Young people struggling to access employment will be supported by an additional £4 million through the Young Person’s Guarantee.
The funding will help young people impacted most by the pandemic, including those who are care-experienced and those experiencing mental health issues.
Three programmes will share the £4 million, which will connect people with employers, training and volunteering opportunities.
Minister for Youth Employment and Training Jamie Hepburn said: “We want all of our young people to succeed, no matter their background or circumstances. Our aim is to ensure those seeking work have access to valuable support and opportunities for years to come.
“We know that many young people may face additional barriers to successfully gaining permanent work and the uncertainty caused by the pandemic combined with the cost of living crisis has made this more challenging. By connecting young people seeking work directly with employers we can offer them potentially life changing opportunities.
“This additional support is on top of £15 million already allocated to local authorities through the Young Person’s Guarantee for the current year and will build on our strong record of tackling youth unemployment.”
A fund launched last year to tackle the social isolation, loneliness and mental health inequalities made worse by the pandemic, has been awarded a further £15 million.
The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults was launched in October last year, and has helped nearly 2,000 community projects to deliver activities and programmes in its first year.
It has supported a wide range of projects including sport, outdoor initiatives, arts and crafts and nature, and covering groups such as older people, those with a long term health conditions or disabilities, people living in rural areas and the LGBT community.
The new investment will allow the fund to continue for another year.
Speaking ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week, Mental Wellbeing Minister Kevin Stewart said: “The theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is loneliness, and we know the pandemic has brought this issue into much greater focus. The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund has supported many projects that help to make people feel less isolated.
“The fund was set up to build and develop capacity within community organisations and grass roots groups so they can support people’s mental health and wellbeing. I am pleased that so many projects benefitted in the first year.
“This investment reflects the importance we place on promoting good mental health and early intervention for those facing mental health challenges – ensuring that people can access a range of different types of support to match their needs. It will help us to continue to support a range of valuable community mental health and wellbeing projects across Scotland.”
Cowal Elderly Befrienders in Dunoon, Argyll and Bute, is one organisation which has received funding. The organisation works with men aged 65 and over to reduce social isolation in a group known to be hard to reach.
It provides befriending services designed to improve the quality of life, reduce isolation and loneliness which in turn aids the prevention of suicide. The service also helps keep older people independent and active in their communities.
Robin Miller, Project Coordinator said: “The numbers of older people we support has steadily increased and we now support over 200 each week. Many of the men we support are keen to remain as independent as possible and do not initially reach out for help – it can take weeks or months of sympathetic support to build up confidence, trust and an acceptance of outside help.
“Our work also allows older people to make a positive contribution to the work – in the small groups we work with. Our older men often support each other, thereby increasing their sense of self-worth and allowing them to actively further our aims.
“The funding we have recently received will allowed us to sustain and develop our work. Over the coming year, our Men on Board project will help us to focus more closely on older men, provide much needed support for them and provide insights into what isolated older men need, want and why this group is often viewed as ‘hard to reach’.”
A leading sepsis charity will work with the Scottish Government to run a national sepsis awareness campaign this year.
The forthcoming partnership between Sepsis Research FEAT and the Scottish Government will help to save lives by increasing public awareness of sepsis and how to recognise symptoms of the disease.
More than 4,000 people die from sepsis every year in Scotland. This deadly condition occurs when the body’s response to an infection spirals rapidly out of control, injuring its own tissues and organs. This can result in multiple organ failure and death.
The five key symptoms of sepsis which will be highlighted in the campaign are:
Confusion
Not passing as much urine as normal
Very high or low temperature
Uncontrolled shivering
Cold or blotchy arms and legs
If someone has two or more of these symptoms, becoming progressively or rapidly worse, this indicates they may have sepsis and urgent medical attention should be sought.
Sepsis Research FEAT previously worked with the Scottish Government on awareness campaigns in 2018 and 2019. These campaigns, which included radio, print and social media, reached more than 1.3 million people across Scotland. Planned joint campaigns for 2020 and 2021 were paused because of the COVID-19 pandemic, though Sepsis Research FEAT continued its awareness raising work independently.
This latest partnership between Sepsis Research FEAT and the Scottish Government will build on the success of the previous campaigns with a Scotland-wide multimedia campaign, which will include nationwide commercial TV and radio for the first time. It will launch in August with a peak in activity to coincide with Sepsis Awareness Month in September.
Health Secretary Humza Yousafsaid: “I am delighted that the Scottish Government is continuing to work with Sepsis Research FEAT to raise public awareness of the symptoms and dangers of sepsis.
