Suffolk County Council is pleased to confirm an extension of the Household Support Fund, meaning a discretionary grant is available to support low-income families over the 6-week summer holiday. The grant will be issued as a £90 Edenred supermarket voucher for each eligible child and is designed to help families with their essential living costs during the holiday.

What do I need to do?

The Free School Meals Team will email the primary contact we hold at each school with information which:

• provides schools with a link to an online form to advise us how many Edenred vouchers the school requires. Please complete this online form by Friday 8 July 2022.
• explains that the school can place orders for vouchers on the Edenred system between 11 – 21 July 2022.
• includes a letter to parents/carers which schools can distribute to eligible families explaining the grant to them.

Should you have any questions or discrepancies in your eligibility list, please contact the Free School Meals Team at [email protected].

Are families who are not in receipt of free school meals eligible for supermarket vouchers via the Free School Meals Team?

No – If you have pupils, such as Ukrainian refugees, who are not currently eligible for free school meals, but may need support then Suffolk County Council’s Public Health Team operate the Local Welfare Assistance Scheme (LWAS) and may be able to provide financial support.

As a school, you must submit an application on behalf of the family as families cannot directly self-refer into this service. The LWAS team will then contact the school directly to set you up as a trusted gateway partner organisation and will start to process the application you have submitted.

Link to application form and current guidance:

Local Welfare Assistance Scheme (LWAS) Application Form

Local Welfare Assistance Scheme guidance

 Or alternatively, please see the website page at www.suffolk.gov.uk/coronavirus-covid-19/suffolk-advice-and-support-service/ for further support and information.

We thank you for your continued support in helping us to distribute the Household Support Fund to help families in hardship.