Thousands of pounds is available in support for families of young children living in Scotland
In Scotland, mums, parents, families and carers can get extra help to buy healthy food and get grants for kids under three. Best Start Grants and Best Start Foods give us money to buy healthy food and help with child costs.
Best Start Foods
This gives us a prepaid card to buy:
- Plain cow’s milk
- Fresh, frozen, or tinned fruit and vegetables
- Fresh, dried, or tinned pulses
- Fresh eggs
- Infant formula milk
Every 4 weeks, we get:
- £21.60 during pregnancy (you’ll get the same amount whether you’re having one or more babies)
- £43.20 for each child from birth until they’re one year old
- £21.60 for each child aged between one and 3 years old
Best Start Grants
These are one-off payments to help with child costs:
- Pregnancy and Baby Payment: £754.65 for the first child, £377.35 for others
- Early Learning Payment: £314.45 when the child is between 2 and 3½ years old
- School Age Payment: £314.45 when the child is first old enough to start primary school
Who Can Get It?
If we live in Scotland, are pregnant or have after a child the right age, are the main person looking after the child and get certain benefits, we may qualify.
Below are a list of benefits we need to qualify:
- Universal Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit
- Housing Benefit
- Income Support
- Pension Credit
- income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Exceptions:
If we’re under 20 and not on the listed benefits, we may still be able to apply. And, if we are not yet on benefits but have applied for one, we can still get Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods.
If we can’t access public funds due to immigration status but have a low income and a child under 3, we might still qualify.
For more information on who can apply, go to: https://www.mygov.scot/best-start-grant-best-start-foods/best-start-apply
How to Apply
We can apply online at https://www.mygov.scot/best-start-grant-best-start-foods/how-to-apply, by phone at 0800 182 2222, or by post. These payments help us buy healthy food and cover child costs, giving our children the best start in life.
Image: Metamoreworks / Shutterstock