“Patient safety remains key to delivering safe and effective care to all patients every time they access healthcare services and the Scottish Government’s Scottish Patient Safety Programme continues to make progress in its action on sepsis.
“Focusing on early identification is critical and treatment within one hour of recognition has led to mortality rates among those identified at this stage falling by 21% since 2012.
“Sepsis Research FEAT play a vital role in funding research into this devastating disease and in making the public aware of the symptoms, and the Scottish Government is supporting them in their efforts.”
Colin Graham, Chief Operating Officer at Sepsis Research FEAT, commented: “Sepsis Research FEAT is proud to be working in partnership with the Scottish Government once again and to be leading on this important campaign. This year will see our largest campaign yet and we are very much looking forward to sharing it with the public this August.
“Analysis from our last partnership with the Scottish Government showed that campaign activity was increasing awareness of sepsis in Scotland but that continued work was required so more people could identify the five key symptoms.
“Expanding our joint campaign this year to include commercial broadcast channels will ensure that we reach a greater number of people and better educate them about the signs and symptoms of sepsis.
“It is a devastating condition that can kill a previously healthy adult or child in hours. The more people across the country who are able to spot the key symptoms of sepsis in themselves and others, the more lives will be saved.”
Householders across Scotland will be given an extra four weeks to complete their census returns.
Over two million households have already completed the census – more than 77% of the total – but National Records of Scotland (NRS) has now offered the extension until the end of May to ensure everyone has the opportunity to complete their return and help shape important services in their community.
Around 68,000 households have begun their census returns online, but have not yet completed them and a similar number of requested paper forms have yet to be returned.
Every household is legally required to complete their returns and Scots are reminded that failing to do so could result in prosecution and a fine of up to £1000.
Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Angus Robertson said: “The results of the Census help local authorities, businesses and the government plan a wide range of vital public services to improve the lives of those living and working in Scotland. The census also becomes part of our history.
“It is therefore essential that we take further steps to maximise participation, particularly given the wider challenges people have faced in recent times.
“That is why I am announcing today that National Records of Scotland will now continue to accept census returns until the end of May. This will allow the census collection period to continue for four weeks to give everyone the opportunity to complete Scotland’s Census, and allow all outstanding returns to be captured so that everyone’s voice can be heard.
“In addition to being a civic responsibility completion of the census is also a legal responsibility. Failure to meet this responsibility can result in prosecution. However, the shared focus is, and must be, on ensuring that people are supported and encouraged to complete the census.
“It is vital that we secure as high a response rate as possible so that the census can be effective in delivering its many benefits for future public services. For those who have already completed their census, thank you. For those still to do so, I would urge you to act now.”
The ScottishConservatives are less than impressed, however …
Help and support to complete the census is available on the Scotland’s Census website or via a free helpline 0800 030 8308.
Paper forms are also still available on request for those who need them.
The 2022 census asks questions on a range of topics, including the types of accommodation people stay in, household relationships, age, sex, health and employment status.
New questions for the 2022 census include use of British Sign Language (BSL), passports held, previous armed forces history and new voluntary questions on sexual orientation and trans status.
Every household in Scotland must complete the census and the answers provide the information needed to make important decisions on funding for services such as education, housing and healthcare.
Extending the census collection period for 4 weeks will cost an additional budget investment this year of up to 7% (£9.76 million) of the overall programme costs.
From Sunday 1 May public health advice will change to a ‘stay at home’ message replacing self-isolation for people who have symptoms or have tested positive for Covid-19.
People who have symptoms of Covid-19 and who have a fever or are too unwell to carry out normal activities will be asked to ‘stay at home’ while they are unwell or have a fever. They will no longer be advised to take a PCR test.
The changes, part of the Test and Protect Transition Plan which was published last month, will also see all contact tracing ending.
As previously announced, testing for the general population will end on 30 April with test sites closing at that point too. However, testing will remain available to certain groups in order to protect high risk settings, support clinical care and for surveillance purposes.
Those groups include health and social care workers, care home and hospital visitors, patients groups eligible for treatment, hospital patients, unpaid carers and people in prison.
Other adults who have symptoms of Covid-19 and other respiratory illnesses and have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to go to work or carry out normal activities, are advised to stay at home until their fever has gone or they feel well enough.
Children and young people aged 18 and under with mild symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough, who are otherwise well, do not need to stay at home and can continue to attend education settings.
They should only stay at home if they are unwell and have a high temperature. They can go back to school, college or childcare, and resume normal activities when they no longer have a fever and they feel well enough to attend.
