Best Start Foods - evaluation: annex B - qualitative research

Footnotes

1. Free school meals. 90,000 children to benefit. https://www.gov.scot/news/free-school-meals-1/

2. Scottish Government 2018: A healthier future: Scotland's diet and healthy weight delivery plan.

3. WHO (2016) Good maternal nutrition: the best start in life

4. McLean, J and Wilson, V. Eds. (2020). Scottish Health Survey 2019 - volume 1: main report.Edinburgh: Scottish Government

5. NHS Information Services Division (2018). Scottish maternal and infant nutrition survey 2017. Edinburgh: Scottish Government

6. Poverty and Inequality Commission (2018) Advice on the Scottish Government's Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2018.

7. For the previous Healthy Start Vouchers scheme retailers opted in to participate. For BSFs, there is a list of merchant codes for retailers and it is this code that determines whether the BSFs card can be used in a shop of a particular retailer.

8. For recipients of Universal Credit, income from employment cannot exceed £660 a month. For recipients of Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit, relevant income cannot exceed £7,920 a year. For recipients of Child Tax Credit who do not receive Working Tax Credit, relevant income cannot exceed £17,005 a year. For Housing Benefit recipients, weekly income cannot exceed £328.

9. McFadden, A et al (2014) Can food vouchers improve nutrition and reduce health inequalities in low income mothers and young children: a multi-method evaluation of the experiences of beneficiaries and practitioners of the Healthy Start Programme in England. BMC Public Health

10. About the Social Security Scotland Client Panels

11. Social Security Scotland - Client Survey 2018-2021

12. Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Dumfries & Galloway, Dundee City, East Ayrshire, Edinburgh City, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow City, Highland, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, Perth & Kinross, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and Stirling.

13. There are two types of application forms: a joint application for Best Start Foods and Best Start Grant and a separate joint application for Best Start Grant, Best Start Foods and the Scottish Child Payment.

14. Scottish HSVs recipients were invited to re-apply for BSFs during a migration period between August and December 2019.

15. The higher payment for a child up to the age of 1 was intended to also support breastfeeding mothers but no participants mentioned this.

16. Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Farmfoods, Iceland, Lidl, McColl's, Morrisons, Nisa, Premier, Sainsbury's, Scot Fresh, Spar, Tesco, local shops (including corner shops, African shops)

17. It was not clear from the interview whether the client tried using the BSFs card in a Payzone shop or at a Payzone terminal. Regardless, the issue of not being able to use the card resulted in the client only shopping in PayPoint shops where they had successful had the card accepted.

18. It is important to note that translation services and the use of interpreters are available through Social Security Scotland though clients participating in the research were unaware that these services were available.

19. And certain eligible two-year olds

20. Scottish Government (2018) A healthier future: Scotland's diet and healthy weight delivery plan.