FAMILIES can get help feeding their kids during the Easter school holiday break.
Free food vouchers are being dished out to hard-up Brits and they can be used for supermarket shops.
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The support comes from local councils and is designed to help cover the cost of feeding kids when they are not getting free school meals.
For instance in West Sussex, parents are being given a £50 voucher per child.
The council said it is an increased amount to help families facing rising food and energy bills.
And in Kirklees residents can get £30 per child to spend on food if they are normally eligible for free school meals.
What help is available and how you get it will depend on where you live.
Each council will have a different way of running the scheme.
Vouchers can usually be used at most supermarkets, including places like Asda, Tesco and Lidl, but check the terms to see where they can be spent.
But there are some areas where parents are not being offered the extra support this Easter break.
In Norwich the free school meal voucher scheme has been scrapped, but there is other support for struggling families through its welfare assistance scheme.
Funding for vouchers for those who get free school meals was given out by the government during the Coronavirus pandemic.
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But it is now up to local authorities whether they continue offering the help.
Some areas are offering the vouchers through the Household Support Fund.
That’s a £500m pot of cash which local councils can give out to anyone struggling to get by.
Those getting free school meals or not could also get help from this fund.
You can check what’s available near you by checking with your local council – find yours here by entering your postcode.
Who is eligible for free school meals?
Children whose parents claim certain benefits are eligible to receive free school meals:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
- Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit – if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
If you find that your council is no longer giving out free school meals, or you’re not eligible, there is other support available.
Make sure you’re getting all the help you’re eligible for by using an online benefits calculator.
Food banks can provide families with emergency supplies – you will need to be issued a voucher by a local community organisation such as a school or GP.
You can search for your nearest food bank on the Trussell Trust website.
If you’re worried about your finances, you can contact charities such as Citizens Advice and Turn2Us for free advice.
Here’s all the help you can get with energy bills if you’re struggling, including cash grants and prepayment vouchers.
You might get £150 council tax rebate to help with the cost of living – check if you’re eligible and other help you can get with your council tax bill.
If you’re worried about falling behind on bills. there are plenty of organisations where you can get advice for free, including:
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