During July our Scottish Welfare Fund team:
- responded to 75 enquiries
- made 57 decisions
o 21 community care grants
o 36 crisis grants - upheld 11 (52% of) community care grants and five (14% of) crisis grants
- signposted an additional 80 applicants to other sources of assistance
o 39 (49%) of these were calling us instead of their local council in error
o 4 (5%) of these applicants noted that they had accessibility issues relating to contacting the council as there was no freephone number or they were advised to apply online - 33 (41%) enquiries were from local council liaison contacts seeking advice on the guidance. The remaining were signposted to other organisations or contacting us prematurely.
Case studies
Exceptional pressure qualifying criterion
C’s Housing Support Worker asked us to review the council’s decision to refuse a community care grant application. C applied for a community care grant for several household items and a deep clean as their living conditions had deteriorated due to their poor mental health.
The council assessed that the application met the eligibility criteria and arranged a home visit, but this was unsuccessful. They stated that C did not meet any of the qualifying conditions. C’s Housing Support Worker requested a first-tier review of the decision, providing further details about C’s living conditions and health issues. They also provided photographic evidence of the condition of the property. The council considered this information but did not change their original decision and reiterated that C did not meet the qualifying conditions for a grant.
We contacted C’s Housing Support Worker for further information. They explained that C has mental and physical health issues, and had struggled to dispose of rubbish, leaving their home in a very poor condition. They explained that they are providing ongoing support and have made a referral to Social Work and Occupational Therapy for further help. They also explained that the current condition of the property is a fire risk and limits the rooms C can use. This is affecting their mental health and feelings of isolation. Taking the available information into account, we disagreed with the council’s assessment that they were not facing exceptional pressure to maintain a settled home. We changed the council’s decision and awarded the items that met the necessary priority level including a deep clean. We provided feedback to the council that they had incorrectly assessed the information available to them.
You can find more case studies in the searchable directory on our website.