Scottish Child Payment – Page 3 – The NEN

2022 biggest year yet for Scottish social security system

The introduction of Adult Disability Payment, further automation and the increase and extension of Scottish Child Payment has seen more people apply for and get financial support they are entitled to.

Thousands of people have also had their benefit awards transferred to Social Security Scotland from the Department of Work and Pensions.

In March, Adult Disability Payment, which replaces the UK Government’s Personal Independence Payment and is the most complex benefit to be introduced so far, was launched as a pilot project before being made available to eligible disabled adults aged 16 to state pension age in Scotland at the end of August.

In November, Scottish Child Payment increased to £25 and was extended to include eligible children up to age 16 and around 385,000 children are now expected to be eligible.

At the same time, Social Security Scotland introduced further automation. Families and carers who already get Scottish Child Payment will now automatically be paid Best Start Grant Early Learning and School Age payments when their child is eligible.

Automatic payments continued for around 90,000 carers eligible for the December payment of Carers Allowance Supplement, as well as around 23,000 disabled children and young people who received Child Winter Heating Assistance to help heat their homes.

Minister for Social Security Ben Macpherson said: “There is no doubt that 2022 has been the biggest and most complex year yet for Social Security Scotland. Creating a new social security system at pace has not been a simple task, but the progress made since 2018 has been substantial.

“Introducing Adult Disability Payment to replace the DWP’s Personal Independence Payment was a significant milestone in the growth of the Scottish social security system and marked a step change, delivering an improved experience for disabled people that is compassionate and rooted in trust.

“With many people facing financial hardship during the ongoing cost of living crisis, extending the Scottish Child Payment to under 16 year olds means that now hundreds of thousands more children will get much needed extra financial support.

“Investing in social security is a priority for the Scottish Government. Our commitment in the 2023-24 Budget to uprate benefits by 10.1% will mean more support going to people on low-incomes, disabled people, carers and young people right across Scotland at a time when many are facing tough financial challenges.

“Though there is still much work to do, we are creating a system to be proud of and building strong foundations to serve Scotland for generations to come, treating people with dignity, fairness and respect. Social security is a human right and an investment in creating a fairer society, together.”

Dad Martin, whose daughter has learning difficulties, says receiving benefits helped his daughter flourish.

He said: “I went on the website and applied for Child Disability Payment. When I got accepted I went from having nothing at the end of the month to having £97 left. This enabled me to do so many things with my daughter and because of that she has flourished.”

Another young woman who received the Young Carer’s Grant this year, said: “It had a positive impact because I needed new clothes so I spent about £100 on clothes and then I shared the rest of the grant with my brother and sister.”

A mum who received School Age Payment for their child said: “I applied for this grant for my child when she started primary one. It was a great help to us to cover the costs of school uniforms and accessories required for school. I would urge all parents to apply for this grant.”

Eligible families and carers can find out more and apply for social security payments at scot/benefits or by calling Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222

Best Start Grant Early Learning and School Age Payment to be made automatically

Improvements make it easier for families to get money they are entitled to

People who receive Scottish Child Payment and qualify for Best Start Grant Early Learning and School Age payments will be paid them automatically from this week, without the need to apply for them separately.

Social Security Scotland will notify clients by SMS when they are checking eligibility for the Best Start Grants and, if they are eligible, will write to advise them of the payment.

The move to automatic awards will mean less paperwork for tens of thousands of families and ensure that families automatically receive the support to which they’re entitled.

It builds on work already completed to make applying for our five family payments as simple as possible.

It includes the ability to apply for all children in a household on a single form.

Minister for Social Security, Ben Macpherson said: “Our extension to the Scottish Child Payment and its increase to £25 per child per week has been widely welcomed and will make a significant difference to families across the country. The increase represents a rise of 150% in just eight months.

“The increase and extension was described as a watershed moment in tackling child poverty by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and already people have applied in their tens of thousands.

“Tackling child poverty is a key mission for the Scottish Government and automating payments, where we have the information we need to do so, will mean parents and carers automatically getting the financial support they are eligible for paid directly to them.

