During February, our SWF team
- responded to 71 enquiries
- made 58 decisions
- 20 community care grants
- 38 crisis grants
- upheld 11 (55% of) of community care grants and 9 (24% of) of crisis grants
- signposted an additional 30 applicants to other sources of assistance. 66% of these (27) were calling us instead of their local council in error
- received 11 enquiries from local councils seeking advice on the guidance
Statutory Guidance update
This month we are running training sessions for local authorities to support them with the changes to the SWF statutory guidance.
The changes to the guidance were proposed by the Statutory Guidance Committee, which was formed as part of the Scottish Welfare Fund Review Action Plan.
As a member of the committee, we were pleased to contribute towards:
- The introduction of the ‘Essentials Guarantee’ methodology for crisis grant calculations to ensure that they meet the need
- A move towards trust-based evidence gathering
- A stronger emphasis on the principles of dignity and respect
- A simpler way of assessing low income for eligibility
- An emphasis on learning from the outcomes of first tier reviews
These changes will increase fairness for applicants, improve clarity for decision makers and promote learning and improvement.
Case summaries
We changed several decisions this month as local authorities did not make sufficient enquiries to arrive at a robust decision. We found that the information provided by the applicant indicated that further enquiries should be made.
When applicants incur detriment sourcing items themselves
C applied for a community care grant to replace items in their property after their child vandalised their home. They applied for a double bed and mattress, a single bed and mattress, carpet for one bedroom, hall stairs and landing, a washing machine, a chest of drawers, a double bedding set, and redecoration costs.
The council declined the application because they could not verify the Police Scotland reference numbers that C supplied. Therefore, they assessed that C's circumstances did not match the qualifying criteria for a grant.
We reviewed the council's file and spoke with C. They did not know why the Police Scotland reference numbers were not recognised. However, they confirmed that the housing team were aware of the damage and had already carried out some repairs to the property. We spoke with C's housing officer and local neighbourhood team and were satisfied that the incident occurred as described. Therefore, we were satisfied that the application met the qualifying criteria related to exceptional pressure.
Recommendations
- Award C a double bed, a single bed, a washing machine, carpet for one room, hall and stairs, a chest of drawers and redecoration costs. C had sourced some of the items themselves, so we agreed actual cost reimbursement for the beds. We assessed that two thirds of the flooring costs could be awarded, as flooring for an additional room was included on the flooring invoice. We also calculated an award of £130.00 in respect of redecorating costs and that the council should provide a washing machine
Feedback for the Council
- The council did not make sufficient follow-up enquiries based on the information provided on the application about the C’s circumstances.
We asked the organisation to provide us with confirmation that the award was made within one week.
You can find more examples in the searchable case directory on our website.