Glasgow family nurses and health visitors are now able hand out payments to poverty stricken parents who have children under five-years-old.
The nursing staff who visit thousands of mums annually were given the go-ahead to make the special Section 22 destitution payments last week following a decision at a health meeting.
The move will see health visitors and family nurses handing out the cash so people can get food, fuel or other essentials to avoid a crisis.
Family nursing and health visiting staff will not carry cash while attending homes. The scheme only applies to families in Glasgow and it will not be available until staff are trained and processes are in place, which could take up to six weeks.
A report said: “In many of our communities, staff support families who are profoundly affected by poverty, which can augment existing difficulties within the family to the point of crisis and referral to social work services.
It added: “As the cost of living and fuel crisis deepens over the winter, it will be imperative to respond quickly to families in acute need to prevent further deterioration in health, well-being and family functioning and to prevent escalation in need, which may require a more expensive and intrusive service deployment.”
The Glasgow City Integration Joint Board signed off the scheme last week.
The report presented to the board said currently health visiting and family nurse partnership staff can’t readily access financial support to families without referral to social work services.
Health visitors go to all families’ homes before kids turn five to offer support and guidance while family nurses help young parents up to the age of 19 until their children are two-years-old.
Social workers are already able to hand out Section 22 destitution payments - and the new move will mean more staff can now do so.
The report added: “In circumstances where immediate needs require to be met to avert acute hardship or crisis, a referral to social work is required to access funding, causing delay, and a duplication of assessment and of staff time.”
The amount of spend will be monitored, according to the report.
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