Guidance

Healthy Start extension: application guidance

Published 31 July 2024

Introduction

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has extended eligibility for the Healthy Start scheme to British children aged under 4 years old whose parent or guardian meets the financial eligibility criteria and is either:

• subject to a no recourse to public funds (NRPF) condition (as attached to their immigration permission)
• without any immigration status

To qualify for the extension, you must meet all of the following criteria:

1. You are subject to a NRPF condition (as attached to your immigration permission) or do not have an immigration status.
2. You have a British child, or more than one British child, aged under 4 years old.
3. Your family’s take-home pay is £408 or less per month.

The eligibility criteria for the extension of the Healthy Start scheme does not include pregnant women.

You will be required to provide the relevant supporting documents to demonstrate you meet the criteria in order to be eligible.

If you are eligible for the Healthy Start scheme under this extended criteria, you will need to apply by email, using the process set out in ‘How to apply’ below. You will not be eligible to apply through the NHS website.

Foods you can buy with Healthy Start

Eligible families with children aged over one and under 4 will receive £4.25 every week per child, and children under one will receive £8.50 every week per child.

Healthy Start can be used to buy, or be put towards the cost of:

• fresh, frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables
• fresh, dried and tinned pulses
• milk and infant formula

Healthy Start cannot be used to buy other items not detailed above.

People on the extended Healthy Start scheme will also receive free Healthy Start children’s vitamins by post.

Demonstrating eligibility

Below we set out the evidence that we accept when reviewing applications for the scheme. This is not an exhaustive list.

We understand the complexities of being able to demonstrate all 3 parts of the eligibility criteria. If you think you meet the criteria but do not have the accepted evidence, you should contact the team at healthystartclaim@dhsc.gov.uk.

Fraudulent applications

Anybody found to have knowingly and dishonestly applied for this scheme when they do not meet the eligibility criteria, anyone found to have submitted false documentation, or anyone who fails to notify DHSC of a change of circumstances that affects their eligibility for the scheme, may have action taken against them (such as civil and/or criminal sanctions) and may be required to return any overpayments received under this scheme.

1. No recourse to public funds or without any immigration status

Where a parent’s immigration status is subject to a NRPF condition, the evidence confirming this needs to be provided with the application form.

This can be evidenced by providing a letter from the Home Office, copies of a biometric residence permit or by sharing your digital status share code. This is not the only evidence we will accept to help demonstrate you meet this part of the eligibility criteria, and we advise you to contact the team for help with any questions you may have.

Where a parent has no immigration status, we understand this is not straightforward to evidence and would advise that the parent or a third party, with appropriate authorisation, contacts the team to discuss the application.

You should be aware that:

• where a family unit has access to public funds (for example, one of the parents has access to public funds), then this part of the eligibility criteria will not be met, and the application will not progress on that basis
• where a family unit has split but still live at the same address and one of the parents has access to public funds, then this part of the eligibility criteria will not be met, and the application will not progress on that basis

Evidence for NRPF

Accepted evidence:

• Home Office letter that clearly states as a result of an application decision the applicant has a condition of NRPF
• a letter from the Home Office that states the applicant is in receipt of the section 95 support scheme
• an in-date biometric residence permit that shows the card holder has NRPF
• providing the team with your share code, which will give access to your digital immigration status information

Evidence that is not accepted:

• a letter from a charity or local authority that states the applicant has NRPF
• a letter from a charity or local authority that states the family are in receipt of section 17 support

In certain situations, you may have a letter from the Home Office on your application that shows you have access to public funds, but when you apply for these (such as Universal Credit) you are rejected. In situations where you have recourse to public funds but have been denied access, you are likely to be ineligible for the scheme. We do advise that you contact the team to discuss your application to be certain. You should only contact the team where you meet the other 2 eligibility criteria (for example, you earn £408 or less per month and have a British child under 4 years old).

Evidence for no immigration status

Accepted evidence:

• confirmation the applicant has no legal status due to arriving illegally or their visa has expired
• copy of original visa that has expired

2. British child aged under 4 years old

Children born in the UK to a British or settled parent are automatically British citizens. Children born abroad to a British parent may be British citizens: their status will depend on how the parent in question acquired British nationality. There are special provisions for the children of Crown servants and armed forces.

