Scottish Welfare Fund Statistics

30th January 2019

From when the Scottish Welfare Fund scheme began on 1 April 2013 until 30 September 2018, 316,095 individual households have received awards totalling £181.6 million.

Scotland's Chief Statistician today released statistics on the Scottish Welfare Fund covering the period from 1 April 2013 to 30 September 2018. The statistics showed that a third of households receiving a Scottish Welfare Fund award were families with children, while just over half were single person households with no children.

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.

In the latest quarter from July to September 2018, local authorities received 16,735 applications for Community Care Grants, and awarded £5.8 million for items such as floor coverings, furniture and kitchen appliances. During the same quarter, local authorities received 44,530 applications for Crisis Grants, and awarded £2.4 million for items such as food and essential heating costs.

In total local authorities were allocated £33 million for Scottish Welfare Fund awards in 2018/19, and have an estimated additional £2.3 million in underspend carried forward from previous financial years. By September 2018, 47% of these available funds had been spent, the same proportion as at September 2017.

The full statistical publication is available at -

https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Social-Welfare/swf

This publication contains: an overview of number of applications and awards for Community Care Grants and Crisis Grants; 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.