Best Start Grant: Scottish Government response to the consultation

Introduction

1. Once fully implemented, there will be three Best Start Grants:

• A Pregnancy and Baby Grant – will help with expenses in pregnancy or of having a new child, for example a pram or additional heating. This lessens the financial burden on lower income families when they are expecting a child.
• An Early Learning Grant – will help with costs during nursery and early learning years to support child development, for example travel costs, changes of clothes for messy play, trips out and toys for home learning.
• A School Age Grant – helps with the costs of preparing for school, for example a school bag, educational toys, after school activities such as swimming or football, or helping with the cost of school milk or school trips.

2. In addition, we will integrate the administration of Best Start Foods ( BSF), so that they are part of a single application process.

3. The BSG has been developed based on consultation and engagement with stakeholders, starting with a stakeholder event and detailed questions in the consultation A New Future for Social Security Consultation, during summer 2016 (the report on BSG can be found on page 199 of the Consultation Report ^[1] ). The BSG Reference Group was established in October 2016 to help gather evidence, bring a variety of informed perspectives and provide feedback on policy proposals. Membership and minutes of the meetings are available on the Scottish Government website ^[2] .

4. Drawing on this work, illustrative regulations ^[3] for the BSG were issued to the Social Security Committee and the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee of the Scottish Parliament on 28th September 2017, during the passage of the Social Security (Scotland) Act.

5. Throughout this period, we have received, and are continuing to take, views from social security Experience Panel members and other parents, for example groups of bereaved parents, kinship carers and lone parents, on the design of the form and service to deliver BSG ^[4] .

6. The Children's Parliament was commissioned to work with children to seek their views during the consultation on the Best Start Grant Regulations ^[5] .

7. Building on this consultation and engagement, Early Years Assistance, a Consultation on the Best Start Grant Regulations ^[6] ran from 26 March to 15 June 2018 to gather further feedback on our proposals and develop final policy. There were 51 responses from a range of organisations and individuals and an analysis of consultation responses ^[7] has been published.