Scottish Child Payment Pays Out £84m

by Jamie in Holyrood

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September 2023
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Devolved Benefit Helping 104,000 Children

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

The payment of £20 per week, unique in the UK to Scotland, 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. Across Angus, 29,330 payments have been made totalling over £1.73 million of support to families locally – benefitting 2,785 children.

The payment has been hailed “an absolute game changer in the fight to end child poverty” by anti-poverty charities and described as a ‘lifesaver’ by parents, with the latest research demonstrating how it is contributing to reducing child poverty in Scotland.

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.

– Graeme 

I am very proud of the Scottish Government’s development and delivery of this key social security payment, and pleased that it is helping so many families here in Angus.

This is support that is more needed now than ever, given the worsening cost-of-living crisis – and it is support that is available only in Scotland because of the priorities of this Scottish Government.

Of course, we are a wealthy nation and should not be facing such levels of child poverty – but we have an incompetent and callous Tory UK Government hindering efforts to tackle the issue with its damaging approach to welfare and inaction on skyrocketing bills.

Until all powers over social security come to Holyrood, the Scottish Government will do everything it can to support people – and it is clear these efforts are making a marked difference to children and families in Angus and across Scotland.

– Deputy First Minister John Swinney

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.

Background

  • The Scottish Child Payment is part of a wider package of five family payments including Best Start Grants – the Pregnancy & Baby, Early Learning and School Age payments – and Best Start Foods
  • The Scottish Child Payment, together with the three Best Start Grant payments and Best Start Foods, provides families with more than £10,000 by the time their first child turns 6 and £9,700 for subsequent children
  • Plans have also been announced to automatically pay the Best Start Early Learning and School Age Grant 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 the Scottish Child Payment is extended to under-16s and increased to £25 per child, per week
  • Ahead of extending the Scottish Child Payment to under 16s, the Scottish Government introduced bridging payments worth £520 a year which are being paid in 2021 and 2022 to provide immediate support to around 145,000 children and young people of school age
  • Around 400,000 children under 16 are expected to be eligible for the Scottish Child Payment when it is extended, with an anticipated take-up of over 300,000 according to the Scottish Fiscal Commission. Expenditure is expected to be around £428 million in the first full financial year, 2023/24. This can change depending on take-up of the benefit and the Scottish Government has a duty to encourage benefit take-up
  • 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

Scottish Child Payment: High Level Statistics to 30 June 2022

Interim Evaluation of Scottish Child Payment

Jamie

I’m Graeme’s Parliamentary Assistant. Since joining his team in January 2019, I’ve supported his work from Holyrood – but it may still be me you speak to if you call the constituency office.

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