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If you’re pregnant or have a child under 4, the Healthy Start scheme can help you buy basic foods like milk or fruit.
If you qualify for the scheme you’ll be sent vouchers you can use in over 30,000 shops in the UK.
You can also get coupons to swap for free vitamins suitable for:
- pregnant women
- breastfeeding women
- children aged 6 months to 5 years old
Eligibility
You will qualify for the Healthy Start scheme if either:
- you’re at least 10 weeks pregnant
- you have at least 1 child under 4 years old
In addition, you must be receiving any of the following:
- Income Support
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Child Tax Credit (but only if your family’s annual income is £16,190 or less)
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Working Tax Credit (but only if your family is receiving the 4 week ‘run-on’ payment)
You’ll also be eligible for the Healthy Start scheme if you’re pregnant and under 18, even if you don’t receive any benefits.
You can check your eligibility here
What You Could get
If you qualify, you’ll get vouchers worth £3.10 each to spend on:
- milk
- fresh fruit and vegetables
- plain frozen fruit and vegetables
- infant formula
You get 1 voucher a week if:
- you’re pregnant
- have a child aged between 1 and 4
You get 2 vouchers a week if you have a child under 1.
You can also get free vitamin supplements.
How to Claim
Apply for Healthy Start vouchers by filling in the online form and printing it out.
You’ll need to get your midwife, health visitor or registered doctor or nurse to sign it before returning it to:
Freepost RRTR-SYAE-JKCR
Healthy Start Issuing Unit
PO Box 1067
Warrington
WA55 1EG
You can also get an application form from your midwife or ‘health visitor’, or by phoning the Healthy Start helpline.
Healthy Start helpline
0845 607 6823
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