Scottish Welfare Fund Statistics: annual update 2022-2023

A total of 381,695 applications to the Scottish Welfare Fund were received in 2022-23, a 7% increase compared to 2021-22 (Table 2). The majority were for Crisis Grants (288,880, Table 6), and the others were for Community Care Grants (92,810, Table 4).

Compared to 2021-22, the number of Community Care Grant applications increased by 3% (2,985) (Table 4, Chart 1), continuing an upward trend since 2017/18. At local authority level this varied from a 11% decrease in Inverclyde to a 21% increase in South Ayrshire (Table 4).

The number of Crisis Grant applications increased by 8% (20,535) (Table 6, Chart 1), reversing the slight decrease seen in 2021-22. At local authority level, this varied from a 13% decrease in West Dunbartonshire to a 45% increase in East Lothian (Table 6).

Applications to the Scottish Welfare Fund have shown numerous peaks in recent years, some associated with peaks in Covid infections, but also correlating with a commonly-seen increase around January. January 2023 was the first month with more than 40,000 SWF applications.

Chart 1: Applications to the Scottish Welfare Fund – Scotland – Monthly

The most common reason for Community Care Grant applications was ‘Families facing exceptional pressure’ (37% of applications) (Table 8). This reason increased by 9% compared to 2021-22, and remains ahead of ‘Helping people to stay in the community’ (29% of applications, +2%), the most common reason in before 2021-22. The number of applications due to ‘Other’ reasons fell by 10% compared to 2021-22. This category is likely to include applications that local authorities have recorded the reason as ‘COVID-19’ or similar on their own software systems, or could indicate a decrease in data quality due to additional pressures related to COVID-19, and may therefore continue to decrease in the near future.

Chart 2: Reasons for Application – Community Care Grants - Quarterly

The most common reasons for Crisis Grant applications are different types of emergency (86% applications in 2022-23), whereas disasters such as fires and floods are less common (fewer than 1% of applications) (Table 11, Chart 3).

The most common reason remained ‘Emergency - benefit/income spent’ (43% of applications) which increased by 7% (8,340 applications) compared to 2021-22 (Table 11). The second most common reason was ‘Emergency – unexpected expense’ which increased by 15% (6,775 applications) compared to 2021-22. There were also increases in applications due to ‘Emergency – other’ reasons (+17%, 6,490 additional applications), ‘Disaster – flood’ (+57%, 278), ‘Emergency – nowhere to stay (+20%, 263), ‘Emergency – breakdown of family relationship’ (+8%, 260), and Emergency – stranded away from home’ (+36%, 69), compared with 2021-22. Applications recorded as other reasons may relate directly to COVID-19, or to a decrease in data quality. (Table 10, Chart  3).

Chart 3: Reasons for Application – Crisis Grants – Quarterly