This guidance reflects the fact that children and young people generally have a higher likelihood than adults of regular instances of respiratory symptoms from non-Covid illnesses.
The Protect Scotland app will also be closed down shortly, but users are encouraged to keep the app on their phones in case it is needed again at a future date.
NHS Scotland will also be taken out of emergency footing at the end of Saturday 30 April as Covid-19 cases continue to fall.
However, with continued demands on services across health and social care, there remains a need for caution to protect vital services.
Patients should only attend A&E if their condition is an emergency, to continue to limit the pressure on services. Patients can contact their GP during the day, local pharmacy or call NHS24 on 111 as an alternative.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “Scotland’s Test and Protect programme has been one of the key interventions in our response to Covid-19, the success of which has been due, in no small part, to the remarkable staff and volunteers working in Test and Protect – my sincere thanks go to them.
“I would also like to thank the Scottish public for their commitment and willingness to engage with Test and Protect when it was required of them and helping to protect their fellow citizens.
“However, we recognise we are now in a different phase of the pandemic. The primary purpose of testing is changing from population-wide testing to reduce transmission, to a targeted response focused on reducing severe harm of the virus.
“As we are now seeing a steady reduction in new Covid cases, the NHS will no longer remain on emergency footing after Saturday 30 April. But we must continue with a measured approach to support the recovery and renewal of our NHS.
“This will require balancing capacity of the NHS and the wellbeing of the workforce to respond to increasing demands for urgent care while reducing the backlog of planned care.”
Further information on the stay at home guidance and measures you can take to limit the spread of Covid-19 can be found at https://bit.ly/39polwD and from 1 May on nhsinform.scot/covid19.
In a gesture of solidarity with the victims of the war in Ukraine, Edinburgh International Festival is partnering with the Scottish Government to welcome the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra for a historic free concert at the Usher Hall on Saturday 6 August 2022 at 2pm.
Marking the orchestra’s only performance in Scotland, this concert is part of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra’s European and USA tour in artistic defence of its country.
Edinburgh is twinned with the city of Kyiv, and this special collaboration between the International Festival and the Scottish Government is in support of the city’s Ukrainian community and those directly affected by the war.
The special concert will see invitations extended to the Ukrainian community in Scotland and organisations leading efforts in the resettlement of Ukrainian refugees, as well as those supporting people impacted by the conflict.
Assembled by New York’s Metropolitan Opera and the Polish National Opera, the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra includes recent refugees, Ukrainian members of European orchestras and leading Ukrainian musicians and performers.
The Ukraine Ministry of Culture is granting a special exemption to military-age, male members of orchestras inside the country to participate, allowing them to put down weapons and take up their instruments in a demonstration of the power of art over adversity.
Under the leadership of Canadian-Ukrainian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, the orchestra’s repertoire includes Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov’s Seventh Symphony; Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with Ukrainian virtuoso Anna Fedorova; and leading Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska performing an aria from Verdi’s Aida.
Seventy-five years after Rudolf Bing, himself a refugee, co-founded the Edinburgh International Festival, the 2022 programme reflects the organisation’s rich history of promoting unity and healing through cultural collaboration.
The 2022 International Festival also features Refuge, a season of contemporary theatre, dance, visual art, film and conversation created to explore themes of refugeehood, migration, identity and inclusion.
Free tickets for the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra’s concert at the Usher Hall will be available to book online from late June 2022, with further information to follow.
Fergus Linehan, Festival Director of the Edinburgh International Festival said, “The staff and board of the Festival are honoured to be given the opportunity to welcome our colleagues from Ukraine and offer them our support and solidarity at this time.”
Neil Gray, Minister for Culture and Refugees from Ukraine said: “The Scottish Government is delighted to provide the support to enable the Ukraine Freedom Orchestra of more than 70 displaced Ukrainian professional musicians to perform at the Edinburgh International Festival in August.
“The Edinburgh International Festival was first created to bring together Europeans suffering in the shadow of war, and as the festival celebrates its 75th anniversary it has never been more appropriate to underline its founding principles of peace, collaboration and solidarity.
“Scotland has responded to the present crisis by offering a warm welcome to those Ukrainians fleeing the brutal invasion of their country – and we offer the same warm welcome to these wonderful musicians. I am sure this historic free concert will be one of the highlights of this year’s cultural celebrations in Edinburgh.”
Oleksandr Tkachenko, Ukrainian Minister of Culture said: “Today, culture is showing a completely new side. It can also be the ‘soft power’ that helps heal wounds.
