THOUSANDS of parents are being urged to check if they qualify for summer holiday support worth £150.
Parents in Scotland are being reminded they could be eligible for extra payments over the school holidays to cover the cost of food.
National advice agency Advice Direct Scotland is urging households to check if they qualify for free school meals.
Households who receive free school meals during term-time automatically receive payments of £2.50 per day, per child, during the holidays.
Exact holiday dates vary by council, but a household with two children could be entitled to around £150 over the six-week break.
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Conor Forbes, policy director at Advice Direct Scotland, said: "As we approach the summer holidays, it’s important that people are aware of the support available to help them provide healthy meals for their children.
"We know that many Scots are finding things extremely difficult when it comes to their household finances due to the cost-of-living crisis, and will be worried about a range of holiday-related expenses.
"The good news is that for those whose children are eligible for free school meals, payments are available throughout the summer, so we would urge anyone who might benefit to apply now."
Who is eligible for free school meals in Scotland?
All children between P1 to P5 at schools run by local councils currently receive free school lunches during term-time, regardless of their family's circumstances.
Children in P6 and above also qualify if they are from a low income household.
But over the summer holidays, the Scottish Government also provides funding for children whose parents are on certain benefits.
Payments are set at £2.50 per day, per child, for each day of the holidays excluding weekends.
Families in receipt of free school meals before the Easter holidays received a payment of around £30 per child.
Over the summer, the payment will be around £75 per child.
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To qualify, people must be in receipt of one of the following benefits:
- Universal Credit (where monthly earned income is not more than £796)
- Income Support
- Income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance
- Income-based Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
You can also get help if you receive:
- Child Tax Credit, but not Working Tax Credit, and your income is less than £19,995
- Both Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit and have an income of up to £9,552
People who are not currently eligible but start receiving one of the above benefits during the summer holidays can apply for the extra support immediately.
Applications can be made through councils or online at mygov.scot.
Those unable to fill out the application can contact the team at advice.scot for help by phone or online.
The form takes around 20 minutes to fill in.
You will need the dates of birth of any children you have, your partner’s details if applicable and your bank details.
What about if I don't live in Scotland?
Children in England who receive benefits-related free school meals might be able to claim help during the summer holidays through a little-known Government scheme.
The Holiday Activity and Food Programme (HAF) runs over the Summer, Easter and Christmas holidays.
It is designed to give children aged four and above access to free childcare, activities and healthy meals.
As a minimum, each local council has to provide the equivalent of six weeks' of support each year to all eligible children. Some offer more.
This is split over each of the long school holidays. So, if you apply, you should be able to get at least:
- four days help over Easter
- four weeks help over summer (or three, if your child's holiday is shorter than six weeks)
- four days help over Christmas
You have to apply to the HAF and it's not automatic. You can do this through your local council.
You can find your local council by using the Government's council locator tool on its website.
If you live in Wales, councils there give out vouchers, grants, or packed lunches to families eligible for free school meals.
The support varies from area to area, so check with your local authority what help is on offer.
In some cases, help is automatic while in others it is not.
There's no support on offer for residents in Northern Ireland.
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