Scottish Welfare Fund: statutory guidance - April 2025

5. The Decision Making Process

Recording applications

5.1 Screening questions or eligibility checkers must not be used to deter applicants from making an application for SWF grants. Even if it seems unlikely that the application will be successful, the applicant should not be prevented from applying. A record should be kept of each application (if a crisis grant and community care grant is applied for on one application, these should be treated as individual to ensure timescales for each are met) and the customer notified of the outcome and how a review can be requested. This ensures that each attempt to apply is captured in the statistical data collected and a decision maker has the opportunity to consider the case and apply discretion. Each decision is also the opportunity to refer on to other sources of support that may be available to the applicant and for their circumstances.

Conditions which should be met for an applicant to be awarded a grant

5.2 The key test for a Crisis Grant is the severity of the applicant’s situation and the likely impact on them and their family.

5.3 The key test for a Community Care Grant is retaining or establishing a settled way of life in the community.

5.4 Crisis Grants and Community Care Grants can cover a wide range of personal and dependent family circumstances. Whether a grant can be awarded should depend on four separate stages. If an application fails to satisfy any one of these stages, the application should not proceed to the next stage:

Annex E shows a checklist that can be used as a guide for the process of reviewing an application that is received. The stages are expected to be carried out in the order set out below.

Stage 1 – Initial eligibility checks^[28]

Age/identity/residence

A downward arrow pointing to the next step of the process during eligibility checks.

No fund application may be made by or on behalf of a person who is aged less than 16. To determine residence, the person should be resident in the authority’s area, about to become resident in the authority’s area or homeless. Alternatively the local authority may decide exceptional circumstances justify assistance under residency rules or may provide, through a Crisis Grant, assistance to someone stranded in the local authority area to return home.

Excluded items

A downward arrow pointing to the next step of the process during eligibility checks.

Check that the application is not for an excluded item (see Annex A)

Income

A downward arrow pointing to the next step of the process during eligibility checks.

Check whether the applicant is on a low income or does not have access to their money.

Savings/capital (Community Care Grants only)

A downward arrow pointing to the next step of the process during eligibility checks.

Check that the applicant or their partner does not have savings/capital that excludes them from a grant. (£700 if below pension age and £1200 if above as set out in 8.29).

Savings/capital/other source of help (Crisis Grants only)

A downward arrow pointing to the next step of the process during eligibility checks.

Check that the applicant or their partner does not have savings or capital or some other source of help that they could use instead (only relevant to Crisis Grant applications)

Previous application(s)

A downward arrow pointing to the next step of the process during eligibility checks.

Check if there has been a previous application for the same goods/ services in the last 28 days. If there has, assess whether there has been a relevant change in circumstances since the previous application (see 6.1)

Previous application(s) (Crisis Grants only)

A downward arrow pointing to the next step of the process during eligibility checks.

Check whether an applicant has received three awards in the last 12 month period. If they have, assess whether the circumstances of the current application are exceptional (only relevant for crisis grants - see 7.28)

Universal Credit Support

A downward arrow pointing to the next step of the process during eligibility checks.

Check that the applicant is not being considered for a DWP Hardship Payment, has an application pending for a STBA (Short-Term Benefit Advance) (only relevant to Crisis Grant applications) or is eligible for a Universal Credit (UC) advance – see detail at 2.23 - 2.25.

Please note that applicants do not need to have a National Insurance number to be eligible.

If an applicant is not eligible at the initial stage, they are still entitled to receive a decision on their claim and have the right to request a review. The decision letter shall also contain details of other sources of support and help that may be available to the applicant.

Stage 2 - Meeting the qualifying criteria for a grant^[29]

• Gather evidence to check whether the applicant’s personal circumstances meet the qualifying criteria for the grants. It is recognised that supporting information can help decision makers to make better decisions and ensure the right award is made. If further supporting information is required, this can often be gathered via a quick enquiry with the applicant themselves or a third party such as a family member or support worker. The policy aim is to ensure a proportionate approach.
• Check whether there is more appropriate support available elsewhere within council services to meet this need.
• Check whether other local authority services have already undertaken any assessments which might inform the decision making process.

Stage 3 – Prioritisation of items applied for

5.5 Assess whether, taking the applicant and immediate family’s situation and needs in to account, the items applied for are of sufficient priority to warrant a payment from available funds (see Section 3 of the guidance regarding financial management of welfare funds). Each application should be considered on its own merits.

5.6 Each item in the application should be considered in the context of the applicant’s circumstances. Decision makers should use the matrix below as a guide to assess the priority of each item, taking into account:

• the need for the item;
• any vulnerabilities the applicant may have;
• the consequences to the applicants health and wellbeing should the item
• not be awarded; and
• the effect the award of the item would have on the applicant.

Assessing these combined factors, each item should be given one of the overall priority ratings.

5.7 The following matrix shows the interaction between the elements of prioritisation. Real situations will not fit neatly in to the boxes, but the matrix can be used as a guide for decision makers to help them improve consistency in decision making.

Priority rating: High Most Compelling

• Immediate and extremely severe need
• Highly vulnerable and at immediate risk
• Significant and immediate adverse consequences to wellbeing if grant not awarded
• The item or money from the grant will have a substantial, immediate and sustained effect on the applicant. (Sustained effect element only relevant to Community Care Grants)

Priority rating: High

• Immediate and severe need
• Highly vulnerable
• Significantly adverse consequences of no grant to health / wellbeing
• Immediate and substantial effect of grant

Priority rating: Medium

• Less immediate and less severe
• Moderately vulnerable
• Moderately adverse consequences of no grant to health / wellbeing
• Noticeable effect of grant

Priority rating: Low

• Need is not time critical
• Some resilience in place
• No identifiable consequences of no grant to health / wellbeing
• Minor effect of grant

5.8 If the decision is to make an award, it may be for all or part of what has been applied for and may be an award of goods or cash.

5.9 As noted above, one of the factors that should be considered when assessing the priority of an application, and the items requested, is the vulnerability of an applicant. Some examples of vulnerabilities which would give an application higher priority are set out at Annex C. This is not an exhaustive list and should not be used rigidly to prioritise applications. Reasons for vulnerability may be specific to the individual and may change over time. If there are multiple reasons for considering a person to be vulnerable, they would be given a higher priority.

Stage 4 – checking priority levels applying at time of decision

5.10 Finally, checking the level of priority that the local authority is paying out on that month, set out in 5.7 and whether there is sufficient money available in the budget to pay a grant. The level of priority used should be the priority level in place at the time the decision was made unless a change has been made to the benefit of the applicant (e.g. a lower priority level is now in place). This should also apply to independent review stage.

Crisis Grant or Community Care Grant

5.11 It is for the local authority to determine whether a grant should be made as a Crisis or a Community Care Grant. If an applicant applies for one, the local authority may decide to award the other if it is more appropriate to the applicant’s circumstances.

5.12 Applicants may make an application for a Crisis Grant and a Community Care Grant at the same time if their circumstances make this necessary, for example a person who has left home because of violence and is in need of immediate support and longer term help to set up home.