Local Welfare Provision Objectives Provide those supporting - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Local Welfare Provision Objectives Provide those supporting vulnerable people with details of South Tynesides Local Welfare Provision scheme covering: Criteria Support that will be provided How people can apply Equip you
Area Characteristics Community Care grants
Crisis loans
issued at local Jobcentre Plus
Allowance, Pension Credit or Income Related Employment and Support Allowance (or likely to be in receipt of these within 6 weeks)
slide)
separately)
accommodation, and there is a need for help (as a consequence of length of stay, intensity of support whilst accommodated) to establish in the community.
Establishing in the community after being in care
family or someone they are looking after will enter institutional or residential accommodation.
At risk of going into care
that goes beyond the normal pressures of being on low
issues combined
Part of a family under exceptional pressure
be in process of setting up a home, and have a resettlement programme with support worker
Setting up home as part of a planned resettlement programme
consequence of looking after someone released from custody on temporary licence
Helping to care for a prisoner/young offender on temporary licence
member who is ill, attend a relative’s funeral or visit a child who is with the other parent pending court decision
Needing travel expenses
in care home or hospital do not qualify
benefit payment
support following previous application
household items) or emergency (for living expenses)
significant damage to, or destruction of, or loss of possessions
large flood, gas explosion, chemical leak, large fire)
damage or serious risk to health and safety
losses or all damage)
Grant awarded – applicant falls into “help to establish themselves in the community following a stay in care”
Grant denied – Mr I has not been in hospital long enough to qualify under “help to establish themselves in the community following a stay in care”, and a washing machine does not help him establish himself in the community
Mr F has had problems with alcohol and drugs for 20 years since he left schools. He has always managed to look after himself, but his cooker recently broke and he can’t afford takeaways and his mum feeds him and brings food around. The situation is making him depressed and he applies for a grant for a cooker.
Grant denied – there is no foreseeable risk that Mr F will be admitted to residential or institutional accommodation in the near future.
Miss H applied for a grant to meet the cost of a cooker, freezer, chest of drawers, tumble drier, table and chairs and some bedding and curtains. Miss H had been living in a Housing Association property for nearly two years with her 5 year old
and freezer had broken (although she still had a fridge); she had little bedding, and the family lacked the other items she had applied for, meaning they were eating microwave meals on trays, whilst their clothes were stored in piles on the floor. Miss H was regularly visiting her parents for meals, who lived 10 minutes away via a regular bus service.
Grant denied – the application is considered against the “family under exceptional pressure” category - whilst Miss H is clearly under some pressure, it is not considered to be exceptional, and the help being offered her by her parents mitigates this pressure
Mrs R fled the family home and her violent husband and moved directly into a furnished flat. She has been to see the local advice centre a few times about her career options and access by her husband to her children. She applies for a grant for clothes as she fled her husband with just the clothes she was wearing at the time.
Grant denied – basic advice from an advice centre does not constitute a resettlement programme for the purposes of “setting up home as part of a planned resettlement programme”.
Mr H was sleeping rough for 3 months until he was taken into a local hostel. His needs were assessed, and he was referred to a doctor and for bereavement
was given careers guidance. After 4 months support he is ready to move on, and a housing association property has been found for him. He is now to be supported by the association’s floating support team, who will set targets for Mr H over the next three months, and will visit fortnightly. Mr H applies for a cooker, TV, fridge, sofa and washing machine.
Grant approved – Mr H qualifies against the “setting up home as part of a planned resettlement programme following an unsettled way of life” – he has clearly had an unsettled way of life through sleeping rough, and whilst the support he receives has reduced, the floating support and regular visits constitutes a planned resettlement programme. Note that a TV would not be funded by the grant!
Ms F had recently moved into her privately rented flat, after staying in a hostel for 4
face returning to the area and stayed at the hostel as a temporary arrangement until a housing association found her somewhere else to live. In her application Ms F states she feels she was setting up home after a period without a settled way of life, as part of a planned programme of resettlement. She also provided a letter to this effect from her tenancy support worker. Ms F applies for a grant for a bed, washing machine, fridge, settee, saucepans, kitchen utensils, and curtains.
Grant denied – Ms F’s way of life prior to moving into her new flat is not deemed to be sufficiently unsettled, as she only spent 4 weeks in the hostel, and there is no evidence that the traumatic incident has impacted on her ability to settle into her new tenancy
Mr K lives alone. He has applied for a crisis payment as he has no food in the house and his next benefit payday is in another five days time. He spent his benefit on a cooker repair. He’s just managed on what food he already had in the house, which had all gone. He has £65 in a bank account, which he is saving towards his gas bill, which is due in 10 weeks time. If he can’t pay his bill he will be cut off. Refused – this is not a short term need as Mr K has £65 available now Mr S is a rough sleeper. He was in hospital overnight after being mugged of his remaining money, and has given a clear description of the incident to the police. He has gone to stay with a friend but they cannot afford to feed him. Mr S is due his next benefit payment in 3 days time and has no other money. Approved – this is an immediate short term need as a consequence of a provable emergency, and Mr S has no other means of support, and lack of food for 3 days is considered a health and safety risk
as, two days ago, he had been cooking chips in a pan of oil on his cooker. This had led to a fire causing considerable damage to his kitchen and some of its contents when he had gone to another room and fallen asleep for half an hour. The pan caught fire, destroyed the top of the cooker and the pans, and the kitchen walls were smoke damaged. The wiring on the cooker had melted, and an electrician friend had removed the wiring for safety reasons. Despite cleaning, the walls, ceiling and fridge are badly stained and smell strongly of smoke. Mr. A is currently feeding himself through takeaways. Mr. A has no household insurance. Rejected – this is not considered a disaster as it is a localised event, and Mr A does not face a health and safety risk as he is able to feed himself