Unclaimed support millions: is your family missing out on financial support with free meals?

Across England, many families are missing out on financial support to buy healthy food for their children.

Around £58 million of government support, provided through the Healthy Start programme, could go unclaimed this year.

It is intended to help families with young children, pregnant women, and infants receive essential nutritional support.

You can use the money to buy things like frozen, fresh, or canned fruits and vegetables, regular liquid cow's milk, and baby formula.

However, hundreds of thousands of eligible families are being missed.

In my home city of Hull alone, between £250,000 and £350,000 goes unclaimed every year simply because families don't realize they are entitled to this support.

This is just one example, but similar gaps in uptake can be seen in different regions of England.

Support is not available

More than one-third of eligible families do not use the Healthy Start program.

With an adoption rate of only 62.4%, that means many children, young children, and pregnant women are missing out on vital support that can make a real difference to their lives.

The reasons for this low uptake vary, but it is clear that the system is not working properly.

Therefore, if more people can find out about it, it will mean that more people can get the benefits.

Some are worse than others

Where you live can affect your chances of accessing this support.

For example, boroughs such as Birmingham and the London Borough of Newham are among the areas with the biggest shortfalls in on-demand support.

Automatic registration would be better

It is up to the families to take this benefit for themselves, but since it is not widely known, many are missing out.

Because families are not getting the support they need, there is a growing call for the government to establish an automatic enrollment system.

This will ensure that all eligible families automatically receive the support they are entitled to, without having to go through the application process.

Organizations like Sustain are calling for this change, as it is the best way to ensure that no one falls through the cracks.

Automatic enrollment could be a game changer in ensuring that more families get the help they need.

Claim

If you or someone you know may be eligible for the Healthy Start program, it's worth checking to see if you're getting the support you deserve.

With millions of pounds being claimed each year, ensuring you are registered can greatly improve your family's well-being.