Schools Helping to Get Emergency Support to Low Income Families

Tuesday, 15 December 2020 07:17

Schools in Scarborough, Filey and Whitby are helping to provide urgent help for children and their families continues across North Yorkshire, with a food voucher scheme for those hardest hit by the pandemic.

A food voucher scheme is being rolled out by North Yorkshire County Council to ensure children eligible for Free School Meals will continue to have access to meals over the Christmas holidays and into the next year.

Stuart Carlton is the county's' Corporate Director of Children and Young People's Service.

The value of the supermarket vouchers will be £20 per child, per week for families in North Yorkshire.

The funding comes from the Government’s £170m Covid Winter Grant Scheme, announced earlier this month. It will be administered by the County Council, who will be allocating schools, including academies, with grants for supermarket vouchers for eligible children.

Schools will be given the discretion to allocate supermarket vouchers to children from families where they may not have enough income to cover essentials such as food.

Any parents newly struggling through income loss caused by the pandemic, but who may not be in receipt of free school meals, should contact their school, or can apply to the County Council’s North Yorkshire Local Assistance Fund for help.

The Local Assistance Fund makes emergency awards for food, or utility vouchers. The County Council has increased its award entitlement for emergency provision for a temporary period, using one-off funding from the Government and the support is not just available to families with children.

Start Carlton says the council wants to make sure every family has what they need for the Christmas period.

Find out more information on the NYLAF.

Any parents who experience any difficulties with the voucher scheme during the school holidays are asked to contact North Yorkshire County Council’s customer service centre on 01609 780780. The centre is open seven days a week from 8am to 5.30pm.