Families in Cambridgeshire are being encouraged to apply for the NHS Healthy Start scheme through a new outreach campaign.
Cambridgeshire County Council, in partnership with district and city councils, is targeting around 1,700 low-income households identified via its Low-Income Family Tracker (LIFT) platform.
The campaign will run throughout November and aims to raise awareness of unclaimed financial support for healthy food and milk.
Councillor Alison Whelan, chair of the Communities, Social Mobility and Inclusion Committee, said: "We know that many families across Cambridgeshire continue to face significant cost-of-living pressures, and Healthy Start can provide valuable support at a time when every pound counts.
"Through this targeted campaign, we're helping families access money that they are entitled to, putting additional income into household budgets while supporting healthy eating and giving children the best possible start in life."
Healthy Start is a national scheme offering pregnant women and families with young children weekly payments of £4.65 per child under the age of four, rising to £9.30 for infants under one.
The funds are loaded onto a payment card and can be used in most supermarkets to buy items such as cow’s milk, fresh fruit, and vegetables.
The campaign is part of the council’s wider anti-poverty programme, which includes income maximisation services, targeted outreach, and crisis payments.
Just 62 per cent of eligible Cambridgeshire families currently claim Healthy Start, meaning more than £431,000 could be going unclaimed each year.
Households that have been identified will be contacted by letter, email, phone call, or text message.
Those who do not receive a notification are still encouraged to check their eligibility through the NHS Healthy Start website.
Residents are reminded that if they are ever in doubt about the authenticity of a letter, email, text message or phone call, they can contact their district or city council directly for verification.
Information on scam awareness is available on the Cambridgeshire County Council website.
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