The Scottish Child Payment is unique to Scotland and is one of the benefits distributed through Social Security Scotland. .
It was introduced for low-income families with children aged under six. Since its introduction and recognising the need for a payment like this it was extended to eligible low-income families with children aged under 16 on 14 November 2022.
It is intended to provide regular, additional financial support for families already in receipt of qualifying benefits to assist with the costs of caring for a child.
Since it started (2020) 6,435 payments have been made in Orkney amounting to £793,765.
| Year | No. of Payments | Amount paid out |
| 2020/21 | 170 | £6,660 |
| 2021/22 | 2,125 | £115,480 |
| 2022/23 | 2,840 | £419,825 |
| 2023/24 to date | 1,300 | £251,800 |
Across Scotland 316,190 children are being supported with the Scottish Child Payment. By June 2023, 765 Children in Orkney are benefitting from the payment.
Processing of the applications has been made more efficient. ‘Straight-through Processing’ was introduced on 14 November 2022. This allows certain applications which meet a specific set of criteria to be automatically passed to the payment approval stage.
Since 14th November 2022 eligible families receive £25 per child, per week. Between April 2022 and 13th November 2022 the rate was £20 per child per week and before that the rate was £10 per child, per week.
Commenting on the latest figures Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice in the Scottish Government, Shirley-Anne Somerville said:
“Scottish Child Payment is one of our key measures in tackling child poverty. It is an important safety net and one of many actions we are taking in government to lift people out of poverty.
“These statistics show the payment is reaching more of the children and young people who need it most.
“While things are clearly moving in the right direction I would still encourage people to spread the word about all Scottish Government benefits.
“We want everyone who is eligible to apply.”
The total amount going direct to lower income families is now more than £350 million since the payment was launched in February 2021.
To find out more information about the Scottish Child Payment and to apply click on this link: Scottish Child Payment
Fiona Grahame
Categories: Local News
