Social Fund

The Social Fund is a scheme that pays out grants and loans to people. This is often to people who receive specific benefits and don't have many savings. It includes:

Cold weather payments
Maternity grants
Help with funeral costs
Crisis loans
Budgeting loans
Community care grants
From April 2013 a number of changes will take place. These include:

Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans

Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans for general living expenses (including rent in advance) will be abolished from April 2013 and replaced by new local provision. The payments will not be decided by the DWP. Instead there will be a Scottish fund developed by the Scottish Government and operated by your local council.

The new Scottish scheme is still being developed so please watch our web site, and newsletters for more information. Your local authority will also provide more information as we approach April 2013.

Crisis Loan Alignment Payments

From April 2013 Crisis Loan alignment payments and other Crisis Loans paid due to issues with benefit will be replaced by a new national scheme of Short Term Advances. This will be administered by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Budgeting Loans

Budgeting Loans will continue to be available until Universal Credit is fully rolled out. As people migrate across to Universal Credit they will have access to a new system of Budgeting Advances that will replace Budgeting Loans for Universal Credit recipients.

Cold weather payments, maternity grants and funeral costs will all continue to be paid by the Department of Works and Pensions, however will only be paid in situations where all qualifying conditions are met.