Best Start Foods payments are increasing this month marking the achievement of another commitment for the first 100 days of the Scottish Government.
Social Security Minister (and local MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith) Ben Macpherson paid a visit to Fresh Start’s Pantry on Ferry Road Drive at lunchtime to meet staff and customers who are benefitting from the payments.
The payment supports low income families to buy healthy food for children under the age of three, and forms part of the Scottish Government’s national mission of eradicating child poverty.
Best Start Foods is part of a package of five family payments administered by Social Security Scotland. It is made every four weeks on a pre-paid card to buy healthy food including eggs, milk, fruit, vegetables and pulses. The payment is increasing to £18 from £17 during pregnancy and for any children between one and three years old. It’s also increasing to £36 from £34 for children under one.
Between December 2018 when the first payment started and 31 May 2021, £60.8 million has been paid to 179,575 families for Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods -£16.7 million of these payments were for Best Start Foods.
Social Security Minister Ben Macpherson said: “Unwarranted welfare cuts by the UK Government and the impacts of the pandemic are putting even greater pressure on family budgets.
“It’s our priority to do everything within our power to eradicate child poverty across Scotland. We committed to increasing Best Start Foods within the first 100 days of this Government and we have swiftly delivered.
“We have also delivered on our 100 day commitment to pay £100 as part of Scottish Child Payment Bridging Payments worth £520 in both 2020 and 2021. Families will now have received £200 for each eligible child this year, almost two years ahead of the planned full roll-out of Scottish Child Payment for older children.
“We are set to invest £77 million both this year and next through this measure which is expected to benefit around 145,000 children and young people in receipt of Free School Meals on the basis of low income.
“Families in Scotland now have a unique package of payments that will help them as their child grows and I encourage all families on low incomes to check what they are entitled to. There are many forms of support available to ensure every child in Scotland has the best start in life.”
Further information on all five family payment can be found by visiting:
Benefit is now available in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross and the Western Isles
Scotland’snew Child Disability Payment has opened for applications from people living in three pilot areas.
From today, families of children with a disability or long-term health condition living in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross and Western Isles council areas who need financial support should apply to the new system.
This is the first application-based disability benefit to be introduced by the Scottish Government and will be administered by Social Security Scotland. The benefit replaces the UK Government’s Disability Living Allowance for children.
The pilot will be followed by a nationwide roll out in the autumn and is for families applying for the first time for this benefit. Those already in receipt of Disability Living Allowance for children do not need to apply and their cases will be transferred in future.
Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison said: “Families have been involved throughout the development of Child Disability Payment and it is hugely rewarding to see three years of work on this benefit now delivering for people. Every client can expect to be treated with dignity, fairness and respect throughout the process.
“Parents and carers of a child with a disability or long term health condition already experience a number of challenges and accessing the financial support that they are entitled to shouldn’t be another one. By including them at every step of the process, we have been able to focus on what suits parents and carers and have designed a system that meets their needs.
“It is fantastic to see the pilot in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross and the Western Isles begin for people with new claims. It will allow us to make sure the new disability benefit system is fully ready for Child Disability Payment’s full national rollout this autumn, and ahead of the transfer of existing clients.”
This latest support is being introduced for families applying for disability assistance for the first time. The three area pilot provides a safe and secure introduction of the benefit in relatively small numbers with the opportunity to ensure the new service is meeting the needs of clients before expanding nationally.
Families do not need to make a new application for Child Disability Payment if they are currently in receipt of Disability Living Allowance for children. These families will be contacted directly and their benefit will be transferred automatically to Social Security Scotland in a phased approach from autumn.
This means their Disability Living Allowance for children will be replaced by the Scottish Child Disability Payment. Their Child Disability Payment will continue to be made at the same rates and at the same time as their Disability Living Allowance for children.
Child Disability Payment is the first of the three big disability benefits to be introduced by the Scottish Government and the first that needs to be applied for.
To enable people to apply in the way that suits them best, it will be the first disability benefit in the UK that can be applied for online, as well as being available by post, phone, or face to face (Covid restrictions permitting).
To coincide with the introduction of Child Disability Payment, Social Security Scotland has also launched its local delivery service in the three pilot areas.
This means that people will be able to get advice and support on all 11 Social Security Scotland administered benefits face-to-face (Covid restrictions permitting) at a location in their local community or via video call. The local delivery service will also be available nationally from autumn.
Tracy McNally, Director of Dundee Citizens Advice Bureau said: “The devolution of these social security payments is a massive opportunity to get the system right for people.
“The Citizens Advice network across Scotland helps people with social security concerns every day, with disability benefits being one of the biggest issues people seek advice from, so people should feel confident in knowing they’ll always be able to turn to us for help if they need it with the new payment.”
People can find out more and apply through mygov.scot or by calling 0800 182 2222.
Child Disability Payment provides money to help with the extra care and mobility costs children and young people with a disability may have, up to the age of 18
Child Disability Payment replaces the UK Government’s Disability Living Allowance for children.
People who currently get disability benefits from Department for Work and Pensions will have their awards transferred to the new Scottish system in stages after the new benefits are introduced. This work is expected to be completed to the previously announced timeline of 2025.
Young people and children in Scotland who are currently getting Disability Living Allowance for children from the DWP will no longer need to apply for PIP when they turn 16. They will stay on Disability Living Allowance to age 18 if they continue to meet the eligibility criteria.
Child Winter Heating Assistance was the first benefit for disabled people in Scotland. This is an annual £200 payment for children and young people who receive the highest rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance and will help families meet day and night-time winter fuel costs
From autumn 2021, Social Security Scotland will administer 11 benefits:
Best Start Foods
Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment
Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment
Best Start Grant School Age Payment
Carer’s Allowance Supplement
Child Disability Payment
Child Winter Heating Assistance
Funeral Support Payment
Job Start Payment
Scottish Child Payment (for children under 6 years old)
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:
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.
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:
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.
Figures published this week reveal that 2,945 young carers in Scotland have received one or more annual payments of Young Carer Grant since its launch on 21 October 2019 until 30 April 2021.
The Young Carer Grant quarterly statistics show that 3,615 payments were issued up to 30 April 2021 and that the total value of Young Carer Grant payments issued to clients by 30 April 2021 was £1.1 million.
The payment is £308.15 each year for young people who provide care for an average of 16 hours a week.
Applications were received from young people living in all local authorities throughout Scotland. The highest number of applications were 780 from Glasgow – accounting for 14% of all applications received to the end of April 2021. The next highest was 435 from North Lanarkshire, 350 from Fife and 310 from South Lanarkshire.
The School Age Payment is open to families who get tax credits or certain benefits and have a child who was born between 1 March 2016 and 28 February 2017.
The one-off payment can be used for anything from a new pair of shoes to books or arts and crafts materials. Parents who have deferred their child’s entry to school from August 2021 to August 2022 should still apply before the closing date on 28 February 2022 – if an application is made after this time it will be too late.
Best Start Grant School Age Payment is one of 5 benefits for families in Scotland.These are:
• Scottish Child Payment • Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment • Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment • Best Start Grant School Age Payment • Best Start Foods
Eligible parents of children aged 4 and 5 are being encouraged to apply for financial support worth over £250 – applications opened on 1 June 2021.
The School Age Payment is open to families who get tax credits or certain benefits and have a child who was born between 1 March 2016 and 28 February 2017.
The one-off payment can be used for anything from a new pair of shoes to books or arts and crafts materials.
Parents who have deferred their child’s entry to school from August 2020 to August 2021 should still apply before the closing date on 28 February 2022 – if an application is made after this time it will be too late.
