Over 34,000 children in Glasgow have benefited from the Scottish Child Payment since it was introduced by the Scottish Government.

Now all eligible children under the age of 16 can get the payment. In total 34,520 children in Glasgow have received a payment since the scheme’s inception in February 2021, totalling £25,052,620. The full roll-out has been described as a “watershed moment” in tackling poverty in Scotland.

The Scottish Child Payment is unique to Scotland and is projected to lift around 50,000 children out of poverty in 2023/24.

It has been hailed as a “game-changer” by anti-poverty charities and is backed up with £442 million of funding from the Scottish Government in the next financial year.

I am delighted that these new figures show a significant uptake in families being supported by the Scottish Child Payment.

The Scottish Child Payment, which is now £25 a week - a 150% increase - is a momentous achievement of this SNP Government and is the most ambitious poverty reduction measure in the UK.

This flagship payment underlines the SNP Scottish Government’s unwavering commitment to tackling child poverty, particularly as the Tory cost of living crisis deepens.

More about Scottish child Payment

Scottish Child Payment is open for applications for all eligible children under the age of 16 and has increased from £20 to £25 per week.

The payment, which is £100 paid every four weeks, provides direct financial support to eligible families to help with the costs of caring for a child. It's up to people what they choose to spend the money on, but they could use Scottish Child Payment for things like:

• travel costs
• childcare
• family days out.

People with a child over the age of 6 who is not in receipt of Scottish Child Payment will need to apply for the first time.

If families have a child under 6 already getting the payment, and they also have children aged between 6 and 15, they will be able to add them to their existing claim using an online for. They do not need to do a completely new application

From 28 November 2022, Social Security Scotland will automatically pay Best Start Grant Early Learning and School Age Payments to parents who already receive Scottish Child Payment when their children become eligible. If people want to opt out of these automatic payments, they can call Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222.

Scottish Child Payment and Best Start Grants do not affect any other UK or Scottish Government benefits that people currently get. There payments are per child per household and there is no limit to the number of children people can apply for. Qualifying benefits for these payments are:

• Universal Credit
• Child Tax Credit
• Working Tax Credit
• Income Support
• Pension Credit
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Housing Benefit (Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods only)

Eligible families can apply online, over the phone, by post or in-person. Find out more at www.mygov.scot/fivefamilypayments  or call Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222.