Category

• Fully Validated and Adopted Local Practice

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Poverty impact

• Mitigation

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Poverty driver

• Provide benefit in-kind (experience)
• Increase income from benefits

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Keywords

• Social Security
• Early Years
• Family Support
• Health
• Financial Inclusion

Aim

Healthier, Wealthier Children aims to contribute to reducing child poverty by helping families with money worries.

Summary

Healthier Wealthier Children is a project of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GGC) that works closely with antenatal and community child health services to target pregnant women and families with young children experiencing, or at risk of, child poverty, as costs increase, and employment patterns change around the birth of a child. The project aims to prevent families from falling into child poverty by working with health and early years services to identify families at risk at an early stage and through direct referrals, offering them income maximisation advice and access to the social benefits they are entitled to.

What difference does it make?

Between 2010 and 2020, this project made over 26,000 referrals to money advice services. As a result, the financial gain for communities was over £30 million.

Key take-aways

• In 10 years, the financial gain for communities from this project is more than £30 million – benefits people were entitled to but did not know about.
• Signposting does not work. Referrals are needed for families to access the right services and get the support needed.
• The principles of this project are being rolled out nationwide and raise interest internationally.

 

Organisations

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

Location

All Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) across Greater Glasgow and Clyde

The project is ongoing

Contact