward to seeing early progress on these actions, which have the potential to make a significant impact."

Save the Children's Mark Ballard said: "The Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan is a significant step in the right direction, at a time when child poverty is on the increase and too many families are struggling to get by on low incomes.

"Save the Children has argued for greater action to tackle poverty in early childhood, as we know this is where efforts are best spent, so it's encouraging that the plan makes some specific commitments to do this.

"The plan recognises the importance of high-quality, affordable childcare, which provides children with good early learning opportunities and can help to narrow the attainment gap, as well as supporting family incomes.

"The plan is welcome, but now needs to drive action to tackle poverty and enable children to reach their full potential."