Children born in the UK

If at least one of the parents is a British citizen or Irish citizen living in the UK, then the child is a British citizen. This can be evidenced by providing the British passport for the child, a full UK birth certificate or a naturalisation or registration certificate for the British parent. For Irish parents, we need an Irish passport or evidence of Irish nationality and proof of address. In both cases, we need the full birth certificate (showing the parents’ details) of the child born in the UK.

Where neither of the parents held British or Irish citizenship, the child will only be automatically a British citizen if, when they were born in the UK, at least one of their parents was settled. This can include:

• ‘indefinite leave to remain’ (ILR)
• ‘settled status’
• ‘permanent residence status’
• ‘right of abode’
• ‘right of re-admission’

This can be evidenced by providing information regarding the immigration status of the parent - for example, their passport or a biometric residence permit.

If one of the parents was in the UK armed forces, the child is automatically a British citizen. This can be evidenced by providing the passport of the parent and evidence of service in the forces, such as a letter from the Ministry of Defence.

Children of European parents

A child born in the UK after 1 July 2021 to European parents will become a British citizen automatically where their parent is successful in being granted indefinite leave to remain under the EU Settlement Scheme after the child’s birth.

Information about children of EEA nationals is available at Check if you’re a British citizen.

Children born outside the UK

British citizenship is normally automatically passed down one generation to children born outside the UK. A child born abroad to a British parent will become a British citizen by descent. The exception to this is if the British parent themselves holds their nationality by descent from their own birth abroad.

British citizens by descent cannot normally pass on their citizenship to children born outside of the UK (see exceptions below), but a British citizen otherwise than by descent can. It does not affect any other of the rights or duties that go with British citizenship.

A parent who is a British citizen ‘by descent’ cannot normally pass that status on, unless the British parent was in one of the 3 types of service listed below at the time of the birth:

• Crown service - the recruitment must have taken place in the UK
• specially designated service - the recruitment must have taken place in the UK
• European Community institution service - the recruitment must have taken place in a country which was a member of the European Union

Generally, parents who were born in the UK or naturalised or registered as a British citizen based on a period of residence in the UK, are British citizens otherwise than by descent.

Children born abroad need to provide their birth certificate and evidence of their parents’ British nationality.

Contact the team if you have any questions.

Adopted children

A child who is not already a British citizen becomes a British citizen from the date of an adoption order if:

• the adopter (or, in the case of a joint adoption, one of the adopters) is a British citizen and the adoption is authorised by a court in the UK
• it is a convention adoption under the 1993 Hague Convention on Intercountry adoptions and the adopter (or, in the case of a joint adoption, both of the adopters) are habitually resident in the UK

This can be evidenced by an adoption order made by a court in the UK or a certificate showing adoption under the Hague Convention. Furthermore, we need evidence showing the parent is a British citizen.

Newborn infant found abandoned

A newborn infant found abandoned in the UK will be a British citizen. This can be evidenced by documents from the police or local authority.

Evidence for British child aged under 4 years old

Accepted evidence:

• a valid British passport for the child on the application

Evidence that is not accepted:

• UK birth certificate for the child where both parents are not born in the UK
• UK birth certificate with one parent who was born outside of the UK

Single parent with NRPF with a British child

Where the British child, who is aged under 4 years old, is in sole custody of the parent who has NRPF, that parent can apply for the Healthy Start scheme under the extended criteria. This is only when the other parent, who is a British citizen, is not claiming any public funds for that child. We understand that in certain circumstances the child may not have a British passport.

Evidence for single parents with NRPF who have sole custody of a British child

Accepted evidence where there is no British Passport for the child:

• full UK birth certificate with both parents’s details (read more about UK birth certificates)
• British passport for the parent who is a British citizen

Where it is not in the interests of the parent with NRPF to get in touch with the other parent due to personal circumstances, please make the team aware of this when applying - we will work with you to fully understand the situation to see if we can progress your application.

