Scottish Welfare Fund Statistics: annual update 2023-24

The percentage of applications and awards that were repeats were higher for Crisis Grants compared to Community Care Grants (Chart 11). The proportion of Community Care Grant applications and awards that were repeats decreased by one and two percentage points respectively between 2022-23 and 2023-24 (Table 65 and 67). At the same time, the proportion of Crisis Grant applications and awards that were repeats both decreased by two percentage points (Table 69, Table 71). The proportion of applications that were repeats decreased for Community Care Grants (from 30% in 2022-23 to 29% in 2023-24) and Crisis Grants (from 70% in 2022-23 to 69% in 2023-24).

The proportion of repeated applications and rewards stepped up in 2020 at the time the Covid-19 pandemic hit, and rates remain higher in early 2024 than they were before 2020. (Table 68, Table 70). Part of the increase in repeats related to some relaxation in the three-application-per-year limits that are normally in place, although more recent enforcement of this will have brought back some of that downward pressure on the rate. More recent economic pressures are now likely to be the biggest reason for continued elevation of this measure.
 

Chart 11: Repeat applications and awards for Community Care Grants and Crisis Grants – Quarterly