Best Start grants and food

The Best Start grants and Best Start food are paid by SSS. The Best Start grant is a package of three payments.

•The pregnancy and baby payment is a grant to help with the costs of being pregnant or having a new baby if clients are on a low income or if they are under 18 and are pregnant or have a child. It can be claimed from after the 24th week of pregnancy until six months after the birth in most cases. A higher amount is paid for a first child and a smaller grant is paid for any subsequent children.
•The early learning payment is a one-off grant to help with the costs of having a pre-school child. It can be claimed from a child’s second birthday up until the child is three and a half. Clients must have a low income or be under 18 to qualify.
•The school age payment is a one-off grant to help with the costs of having a school-age child. It can be claimed from 1 June in the year that the child could first start school until the last day of February in the following year.

Best Start foods is a prepayment card available to claimants who are pregnant or responsible for a child aged under three. Claimants must be receiving a qualifying benefit or be aged under 18. The prepayment card is credited with a higher amount for a child aged under one and a lower amount for pregnant women or children aged one or two.