The Discretionary Fund is available to students who are experiencing financial difficulties at the time of application. The fund gives out grants that don’t have to be paid back. The purpose of these awards is to help students with basic living expenses, study-related charges, and transportation to and from university. Tuition costs are not allowed to be paid with funds. Let’s delve deeper into the tracking discretionary Assistance fund track Wales decision.
What is the Discretionary Assistance Fund
Until April 2013, the Social Fund, a UK-wide scheme, was available to assist those on benefits with emergency needs. Local welfare funds have been in existence since April 2013. For budgeting loans, there is only one nationwide plan (see below).
The Welsh Assembly has established a national plan in Wales. The Discretionary Assistance Fund for Wales track decision website has more information.
What are budgeting loans?
The social fund consisted of a number of elements:
- Community Care Grants for people with special needs (abolished April 2013)
- Crisis Loans (abolished April 2013)
- Budgeting Loans (still available)
Individuals who need to spread the expense of one-time expensive things such furniture/household equipment, clothing/footwear, home moving charges, and maintenance/improvements can apply for Budgeting Loans. Therefore, budgeting Loans are not a right; they must be paid back. If you’re thinking about using one of these lending programs, you should obtain professional assistance.
Types of Discretionary Assistance Fund Wales
#1. Emergency Assistance Payment
This is a payment that you may need following an emergency, as the name implies. It’s a grant to help with essential needs after an emergency, if you’ve had a disaster in your homes, such as a flood or fire, or if you’ve been in significant financial distress due to delays in benefit payments. Food, gas and electricity, clothing, and emergency transport will all be covered by the money. It’s not to cover long-term financial problems.
If you are over the age of 16 and require assistance with expenses due to an emergency or disaster, you may be eligible for a grant. To be eligible, you do not need to get any benefits. In most cases, you can only receive three grants in a rolling 12-month period. Also, you will not be paid if you have received one in the previous 28 days. All rewards are given on a case-by-case basis and are based on your present circumstances and needs.
Emergency Assistance Payment and coronavirus
For people who have been affected by a coronavirus, the normal restrictions and greater flexibility have been introduced to 31 March 2023.
The 28-day restriction has been lifted and 5 grants are allowed in a 12 month period if the emergency is caused by a coronavirus.
Help may be awarded if coronavirus has caused:
- lost income with help needed for the interim period whilst making a new benefit claim or changes to an existing claim
- a drop in income and you are unable to get benefits like Universal Credit. For example the coronavirus may have meant you or your partner has lost their job and lost all their income
- extra essential living expenses due to having to spend more on gas, electric and food as a result of self-isolating and impact of children being home
Removal of the £20 Universal Credit uplift
If you are in financial hardship due to losing £20 per week from your UC and as a result are in emergency financial need, you can apply for help. Please state whether the emergency need has been by the removal of the UC uplift. As with applications due to coronavirus, if the crisis is due to the removal of the UC uplift a maximum of 5 emergency assistance payments can be until March 2023.
#2. Individual Assistance Payment
Important: An Individual Assistance Payment can only be if your application is by an approved partner organization.
Some Swansea Council departments, such as the Tenancy Support Unit, housing associations, and a number of advisory organizations and charities, will be partners and may be able to help you if you need this award owing to your circumstances.
Individual Assistance Payment does not provide a monetary award. Instead, you will be exactly what you require based on your assessment. This can include white goods (such as a washing machine, refrigerator, or cooker) as well as domestic furnishings.
To be eligible, you must meet all three requirements:
- Meet all the following:
- be resident in Wales
- not be currently in prison (unless being discharged in 6 weeks)
- have no other access to savings or funding
- not be resident in a care home (unless being discharged in 6 weeks)
- be 16 or over
- not be a member of a fully religious order.
- Get one of the following qualifying benefits:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Meet one of the following:
- you are leaving a care home or institution to live independently in the community after a minimum of 3 months in care (for example in hospital, a care home, prison, foster care)
- In addition want to stay living in the community rather than having to go into an institution
- you are setting up home after an unsettled way of life
- Also, you are facing an exceptional and urgent pressure for example a relationship breakdown or domestic violence
- you are going to care for a prisoner or young offender released on a temporary license.
How early years providers will receive Discretionary Assistance fund Track funding
We will finance all early years settings in their area that provide a place for each DAF-eligible kid at a fixed annual fee of £615 per eligible child.
The Discretionary Assistance fund wales track decision will not be to negate any other money we may offer for children who are eligible for the DAF.
The Discretionary Assistance fund tracking is paid in one lump payment per qualified child once a year. The local authority will ask parents to choose the main setting if a child is eligible for the DAF splits their free entitlement across two or more providers.
This is where the child’s Discretionary Assistance fund decision will be by the local government.
If a child who receives DAF transfers from one setting to another within the same financial year. The new setting is not eligible to receive Discretionary Assistance fund tracking funds for this kid.
The local authority will not reclaim the Discretionary Assistance fund tracking received by the initial setup.
When a kid lives in one authority area but attends a provider in another, the provider’s local authority is responsible for financing the DAF and eligibility checks for the child.
The DAF is available to all early years providers who are to receive funding for three and four-year-olds’ early entitlement education.
What is a Bacs payment?
An electronic transfer of monies from one UK bank account to another is Bacs payment.
One of the most prevalent types of bank-to-bank transfers in the UK is the Bacs payment.
In the United Kingdom, a Bacs payment is one of the most common bank-to-bank transfers. Direct Debit, in which one party has been given authority to withdraw money from another party’s bank account. Direct Credit, in which one party deposits money in the other party’s account, are the two basic types of Bacs payment.
What does Bacs mean and what does it stand for?
‘Bankers Automated Clearing Services is the abbreviation for ‘Bankers Automated Clearing Services.’ Pay. The UK, a retail payments authority that also manages Faster Payments and the Image Clearing System for cheques, operates and manages Bacs payment services. Direct Debit payments accounted for 4.5 billion in 2020, while Direct Credit payments accounted for over 2 billion.
Bank-to-bank payments can also be through Faster Payments and CHAPS, in addition to Bacs. Faster Payments enables near-real-time transfers between UK bank accounts. CHAPS, on the other hand, is a same-day payment system for high-value transactions (e.g., for buying property).
What is Direct Debit?
A Direct Debit is an instruction to a bank by a consumer authorizing an organization to take funds from their account. Payment amounts and dates must be to the consumer in advance.
A customer authorizes this debit by filling out a Direct Debit Mandate form, which can be a paper form or an internet web page.
Once the consumer has been authorized, your firm can collect payments from them without having to wait for them to act.
The Direct Debit Guarantee protects customers from fraudulent payments, making it the safest method of payment in the UK. Direct Debit has long been seen to be a payment method reserved for major organizations.
FAQs
Who can claim DAF?
Eligibility. Three and four-year-olds will be eligible for the DAF if they meet both of the following criteria: the child is in receipt of child disability living allowance (DLA) the child receives free early education.
How can Ehcp funding be used?
The budget can be used to buy a range of services that your family is currently receiving, including equipment, transport, respite, and assistance with accessing the community. It can also be to buy new support and provision, as long as it helps to meet the outcomes that have been upon in your child’s EHC plan.
Can I claim DLA if my child has Ehcp?
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is a benefit for children with a disability or condition. Also, this can be even if your child has not had a formal diagnosis. More so, it may be the case that if your child’s educational needs are enough to be eligible for an EHC plan, they may also be able to receive DLA.
