Five Family Payments: evaluation

Introduction

This section introduces the Five Family Payments and the rationale behind their implementation. It also summarises the eligibility criteria, aspects of the application process, and the overall evaluation aims relevant to this report.

Five Family Payments: description

The Scotland Act 2016 devolved new powers over social security to the Scottish Parliament, and gave the Scottish Government the power to create new benefits and top up existing ones.^[4] The Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 sets out the framework for the operation of devolved social security powers. Social security payments have the potential to reduce child poverty by:

1. Providing low income families with increased regular income via Scottish Child Payment.

2. Providing additional financial support at key transition points such as starting school.

3. Making healthy foods more affordable.

Together Scottish Child Payment, the three Best Start Grants, and Best Start Foods are known as the Five Family Payments, and they are key Scottish Government measures contributing towards the national mission to tackle child poverty.^[5]

Scottish Child Payment

Scottish Child Payment opened for applications in November 2020, with payments beginning in February 2021. Initially a £10 weekly payment for eligible clients with children aged under 6, the payment is currently £27.15 per week and is available to eligible clients with children aged under 16. Scottish Child Payment is designed to help people on low incomes with the costs of supporting a family.

To receive Scottish Child Payment clients must (a) live in Scotland, (b) receive certain low income benefits, and (c) be able to demonstrate that they or their partner are responsible for a child under 16. It is up to recipients to choose how they spend the money, and it does not affect other UK or Scottish Government benefits that they receive – although it may affect local council allowances or grants.

As of 31 March 2025, it was estimated that 326,225 children were actively benefitting from Scottish Child Payment. An initial evaluation of Scottish Child Payment, which was undertaken when the payment was £10 per week for children under 6, found the benefit had led to increased child-related spend and reduced financial pressure on households.^[6] More high level statistics on Scottish Child Payment, and general information about the benefit and its eligibility criteria, can be found on the Social Security Scotland website.^[7]

Best Start Grant

Best Start Grant is designed to reduce financial pressures on low income families at key transition points in their children’s lives. It is made up of three one-off payments:

• The Pregnancy and Baby Payment is a payment of £767.50 on the birth of the first child and £383.75 on the birth of any subsequent children, to help with the costs of having a baby.^[8] It opened for applications in December 2018.
• The Early Learning Payment is a payment of £319.80 for children between 2 and 3.5 years old to support child development. It opened for applications in April 2019.
• The School Age Payment is a payment of £319.80 to help with the costs of preparing for school. It opened for applications in June 2019.

It is up to recipients to choose how they spend the money. To receive Best Start Grant, clients must (a) live in Scotland, (b) receive certain low income benefits, and (c) be able to demonstrate that they or their partner are pregnant or responsible for a baby or child who is the right age for a payment. However, clients under 18 or who are 18 or 19 and dependent on someone else do not need to be on any benefits to apply for Best Start Grant.

In the financial year 2024/25, 13,560 individual clients were paid the Pregnancy and Baby Payment, 18,515 were paid the Early Learning Grant, and 21,130 were paid the School Age Payment. The initial evaluation of Best Start Grant found that the benefit enabled clients to buy what they needed at key transitional stages of their children’s lives, and had prevented them from going into debt or having to cut down on other essential household spending such as food or bills.^[9] More high level statistics on Best Start Grant, and general information about the benefit and its eligibility criteria, can be found on the Scottish Government website.^[10]

Best Start Foods

Best Start Foods is designed to provide financial support for low income families to access affordable, nutritious food at the point of need. It is a weekly sum of £5.40 available to pregnant women and families with children aged one and two, while families with children aged under one receive a double weekly payment of £10.80 to support both the mother and the child. The payments are made every four weeks via payment card, which can be used like a normal bank card with contactless or Chip & Pin features. It works in all supermarkets or local shops that sell food and accept bank card payments, and can also be used online. While actual spend is not monitored, following items are prescribed to purchase via Best Start Foods:

• Fresh eggs
• Milk – plain cow’s milk and first infant formula
• Fruit/vegetables – fresh, frozen or tinned (those with added salt and sugar are excluded)
• Pulses (e.g. peas, lentils and beans) – dried, fresh, frozen or tinned.

