National Assistance was the main means-tested benefit in the United Kingdom from 1948 to 1966.
It was established by the National Assistance Act 1948 (11 & 12 Geo.
6. c. 29) and abolished by the Ministry of Social Security Act 1966, which established the Supplementary Benefit in its place.
A key difference was that the Means Test no longer extended to the earnings of sons and daughters.
[3] During the 1950s, inflation meant that national insurance benefits fell below the official poverty line, and increasing numbers turned to national assistance.