Social Security Scotland – Page 13 – The NEN

Child Disability Payment pilot launches on Monday

From 26 July Social Security Scotland will introduce its next new benefit – Child Disability Payment.

Child Disability Payment provides extra money to help with the costs of caring for a child with a disability or ill-health condition. Child Disability Payment will replace Disability Living Allowance for children in Scotland, which is currently delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions.

People can apply if they are a parent or main carer of a child who:

is aged between 3 months and 16 years old
has lived with a disability or long term health condition for 3 months or more and it is expected to continue for at least 6 months
does not already receive Disability Living Allowance for children from Department for Work and Pensions.

We are initially launching the new Child Disability Payment as a pilot in 3 local authority areas, ahead of national roll out in autumn 2021.

These areas are:

Perth and Kinross
Dundee City
Western Isles.

The pilot will open for new applications only. Families in these areas who already get Disability Living Allowance for children don’t need to apply. We will contact them in advance of when it is time to transfer over to Child Disability Payment and let them know when Social Security Scotland will start to make their payments.

People in the 3 pilot areas can apply for Child Disability Payment through mygov.scot or by calling 0800 182 2222 from Monday 26 July.

The Child Disability Payment pilot will also see the start of the new guidance for applications under special rules for terminal illness. Further information and guidance from the Chief Medical Officer can be found online here.

We would also be grateful for your help to spread the message and to enable this we have created a number of resources. The new marketing materials for Child Disability Payment include social media images and leaflets that can be found here.

We are also keen to reassure people who already get Disability Living Allowance for children that they do not need to do anything. We will write to them ahead of transferring them to Child Disability Payment, which will be paid through Social Security Scotland. They will not need to re-apply – they will be transferred automatically. The amount they are paid, when they are paid and where they are paid to will all stay the same once they have transferred.

If you need any materials in alternative formats or have feedback on what would work well to tell people about this new payment, we would love to hear from you.

You can request print orders or provide feedback by emailing:

marketingmaterials@socialsecurity.gov.scot.

£698,000 set to support 6,821 families in Edinburgh to buy school clothes

The Scottish Government has set to support 6,821 school children in Edinburgh with £698,000 of support to buy school clothes through the School Clothing Grant.

The School Clothing Grant was increased this month by the Scottish Government and provides families with primary school children with £120 per child and £150 per child in secondary school.

The support helps families pay for school clothes and shoes.

Applications are still open for eligible parents to apply for the start of the new school year. To apply, parents should visit www.edinburgh.gov.uk/food-clothing/free-school-meals-school-clothing-grants.

SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon MacDonald said: “The SNP Scottish Government has already helped a significant number of families in Edinburgh with buying school clothes and shoes, and applications are still open for eligible families to apply for the start of the new school year.

“Meeting the costs of buying school clothes can be very challenging for thousands of families across Scotland and the SNP Scottish Government has introduced the School Clothing Grant to ensure every child in Scotland doesn’t miss out.

“Being in a uniform not only breaks stigma in school but gets young people in the right mindset for learning.

“This is another demonstration of our tale of two governments – one in Edinburgh building a social security system built on dignity, fairness and respect, in stark contrast to the one in Westminster preparing to cut Universal Credit which could plunge 20,000 children in Scotland into poverty.”

The number of children and young people estimated will benefit from the minimum school clothing grant, broken down by local authority area, is provided within the following table:

Local Authority	Estimated number of children and young people (in each LA area)

Aberdeen City	3,471
Aberdeenshire	3,376
Angus	2,473
Argyll and Bute	1,463
Clackmannanshire	1,349
Dumfries and Galloway	3,374
Dundee City	6,045
East Ayrshire	4,167
East Dunbartonshire	2,014
East Lothian	1,682
East Renfrewshire	1,714
Edinburgh, City of	6,821
Eilean Siar (Western Isles)	416
Falkirk	4,678
Fife	11,882
Glasgow City	28,464
Highland	4,333
Inverclyde	3,114
Midlothian	2,018
Moray	1,434
North Ayrshire	5,186
North Lanarkshire	10,234
Orkney Islands	227
Perth and Kinross	1,850
Renfrewshire	5,498
Scottish Borders	2,220
Shetland Islands	309
South Ayrshire	2,926
South Lanarkshire	10,622
Stirling	1,692
West Dunbartonshire	3,530
West Lothian	6,498

SCOTLAND	145,080

The funding allocation of the £11.8 million in additional funding for the school clothing grant, broken down by local authority area, is provided within the following table:

Local Authority	Additional funding for school clothing grants

Aberdeen City	£351,000
Aberdeenshire	£371,000
Angus	£239,000
Argyll and Bute	£155,000
Clackmannanshire	£136,000
Dumfries and Galloway	£354,000
Dundee City	£357,000
East Ayrshire	£334,000
East Dunbartonshire	£146,000
East Lothian	£218,000
East Renfrewshire	£147,000
Edinburgh, City of	£698,000
Eilean Siar (Western Isles)	£43,000
Falkirk	£363,000
Fife	£935,000
Glasgow City	£1,940,000
Highland	£469,000
Inverclyde	£161,000
Midlothian	£191,000
Moray	£187,000
North Ayrshire	£379,000
North Lanarkshire	£929,000
Orkney Islands	£40,000
Perth and Kinross	£274,000
Renfrewshire	£363,000
Scottish Borders	£245,000
Shetland Islands	£29,000
South Ayrshire	£237,000
South Lanarkshire	£678,000
Stirling	£161,000
West Dunbartonshire	£234,000
West Lothian	£436,000

SCOTLAND	£11,800,000

It’s for your benefit: Five family payments

Help with school clothing costs

Eligible families can apply for a grant of at least £120 to help with the cost of school uniforms.

The Scottish Government and local authority leaders have reached an agreement to increase the national school clothing grant to a minimum of £120 per eligible primary school pupil and £150 per eligible secondary school pupil. This will be supported by £11.8 million of additional funding to local authorities.

The announcement marks another commitment for the first 100 days of this Government.

Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “School uniforms can place a significant financial burden on families, some of whom are already facing additional hardship as a result of the pandemic.

“This school clothing grant will help to relieve some of that pressure for around 145,000 families and it will help to ensure that all children can go to school feeling comfortable, confident and ready to learn.”

COSLA Children and Young People’s spokesperson Councillor Stephen McCabe said: “Councils and schools are working to tackle the costs of the school day, ensuring that all children are able to fully participate in their education.

“Working with the Scottish Government, we are pleased that the national minimum school clothing grant has been increased and that families can get extra support as we continue on the road to recovery from the pandemic.”

Eligible families can apply for the school clothing grant through their local council.