Financial Advice and Support
The school has generated a list of organisations/ signpost links that may help pupils and their families access financial support.
Please keep abreast of all updates as we endeavour to support pupils and parents within Hamilton Grammar’s learning community.
If you do not have access to the internet or telephone please visit your local library, community centre or Citizens Advice Bureau and make use of their free facilities. All South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture libraries have activeIT Learning Centres offering free internet and access to a range of online subscription services.
DWP Universal Credit Helpline
Contact - 0800 328 5644
Opening Times – Monday – Friday 8am – 6pmUniversal Credit is a payment to help with your monthly living costs. You may qualify for this if you are on a lower income, you are currently out of work or you currently cannot work.
SLC Money Matters Service
Contact - 030 123 1008
Opening Times – Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 8.45am – 4.45pm;
Wednesdays 11am – 4.45pm;
Friday 8.45am – 4.15pm
This service provides information and advice on all social security related benefits, including assistance to complete claim forms, offer benefit checks to ensure people are receiving their full entitlement to benefits and provide a support and representation service to people who have refused benefits or wish to appeal their claim. You can also get help and advice on dealing with mortgages, rent, council tax and payment of other household bills.
This service provides free and confidential information and advice on all social security related benefits, including assistance to complete claim forms, offer benefit checks to ensure people are receiving their full entitlement to benefits and provide a support and representation service to people who have refused benefits or wish to appeal their claim. You can also get help and advice on dealing with mortgages, rent, council tax and payment of other household bills.
SLC Clothing Grants & Free School Meals
If you are in receipt of Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Reduction from us there is no need for you to apply online, we will use the information we hold to automatically award free school meals (P4 to S6) and/or school clothing grants (P1 to S6) to eligible families.
Please note that Single Person Discount on your Council Tax is not classed as Council Tax Reduction. Universal Credit recipients should only apply online if they are not receiving Council Tax Reduction.
Clothing Grant Helpline Address: Finance and Corporate Resources, Systems and Control Team, PO Box 3591 Glasgow, G73 9ED or email educationbenefits@southlanarkshire.gov.uk
Free School Meals If you are receiving Working Tax Credit and/or Child Tax Credit or Universal Credit we will need to see a copy of your Tax Credit Award Notice (TC602) or your latest Universal Credit online statement. You can attach a scan or photograph of this with your online application form, or post a copy to Finance and Corporate Resources, Systems and Control Team, PO Box 3591, Glasgow G73 9ED.
Free school meals could save you approximately £376 per academic year. Entitlement can be checked at schools from the beginning of term.
To apply for clothing grants and/or free school meals go to: https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/FreeSchoolMeals
Citizens Advice Bureau Hamilton
Contact - 01698 283477
Advice provided by this service is free, independent, confidential, impartial and available to everyone. Citizens Advice aim to achieve a fairer Scotland where people are empowered and their rights respected.
(LEAP) Revolve Recycling Clothing Bank Hamilton
Contact - 0141 641 5169
Opening Times – Monday – Friday 9am – 4.30pm
Revolve Recycling offers a clothing bank for people within the community who are in need of quality seasonal clothing. We have ‘take for free’ rails where people can take items they need no questions asked.
SLC School Transport
Secondary schools
SLC provide school transport for secondary school pupils who live two miles or more away from the catchment secondary school by the shortest safe walking route.
Secondary school pupils may also be entitled to free transport:
- if they live two miles or more from their catchment secondary school by the shortest safe walking route.
- if they have been recommended for school transport by their doctor and the school medical officer for health reasons
- if they attend a specialist school or centre recommended by the Council
- if they have to walk a route which is considered unsafe in relation to the West of Scotland Road Safety Forum guidelines.
To apply go to https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/forms/form/140/en/school_transport
Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme for Under 22s
From 31 January, 5-21 year olds living in Scotland will be eligible for free bus travel across Scotland!
Children and young people aged 5−21 years old will need a new or replacement National Entitlement Card (NEC) or Young Scot National Entitlement Card (Young Scot NEC) before hopping on board. Previously issued cards will not allow access to the free bus travel scheme.
A parent or guardian must apply on behalf of those aged 5-15 and provide approval for them to travel free by bus. Young people aged 16-21 can apply themselves.
To apply, visit getyournec.scot and for more information go to
https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/nec/info/59/young_persons_free_bus_travel_scheme
To assist with applications: forms can be collected from Hamilton Grammar School office to help re-apply for a New Young Scot Card to allow Free Bus Travel for your Child.
Hamilton District Food Bank
Contact - 07884 451512
Hamilton District Food bank provides three days of nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to local people who are referred to us in crisis.
Clyde, Avon and Nethan Food Bank
Contact - 07591 104027
Opening Times – Tuesday – Friday 11am – 2pm
We provide emergency food and support to people locked in poverty and campaign for change to end the need for food banks in the UK.
East Kilbride Community Food Bank
Contact - 01555 771700
EK Community Food bank is a short-term care initiative that aims to help families who are facing financial difficulty and do not have enough money to buy all of the food that they require as a family. Food packages are given out freely to families without question or judgement.
BLAMELESS
Contact - 07880 230829
https://www.sfad.org.uk/service/blameless-charity
Blameless is a charity based at Hamilton Academical Football Ground, who focus on children and families affected by alcoholism and addiction. Although the website focuses on their amenities they also have a facility to apply for items.
