voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteering
voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteering
DWP - Changes to Sure Start Maternity Grant Regulations
Created: 04/10/2023Two new Sure Start Maternity Grant (SSMG) regulations came into force on 08 June 2023.
Health Care Professional Certification
Applicants no longer need to have been given health and welfare advice about their pregnancy before accessing support, so the Health Care Professional (HCP) statement has been removed from the SSMG claim form SF100.
DWP still need confirmation of pregnancy or birth(s). This can be either a completed MAT B1, or written evidence from an HCP, giving the relevant pregnancy and birth information (including claimant’s details, earliest week of confinement and Health Professional and Medical Practice details). This can be sent with the SF100 form.
If applications are made using the old version of the SF100 without a HCP statement, DWP will seek alternative evidence to verify the pregnancy/birth(s).
Afghan and Ukrainian applicants
People with a child or children from before they arrived in the UK can claim an SSMG if either of the following apply:
A temporary change to the six-month time limit for claiming an SSMG has been introduced for these groups of people only. This means that parents or guardians who meet the Afghan or Ukrainian criteria but didn’t apply for an SSMG within six months of their baby being born, can now make a claim up to 08 December 2023. The normal time-bound rules will apply for applications received outside of this temporary transition period.
Further information about SSMG can be found on on the GOV.UK website.