Publication - Research and analysis
Scottish Welfare Fund review: final report
A comprehensive review of the Scottish Welfare Fund.
Annex A – Full list of research questions
The table below shows the main and subsidiary research questions that guided this review, and the sources of data that were used to examine them. As some of the subsidiary questions, in practice, cut across different overarching themes and questions, data relevant to these questions may sometimes be found in more than one chapter of this report.
Key for Data Sources
A: Review of existing evidence
B: Review of analogous schemes
C: Analysis of management information
D: Interviews with senior LA staff
E: Interviews with SWF staff
F: Interviews with external organisations
G: Interviews with applicants / recipients
| Purpose of the Fund | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 What are people's understandings and views of the purpose of the SWF? | A | B | C | D | E | F | G |
| What is the purpose of the fund understood to be by different stakeholders, and how far does this align with the purposes set out in the legislation? | X | X | X | X | X | ||
| How well are the eligibility criteria and purposes of the Fund understood by potential applicants? | X | X | X | X | |||
| What views or evidence is there on whether the purpose of the fund might need to change in future? | X | X | X | X | X | ||
| Evidence of underlying need | |||||||
| 2 What is the level and nature of underlying need for the SWF? | A | B | C | D | E | F | G |
| What proxy measures are available and what do they tell us about patterns and trends in the 'underlying need' for welfare assistance? | X | X | X | ||||
| Specifically, what patterns and trends are evident in relation to the level of and reasons for applications to the Fund – and what might these tell us about underlying need? | X | X | |||||
| Is there evidence of significant need or demand among groups who are currently ineligible to apply - such as those with 'No Recourse to Public Funds' – or who are eligible but do not apply for whatever reason? | X | X | X | X | X | ||
| 3 Factors shaping demand on the Fund What are the key factors impacting on levels of demand for the SWF? | A | B | C | D | E | F | G |
| What are applicants' main reasons for applying to the fund? (Exploring both stated reasons, and ultimate/underlying reasons/causes for the claim) | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| What factors underpin willingness to apply – e.g. awareness of other people's successful applications; messaging that normalises or destigmatises the process, availability of other options? | X | X | X | X | X | ||
| What discourages people from applying? | X | X | X | X | |||
| What kind of advice and practical help and support do people need to apply effectively? | X | X | X | X | X | ||
| To what extent is such support available and accessible? | X | X | X | X | |||
| What other key enablers and barriers are there in relation to applications to the fund (including application channels)? | X | X | X | X | X | ||
| 4 Delivery model How does the current SWF delivery model compare with alternatives? | A | B | C | D | E | F | G |
| How does the current local, discretionary delivery model compare with a more centralised benefit model, based on strict rules of entitlement and eligibility? What are the potential strengths and drawbacks of each approach? | X | X | X | ||||
| 5 Awareness and promotion (How) do potential applicants who might need it become aware of the SWF? Is it promoted appropriately? | A | B | C | D | E | F | G |
| What evidence is there about levels of awareness of the Fund among potential applicants? Are there particular groups where awareness seems especially low? | |||||||
| How do individuals typically become aware of the Fund? | |||||||
| To what extent is awareness and understanding of the Fund being actively promoted by local authorities and/or others? | |||||||
| What form does such promotion take and what evidence is there of reach and effectiveness? | |||||||
| Is there any evidence of local authorities actively seeking to limit applications or access to the Fund? If so, how and for what reasons? | |||||||
| 6 Funding Are levels of funding for the SWF appropriate? | A | B | C | D | E | F | G |
| Do local authorities have the resources to administer the Fund effectively? | X | X | X | X | |||
| What patterns and trends are evident in relation to decisions within statutory time limits, and how do these relate to funding levels/patterns of under/over-spend? | X | ||||||
| 7 Experiences and outcomes What impacts does applying for / receiving grants through the SWF have on applicants / recipients? | A | B | C | D | E | F | G |
| How do individuals experience the application (and review) process? How accessible is the process? | X | X | X | ||||
| What proportion of applicants and recipients are referred on or signposted to other services? | X | ||||||
| What other forms of help and support are accessed by unsuccessful applicants? To what extent are they connected to these through the process of applying to the Fund? | X | X | X | ||||
| What difference do grants make to successful applicants? How successfully does it meet their needs? | X | X | X | ||||
| In particular, what evidence is there of successful 'early intervention', reducing the need for subsequent support? | X | X | X | ||||
| What proportion of grants awarded are from repeat applicants? And what might this tell us about the impact of the scheme / adequacy of awards? | X | ||||||
| 8 Assessment and review How fair and consistent is SWF decision-making across Scotland? | A | B | C | D | E | F | G |
| What patterns and trends are evident in relation to the outcome of applications? | X | X | |||||
| Are applications being assessed appropriately and consistently? | X | X | X | X | X | ||
| Does the current guidance support consistent decision-making, or are there areas where the guidance could be improved? | X | ||||||
| What are the main reasons for applications being rejected? How do these vary? | X | X | X | X | |||
| What are the main drivers or predictors of successful and unsuccessful applications? To what extent is this consistent with the guidance? | X | X | X | X | |||
| What patterns and trends are evident in relation to the level of awards? | X | X | |||||
| Is the review system operating as intended? | X | X | X | X | X | ||
| In particular, what patterns and trends are evident in relation to Tier 1 and Tier 2 reviews and their outcomes? And what might these patterns/trends tell us about the effectiveness of both initial decision-making and the review process? | X | X | |||||
| 9 Impacts of COVID-19 What impacts has COVID had on the SWF? | A | B | C | D | E | F | G |
| What impact has COVID had on the number and type of applications received? | X | X | X | X | |||
| What impact has COVID had on local authorities' capacity to administer the Fund? | X | X | X | ||||
| To what extent are any COVID impacts likely to have longer-term impacts on the demand for or operation of the Fund? | X | X | X | X | |||
Contact
Email: Socialresearch@gov.scot
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