Scottish Welfare Fund - Crisis Grants
Contact - 0303 123 1007
Crisis Grants can provide people with a safety net in the event of a disaster or emergency such as a fire or flood, or if any money has been lost or stolen. Claimants must be on benefits or have a low income. These are one off payments with a maximum of three applications in a rolling year.
Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)
Education Maintenance Allowance provides financial support of £30 a week for 16 to 19 year olds from low-income households who are continuing in full-time education. EMA can help young people cover basic school costs, such as travel, uniform and additional resources, and reducing financial barriers to accessing school. Young people applying for EMA need information about their parents’ income to prove their eligibility and must complete a learning agreement.
Full details about EMA eligibility and how to apply are available on all local authority websites and on https://www.mygov.scot/ema/
National Debtline
Contact - 0808 808 4000
Free impartial debt advice at www.nationaldebtline.org
Turn2Us
Contact - 0808 802 2000
Helps people in financial hardship to gain access to welfare benefits, charitable grants and support services www.turn2us.org.uk
Housing Associations
Most Housing Associations have welfare rights services for tenants.
Housing Advice - Shelter Scotland
Contact - 0808 800 4444
Domestic abuse support https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/get_advice%20or%20onz
Scottish Women's Aid
Contact - 0800 027 1234 and helpline@sdafmh.org.uk
Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline
The Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland
Contact - 0141 552 0552 and advice@cpagscotland.org.uk
Opening Hours - Monday to Thursday, 10am - 4pm, Friday 10am - 12 noon
Advice Line offers free, independent, expert, up-to-date advice and information on the benefits and tax credits system. We welcome enquiries from frontline staff of all levels of experience. Please note that we do not have resources to provide direct advice to people who are claiming benefits but will be able to provide advice to school staff enquiring on a parent or carer’s behalf.
Redundancy Support for Parents and Carers
Hamilton Grammar School has, as part of our core vision, the care of families and our community at its heart. We work with our partners in Skills Development Scotland (SDS) to support our young people into employment, through apprenticeships and permanent employment, as well as Further and Higher Education every day. In the current economic climate, many of our families also face unstable employment opportunities, and very often this includes being made redundant.
We are here to help. Our partners at Skills Development Scotland (SDS) have dedicated resources to help you find employment for the first time, or to get back into employment after a period of redundancy or unemployment.
The first piece of advice we can offer is to sign up on the My World of Work website, run by SDS at My World of Work. You simply register and this site takes you through lots of different supportive stages and strategies.
Support is offered, free and in confidence, by PACE (Partnership Action for Continuing Employment), a Scottish Government initiative which brings together a range of organisations who each offer services to assist those in a redundancy situation. All services are free and confidential.
The following PACE services are available:
- Information on accessing benefits and Jobcentre Plus vacancy service
- Individual Career Guidance interview to assist in identifying redundancy transition options
- CV and Interview Skills support
- Labour market Information and job search assistance
- Welfare Rights advice
- Tax and money advice
- Information on Training and Learning opportunities and accessing funding
- Information on setting up your own business
- Literacy and numeracy support
To find out what PACE has to offer, click the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQcDSrPEu5Y
PACE can offer support online via the My World of Work website at https://www.myworldofwork.co.uk/
Go to the website to see what PACE can offer at https://www.myworldofwork.co.uk/how-pace-services-can-support-you#advice
You can also find out about benefits you may be entitled to at https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators
You may have to submit a claim for Universal Credit at https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit
If you need help making a claim online contact the Universal Credit helpline on0800 328 5644 or textphone 0800 328 1344.
You may need some support in managing your finances at a time when your income is likely to be affected by redundancy or uncertainty. Support is available from the Money and Pension service at https://moneyandpensionsservice.org.uk/
You may need some time to reflect and think about your own Mental Health and wellbeing and the NHS Inform site is a good signpost of support https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/mental-wellbeing
The Citizens Advice Bureaux also offer free, confidential advice and support and can be found locally at https://www.cas.org.uk/bureaux and their national website is at https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/scotland/
You can look for current vacancies and tailor your search to suit your own needs on the following websites:
- https://www.myworldofwork.co.uk/jobhub
- https://www.gov.uk/contact-jobcentre-plus
- https://www.myworldofwork.co.uk/getting-a-job
- https://www.myworldofwork.co.uk/job-hunting
Job Hub
Getting a job - SDS provide lots of guidance and advice at http://www.uddingston.s-lanark.sch.uk/docs/Coronavirus/positive-steps_interactive.pdf
Positive Steps - Anyone who would like to speak with a careers adviser for career guidance, to discuss retraining or for support with job seeking, CVs or interviews can contact SDS via the redundancy helpline 0800 917 8000.
There are lots of support provided by SDS, from creating a CV to practise for interviews. Have a look on their website pages below
Interviews - https://www.myworldofwork.co.uk/myinterviewtool/start
CV builder - https://www.myworldofwork.co.uk/getting-job/building-cv
Application form help - https://www.myworldofwork.co.uk/application-forms
You may wish to upskill at this time and there are many free online courses you can apply for at https://www.myworldofwork.co.uk/learn-and-train/find-free-online-courses
Skills Development Scotland is a one-stop shop to help you get back into employment or indeed should you think of a career change. They are funded by the Scottish Government and their services are free and confidential.https://youtu.be/)MpyOsSaHm8