“Ukrainian culture is original and deserves to be at the centre of attention abroad. We thank our international colleagues for producing the tour.”
The Highest Risk List – formerly known as the Shielding List – will be formally ended on 31 May, as a result of the success of the vaccination programme and the introduction of new treatments for COVID-19.
The decision has been taken following a careful review of growing clinical evidence by a team of specialist clinicians.
It shows that, for the vast majority of those on the list, the risk of hospitalisation or death from COVID-19 has been significantly reduced and is no greater than that of the general public.
For some time now, the clinical advice has been for those on the Highest Risk List to follow the same guidance as everyone else in Scotland unless specifically advised otherwise by their own GP or clinician.
The list is not being used to identify people who are eligible for vaccine prioritisation or new treatments, and the NHS will continue to be able to contact those people when needed.
Support remains in place for those who are immunosuppressed and who may still have some reduced immunity. This group are likely to need general protection from a range of infections in addition to Covid-19.
Wellbeing support is also available for those on the List, and the Scottish Government has allocated an additional £120,000 to the British Red Cross to fund their Connecting With You service to help people reconnect with activities and friends, to rebuild their confidence in going out and to help them regain a better quality of life.
The Distance Aware Scheme is in place to provide free badges and lanyards to people who wish to show others they would welcome additional space and extra care while out in public.
The Chief Medical Officer will shortly write to everyone on the list to advise them of the change, and sign-post them to ongoing support.
The Highest Risk List is ending.
The success of vaccines and new treatments mean most people on the List are no longer at higher risk from #coronavirus
Those eligible for priority vaccinations or treatments will still be contacted.
Dr John Harden, Deputy National Clinical Director, said: “At the beginning of the pandemic we introduced shielding to protect the most vulnerable from a virus we knew little about. Clearly shielding did not come without impact, particularly for those who were socially isolated or feeling particularly anxious due to being labelled at ‘highest risk’.
“In March 2020, we used the information we had at that point to identify those with certain health conditions who we reasonably thought would be at higher risk of severe illness from Covid-19.
“Thankfully, we know a lot more about the virus now. Combined with our successful vaccination programme and the availability of new treatments, means the clinical evidence clearly shows that the vast majority of people who have been on the Highest Risk List no longer need to consider themselves at any significantly higher risk.
“Support is still in place for the small number of immunosuppressed people who are unable to mount a full immune response due to their condition or ongoing treatment. We will publish separate advice for this group and have put in place an identification process to be able to rapidly generate an accurate and current list of individuals to provide additional advice to, should it be needed in future.”
Public Health Scotland reports from January 2021 and March 2022 both highlighted the negative impact of shielding on those asked to do so.
The Distance Aware scheme was launched by Wales’ health and care think tank The Bevan Commission in August 2020. The Scottish Government invested £55,500 in developing the scheme for a Scottish audience, including procuring and distributing badges, lanyards and promoting the scheme.
The Scottish Government is asking organisations, businesses and employers to promote this to their staff, customers and members. A toolkit is available to provide further support and information.
Water Safety Scotland (WSS), in partnership with Education Scotland, has officially launched its first instalment of free water safety educational resources for schools and practitioners in Scotland.
Water Safety Scotland, which is committed to reducing accidental drowning deaths in Scotland by 50 per cent by 2026, introduced the initiative to provide a consistent level of learning across Scotland’s educational institutions in a bid to equip Scottish youth with the knowledge and skills required to reduce water-based accidents.
Laura Erskine, Water Safety Scotland’s Education Subgroup Chair, said: “On average, there are 96 water-related fatalities in Scotland each year. We aim to reduce the number of deaths from accidental drowning by 50 per cent by 2026 by driving a generational change in water safety in Scotland.
“We want to encourage safe and responsible access to Scotland’s waterways, which can be a positive and enjoyable experience for young people when coupled with appropriate risk awareness and education.”
The materials aim to provide consistent and curriculum-aligned information which feeds into a full progression pathway created specifically for water safety in Scotland. Starting from children aged 3, the resource set will instruct and inform young people right up to the age of 18 and has been endorsed by a wealth of supporting partner agencies.
Gayle Gorman, Chief Executive of Education Scotland said: “Every year we hear of tragic accidents taking place in Scotland’s waters as many young people are not aware of the dangers of swimming in open waters.
“That is why we welcomed the opportunity to work with Water Safety Scotland to develop educational materials that aim to increase awareness of water safety. We hope that this information will reach as many children and young people as possible to ensure they are aware of the dangers that come with going into open water.”
