If you require financial assistance to live in the community or keep your family together, you can apply for a Scottish Welfare Fund Community Care Grant UK online. For example, if you need to relocate due to an issue such as domestic abuse. You do not have to repay the Community Care Grant because it is tax-free. This article covers every bit of information you should know about the Community Care Grant.
Let’s begin…
Community care grant UK
If you have unique needs, the Community Care Grant UK may be able to assist you. Typically, we will present awards in the form of furniture and appliances. If this is not possible, we may offer tax-free cash payments that do not need to be repaid.
Community Care Grants will be assessed within 15 working days, so if you’ve applied in the last few days, please give us some time to consider your claim, since claims are normally processed in the order they’re received. If we require any additional information, we will contact you.
A Community Care Grant UK could assist you in the following ways:
- After being in care, return to the community.
- Rather than going into care, stay at home.
- Set up a residence in the community following an unsettling lifestyle as part of a planned resettlement effort.
- When a prisoner or a young offender is released from prison or on a temporary licence, they need to be looked after.
- Reduce the stress that a family is under.
How to apply for a Community Care Grant UK
The following is a step-by-step process to help you fully understand how to apply for a community care grant in the UK, including online options.
#1. You can apply For Community Care Grant online
Because the application form will drive you to specific questions based on the information you provide, please consider your answers carefully before submitting them. If you click the Save and Leave option at any point during the application, you will be given a reference number and password that you can use to return to the application and finish it later (the password is valid for 30 days). Until you reach the final page and click the submit application button. Your application will not be transmitted to the Scottish Welfare Fund team.
You may also ask your Support Worker to apply for the Community Care Grant online on your behalf.
Telephone Application (Monday to Friday, 9.00 a.m. to noon)
#2. You can Apply For Community Care Grant at local Servicepoint
Any local council service point can provide you with a printed application form. A member of staff will forward your application to the Scottish Welfare Fund team once you have completed and returned it.
Information and evidence
When submitting an application to the Scottish Welfare Fund, it is critical that you include as much information about your position as possible, as this will assist us in making a quicker decision. Please explain why you need this assistance and how getting it will help you or your family get out of the predicament you’re in. Please let us know what you require in terms of things or living expenses.
In order to process your application, we will need verification of your identity and circumstances. It’s also crucial that you include your contact information, preferably a phone number, because we’ll use it to contact you about your application. We will review our records for this information and may contact other organisations in connection with your situation. If we require additional information, we will contact you directly.
If you are receiving assistance from a Social Services Support Worker, a National Health Service Support Worker, or a Money Advice or Welfare Rights Officer, you could ask them to make the claim for you, or at the very least list their contact information so we can obtain more information to back up your need for assistance.
How and when will I be notified?
We will call you and also send you a letter to inform you of our decision. After we receive all of the supporting material we need to assess your application or how you apply for a community care grant, we will notify you of our decision within 15 working days. As a result, it’s critical that you offer as much information as possible while filling out your application. You should also offer proof of your status, including any medical concerns and changes in your living environment. A letter of support from a Council department or an organisation that assists you, your tenancy agreement, or a letter from an NHS professional if you or a member of your family requires further assistance due to medical reasons.
How will I receive the grant?
If you are given a community care grant, you will either be paid the amount of the grant via BACS directly into your bank account, or you will be given an Allpay card with the amount of the grant pre-loaded. Any business that accepts Mastercard payments accepts AllPay cards.
We may occasionally agree with you that a payment be made to your Support worker in order for you to purchase things under their supervision.
What if I disagree with the decision?
If you disagree with our decision, you have the right to request a re-evaluation. To do so, please write or email us within 20 working days of receiving notification of the decision, expressing your reasons for disagreement. We’ll look over your application, especially in light of any extra information you’ve provided. Get back to you as soon as possible with the results.
Who can get a community care grant UK
If you’re 16 or older and have a low income, you may be eligible for a community care grant.
To be eligible, you do not have to be receiving benefits. You’ll be considered low-income if you receive Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance. Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit, or Pension Credit.
A crisis grant is usually only available from the local municipality where you live or are about to move.
What situations can a community care grant help with
You can get a community care grant to help you:
- After being in a hospital, a care facility, or a prison, reintegrate into the community. You must have received care for at least three months or on a consistent basis.
- Rather than entering care, stay in the community. You must demonstrate that receiving a community care grant will help you avoid having to enter care. This could be related to your bodily or mental health, as well as your living situation.
- After an unsettling lifestyle, such as being homeless, establish a home in the community.
