JRF Talking about Poverty Webinar, 25 January 2023

Scroll to end of email for details - it's free to sign up.

They are a really useful way to gain a better understanding of how to talk about poverty in ways that makes people listen, and take action......

Infant Formula - Emergency Supplies

Infant formula milk is a big cost for families with babies under a year old, and people will clearly be struggling with this as the cost of living rises. The public health team have set up a system to provide short term, emergency supplies where families have less than 48 hours supply of formula milk and aren't in a position to buy more.

This will be provided via people who are trained in infant feeding - Midwives, Health Visitors, and the Children and Families Support Service (children's centres)

There's a public leaflet attached with lots of information on how to safely formula feed you baby (there's a risk that people will feel they need to reduce the amount of formula they use, or consider making formula up with cold water - it needs to be made with boiled water (and then allowed to cool) to kill off any bacteria that may be in the powder), how to keep your baby warm and safe, and how to access emergency formula if necessary.

There's also a leaflet for referral organisations attached - any questions about the process, please contact Kate.Mahone@cumbria.gov.uk

Household Leaflet

The Cost of Living Support leaflet should be arriving through your letterbox this week - A copy is attached in case you want to be able to print it off, etc.

There's more info on the Cumbria County Council website - and the information of Food Support has now been updated by the Area Teams and others to include a much wider range of food projects (beyond the formal food banks): Cost of Living Support | Cumbria County Council

Cold Weather Payment

Cumbria got pretty cold last week (I suspect you noticed!) which has triggered the Cold Weather Payment scheme: Cold Weather Payment: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) - £25 to cover the whole period.

This is paid automatically to people who people on eligible benefits (e.g. Disability Living Allowance, Pension Credit) - so the main message here is for people to check they're signed up for the benefits they're eligible for. This is a particular issue with Pension Credit - people may not realise that they've become eligible when their spouse died, or may not think it's worth claiming as they'd only receive a tiny amount each week (but claiming Pension Credit opens up access to additional payment like this, free TV licences for over 75s, etc)

How to Survive the Winter

This report is attached - it's got some case studies in it that might give you some ideas for new projects.....

It's also well worth a look at the infographic on the cover, which shows where foodbanks were located 2008 vs where they're located now - a huge increase in numbers, and as you know, the formal Trussell Trust Foodbanks are only the tip of the iceberg.