Aberdeen City Council administers funding to support low income families
11 March 2021
Aberdeen City Council is administering funds to assist local low-income families with children of pre-school age.
Two hardship funds are being administered by the local authority - a £100 Covid Spring Hardship Grant for school age children and a £100 Covid Spring Hardship Grant for Pre-school Children and Food Vouchers.
The grants are per child rather than household and are available to families regardless of whether or not their children are in funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) settings or already in receipt of free school meals.
The funding follows on from the £100 Covid Winter Hardship Payment administered by the Council which has taken the decision to extend eligibility to pre-school age children not in an ELC setting.
There are no restrictions on how families choose to spend the additional payment and it is anticipated that common uses may include paying for food, fuel, and other essentials.
Discretionary funding has also been agreed to provide food vouchers for pre-school children similar to the current low-income free school meals provision. Families will receive £12.50 per week per child for period of 12 weeks.
Councillor M Taqueer Malik, Aberdeen City Council’s Education Operational Delivery Vice Convener, said: “It’s crucial that we ensure that no family or child goes without during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and we are working hard to ensure that applications are processed as quickly as possible.
“I would urge eligible families to apply as soon as they can so they can receive their grants at the earliest opportunity.”
Children will be eligible for the £100 Spring COVID payment and food vouchers if they are between 2 years old and Primary 1 entry age and will be eligible for free school meals based on low income if the household is in receipt of
And would be eligible for Free School Meals based on low income, if the household is in receipt of:
Income SupportIncome-based Job Seekers’ AllowanceAny income related element of Employment and Support AllowanceChild Tax Credit, but not Working Tax Credit, with an income of less than £16,105Both Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit with an income of up to £7,330Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999Universal Credit with a monthly earned income from your employer of not more than £610Universal Credit, with a single parent/carer working less than 16 hours per week with an annual earned income from employment of less than £16,105Universal Credit, with both parents/carers working less than 24 hours per week with an annual earned income from employment of less than £16,105For more details and to apply, eligible families should visit:
and
https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/services/coronavirus-covid-19/covid-spring-hardship-grant-children