Scottish Welfare Fund - Crisis Grants and Community Care Grants
The Scottish Welfare Fund is a discretionary scheme administered by local authorities which aims to:
provide a safety net in an emergency when there is an immediate threat to health and safety through the provision of Crisis Grants.
enable independent living or continued independent living, preventing the need for institutional care through the provision of Community Care Grants.
How to apply
Apply online for a Crisis Grant or phone 01738 476900 (Option 2).
Apply online for a Community Care Grant or phone 01738 476900 (Option 1), alternatively we can send a paper application to you.
Please note that all inbound and outbound calls to our teams are recorded for quality and monitoring purposes.
Crisis Grants and Community Care Grants are given in cash or goods and do not need to be paid back.
Who can apply?
In order to be considered for a Crisis Grant or Community Care Grant, you must be aged 16 years or over. You cannot be considered for a payment if you are from abroad and your residence permit states "no recourse to public funds".
Crisis Grants are payable :
To help people experiencing a disaster such as a fire or a flood.
To help people who need help in an emergency such as having no money left due to an unexpected expense.
Crisis Grants are cash awards and do not need to be paid back. Any household can apply as often as required and 3 awards (single household) or 6 awards (couple household) are normally paid in any 12 month rolling period however further awards can be paid if the household is experiencing exceptional circumstances that can be evidenced and are no fault of the household e.g. an unexpected expense.
What can I apply for?
You can get a Crisis Grant for day to day living expenses for essential items such as food, heating costs, nappies, toiletries and help with the cost of travelling home if you are stranded. Household goods may also be considered in the event of a disaster.
Community Care Grants are payable in the following circumstances:
To enable qualifying individuals who are leaving care or imprisonment to establish or maintain a settled home, where without a grant there is a risk that the individual will not be able to do so.
To enable qualifying individuals to establish or maintain a settled home after being homeless, or otherwise living an unsettled way of life.
To enable qualifying individuals to maintain a settled home, where without a grant there is a risk of the individual needing to go into a care institution.
To enable qualifying individuals to maintain a settled home in a situation where that individual, or another individual in the same household, is facing exceptional pressure.
To assist a person to care for a qualifying individual who has been released from prison or a young offenders' institution on temporary release.
What can I apply for?
Applications can be made for essential items such as household goods, travel costs, removal expenses and connection charges for gas and electricity.
Please note that if you are moving out with the Perth & Kinross Council Local Authority area, then applications should be made to the Local Authority whose area you intend to reside in. You can find details of all Scottish Local Authorities on the mygov.scot website.
What about savings?
A Crisis Grant will not be awarded if you have any resources available (there is some discretion in limited circumstances).
A Community Care Grant will not be awarded if you, or your partner, have savings over £700 (£1,200 if you are above State Pension Credit age).
Whether you are applying for a Crisis Grant or a Community Care Grant, you will normally be asked to provide evidence to support your application. This helps to make sure that the right decision is made. Evidence that may be required includes:
Screenshots from UC Journal
Tenancy agreement
Bank, building society, Post Office or credit union statement
Wage slips
Lost property or crime reference number (contact Police Scotland by dialling 101)
Receipts
The target processing time for Crisis Grants is as soon as possible with a maximum of 24 hours (within the scope of working days). Applications received after 16.45 on any working day is treated as received the next working day. Please note that Public Holidays and weekends are not working days. If required evidence is not received then a decision will be made by the end of the next working day.
We also aim to process Community Care Grants within 15 working days from receipt of all required evidence. Please note that working days do not include weekends or public holidays.
The amount of funding each council gets to spend each year on the Scottish Welfare Fund is limited and, unfortunately, there is not enough money to help everyone who applies. Your application will therefore be given a high, medium or low "priority rating" according to your individual circumstances and needs. There is also statutory guidance published by the Scottish Government which needs to be followed when applications are decided.
Grants will be awarded according to your priority rating and whether you have no alternative means of paying for what you need.
The budget priority ratings for Perth & Kinross Council are decided at the start of each month and can vary on a month to month basis depending on the money available.
Priority Ratings for 2023 - 2024
Month
Community Care Grants
Crisis Grants
April
High
High
May
High
High
June
High
High
July
High
High
Priority ratings for 2022 - 2023
Month
Community Care Grants
Crisis Grants
November
High
High
December
High
High
January
High
High
February
High
High
March
High
High
How will the grant be paid?
Community Care Grants are usually paid in kind.
