Carer’s Allowance Supplement
The qualifying date for the December’s Carer’s Allowance Supplement Payment was 12 October 2020. Carer’s living in Scotland and in receipt of Carer’s Allowance from the DWP will automatically receive an additional payment of £230.10 in December. This is an extra payment in recognition of the vital role of Carer’s.
Eligible Carer’s will receive a letter with more details about this, however the exact payment date in December has not been published yet, this will be announced soon so could we ask that Carer’s do not call to ask about it.
Young Carer’s Grant
It’s £305.10 per year for young carers aged 16 to 18 who live in Scotland. It’s a cash benefit to spend as they choose and they can apply if they are at school, in further education, employed or unemployed. Young carers may be eligible for Young Carer Grant if they meet all of the criteria below:
- they live in Scotland
- they are aged 16 to 18
- they have been providing care for an average of 16 hours a week, for the last three months.
- the support they provide may be physical, mental or emotional.
- the person or people being cared for are getting a qualifying benefit •
- they are not caring for any of the people in the application as a volunteer
- they are not being paid to provide care for any of the people in the application
- they have not applied for, or received Carer’s Allowance from the Department for Work and Pensions, or Northern Ireland’s Carer’s Allowance. Personal Independence Payment (PIP) – daily living component, Disability Living Allowance (DLA) – the middle or highest care rate, Disability Living Allowance (DLA) – for children, Attendance Allowance, Constant Attendance Allowance at or above the normal maximum rate with an Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, Constant Attendance Allowance at the basic (full day) rate with a War Disablement Pension or Armed Forces Independence Payment
Eligible Young Carer’s should apply for Young Carer’s Grant by visiting mygov.scot/benefits or by calling 0800 182 2222.
Child Winter Heating Assistance
From 23 November 2020, the Scottish Government has introduced a new payment named Child Winter Heating Assistance. Child Winter Heating Assistance is an annual payment of £200 designed to assist with heating costs for children and young people up to the age of 18 years old who receive the highest care component of Disability Living Allowance for Children. This payment is automatically paid in to the same account that Disability Living Allowance is paid and payments will arrive in bank accounts from 27 November and within approximately 2 weeks. To qualify for the first payment, you must be in receipt of this benefit between 21 September 2020 to 27 September 2020.
You can find more information on our benefits here:
Social Security Scotland – Benefits (wsdev.org)
You can find a range of resources including factsheets, flyers and posters here:
Social Security Scotland (wsdev.org)
This information is also on our Support for Families webpage.