Scottish Government announces new plans to make it easier for families to access financial support

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The Scottish Government recently launched the second Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan - Best Start, Bright Futures - which sets out its commitments to help tackle child poverty across the country between now and 2026.

Actions are outlined in the plan with the ultimate aim of breaking the cycle of poverty and providing children with support through their early years.

This includes things like increasing Scottish Child Payment from £20 to £25 a week, £150 payments for families to help tackle soaring energy bills and the Discretionary Housing Payment.The plan also focuses on long-term parental employment opportunities, strengthened social security and support to reduce household costs.Below is a brief summary of current and future support available from the Scottish Government.If you rent your home and get Housing Benefit or Universal Credit, but still can't afford your housing costs, you may be eligible for a Discretionary Housing Payment.A Discretionary Housing Payment can be made if you:Discretionary Housing Payment does not cover additional services charged to the tenant or a rent element which would not be considered for Housing Benefit purposes.This includes:Your local council is responsible for deciding if you are eligible to get a Discretionary Housing Payment.Visit your local council's website to find out: Find out more on the mygov.scot website here.

The Scottish Government announced plans to remove the income threshold from Best Start Foods payments by 2023-24.This will mean increasing eligibility to all people in receipt of Universal Credit and removing the income thresholds for all qualifying benefits.The change brings eligibility in line with Best Start Grants and Scottish Child Payment and is expected to