School Meal Debt Fund: report

Actions and approaches by local authorities

General

It is evident from reporting that all local authorities take the matter of the welfare of their pupils seriously and have made it clear that they will not penalise pupils who have insufficient funds in their accounts .

In recognition of this approach a number of local authorities have taken steps to enhance their discretionary school meals policy, with one local authority establishing a quarterly review process.

Local authorities were keen to ensure that pupils are central to decision-making and all aspects of school meals and create a more responsive service. Some examples of how they sought the views of children, young people and families included issuing school meal surveys to parents of primary school pupils, and pupils in secondary schools. These surveys on varied topics allowed for awareness raising of debt management processes and what additional support was available to families. Others reported that they ensured partnership with school pupils and the Tackling Poverty and Inequality Team to gain a deeper understanding of pupil perspectives while another involves pupils on wider consultation on the Cost of the School Day.

A collaborative approach between departments within local authorities was reported as being key to supporting families by the majority of local authorities reports. In these cases school catering, head teachers, and finance, including debt recovery, teams work together to tackle school meal debt and support low-income families through a whole system approach. One local authority highlighted how this collaborative approach had increased the number of pupils being awarded a Free School Meal (FSM) status.

Approaches

In line with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) guidance local authorities were taking steps to address school meal debt and provide support to families.

When approaching school meal debt as an issue, local authorities highlighted that in most cases the school catering staff are generally the first to be able to identify pupils whose families may be struggling with debt and related problems.

It is clear from reports that local authorities are trusting the staff in schools who are closest to pupils, including catering managers and educational staff, to provide insight into any issues those families may be facing. This is enabling these local authorities to institute processes that can help guide families through interventions such as welfare support referral pathways.

Local authorities reported different ways that they managed the level of debt being accrued by families. In the case of larger sums, there was an understanding that some families chose to pay in arrears due to the way their incomes were paid and time was afforded in these cases to allow payments to be processed. In some cases, local authorities provide templates which include clear instructions on how to make payments while sign-posting families to further help, support and information on Welfare Rights. Those services can offer financial support and confidential help to anyone suffering hardship beyond school meal debt.

Some local authorities are able to take a more personalised approach to school meal debt and welfare management as a whole, with an individualised approach supported by a dedicated central team. This can include:

• practical help and instructions on how to make payments
• support to apply for FSM, clothing grant or free travel
• sign-posting for families on how to access further help through financial support and income maximisation services
• help with cost of living, welfare rights or using wider digital services.

Finally it is clear that though local authorities operate in different ways they are all consistently working to manage school meal debt within their local area and any clearing of debt remains at the discretion of each local authority.