Child Winter Heating Assistance
type: Dataset
theme: Economic Activity, Benefits and Tax Credits
timeliness: This dataset has been published in parallel with the full publication on the [Scottish Government website](https://www.gov.scot/collections/social-security-scotland-stats-publications/#childwinterheatingassistance). This is an annual publication series. We aim to publish future equalities analysis on a regular basis, as official statistics as soon as is practical.
validity: Not assessed
accuracy: The data comes from 100% data cut of the Child Winter Heating Assistance cases on the Social Security Scotland case management system. Payment numbers have been rounded to the nearest five for disclosure control. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
consistency: The eligibility for Child Winter Heating Assistance is dependent on a child or young person being under 19 years old, and in receipt of either the highest rate of care component of Child Disability Payment, the highest rate of care component of Disability Living Allowance, the enhanced rate of the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment or the enhanced rate of the daily living component of Adult Disability Payment. The data is therefore similar to the Child Disability Payment statistics published by Social Security Scotland, and the Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance statistics for children in Scotland published on [StatXplore](https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk) by DWP. Differences between the statistics for Child Winter Heating Assistance and each of the qualifying benefits are described in the full publication on the [Scottish Government website]( https://www.gov.scot/collections/social-security-scotland-stats-publications/#childwinterheatingassistance).
uniqueness: Not assessed
completeness: This publication presents data for Child Winter Heating Assistance cases where a payment value had been recorded on the Social Security Scotland case management system by 31 March 2023. This accounts for over 99% of the cases that were on the case management system at this date. A recorded payment value indicates that a child or young person had been found to be eligible during the qualifying week, and that an instruction had been sent to Social Security Scotland finance to make a payment. The remaining less than 1% of cases that are not included in this publication may not have had payment values for a variety of reasons, for example, (i) the child or young person was found to be ineligible, (ii) Social Security Scotland needs further evidence, or (iii) the case was created in error and a payment will never be issued for that case. Age and local authority are based on the information about the eligible child or young person in receipt of Child Winter Heating Assistance. Further information about recipients such as parents, guardians or appointees is available in the full publication.
comment: Child Winter Heating Assistance payments and expenditure since November 2020
update frequency: annual
license id: uk-ogl
confidentiality: This data contains no sensitive, personal information. Data has been rounded and suppressed for disclosure control.
quality management: *Age* Age of children or young people is based on age at the start of the qualifying week. In a small number of cases age band is 'unknown'. This is either due to missing date of birth information or an error in date of birth. *Local authority* Payments are assigned to local authority by the residential postcode of the child or young person, using a Scottish Government lookup file. A small number of payments could not be matched to local authority due to their supplied postcodes not matching the lookup file. 'Other Scottish Address' refers to payments which could not be matched to the lookup file, but were identified as being in Scotland. These may be new-builds, which have new postcodes. 'Non-Scottish UK Address' refers to payments which were identified as being in other parts of the UK, outside of Scotland. This may be where a child has a genuine and sufficient link to Scotland, or where they have moved away. More information is provided in the publication. 'Unknown' refers to postcodes which were missing or could not be matched to the lookup file. The total 'Scotland' figure for the Local authorities data therefore includes a small number of postcodes which are not within Scotland. More detailed information about data quality is available in the background to each [full publication]( https://www.gov.scot/collections/social-security-scotland-stats-publications/#childwinterheatingassistance).
geographical coverage: S12
geographical coverage: S47
geographical coverage: S92
will be updated: true
reference period: PeriodOfTime
  start date: 2020
  end date: 2023
next update: 2024-05-01
description: Information on Child Winter Heating Assistance, which was introduced in November 2020 by social Security Scotland. Data covers payments made from from November 2020 to 31st March 2023 . Breakdowns include local authority and age of child or young person. Additional information about recipients, including parents, guardians and appointees, is available in the full publication and tables. Full publications and tables covering Child Winter Heating Assistance are available on the [Scottish Government website]( https://www.gov.scot/collections/social-security-scotland-stats-publications/#childwinterheatingassistance).
version notes: Revisions and corrections to previously published statistics are dealt with in accordance with the Scottish Government Statistician Group corporate policy statement on revisions and corrections - a copy of which is available on the [Scottish Government website](https://www.gov.scot/publications/producing-official-statistics/pages/revisions-and-corrections/).
issued: 2026-08-13T12:20:36.687477
modified: 2026-08-13T12:22:02.131042
contact point: Organization
contact point: Kind

Economic Activity, Benefits and Tax Credits
type: Concept

Scottish Government
type: Agent

child-winter-heating-assistance.csv
type: Distribution
comment: Child Winter Heating Assistance payments and expenditure since November 2020
dictionary: Column
  column: GeographyCode
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: GeographyName
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: GeographyType
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: DateCode
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: Measurement
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: Units
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: Value
  type: int
dictionary: Column
  column: Age
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: Sex
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: Child Winter Heating Assistance Indicators
  type: text
table schema: Schema
  column: Column
    name: GeographyCode
    datatype: text
  column: Column
    name: GeographyName
    datatype: text
  column: Column
    name: GeographyType
    datatype: text
  column: Column
    name: DateCode
    datatype: text
  column: Column
    name: Measurement
    datatype: text
  column: Column
    name: Units
    datatype: text
  column: Column
    name: Value
    datatype: int
  column: Column
    name: Age
    datatype: text
  column: Column
    name: Sex
    datatype: text
  column: Column
    name: Child Winter Heating Assistance Indicators
    datatype: text
description: Data file for Child Winter Heating Assistance
format: CSV
access URL: https://admin.data.gov.scot/resource/42aaa1ed-3845-4ec0-9b71-28d41882134d/download
issued: 2026-08-13T12:22:02.157392
modified: 2026-08-13T12:22:02.146808