“We are committed to making sure that receiving our five family payments is as straightforward as possible, using our limited social security powers and resources to help”.

CEO of One Parent Families Scotland, Satwat Rehman said “We are delighted that Social Security Scotland have made changes so that parents who have applied for and receive Scottish Child Payment will no longer have to fill out separate forms to receive other family benefits.

“Many of the single parents we support are not aware of the financial support available to them and would therefore be at risk of losing out. We hope the change to automatic payments will lead to an increase in the number of families accessing benefits they are entitled to and will ease the financial and mental strain of the cost-of-living crisis.”

Scottish Child Payment increased

Extension opens benefit to more than 400,000 children

The Scottish Child Payment has today been increased to £25 and been extended to include eligible children up to age 16.

First launched in February 2021 at £10 per week per child for children under the age of six, the Scottish Child Payment – unique to Scotland – provides direct financial support to eligible families and carers.

Around 104,000 children already getting the payment will automatically see the payment increase to £25 per week – which represents a 150% increase within eight months. This is also the rate for all those now eligible up to age 16.

Following today’s extension, it is forecast that a further 300,000 children across the country will be eligible.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has encouraged all eligible families to apply on a visit to Golfhill Primary and Whitehill Secondary schools at their shared campus in Dennistoun, Glasgow.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “This is an important day for many families across Scotland as we make significant extra financial support available to tackle child poverty. The Scottish Child Payment is unique to Scotland and is the most ambitious child poverty reduction measure in the UK.

“At a time when the cost of living crisis is causing significant hardship for many families, this increased payment of £1300 per eligible child is even more vital, and the age extension means that it is now available to many more children.

“We want to make sure that everyone gets the help available to them. Parents or carers who are on universal credit or other benefits and who have children under 16 should check through Social Security Scotland if they are eligible.”

John Dickie, Director of Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, said: “The roll-out of the Scottish Child Payment to over fives and the increase in its value to £25 a week marks a hugely welcome day for struggling families across Scotland and a real step on the road toward ending child poverty.

“This is a significant and uniquely Scottish boost to family incomes at a time when it is needed more than ever. It’s now vital that we all spread the word as widely as possible and ensure that all eligible families apply and every child that is entitled benefits.”

Scottish Child Payment is part of a wider package of five family payments including: Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment, Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment, Best Start Grant School Age Payment and Best Start Foods.

Scottish Child Payment extended to under 16s from tomorrow

Scottish Child Payment will increase to £25 per eligible child per week from tomorrow (14 November), with the ground-breaking anti-poverty benefit also opening to applications for all eligible under-16s from that date.

The First Minister is determined to help households and businesses cope with a “humanitarian crisis that will cost lives.”

She has also called on the UK Government to take urgent action as it holds most of the key policy levers and resources to fully address the crisis.

The First Minister said: “The Scottish Child Payment is unique to Scotland, the most ambitious child poverty reduction measure in the UK and an important action to mitigate the growing cost emergency. We doubled the payment to £20 per week per child in April and the further increase to £25 from November means a rise of 150% in less than eight months.

“Around 104,000 children currently in receipt of Scottish Child Payment will have it automatically increased to £25 per week. All new eligible under 16s will also benefit from the £25 rate, with all payments backdated to the date their application is received.

“Through this year’s Programme for Government we will take every action, within the financial means and legislative powers at our disposal, to help people through this humanitarian crisis that will cost lives.

“The most significant powers to tackle this crisis rest squarely with the UK Government and their inaction has compounded the difficulties everyone is facing.

“In the absence of a plan from the incoming Prime Minister we have a clear set of actions which the UK Government could take now, and should have taken already, to begin to address the crisis. These include an immediate cancellation of the October price cap rise and an uprating of benefits.

“The last few months have made it abundantly clear Scotland cannot rely on the UK Government to support people in Scotland through this crisis. It is vital they have a choice over their future.

“Make no mistake, we will continue to act where others have not to help people and businesses – and the UK Government needs to follow our example.”

You can find helpful Scottish Child Payment information along with shareable social media graphics on the Social Security Scotland website:

https://bit.ly/ScottishChildPaymentInformation

Scottish Child Payment pays out £84 million

Child poverty benefit helping 104,000 children

A total of £84 million has been paid to families since it was introduced less than 18 months ago.

