Tackling child poverty delivery plan 2022-2026 - annex 5: impact of policies on child poverty

Scottish Welfare Fund

The policy aims to help meet unexpected, immediate short-term needs, or to help eligible individuals to establish or maintain a settled home, through the provision of occasional financial or other assistance. Awards are discretionary. Child poverty is not an objective of the policy.

• Costs of living

Enhanced life chances (e.g. health, wellbeing, capabilities, longer term goals)

Potential size of impact

A third of households which receive Scottish Welfare Fund awards have children.

Type of impact

Short term

Certainty of impact

No impact anticipated

Priority families targeted by policy:

• Lone parents
• 3+ children
• Disabled
• Minority ethnic
• Baby < 1
• Mothers aged <25

Individuals on low incomes who face an unexpected crisis which puts their wellbeing at risk or who have been in prison, hospital, residential care or another institution or who have been homeless or living an unsettled way of life (or who would otherwise be in such a situation without the provision of support).

Tracking progress

The Scottish welfare Fund Independent Review service at the Scottish Public Service Ombudsman carry out independent reviews of decisions that councils have made on community care and crisis grant applications. As child poverty is not an objective of the policy, the review does not include progress towards child poverty targets.