Scottish Welfare Fund Statistics: Update to 31 December 2022

The age of applicants distribution has stayed reasonably steady during the lifetime of the SWF (Table 2 & 3, Charts 15a & 15b). For Community Care Grants, 25-49 age group make almost two-thirds of applications (64%) in the latest quarter, and most of the rest come from the oldest group. 

For Crisis Grants, a similar pattern is seen, with 71% of applications from the 25-49 age group in the latest quarter, with the under-25s making more of the remaining applications.

Generally, it may be assumed that people in the 25-49 group are more likely to have children, and are less likely than older people to have established savings or other resources to cope with difficult circumstances. Conversely, the under-25s may also have these issues, but may be more able to call upon family members such as parents to help them. Proportionally, the 25-49 age group are over-represented in applications compared to the general population, and the over-49s are under-represented here.
Chart 15a: Age distribution of persons applying for Community Care Grants from the Scottish Welfare Fund – quarterly

Chart 15b: Age distribution of persons applying for Crisis Grants from the Scottish Welfare Fund – quarterly