The payment of £20 per week, unique to Scotland in the UK, began in February 2021 as a direct measure to tackle child poverty. It provides regular, additional financial support to parents and carers to help with the costs of caring for a child.

As of 30 June 2022, it is estimated that 104,000 children were actively in receipt of Scottish Child Payment and 1.4 million payments have now been made.

By the end of this year the payment will increase to £25 per week and extend to include all eligible children under the age of 16 when it is expected that over 400,000 children will potentially be eligible.

Responding to the latest official statistics on Scottish Child Payment published today Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “We are taking a number of urgent actions to address the current cost crisis.

“This includes efforts to maximise financial support to those most in need so that they get all the money they are entitled to. The ongoing work to extend eligibility for and increase the value of the Scottish Child Payment is a vital part of these efforts.

“We created our game changing Scottish Child Payment to provide direct financial support to tackle child poverty. Every penny of support is absolutely vital at the moment, which is why we are using our devolved powers and resources to make a difference for as many households as we can.

“We doubled the payment to £20 in April and will increase it to £25 when we extend it to under 16s by the end of the year – a 150% rise in this important benefit which is one of five family benefits we are now delivering.

“The Scottish Government want to support families during these difficult times.”

Scottish Child Payment is part of a wider package of five family payments including: Best Start Grant Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment, Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment, Best Start Grant School Age Payment and Best Start Foods

Bridge the Gap!

Charities appeal to First Minister to double Scottish Child Payment bridging payments NOW

We can turn compassion and justice into action to support children in low-income households.

120 charities and community organisations are calling on the Scottish Government @scotgov to continue to do the right thing by doubling Scottish Child Payment bridging payments.

See the letter to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (below):

Letter-to-First-Minister-doubling-of-bridging-payments-_0 Download

#BridgeTheGap

https://bit.ly/3JWCIGJ

Social Security Scotland: Early bank holiday payment dates

Due to public holidays, some upcoming payments – Scottish Child Payment, Child Disability Payment and Adult Disability Payment – will go into accounts early:

Best Start, Bright Future: Poverty Alliance webinar on the Scottish Child Poverty Delivery Plan

Best Start, Bright Future – a Poverty Alliance Webinar

Monday 6 June 2022: 10am – 1pm

Scotland is a country where compassion is strong, but where child poverty is an ongoing injustice that we have to end together.

Best Start, Bright Future, the Scottish Government’s Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, was published at the end of March. It’s designed to help create the change we need to drive down child poverty and reach Scotland’s interim child poverty targets in 2024.

There are a lot of commitments in the plan, and we are hosting a special morning webinar to explore how we can make sure they are implemented, and how they can best deliver practical change in our communities.

The plan includes pledges to: increase the level of the Scottish Child Payment; create a new employability offer to help parents get into work, and; mitigation of the benefit cap.

There is lot more besides, and Best Start, Bright Futures will touch on all areas of anti-poverty activity in Scotland. It is crucial for groups and organisations across the country to understand what it all means for their work.

Please join us for a morning of discussion on how we can all work together to ensure that the ambition contained in the plan is delivered.

Click here to register!

Agenda

10:00 Welcome Peter Kelly, Director, the Poverty Alliance

10:05 Best Start, Bright Futures: What you need to know!

Julie Humphreys, Deputy Director, Tackling Child Poverty & Financial Wellbeing, Scottish Government

10:20 From Plan to Practice: Perspectives on Best Start, Bright Futures

Professor Morag Treanor, Deputy Chair, Poverty and Inequality Commission

John Dickie, Director, Child Poverty Action Group Scotland

Bruce Adamson, Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland

10:50 Panel Discussion

11:15 Comfort Break

11.30 Workshops

1. Making Employability Work for Priority Group Families

Jack Evans, Policy Manager, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Laura Millar, Strategic Manager, Fife Gingerbread

2. Social security: Priorities for tackling poverty

Tressa Burke, CEO, Glasgow Disability Alliance (tbc)
Polly Jones, Head of Scotland, Trussell Trust (tbc)

3. Childcare and Child Poverty – Meeting the Challenges

Anna Ritchie Allan, Executive Director, Close the Gap (tbc)
Satwat Rehman, Chief Executive, One Parent Families Scotland (tbc)

12.30: Feedback from groups and concluding remarks

13:00 Close

Automatic awards to make accessing family benefits simpler

Plans have been announced to automatically pay the Best Start Grant Early Learning and School Age Payments to parents and carers who already receive Scottish Child Payment when their children become eligible.

