Tuesday - Money Matters
Benefits, welfare, debt and income - There are organisations across Dumfries and Galloway that are here to help you to increase your income and reduce your costs.
You can listen to some of our organisations talk about how they can help you.
We also have a fact sheet has a list of organisations in the region with details on the support they can provide.
As soon as you get in touch (contact details are outlined in the factsheet), you have made the first step to improving your financial situation. Everyone is here to help.
Social Security Scotland
Social Security Scotland currently delivers 8 benefits;
- Carer's Allowance Supplement - an extra payment for people in Scotland who get Carer's Allowance on a particular date.
- Best Start Grant - Pregnancy and Baby Payment -You can apply from 24 weeks pregnant up to the day your baby is 6 months old. This goes up to 1 if you've taken over looking after a child, such as if you've adopted. You get £600 for your first child or £300 for any subsequent child.
- Best Start Grant - Early Learning Payment -You can apply when your child is aged between 2 years old and 3 years 6 months old. If you are eligible, you get £250 for each child.
- Best Start Grant - School Age Payment - the Best Start Grant School Age Payment is a £250 payment made to eligible families around the time a child normally starts Primary 1.
- Best Start Foods - a new payment for low income families on certain benefits or tax credits that replaces UK Government's Healthy Start Vouchers in Scotland. You can apply for Best Start Foods when you're pregnant, or any time up to your child turning 3 years old.
- Funeral Support Payment - a payment available to people in Scotland, who are on certain benefits or tax credits, and need support to meet the costs of a funeral.
- Young Carer Grant - a new yearly payment of £305.10 for young carers aged 16 to 18 who live in Scotland.
- Job Start Payment - It's a one off payment of £250 available to young people in Scotland who are on certain benefits, and need help with the costs of starting a new job. If the person has a child, they could get £400.
The Scottish Government is introducing a new Scottish Child Payment, which we will deliver. It is a benefit for low-income families with a child under six will be able to apply for £10 per child, per week - equivalent to £520 per year. There are no limits on the number of eligible children supported by the Scottish Child Payment. It will open for applications in November 2020, with first payments beginning from the end of February 2021.
We'll also pay our first disability assistance from this winter - Child Winter Heating Assistance. A client will qualify for Child Winter Heating Assistance if they live in Scotland and are in receipt of the highest rate care component of Disability Living Allowance for children on at least one day between 21 September 2020 to 27 September 2020. This will give them £200 to help with heating costs. Similarly to Carer's Allowance Supplement, they don't need to apply - it will be paid automatically. Payments will be made before the end of the year,
- There are currently 4 people employed in Dumfries and Galloway working to set up our local service
- We've already secured space in 2 base locations within Dumfries and Stranraer Town Centres and have identified additional outreach resources to service all ward areas throughout Dumfries and Galloway to ensure our services are accessible
- We've paid over £3 million pounds to households in Dumfries and Galloway between September 2018 and March 2020
Our stakeholder resources are available here;https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/what-we-do/stakeholder-resources
If clients want to find out more about the benefits delivered by Social Security Scotland, they can call us on 0800 182 2222 or visit mygov.scot
Useful links
Contact us
- Contact Centre 030 33 33 3000