Scheduled for a staggered release over the next nine months, the first set of lessons is being released on Tuesday, April 26. Specifically focusing on the Third/Fourth level within the five tiers of the Scottish curriculum, it can be accessed via Education Scotland’s National Hub or through the Water Safety Scotland website.
Intrinsically linked to WSS’ Water Safety Code, which was created to help people enjoy Scotland’s waterways as safely as possible, it follows three key pieces of advice:
• Stop and Think, Spot the Dangers
• Stay Together, Stay Close
• In an Emergency, Call 999.
Education is a key part of Scotland’s Drowning Prevention Strategy, which has now entered its fifth year. An interim review was published earlier this year and was launched by the Minister for Community Safety, Ash Regan, along with the Ministerial Action Plan for Water Safety.
Community Safety Minister Ash Regan said: “I would like to thank Education Scotland, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and Water Safety Scotland for their excellent collaborative work in creating this fantastic resource which will help to educate children about keeping themselves and their friends safe around water.
“This is a vital part of the work being taken forward across Scotland to improve public safety, including the recent launch of the Water Safety Action Plan drawn up by the Scottish Government and a range of key partners.”
Water Safety Scotland aims to roll out the next phase of this initiative in late May and will continue this strategy during the rest of 2022.
Climate change has already caused a rapid and extensive warming of Scotland’s lochs and reservoirs with impacts expected to intensify, research has revealed for the first time.
A report published today by Scotland’s Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW), shows that between 2015 and 2019, 97% of monitored Scottish lochs and reservoirs have increased in temperature. While most warmed by up to 1.0°C per year over this period, 9% increased by more than that – some by up to 1.3°C per year.
Researchers warn that these changes increase the risk of harmful algal blooms developing, which could restrict their use for recreation and water supply, and as a safe habitat for wildlife.
It is expected that waters in the south and east of Scotland are expected to warm the most at first, but this climate-related impact will reach all parts of the country by 2040.
The report makes a number of recommendations to address these impacts in the immediate term, as well as further research to improve our understanding of climate impacts on the complex functioning of lochs and reservoirs.
Environment Minister Mairi McAllan said: “This important research provides yet more worrying evidence of the risks of harm from climate change on Scotland’s water environment.
“It is vital that we do more to mitigate those impacts, to seek to reduce the pace of warming but also to adapt to it. We have committed £243 million since 2015 through the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme to support land management practices which protect and enhance Scotland’s natural heritage, improve water quality, manage flood risk and mitigate and adapt to climate change.
“Scotland is renowned worldwide for the quality of our water. Research like this will be hugely valuable in informing the development of policy solutions and measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and also protect, restore and enhance these vital natural assets.”
Freshwater ecologist Dr Linda May of the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), lead author of the report, said: “This research has shown, for the first time, that climate change is already warming our lochs and reservoirs in Scotland, and that this trend is likely to continue.
“It provides early warning of the potential impacts of climate change on biodiversity, water supply and recreational use, and highlights the need for mitigation measures to be put in place as quickly as possible.”
Dr Pauline Lang, project manager for CREW, said: “This pioneering research led by experts at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology demonstrates that, without intervention, climate-driven risk is projected to further increase by 2040.
“To prevent the modelled scenarios becoming reality, we trust the recommendations proposed will enable effective climate action for safeguarding freshwaters now and during the critical decades ahead.
“This project is a great example of how CREW can pivot towards Scotland’s water-related needs by bringing a community of researchers and stakeholders together to collaborate on addressing the most important environmental concerns of this time.”
NatureScot Freshwater and Wetlands Advice Manager Iain Sime said: “Scotland, like the rest of the world, is facing an unprecedented climate emergency. The findings of this comprehensive review are stark, demonstrating the impact that climate change is already having on our freshwater lochs and reservoirs, and their biodiversity.
“The need for urgent action is clear, and at NatureScot we are using the £65m Nature Restoration Fund to prioritise efforts that support the conservation of our lochs and ponds.”
Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) Senior Ecologist Ian Milne said: “CREW’s report, which used SEPA data from 142 lochs and reservoirs, is important in highlighting some of the climate change pressures Scotland’s environment is facing.
“The findings emphasise the significance of SEPA’s ongoing work to tackle the threats of climate change and biodiversity loss, which is being done in partnership with Scottish Government, local authorities, Scottish Water, environment and community groups, farmers, land managers and others through our River Basin Management Plans.”
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