To receive Best Start Foods clients must (a) live in Scotland, (b) receive certain low income benefits, and (c) be able to demonstrate that they or their partner are pregnant or responsible for a baby or child who is aged under three.^[11] However, clients under 18 or who are 18 or 19 and dependent on someone else do not need to be on any benefits to apply for Best Start Foods.

In the financial year 2024/25, 48,565 individual clients had been paid Best Start Foods. The initial evaluation of Best Start Foods found that the payments had supported healthier shopping habits and meal planning, and enabled mothers and children to eat more healthy foods. It had also helped to reduce financial pressure on households.^[12] More high level statistics on Best Start Foods and other general information about the benefit can be found on the Scottish Government website.^[13]

The families most at risk of poverty

The Scottish Government is particularly focused on providing assistance to six priority family types identified within the first Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan. Almost 90% of all children in poverty live within these six priority family types, and they are at the greatest risk of poverty. They are:

• Minority ethnic families
• Lone parent families
• Families with a disabled person
• Families with three or more children
• Families with children aged under one
• Families with mothers aged under 25.

As described in the Methodology chapter below, experiences of the priority families have been central to the research and analysis that underpins the Five Family Payments evaluation.

Application process

Clients can apply for the Five Family Payments via the following channels: online, telephone, paper, and in person via the local delivery service.^[14] There are three types of application form for the Five Family Payments:

1. A standalone Scottish Child Payment application form.

2. A joint Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods application form.

3. A joint Scottish Child Payment, Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods application form.

The type of application made by clients can depend on their individual circumstances. For example, a client whose child is eligible for Scottish Child Payment only (e.g. because their child is aged six or over) can choose to apply using the standalone Scottish Child Payment form. However, the purpose of joint applications is to support income maximisation and reduce the administrative burden on applicants whose child may be entitled to more than one of the benefits. Furthermore, since November 2022, Scottish Child Payment clients have been automatically paid the Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment and School Age Payment if they had not already received them.

Applicants can choose to provide supporting evidence when making an application by post or through online document upload. If an applicant does not provide all the evidence required for an application, they will be contacted by a client advisor and asked to provide this. Once this evidence has been received, Social Security Scotland aims to make a decision as soon as possible with payments following soon thereafter if the application is approved. An application will be denied if the client is not eligible to receive the benefit(s). Applicants may also withdraw their application before a decision is made.

Evaluation aims

The Scottish Government published its approach to evaluating the first wave of devolved social security benefits in November 2019.^[15] The initial evaluations of Scottish Child Payment, Best Start Grant, and Best Start Foods focused on performance against immediate and short-term outcomes. These outcomes will be reassessed in the current evaluation of the Five Family Payments. However, performance against medium-term outcomes will also be assessed, providing a more detailed insight into the impact of the payments on recipients and their families.

Evaluation of performance against immediate, short-term and medium-term outcomes will also highlight the likely contribution of the Five Family Payments to long-term government objectives, such as reduced child poverty. However, longer-term impacts will be affected by Scottish Government interventions outwith social security which are also designed to support children and families, as well as external factors (e.g. the cost of living, or UK Government policy). As such, they will not only be attributable to the Five Family Payments.

Specifically, the evaluation objectives are to:

1. Evaluate the extent to which the Five Family Payments have met their policy outcomes.

2. Assess the likely contribution of the Five Family Payments to wider long-term government outcomes for children and families.

3. Discuss considerations for future policy development.

The findings will provide a base of evidence that can be used to inform policy development and operational delivery. They will also feed into the development of any future evaluations of the Five Family Payments conducted by the Scottish Government.