WIREDGOV

An Official Statistics Publication for Scotland.

During the first three months of 2015/16, nearly £8 million has been awarded through the Scottish Welfare Fund. This was 23% of the £35.2 million available for 2015/16, two percentage points less than at the same time last year, when 25% of the available budget had been spent.

Scotland’s Chief Statistician today released statistics on the Scottish Welfare Fund covering the period from 1 April 2013 to 30 June 2015. The Scottish Welfare Fund provides a safety net to households in a disaster or emergency and helps people set up home or stay in the community rather than being in care.

The Scottish Welfare Fund comprises of Community Care Grants – which help people to live independently – and Crisis Grants, which provide a safety net in a disaster or emergency. Between April 2015 and June 2015, around 11,000 awards for Community Care Grants were made, averaging around £560 per award. The awards were typically for white goods, furnishings and floor coverings. During the quarter, 61% of Community Care Grants applications which were successful.

Between April 2015 and June 2015, around 24,000 Crisis Grants were awarded, averaging around £75 per award. For Crisis Grants, most expenditure was on food, essential heating costs and other living expenses. Overall, 71% of applications were successful.

Since the scheme began in April 2013, 164,000 households have been helped by the Scottish Welfare Fund, with awards totalling £73 million to 30 June 2015.

The figures released today were produced by independent statistical staff free from any political interference, in accordance with professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Notes To Editors

The full statistical publication is available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Social-Welfare/swf

This publication contains: an overview of who has been helped by the scheme; details on the processing times for applications; information on what the Scottish Welfare Fund has been spent on and household analyses. Local authority analyses and details of the review process are also provided.

Official statistics are produced by professionally independent statistical staff – more information on the standards of official statistics in Scotland can be accessed at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/About

On 1 April 2013, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) abolished two elements of the Social Fund - Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans - and transferred funds previously spent on them to Scottish Ministers. In its place, the Scottish Government established the Scottish Welfare Fund (SWF). The Scottish Welfare Fund is a national scheme run by local authorities, based on guidance from Scottish Ministers. The guidance has been developed in partnership with COSLA, local authorities and other stakeholders.