Evidence that is not accepted:

• full UK birth certificate with one parent who was born outside of the UK

3. Family’s earned income is £408 or less per month

You will need to provide financial statements to demonstrate the family’s earned income is £408 or less per month. This can be in the form of a bank statement or a letter from an organisation providing information that demonstrates the family meets this criteria. If the family is in receipt of local authority or Home Office support, you should include this information in your application as this may help us understand your current financial situation.

These are not the only documents we will accept to help demonstrate you meet this part of the eligibility criteria - contact the team if you have any questions.

Evidence for earned income

Accepted evidence:

• scanned copies of recent bank statement
• confirmation the applicant is not working so has no earned income
• Home Office letter dated within 3 months, in relation to the applicant’s immigration status, stating there is a no work control in place
• scanned copy of the applicants biometric residence permit that has not expired, which shows work is not allowed

How to apply

All applications must be made electronically by email. We are not able to receive paper applications.

You can apply on behalf of someone but only with their written consent. The applicant named on the application form will need to provide their consent for you to apply on their behalf, either on the form itself or by email to the team.

Decisions are based on the applicant meeting all of the eligibility criteria as set out below:

• you are subject to a NRPF condition (as attached to your immigration permission) or do not have an immigration status
• you have a British child, or more than one British child, who is aged under 4 years old
• your family’s take-home pay is £408 or less per month

The application process step by step

Step 1: request an application form

You will need to email the team at healthystartclaim@dhsc.gov.uk to request an application form.

Step 2: complete the form and gather supporting evidence

Once you have received the application form you will need to complete it and gather your supporting evidence to demonstrate you meet all the eligibility criteria. You will need to provide copies, where applicable, of:

• your passport number or Home Office reference number or case ID (if known)
• Home Office share code
• proof of your address
• your child’s birth certificate
• your child’s British passport
• proof of your earned income from the previous month, for example a copy of your recent bank statements (if you do not have a bank statement you must provide documents that demonstrate you meet the financial criteria - we will contact you as soon as possible if we require further information to help process the application)
• proof that you have NRPF

Please tick the relevant boxes in the checklist on your application form to show which supporting documents you have provided.

We set out what evidence is accepted for each criteria in the relevant sections above.

If you have any questions, contact the extension team at healthystartclaim@dhsc.gov.uk. We will work with all applicants and third parties prior to the completed application being submitted to help answer any questions. We will respond to questions as quickly as possible.

Step 3: submit the form and supporting evidence

Once you have all the supporting evidence and have signed and dated the application form, send these to healthystartclaim@dhsc.gov.uk.

Step 4: get outcome

The Healthy Start extension team will only review fully completed applications. This can take some time - we aim to email a decision to all applicants with fully completed applications within 40 working days.

If the application or the supporting documents are missing or do not clearly show the applicant meets all 3 parts of the eligibility criteria, the team will contact you in order to progress the application.

The team may at this stage let you know that you are not eligible for the scheme, and will explain why.

Successful applicants

If your application is successful, because you meet all the criteria set out above, your initial payment will be backdated to the point you (or someone acting on your behalf with your written consent) first emailed the Healthy Start extension team at healthystartclaim@dhsc.gov.uk to request an application form.

You will receive payments into your bank account every 4 weeks and vitamins posted to your address every 8 weeks. If you do not have a bank account, let the team know and we will work with you to help you receive your benefit.

You will also be asked every 8 weeks to confirm the information you submitted with your application is still correct and to update the team on any changes such as a change in your personal circumstances meaning you have access to public funds.

If your circumstances change

You must update the team when your circumstances change, for example if:

• there’s been a change in your earned income from work, meaning you earn more than £408 per month
• your address has changed
• your immigration status has changed, meaning you have access to public funds

Where applicable, DHSC may look to recoup (or recover) funds where applicants have been sent funds but are no longer eligible due to changes in circumstances.

Unsuccessful applications

If your application is unsuccessful, the team will let you know why you are not eligible for the scheme.

Depending on the reasons for the decision, you may be able to re-apply if your situation changes - for example, if you earned over £408 per month but then find yourself earning less. If you have any questions, contact the team.

Contact the team

You can contact the Healthy Start extension team at healthystartclaim@dhsc.gov.uk.

We respond to all emails as quickly as we can.