Hundreds of nursery and primary school children are set to benefit from a radical new scheme to help combat poverty in the Highlands.
Specialist advisors will enter schools to train parents in financial management and ensure they are receiving all eligible entitlements, in a bid to break social inclusion barriers caused by having little money or debt.
All 220 council schools in the region will be involved in the project and the scheme will be introduced at the start of the new term in August.
Inverness mum Kerri Graham struggles with the costs of food shopping and bus fares into the city centre while bringing up her two children, five-year-old Riley and six-month old Noel.
Miss Graham says the new scheme is a “good idea” and would be helpful to her generally, and specifically on getting the right advice on handling Universal Credit.
She said: “It’s quite difficult trying to manage a budget, and I get a lot of anxiety going out and about so, if it was done at school it would be able to afford just to pop in and get advice after dropping off or picking up Riley.”
And the 28-year-old former carer said she is unable to take her five-year-old on a week-long summer football course run by Caley Thistle which costs £25.
She added: “There is also an after school club but it costs £9 a day. It would be a couple of extra hours after school which would be good if I decided to go back to work after maternity leave – but I cannot afford it.”
Funding of £322,000 has been provided by the European Social Fund and The Scottish Government, including a contribution from Highland Council, for the implementation of the scheme up to the end of 2018.
The cash only became available this year, and the Highlands qualifies under European rules as it is classed as a remote and relatively undeveloped region.
But the availability of funding to progress the scheme beyond next year will be dependent on the outcome of Brexit negotiations.
Highland Council senior procurement specialist, Peter Tysoe, a key pusher of the new project, said: “The basic premise behind it is that we want to agree a contract to make contact with parents in schools, or at least through schools, to ensure families are getting all of the benefits and entitlements they are entitled to, helping to prevent and alleviate poverty.
“The project will end up with poor people having increased money management skills, less debt problems and money not being a barrier to social inclusion. Hopefully it will make quite a difference.
“It’s safe to say hundreds of children will benefit. The idea is to aim it at nursery and primary initially to give them the best possible start.”