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.
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In 2024-25 the most common Community Care Grant expenditure remained on floor coverings, beds, bedding, and electrical appliances such as washing machines, cookers, fridges and freezers (Table 44).
In general, the most commonly awarded items and their proportions of the total number of items awarded have remained similar quarter to quarter (Table 43). The quantity of most items awarded has decreased, the final quarter excepted, where additional funding became available. This correlates with the fall in the number of Community Care Grant awards in 2024-25 (Table 21).
As in previous years, the most common specified Crisis Grant awards were for food, essential heating expenses and other living expenses (Table 48). The amount spent on food decreased by 4% to £10.5 million in 2024-25, accounting for 60% of Crisis Grant expenditure; the amount spent on essential heating costs fell by 10%, and spending on this item is now around £900,000 down from its 2023-24 peak. (Table 50).
The most common payment method for Community Care Grants remained provision of new goods (49% of payments, Table 52). Cash remained the most common payment method for Crisis Grants (47% of payments) (Table 54).