Financial support to help families of disabled children heat their homes

Child Winter Heating Payment, a benefit only available in Scotland, provides direct financial support to help families of disabled children and young children with extra heating costs over the winter months.
The annual payment of £251.50 is paid automatically to disabled people under the age of 19 who get certain benefits during what is called a qualifying week. This year the qualifying week was 16-22 September and people will start getting the automatic payment from early October without the need to apply.
Qualifying benefits include the highest rate of the care component of Child Disability Payment or Disability Living Allowance for children, as well as the enhanced rate of either the daily living component of Adult Disability Payment or Personal Independence Payment.
A mother who gets Child Winter Heating Payment said:
“Our home is very energy inefficient, and I used to have to try to keep the heating off for as long as was humanly possible, like waiting till November, and only having heating on for short periods when my son was home. We used to, as a treat, have the heating on all day on Christmas Day and on my child’s birthday.
“The flat we live in has huge single-glazed windows, which freeze solid on cold days and it then takes all day for the ice to melt. If I know it’s going to be cold I will now, because of the payment, keep the heating on low overnight, so the windows don’t freeze. We also used to have the pipes freeze when a cold dip came, and keeping the heating on low for just those few nights in the year where its coldest, stops this from happening.
“It’s great to have this payment as a buffer for the winter period. The fact that the payment is automatic, I greatly appreciate that too, for multiple reasons. I personally don’t always know what we are entitled to, and struggle a lot with filling out forms - sometimes even a simple one will sit for ages.”
Jenni, a mum who gets Child Winter Heating Payment for her daughter, said:
"Having children with complex needs comes with a hefty price tag, nothing we need is ever reasonably priced. That includes the fact we use considerably more energy, my daughter is unable to regulate her body temperature so we often have the heating on for much longer throughout the day and coming on earlier in the year, we may also have much higher electricity usage due to level of washing and showering. My daughter has a stoma and continence issues, this results in the washing machine being on and needing a tumble dryer so that these things can be dried faster. As time goes on my daughter's disabilities change and we are likely to need more and more equipment, I hope this continues to make her life more comfortable.
"This payment takes a tiny bit of pressure off, it means for a month or so I can use what I need without fear of dropping in to the red, or topping up my account. I dread when she is too old to receive it.
"Having it paid automatically is brilliant, it means I don’t have something else I have to remember to do on top of everything else."
Child Winter Heating Payment is paid to each person who is eligible, not per household. So if more than one child or young person living in the same house is entitled, they will each get a payment.
Families will get a letter to confirm they are entitled to the payment and money will be paid into the same account as their qualifying benefits.
If someone thinks they are eligible but have not received a letter they can find out more at mygov.scot/childwinterheatingpayment or call us free on 0800 182 2222.