D&G Council Update on Scottish Welfare Fund

At the meeting of the Welfare Reform Sub Committee of Dumfries and Galloway Council on 16th February, Members will hear a report on the Scottish Welfare Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments.
The report details the 2015/16 position of the Scottish Welfare Fund (SWF), Community Care Grants (CCG) and Crisis Grants (CG). The level of applications for both CCG and CG has reduced in comparison with the same period in 2014/15; however, the number of awards has increased for CCG with 56% of applications being awarded. Due to the reduced levels of applications the priority level for making awards has been further reduced from medium to low priority. This reduction in priority level means claimants will be eligible for higher payments or more goods. Processing times have also reduced for Crisis Grants, and, at the current level, should meet the Scottish Government’s current target processing time of one day.
The general feedback from customers of the Community Care Grants services continues to be very good. The average number of days to deliver items from the date of an award being made is 3.5 days. Customer satisfaction with the goods fulfilment also remains high, with applicants, which were contacted following the delivery of goods, stating that “Everything was fine, and well fitted, and commenting on the great speed of the service.
During December 2015 the region was badly affected by storms which resulted in many homes being flooded. This resulted in a number of grants for both CG and CCG payments. Following these there has been 9 awards of Crisis Grants, with £4,117 spent on assistance. Awarded items included white goods (washing machines, fridge freezers and tumble dryers), household carpeting, living room and bedroom furniture and also living expenses and money to replace clothing lost in the floods.
In addition to the above, members of the team also provided support on the ground to both Newton Stewart and Carsphairn, assisting people affected with both advice and assistance with applications for funding.
A total of £1,152,681 has either been paid out or committed to discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) for 2015/16. The demand for DHP has increased during 215/16, with an average of 215 applications received per month, compared to210 in 2014/15, however, with amended policy, the level of spend has recently been reduced.
The DWP and Scottish Government funding allocation for 2015/16 was £975,073, therefore, at 31 December 2015 the required funds from reserves to meet the current spend is £177k. A report to this committee on 8 October 2015 estimated an additional spend of £217k for 2015/16, therefore the Council is on track to spend under this estimate.
Chair of the Welfare Reform Sub Committee, Councillor Colin Smyth said: “The Scottish Welfare Fund is providing an invaluable support from the council locally to people who need it urgently. Crisis Grants provide a safety net in the event of a disaster or emergency. Community Care Grants help people to live independently, in their own homes.
One of our Council’s priorities is supporting vulnerable people and this fund helps us to do that effectively and rapidly. Customers can get a decision on these grants very quickly, generally within 2 working days, and officers can come out to communities to help with applications to the fund. It should be noted, however, that the funds are aimed at people who do not have alternative means of paying for what they need. This is a limited fund and certain criteria must be met to qualify for an award.”