People who receive the Scottish Child Payment and qualify for Best Start Grant Early Learning and School Age payments will be paid them automatically from this week, without the need to apply for them separately. 

Social Security Scotland will notify clients by SMS when they are checking eligibility for the Best Start Grants and, if they are eligible, will write to advise them of the payment.

The move to automatic awards will mean less paperwork for tens of thousands of families and ensure that families automatically receive the support to which they’re entitled.

It builds on work already completed to make applying for our five family payments as simple as possible. It also includes the ability to apply for all children in a household on a single form.

Responding, Christina McKelvie MSP, the SNP MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, said:

“The Best Start Grant Early Learning and School Age payments are a vital lifeline to many of my constituents. The increase to £25 per child per week is a further example of the focus that the Scottish government has on delivering for people that need that extra bit of help, particularly during a cost of living crisis that has been worsened by disastrous and incompetent mismanagement by successive Westminster governments.

“The wide support that this extension and increase has enjoyed tells the tale of two governments: the Scottish government puts empathy and competency at the heart of everything it does, whereas the Tory government in Westminster bluster their way through the day - whilst people are struggling – achieving nothing.”

CEO of One Parent Families Scotland, Satwat Rehman said:

“We are delighted that Social Security Scotland have made changes so that parents who have applied for and receive Scottish Child Payment will no longer have to fill out separate forms to receive other family benefits.

“Many of the single parents we support are not aware of the financial support available to them and would therefore be at risk of losing out. We hope the change to automatic payments will lead to an increase in the number of families accessing benefits they are entitled to and will ease the financial and mental strain of the cost-of-living crisis.”

More information can be found here: Social Security Scotland - Best Start Grant Early Learning and School Age Payment to be made automatically.