Scottish Welfare Fund - community care grants

You might be able to get a community care grant if you need help to live independently, or continue to live independently, in the community. 

You or someone you care for might need help to live in the community if you’re coming from, or at risk of going to: 

• hospital 

• care home 

• hostel or shelter, including women’s aid 

• sheltered housing 

• residential care 

• prison or detention centre 

• supported accommodation. 

You apply to your local council for a community care grant. Grants are discretionary and depend on the local council’s budget – this means you might not get a grant, even if you’re eligible for it. 

If you get a grant, you do not have to pay it back.

Who can get a community care grant

To be eligible for a grant, you must be: 

• aged 16 or over 

• on a low income 

• living in the local council area, about to move there, or homeless. 

You can get a grant even if: 

• you do not have a National Insurance number 

• you’ve got a benefits sanction – the reason for the sanction doesn’t matter 

• you owe money to the local council – for example, council tax or parking fines. 

What counts as a low income

You’ll automatically be considered on a low income if you get: 

• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)  

• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) 

• Income Support 

• Universal Credit 

• Pension Credit. 

There’s no exact figure used to decide if you have a low income. If you do not get one of these benefits, but your income is about the same as someone who does, it’s more likely you can get a grant. 

When assessing your income, the local council can also take other issues into account, such as:  

• homelessness 

• domestic abuse 

• if you cannot access your money 

• the health or income of your partner or dependents. 

If you're from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland  

If you’re a national of a European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland, you can be eligible for the Scottish Welfare Fund if you have: 

• settled status or pre-settled status  

• an outstanding application for the EU Settlement Scheme. 

The EEA includes all EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. 

You do not have to be habitually resident in the UK.

Who cannot get a community care grant

You cannot get a community care grant if you’re: 

• resident in a care home or a hospital in-patient – unless you’re being discharged within 8 weeks 

• lawfully detained – unless you’re on a temporary release or being released within 12 weeks 

• a member of a religious order who’s being fully maintained by it 

• a person subject to immigration control who has no recourse to public funds. 

If you’ve applied for a community care grant before 

You cannot normally get a community care grant if you've applied for the same items or services in the last 28 days, unless your circumstances have changed – for example, if your health has deteriorated. 

There is no limit on the number of community care grants you can get in a year. This is different to the limit on crisis grants – read more about crisis grants.

If you have savings 

You cannot get a community care grant if you or your partner have savings of: 

• over £700 - if you're below State Pension age 

• over £1,200 - if you're above State Pension age.  

What community care grants are for

You could get a community care grant to help you: 

• establish yourself in the community after being in hospital, a care home or prison – you must have been receiving care for at least 3 months or on a regular basis 

• stay in the community instead of going into care – you'll need to show that a grant will help reduce the risk of you having to go into care 

• set up home in the community after an unsettled way of life – for example, if you were homeless 

• ease exceptional pressure on you or your family – for example due to chronic illness or disability, relationship breakdown, or problems with your accommodation 

• care for someone else – if this would help you to keep caring and prevent the person from going into care 

• care for someone on temporary release from prison or a young offenders’ institution – to cover their living expenses while they stay with you. 

Community care grants can cover many situations, so it can be worth applying even if you're not sure that you qualify. 

What costs a community care grant can cover

A community care grant can cover: 

• furniture or household equipment 

• travel costs  

• removal or storage costs  

• installation charges – for example, for a cooker or washing machine  

• connection charges for gas and electricity  

• repair of broken or faulty items or appliances. 

You could also get a grant to help with living expenses if, for example, you’ll be looking after someone on temporary release from prison or a young offenders' institution. 

What costs a community care grant cannot cover

A grant cannot be made for: 

• any expense which occurs outside the UK  

• school costs such as uniforms, travel or meals – more about help with school costs 

• court fees – more about help with legal costs 

• rent in advance or rent deposits – more about help with private renting costs 

• Debts (except pre-paid fuel meters) - more about dealing with debts 

• Medical costs – more about help with health costs

• expenses that could be covered by a Best Start Grant or a Funeral Support Payment.

How much is a community care grant

There’s no minimum or maximum amount you can get for a community care grant. 

A grant for items such as furniture or white goods should include delivery and installation or fitting costs. 

How a community care grant is paid

Most local councils provide goods directly, instead of paying cash. If the local council does give a cash award, this might be by bank transfer, Paypoint or high street vouchers. 

Local councils can decide to award you a grant but pay it later – for example, if you’re planning to move into a new home.  

How a decision is made

Local councils give each crisis grant application a priority level:  

• high most compelling 

• high 

• medium 

• low.

Local councils decide which priority levels of application they can afford to pay each month. 

For example, a local council might decide that in some months, it can only afford to pay ‘high most compelling’ priority applications. At other times, it might also be able to pay high, medium and low priority applications. 

To decide on the priority level of your application, your local council will look at: 

• how much you need the grant 

• how vulnerable you are 

• what's likely to happen if you don't get a grant. 

Examples of factors that might increase your vulnerability are: 

• having a chronic illness 

• being disabled 

• being a single parent 

• being addicted to alcohol or drugs. 

There are many things that might count as vulnerability, so it can be worth applying and telling the local council about your situation.

When will a decision be made

Your local council should normally make a decision within 15 working days of getting all the information they need. Sometimes it might take longer if the local council is dealing with many applications. Your local council might let you know how long you’ll wait once you apply.

How to apply for a community care grant

You should check how your local council accepts Scottish Welfare Fund applications. You might be able to apply: 

• online 

• by phone 

• by filling in a paper form. 

It's important to include all the relevant information on the application form and explain what could happen if you don't get a grant. Find out how to apply for the Scottish Welfare Fund in your local council on mygov.scot. 

If you need extra help to apply

The local council should offer the option to apply face to face if you’re vulnerable or have support needs which means you might struggle to apply in another way.

If you are disabled and cannot apply in the usual ways, the local council should consider reasonable adjustments. If they don’t, it might be discrimination. Read more about what to do if you've been refused reasonable adjustments.

Challenge a Scottish Welfare Fund decision

If your local council refuses your application, or you're given less than you applied for, you can ask the council to look again at the decision.  

You normally need to ask for a review within 20 working days of the original decision. You might be able to make a late request if you have a good reason. 

The local council should make its review decision within 15 working days. 

If you disagree with the local council’s review decision, you can apply to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) for an independent review. You normally need to ask for an independent review within 1 month of getting the local council’s review decision. If you miss the deadline, you should contact the SPSO to explain why. You can read more about independent reviews on the SPSO website. 

How to make a complaint

If you’re unhappy with how the local council handled your application – for example, if you feel you were treated badly or had bad service – you can complain using your local council’s complaint procedure. Find out how to contact your local council on mygov.scot. 

If you’ve used the local council’s complaints procedure and you disagree with the outcome, you can complain to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO). Find out how to complain to the SPSO on their website.

If you need help

You can get help from an adviser to:  

• apply to the Scottish Welfare Fund 

• challenge a decision 

• make a complaint. 

Find out how to contact an adviser in Scotland. 

If you don’t have enough money to live on, check if you can get help with the cost of living. 

If you can't manage to feed yourself or your family, you might be able to get emergency help from a local foodbank. Find out more about foodbanks.