Scottish Welfare Fund: statutory guidance - April 2025
An update to the Scottish Welfare Fund statutory guidance, previously published in March 2021, following an independent review and action plan.
Annex A - Exclusions From Crisis And Community Care Grants[67]
Excluded Item
1) A need which occurs outside the United Kingdom.
Alternative Source(s) of Assistance
Visas and immigration - GOV.UK
2) An educational or training need including: clothing and tools, distinctive school uniform or sports clothes for use at school, equipment to be used at school, travelling expenses to or from school, school meals taken during school holidays by children who are entitled to free school meals.
Alternative Source(s) of Assistance
School meals and clothing grants – contact your council regarding criteria and eligibility.
3) Expenses in connection with court (legal proceedings) such as legal fees, court fees, fines, costs, application costs for bankruptcy/sequestration, damages, subsistence or travelling expenses.
Alternative Source(s) of Assistance
Fee exemption forms | Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service
New to legal aid - Scottish Legal Aid Board
4) Removal or storage charges if the person is being re-housed following a compulsory purchase order, a redevelopment or closing order or a compulsory exchange of tenancies.
Alternative Source(s) of Assistance
Budgeting Loans can help with removal costs.
Budgeting Loans: How they work - GOV.UK
Local charitable organisations.
5) A television or a radio (except where the applicant has a particular need for one, for example, because of limited mobility or isolation) or a licence, aerial or rental costs, costs of purchasing, renting or installing a telephone (unless this is for the purpose of a personal alarm), mobile phones and any call charges.
Alternative Source(s) of Assistance
n/a
6) Repair to local authority property or the property of social landlords who maintain property on behalf of the tenant.
Alternative Source(s) of Assistance
Approach your landlord/council regarding any repairs required.
7) Rent in advance, including rent deposits, which can be provided by a Budgeting Loan or discretionary housing payments.
Alternative Source(s) of Assistance
Budgeting Loan (Budgeting Loans: How they work - GOV.UK) or contact your council for a discretionary housing payment.
8) Debts (excluding pre-paid fuel meters where we would pay emergency amount and sufficient to get them to end of crisis i.e. next payment day), debt interest, application costs for bankruptcy/sequestration debts to government departments or local authority tax, Scottish Water and waste charges, arrears of local authority tax, community water charges or mortgage and rent arrears.
Alternative Source(s) of Assistance
Contact your council, national organisations such as debt advice, or the Citizens Advice Bureau.
Debt Help Scotland. Free Advice & Debt Solutions. StepChange
Help with debt - Citizens Advice
9) Any expense which the local authority or other organisation has a statutory duty to meet, for example regular costs for care or housing.
Where the statutory duty is not clear, if another local authority or organisational service is better placed to provide that support or assistance, then they should be the first point of contact. Examples may include deep clean via social work services for issues around self-neglect and hoarding and home adaptations/shower installations via occupational therapy in case of support to mobility.
Alternative Source(s) of Assistance
Contact your council, or if claiming Universal Credit, contact DWP.
10) A medical, surgical, optical, aural or dental item or service (note that needs under all of these headings can be provided free of charge by the National Health Service, if you are getting Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance (income-related), or Pension Credit). Medical expenses, treatments, items and medications. The cost of repairs to any item obtained from the NHS is also excluded.
Any item which fulfils a medical function or helps a customer with on-going treatment such as a hospital bed, for a person being cared for in their own home, would be considered to be a medical item.
Typical household items are not generally classed as medical items
Where it is unclear whether an item is considered a medical item clarification should be sought via Occupational Health, doctor, nurse or similar bodies.
Alternative Source(s) of Assistance
Contact NHS Scotland.
11) Domestic assistance and respite care.
Alternative Source(s) of Assistance
Contact your council or Care Information Scotland.
Home | Care Information Scotland
12) Work related expenses.
Alternative Source(s) of Assistance
Contact your employer.
13) Investments.
Alternative Source(s) of Assistance
n/a
14) Holidays.
Alternative Source(s) of Assistance
n/a
15) On-going expenses which are, or are likely to become, a feature of expenditure e.g. normal replacement of clothing or storage costs with no prospect of the need to store items reaching an end are excluded as they are not essential one-off needs.
Alternative Source(s) of Assistance
Decision makers should consider the individual circumstances of the case when determining whether a need is on-going. This may include reviewing previous requests to see whether a pattern is emerging.
Sanctions and benefits issues relate to income rather than expenditure and do not fall within this exclusion. This exclusion also does not apply to applications for living costs where the reasons for spend may be similar.
16) Travelling expenses(for example those listed at 2, 12, 18), with the exception of one-off expenses relating directly to the qualifying criteria, for example travelling expenses to help someone move to a new home where that move is essential to their re-integration in the community, or if a journey is essential in connection with a crisis, exceptional pressure or in support of independent living - see paragraph 6.7.
Alternative Source(s) of Assistance
If travelling for medical reasons, assistance can be awarded through the NHS.
17) Help with expenses in pregnancy or of having a new child.
Alternative Source(s) of Assistance
Best Start Foods and Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment are available through Social Security Scotland - For further information on the Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment call Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222 or visit Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods - mygov.scot.
18) Any costs related to a person’s funeral.
Alternative Source(s) of Assistance
Funeral Support Payment is available through Social Security Scotland. This replaced the DWP Funeral Expenses Payment for applicants in Scotland. Further information on how to access this support for funeral costs is available here:
Funeral Support Payment - My Gov Scot
DWP will continue to deliver the Bereavement Support Payment to applicants living Scotland. Information on how to access this support can be found on the website: Bereavement Support Payment: How it works - GOV.UK.
Under an agreement between the Scottish Government and COSLA, local authorities have removed charges for the burial or cremation of children aged 17 and under. Contact your council for further information.
19) Expenses to meet the needs of people who have no recourse to public funds.
Alternative Source(s) of Assistance
Contact the Home Office for further information.
20) Costs associated with repatriation of a person from Scotland to their home country.
Alternative Source(s) of Assistance
Contact the Consulate or Embassy for the relevant country.
Questions on your rights in the EU? Or your obligations? - Your Europe
Contact the British Consulate in the relevant country for advice.
People who are in the UK unlawfully or their leave has expired should contact the central voluntary departures team to find out what help they can get.
Budgeting Loans: How they work - GOV.UK
Tel: 0300 004 0202
Home Office – Central Voluntary Departures Team
Get help to return home if you’re a migrant in the UK: Overview - GOV.UK
21) Substantial Improvements to private property, for example, external or internal building work, structural work, major roof repairs, central heating installations or replacements, double glazed windows, complete rewiring, external work to link a house up to gas or electricity networks, replacement plumbing, replacement bathrooms, kitchens and any extensive work of a cosmetic nature. This list is not to be considered exhaustive.
Alternative Source(s) of Assistance
Substantial repairs fall out-with the scope of the SWF.
Check whether there are other grants or sources of help available via the local authority such as:
Local Authority Scheme of Assistance.
Housing statistics: Scheme of Assistance - gov.scot
Social Work Services.
Occupational Health.
Other sources of help available:
Care and Repair.
Welcome | Care and Repair Scotland
Energy grants and ways to improve energy efficiency.
Find ways to save energy in your home - GOV.UK
Shelter Scotland
Repairs in your home - Shelter Scotland
Insurance provider.
Mortgage lender.
22) Gardening tools.
Alternative Source(s) of Assistance
Budgeting Loans may be able to help with the cost of gardening tools if required to maintain home.
Contact
Email: swfqueries@gov.scot