Scottish Welfare Fund review: final report

A comprehensive review of the Scottish Welfare Fund.


Footnotes

1. The SWF Guidance allows local authorities to vary the priority level at which grants are awarded in order to stay within the allocated budget. This means that, over the course of a year, a local authority might decide to raise the priority threshold from medium to high, so that only those assessed as being at high level of need are awarded SWF grants, in order to avoid overspending their SWF budget. See Scottish Welfare Fund: statutory guidance – March 2021

2. Initially on an interim basis and, from 2015, on a statutory basis via The Welfare Funds (Scotland) Act 2015 and The Welfare Funds (Scotland) Regulations 2016

3. Scottish Welfare Fund: statutory guidance – March 2021

4. Scottish Welfare Fund Statistics: Annual Update 2021-22

5. This model was developed following both review of the guidance and discussion with the Review Advisory Group.

6. Social Renewal Advisory Board: our response - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

7. See Review of the Scottish Welfare Fund: Data Analysis Appendix

8. See also explanation of these issues in Scottish Welfare Fund Statistics: Annual Update: 2020/21

9. Scottish Welfare Fund Statistics: Annual update 2020/21

10. Scottish Welfare Fund statistics annual update 2021-22

11. Welfare reform: annual report 2019

12. Welfare Reform: annual report 2018

13. Review of the Scottish Welfare Fund Interim Scheme

14. Scottish Welfare Fund: statutory guidance – March 2021 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

15. See Data Analysis Appendix, Figure 49.

16. See Data Analysis Appendix, Figure 48.

17. See Data Analysis Appendix, Figure 48.

18. The SWF Guidance states: "The Regulations specify that the number of awards that any person can receive should normally be limited to three in any rolling 12 month period across all local authorities … The start date of a rolling 12 month period is measured from the date of decision." Scottish Welfare Fund: statutory guidance – March 2021 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

19. CPAG in Scotland response to the Social Security Committee's Call for Evidence on the Scottish Welfare Fund 9th May 2018

20. The Scottish Welfare Fund: opportunities and challenges Evidence from A Menu for Change: Cash, Rights, Food

21. Tackling Child Poverty and Destitution: Next Steps for the Scottish Child Payment and the Scottish Welfare Fund

22. Inclusion Scotland Written Evidence Scottish Welfare Fund

23. Homeless Action Scotland Scottish Welfare Fund evidence (May 2018)

24. Homeless Action Scotland Scottish Welfare Fund (May 2018)

25. CPAG in Scotland response to the Social Security Committee's Call for Evidence on the Scottish Welfare Fund 9th May 2018

26. Tackling Child Poverty and Destitution: Next Steps for the Scottish Child Payment and the Scottish Welfare Fund

27. For more detail of this analysis, see Review of the Scottish Welfare Fund: Data Analysis Appendix chapter 5.

28. Discretionary Support Scheme Independent Review (NI Government)

29. Evaluation of the Discretionary Assistance Fund | Gov.Wales

30. This was viewed as something that might potentially sometimes happen, but which local authorities would not currently be able to detect.

31. See Scottish social security in six charts for a full breakdown and timeline of new devolved benefits

32. ONS Consumer price inflation, UK: September 2022

33. See House of Commons Library Domestic energy prices, published 17 October 2022

34. Trussell Trust Latest Year End Statistics

35. Scottish Welfare Fund Statistics: annual update 2021-22

36. Destitution in the UK 2020, JRF

37. Trussell Trust The true cost of living (2022).pdf

38. Emergency food parcel distribution in Scotland: April – September 2022

39. Food Aid Network Letter April 22

40. The Independent 10 April 2022 - Britain's food banks 'close to breaking point' amid rapid rise in poverty, Rishi Sunak warned

41. Left Behind 2018 (Trussell Trust)

42. See further analysis in chapter 3 of the Data Analysis Appendix.

43. This also includes others subject to immigration control, including people who require leave to enter the UK, or whose leave is subject to the condition that they have no recourse to public funds, which might include EU nationals with no right to reside, someone who has overstayed their Visa, and people on time-limited Visas (either work or student Visas).

44. Scottish Welfare Fund statistics: update to 30 June 2022

45. For more detailed analysis underpinning this paragraph, see chapter 4 of the Data Analysis Appendix

46. The Highland Council: Social Security Committee 17 May 2018

47. Inclusion Scotland Written Evidence Scottish Welfare Fund

48. Homeless Action Scotland Scottish Welfare Fund (May 2018)

49. The Scottish Welfare Fund: Strengthening the Safety Net A Study of Best Practice (A Menu for Change)

50. Tackling Child Poverty and Destitution: Next Steps for the Scottish Child Payment and the Scottish Welfare Fund

51. Scottish Welfare Fund: statutory guidance – March 2021

52. The Scottish Welfare Fund: Strengthening the Safety Net A Study of Best Practice (A Menu for Change)

53. See Review of the Scottish Welfare Fund: Data Analysis Appendix, chapter 5

54. Scottish Welfare Fund Statistics: annual update 2021-22

55. Scottish Welfare Fund Statistics: annual update 2021-22

56. For further detail of trends in awards over time, see Data Analysis Appendix, Figure 25.

57. Again, further detail of this analysis is provided in the Data Analysis Appendix, chapter 5.

58. Based on multivariate regression analysis, using SWF monitoring data from 2019/20. Again, 2019/20 data was used given that changes to funding levels and demand for the fund in 2020/21 and 2021/22 mean they may be atypical.

59. Analysis of award levels covers 2019/20 and 2020/21 only, as this bespoke analysis was conducted before the annual tables for 2021/22 were updated.

60. Analysis of award levels covers 2019/20 and 2020/21 only, as this bespoke analysis was conducted before the annual tables for 2021/22 were updated.

61. Bespoke analysis of referrals data was undertaken for 2020/21 before 2021/22 tables were available.

62. See more detailed analysis in the Data Analysis Appendix, chapter 5

63. Scottish Welfare Fund: statutory guidance – March 2021

64. SPSO Annual Report 2021-22

65. The Scottish Welfare Fund: Strengthening the Safety Net A Study of Best Practice (A Menu for Change)

66. Scottish Welfare Fund Independent Review Statistics 2019/20

67. SPSO Annual Report 2021-22

68. See Scottish Welfare Fund data to June 2022

Contact

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