The Social Fund is a system of grants and loans managed by the Social Security Agency to you help you cope with extra costs that cannot be covered from your weekly benefit entitlement. These are:
• Community Care Grant
• Budgeting Loan
• Crisis Loan
There is no automatic entitlement to above loans and grants and each application is considered on its merit. There are other payments that can be made in particular circumstances:
• Sure Start Maternity Grant
• Cold Weather Payment
• Funeral Expenses Payment
• Winter Fuel Payment
Community Care Grants:
Community Care Grants are intended to help people in difficult circumstances cope with expenses. This includes:
• moving out of care into the community
• easing a domestic crisis
• staying out of care – hospital or other care
• moving to suitable accommodation
• visiting someone who is ill
The following qualifying criteria applies to most lone parents:
Families under pressure as a result of marriage or relationship breakdown, lone parenthood, a sudden traumatic experience such as the death of a family member, domestic violence, low income, mental stress, anxiety or
depression. As many of these circumstances will apply to lone parents we believe most lone parents should consider applying for a grant. A grant does not have to be paid back. You must be getting Income Support or Income-Based Jobseeker’s Allowance to be able to claim a Community Care Grant.
You can claim for a range of items including:
• Basic furniture such as beds, table, chairs and wardrobes
• Basic appliances including a cooker, fridge and washing machine
• Bedding and soft furnishings
• Cleaning and cooking utensils
• Moving expenses including fares and storage charges
• Clothing and footwear
• Expenses that occur because of a disability
• Minor repairs, redecoration or home improvements
• Connection charges
• Storage charges for furniture
• Fuel connection costs
• Heavy Laundry needs
Reviews:
Many applications are initially turned down but we recommend that you do not give up here, you should contact us for help with getting the decision looked at again - this is called a review.
Many review decisions make an award of a grant – you need to ask for a review within 28 days of the decision. If a grant is not awarded at review stage you can ask that a Social Fund Inspector from the Office of the Social Fund Commissioner looks at the decision. The Office of the Social Fund Commissioner is independent of the Social Security Agency and makes awards in many cases and deals with most cases within two weeks. We recommend you seek advice if your application has been turned down – our Advice Workers can help you fill in the application form, draft a review letter and help you deal with correspondence from the Office of the Social Fund Commissioner.
Gingerbread’s Advice Service has found that most of the lone parents we deal with will be entitled to grants from the Social Fund. A Community Care Grant does not have to be paid back.
Budgeting Loans:
You can apply for a Budgeting Loan when you have been getting Income Support or Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance for six months – the loan can be used to pay for household items or to pay off credit debts. Budgeting Loans will have to be paid back from your Income Support and you should bear this in mind before applying.
There is no automatic entitlement to a loan and the decision on whether or not you qualify is based on specific criteria such as how long you have been getting Income Support, how much you already owe the Social Fund and how many children you have rather than the discretion of the Social Fund.
Loans can be awarded for:
• furniture and household equipment
• clothing and footwear
• rent in advance and/or removal expenses
• improvement, maintenance and security of your home
• travelling expenses
• expenses to do with starting work or looking for work
• to repay credit or debts or hire purchase debts
You just have to tick a box on the form for one of the above categories and you do not need to go into the kind of detail that is needed on a Community Care Grant form.
Loans from the Social Fund are interest free and therefore are a more affordable option than commercial credit. The level of repayments can often be reduced if you feel that they are too high – contact us for details.
Crisis Loans:
A Crisis Loan is an urgent payment that can be made to anyone who does not have enough money to meet their immediate needs. The loan should be paid when it is the only way of preventing a serious risk to the health or safety
of you or a member of your family.
Crisis Loans are interest free and you do not have to be on Income Support to apply – they are repaid in the same way as Budgeting Loans as described above.
You can apply for a Crisis Loan if you have had a crisis such as a fire or a burglary for example or if you have lost your money or are waiting for a benefit to be assessed – you will need to show you do not have enough money for
you and your family’s immediate living expenses or for an essential item such as a cooker or fridge for example.
Our Advice Workers can give you more information and can give you advice on your options if you have applied and been turned down. They can direct you to other sources of help as appropriate.
Sure Start Maternity Grant:
This is a one-off grant of £500 paid to a woman who is due to have, or have just had, or adopted, a baby. You can
apply if you get one of the following benefits:
• Income Support or Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Working Tax Credit which includes the disability or severe disability element
• Child Tax Credit - where it includes more than the Family Element
You can claim from 11 weeks before the week your baby is due, until 3 months after the birth. You will need to show you have received advice from a health professional such as a G.P., midwife, or Health Visitor on your health and the
health and welfare needs of your baby to qualify for the Sure Start Maternity Grant. This is usually done by having the relevant health professional sign and stamp the form. A Sure Start Maternity Grant does not have to be paid back.
Funeral Expenses Payment
This is a one off payment designed to meet certain funeral expenses. If you have become a lone parent as a result of your partner’s death or if you have lost a child, you can claim this grant if you get one of the following benefits:
• Income Support or Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Housing Benefit
• Child Tax Credit - where it includes more than the Family Element
• Working Tax Credit where a disability or severe disability element is included in the award
The deceased person should have been your partner or a former partner or child, or a close relative and it is deemed to be reasonable for you to accept responsibility for the funeral. You can claim any time from the date of death up to three months after the funeral. The grant does not have to be paid back but it might be recoverable from the deceased person’s estate – an insurance policy for example.
Cold Weather Payments
A cold weather payment of £8.50 can be made to certain people for any week that is designated to be a period of cold weather i.e. a period of seven days when the temperature is equal to or below zero degrees centigrade. This payment will be made automatically to people who fit the criteria.
Winter Fuel Payments
Winter fuel payments are allowed for those age 60 or over and is not usually relevant to most lone parents, however if you require information on this payment you can contact our advice worker on the number given below.
For further information:
You can get free, impartial and confidential advice on the Social Fund from Gingerbread NI’s Freephone Advice Helpline 0808 808 8090– we can advise you on the application process, how to qualify, fill in any forms and advise
you of all relevant benefits.
If you need any more information or advice please contact us:
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Freephone Advice Helpline - 0808 808 8090
Website – www.gingerbreadni.org
Email – advice@gingerbreadni.org |
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