Scottish Welfare Fund Statistics: update to 31 December 2023

During October to December 2023, local authorities processed 76% of Community Care Grant applications within the target time of 15 working days (Table 8, Chart 4), and processed 95% of Crisis Grant applications within the target time of the end of the next working day (Table 10, Chart 5).

Four local authorities processed fewer than 80% of Community Care Grant Applications on time (the lowest percentages were in Glasgow (21%) and Falkirk (60%); Table 9) and three processed fewer than 90% of Crisis Grant applications on time (the lowest percentages were in Falkirk (65%) and Renfrewshire and East Lothian (both 82%); Table 11).

It is possible that cases are currently missing from the dataset used to produce this publication due to delays in processing or late returns, or due to cases being awarded in principle or ‘pending’ on local authority systems. It is therefore possible that estimates of the proportion of cases processed within target times could change for the latest quarter once these cases are received.

Chart 4: Initial Processing Times for Community Care Grants – Quarterly

Chart 5: Initial Processing Times for Crisis Grants – Quarterly