Scottish Welfare Fund Statistics: update to 31 March 2025
The annual update of Scottish Welfare Fund Statistics for 2024-25. This includes annual statistics on Community Care Grants and Crisis grants from 2013, as well as quarterly breakdowns from 2020.
During 2024-25, local authorities awarded households a total of £46.6 million in Scottish Welfare Fund grants. More than a third of households receiving an award were families with children, while half were single person households with no children. Since the scheme started in 2013, £493.1 million has been spent.
In 2024-25, local authorities received 79,995 applications for Community Care Grants (8% fewer than 2023-24) and made 37,695 awards (10% fewer than 2023-24). Expenditure on Community Care Grant awards totalled £29.1 million, which is 8% less than 2023-24. The average award was £773.
At the same time, local authorities received 244,840 applications for Crisis Grants (6% fewer than 2023-24) and made 153,260 awards (5% fewer than 2023-24). Expenditure on Crisis Grant awards totalled £17.4 million, 6% less than 2023-24. The average award was £114.
Local authorities were allocated £53.0 million for Scottish Welfare Fund awards in 2024-25, consisting of an original £35.5 million later supplemented by an additional £17.5 million in the final quarter of the year. There was also an estimated underspend of £3.2 million carried forward from 2023-24. Of the estimated total £53.0 million available for awards this year, £46.6 million (83%) was spent by year end. This compares to an overspend in 2023-24 of 130%.