•Best Start grants include a payment for women who are pregnant or who have recently given birth – called a pregnancy and baby payment – and amounts to help with the costs of young children – called an early learning payment and a school-age payment.

•Best Start grants are not means tested, but you must usually receive a means-tested benefit to qualify.

•You do not need to have paid national insurance contributions to qualify.

•Best Start grants are administered and paid by Social Security Scotland.

•If you disagree with a determination about a Best Start grant, you can request a redetermination and then appeal against it (see Chapter 81). You must request a redetermination before you can appeal.