This means that if you make an application for domestic items, it is likely that you will receive goods rather than getting a cash payment or money paid into an account.
Crisis Grants for living expenses in an emergency can be paid by the following methods:
PayIt - by electronic bank transfer direct into your bank account. You can use Payit to receive money in five simple steps:
Click the 'claim funds' secure link and complete a two-step verification process
Select which bank you would like to get your funds paid into
Securely log in to your Online or Mobile banking following your normal Bank's security procedure
Select which account you wish to be paid into and receive payment confirmation
You can also enter your bank details manually, if you would prefer to do this instead of steps 3-5, though you will need to have these details to hand. You must enter your details exactly as they are shown on your bank card/account.
PayPoint text service - We can text a code to your mobile phone to take to any PayPoint store where you will be able to redeem your cash award. You can search for your nearest PayPoint store.
Some items are excluded from being paid out by the Scottish Welfare Fund, we have noted these below alongside alternative sources of help and support.
Excluded item/expense/circumstance
Alternative source of help
A need which occurs outside the United Kingdom or expenses to meet the needs of people who have no recourse to public funds.
If a need arises out with the UK or if you have no recourse to public funds then you should seek advice from the Home Office or the Scottish Refugee Council. You can get help from Scottish Women's Aid, if you are experiencing domestic abuse.
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.
If you are in receipt of a qualifying benefit or have income below a certain amount you may qualify for free school meals.
If you are in receipt of income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment & Support Allowance or Income Support and your child is under sixteen and attending a PKC primary or secondary school then you may qualify for a school clothing grant.
Check our school travel policy for information on travelling to school. You may be able to apply to the Access to Learning Fund if you're studying a higher education course.
If your child has a disability then you may be eligible for a grant from The Family Fund.
Expenses in connection with court (legal proceedings) such as legal fees, court fees, fines, costs, damages, subsistence or travelling expenses.
Removal or storage charges if the person is being rehoused following a compulsory purchase order, a redevelopment or closing order or a compulsory exchange of tenancies.
You will be able to access advice on what to do in these circumstances from Shelter Scotland or from our Housing area
A television or a radio or a licence, aerial or rental costs,costs of purchasing renting or installing a telephone (unless this is for the purpose of a community alarm), mobile phones and any call charges.
If you or the person you care for is over 75 years old, you may qualify for a free TV licence or if you or anyone you live with is blind or severely visually impaired then you may qualify for a 50% reduction in the cost of your TV licence.
If you are in receipt of certain disability benefits you may qualify for help with the cost of your telephone line rental.
Repair to Local Authority property or the property of social landlords who maintain property on behalf of the tenant.
Please contact your landlord for advice or assistance:
If you have a disability, you may get financial support through the DWP's Access to Work Scheme.
If you are getting certain benefits, you could get a Budgeting Loan from the Social Fund for expenses connected with looking for or starting work (including childcare costs).
Money / debt advice
ScotWest Credit Union provides a free, confidential and independent Money Advice service. Telephone Helpline: 01738 450580
The Money Advice Service also provides free, confidential and independent advice on a broad range of financial matters including Money Advice, debt, home insurance and other financial products and services, including bank accounts.
Our Adult learning hub can provide support and assistance with budgeting and financial education
Welfare benefit advice
Our Welfare Rights Team provides free, confidential and impartial advice and information on welfare benefits by emailing WelfareRights@pkc.gov.uk or phoning 01738 476900. The team also provides a free appeals representation service.
Housing issues
If you have any housing issues then you should discuss these with your landlord:
You will also be able to access free, confidential and independent advice from Shelter Scotland.
Home contents insurance
Making sure that you are covered with a suitable home contents insurance policy means that you don't have to worry too much about the cost of replacing your belongings if they are lost or damaged. You can get information from the Money Advice Service.
If you are a Housing Association or Housing Co-operative tenant then you should contact your individual landlord regarding affordable home contents insurance.
Moving house
You may get a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) for removal expenses or a deposit if you are moving to cheaper property.
You may be entitled to help with a deposit under Perth & Kinross Council's Rent Bond Guarantee Scheme.
You may also get a Budgeting Loan from the Social Fund for removal expenses or rent in advance if you are getting certain benefits.
By participating in waste minimisation, you can help the environment by limiting the amount of waste that is produced by reducing, reusing and recycling.
Review the decision
You can also ask for the decision to be looked at again. Information on how to request a review can be found on the SPSO | Scottish Welfare Fund website.