- If you or your family are under a great deal of stress, stay at home. Chronic disease or handicap, as well as the collapse of a partnership resulting in the family’s relocation, are examples of extreme pressures.
- Care for someone who has been released from prison or a juvenile detention centre on a temporary basis.
Community care grants can cover a range of situations. So it’s worth applying even if you’re not sure that you qualify.
Challenging a community care grant decision
You can petition your local council to reconsider its judgement if it rejects your application or offers you less than you requested. You must normally request a review of the decision from the council within 20 working days after learning of the original decision.
If you are not okay with the outcome of this review, you can request an independent review from the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO). This must normally be done within 20 working days of receiving the results of the initial evaluation. If you accept the local council’s judgement on your application but are dissatisfied for another reason. If you believe you received poor service, you can file a complaint with the council.
What happens if I am refused a grant or don’t qualify?
You have the right to appeal the decision. This must be within 20 days of obtaining your Scottish Welfare Fund application decision. If you can establish that you have legitimate grounds for not applying within this time frame, you may be granted an extension.
A different decision-maker from the Scottish Welfare Fund Team conducts the first-tier review. The outcome of the first-tier review will be sent to you in writing.
If you are unhappy with our decision after the first-tier review, you have the right to request an independent review from the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO). The SPSO isn’t a member of the council.
Within one month of obtaining our verdict on the first-tier review, you should request an independent review from the SPSO. You may be able to request a review after this in some cases. You should seek counsel from the SPSO.
#1. Competitive Grant – Based on the Merits
This type of grant, sometimes known as “discretionary” funding, is provided through a competitive process that includes proposal selection by a single or group of reviewers. This type of funding is awarded entirely on the basis of the proposal’s merits and is therefore not guaranteed.
Competitive grants include funding for arts and humanities fellowships, various student tuition programmes, and scientific research.
To make your application as competitive as possible, you must first understand the grant’s conditions. You might be able to get any questions answered by speaking with the organisation that provided the funding.
#2. Formula Grant – Based on Predetermined Award
Formula grants, unlike competitive grants, are provided to predefined recipients. The name “formula” refers to the method of allocating grant funds to recipients. More so, formula grants, on the other hand, are not open to competition.
The criteria for this type of funding are by legislation and regulations, and funders must follow them when issuing grants. Typically, funding from formula grants is distributed across the states according to a formula. Then, on a local level, decisions about which initiatives to assist are made, and financing is recurring. All eligible applicants who meet the application process’ basic standards are eligible to receive funds.
Federal contributions to state and local governments for programs such as Medicaid health insurance, education, and transportation infrastructure are examples of formula grants.
So, what exactly does the formula entail?
In a nutshell, it varies depending on the programme. This necessitates a thorough examination of the websites of various government agencies as well as the enabling legislation.
#3. Continuation – Renewal Grants
Continuation grants, as the name implies, give current award recipients the option of extending or renewing their programme funding. According to Grants.gov, this can extend to one or more budget periods to prolong grants that would otherwise expire. Depending on the grant programme, some may only accept applications from current grantees. While others may accept applications from both new applicants and current grantees.
Because continuing applications frequently receive priority for continuation funding grants. It’s worth remembering that forming a collaboration with a currently supported organisation could be useful if you’re a new applicant.
#4. Pass-Through Grants – Issued by a Federal Agency
Pass-through grants are awarded by federal agencies to state agencies or institutions. The money is then distributed to other State agencies, local government entities, or other qualifying groups in accordance with the stipulations of the grant.
States can distribute these monies competitively or non-competitively under this funding arrangement. Depending on the terms and authorising legislation of the primary award. This provides freedom and autonomy to state governments in their utilisation of federal grant funding.
However, potential candidates should keep in mind that they will need to search for and apply for pass-through funds through their state’s grants agency.
The initial authorising agency or institution, referred to as the “primary recipient,” sets the conditions and audit requirements, while the secondary beneficiaries are referred to as “sub-recipients.” The sub-awards are subsequently issued by the primary recipient as competitive or non-competitive awards, depending on the terms and authorizing legislation.
FAQs
Can you apply online for SASSA?
SASSA offers an online application service for those wanting to benefit from one of SASSA’s many grants where you can also check your SASSA application status.
Who is entitled to a crisis loan?
Anyone who does not have enough money to cover unexpected expenses is eligible to apply. You do not need to be receiving benefits or have previously claimed benefits.
How long does SASSA online application take?
SASSA has up to 90 days to process your application. You might hear right away whether your application was successful, or you might need to wait. You will receive a letter sent to the address you provided on the form, informing you of the outcome of your application. TIP!