The change will be introduced later this year when Scottish Child Payment is extended to under-16s and increased to £25 per child, per week.

This builds on extensive work already done to make applying for the Scottish Government’s five family payments as straightforward as possible.

It includes the ability to apply for all children in a household on a single form. The form can be completed online, by phone or on paper. Parents and carers contributed to the design of the form to make sure the language was clear and easy to navigate.

As set out in the recent Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan ‘Best Start, Bright Futures’, the introduction of automatic awards will remove the need for eligible families receiving Scottish Child Payment to reapply when their child becomes eligible for the Early Learning and School Age Payments.

This will mean less paperwork for tens of thousands of families and ensure that families automatically receive the support to which they’re entitled.

On a visit to FARE Scotland in Glasgow, Minister for Social Security, Ben Macpherson said: “Tackling child poverty is a key mission for the Scottish Government and automating payments, where we already have all of the information we need to do so, will mean parents and carers automatically getting the financial support they are eligible for paid directly to them.

“Since launching Best Start Grant in December 2018, we’ve made more than 177,000 payments, totalling £55.3 million in support, families who need it most. Automating payments, where we can, will enable us to help even more families.

“We are committed to making sure that receiving our five family payments is as straightforward as possible. Automatic awards, increasing Scottish Child Payment to £20, and again to £25 by the end of the year, and uprating eight Scottish benefits by 6% are some of the ways we are using our limited social security powers and resources to help families in need.”

Jimmy Wilson, Chief Executive of FARE Scotland, said: “There are families who aren’t aware of all the benefits to which they’re entitled so anything that can be done to make the process simpler is to be welcomed.

“It’s more important than ever that people understand the help which is there for them.

“The advantages in having automatic awards could be significant. We hope this move has a positive impact on take up rates which could help to reduce and prevent child poverty and support family wellbeing.”

Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment and Best Start Grant School Age Payment are part of a package of Five Family Payments. This package also includes Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment, Best Start Foods and Scottish Child Payment. By the end of 2022, the Scottish Government’s package of Five Family Payments for low-income families will be worth up to a maximum of over £10,000 by the time a family’s first child turns 6, and £9,700 for second and subsequent children
The Early Learning Payment opened for applications on 29 April 2019 and provides £267.65 per child to support child development, for example travel costs, changes of clothes for messy play, trips out and toys for home learning
The long application window, from 2-3½, captures the 2 common ages for starting nursery, depending on whether parents qualify for a free nursery place when the child is 2 or 3. There is no requirement to take up a place at nursery to qualify for a payment
The School Age Payment opened for applications on 3 June 2019 and provides £267.65 per child to help with the costs of preparing for school, for example educational toys or after school activities. Eligibility is based on the child’s age and relates to when a child is first old enough to start school. The application window runs from 1 June in that year until the last day in February the following year. There is no requirement to take up a place at school to qualify for a payment
Between launching on 10 December 2018 and 28 February 2022, more than 177,000 Best Start Grant payments had been authorised. This figure does not include Best Start Foods
In 2022-23 we expect 52,000 households will receive £18 million of support through Best Start Grant (Scottish Fiscal Commission report published 9 December 2021). With projected take up rates of 76% for Pregnancy and Baby first births, 77% for Pregnancy and Baby subsequent births, 82% for Early Learning Payment and 80% for School Age Payment
The Scottish Fiscal Commission (report published 9 December 2021) has forecast that 20,000 people will receive the Early Learning Payment and 22,000 people will receive the School Age Payment during the 2022-23 financial year
Eligible families, and carers can find out more and apply at mygov.scot/beststart or by calling Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222