Crisis and Care
award scheme
Mark Ransom
Assessment Manager
Introduction - Background
• Part of the Welfare Reform Act 2012
• Elements of current Social Fund will be
abolished from April 2013 and replaced
with a localised scheme administered by
Local authorities
• New service does not need to reflect
current Social Fund scheme
• Local authorities have been encouraged
to think radically and creatively when
creating the new service.
Introduction to Cornwall scheme
• Cornwall Council’s CLT agreed that an in-house
scheme will be adopted for administering the
localised scheme from April 2013
• Shared Services assessment team will be
responsible for administering the fund from April
2013
• During 2013 alternative delivery options will be
explored
• Short time scale to design and implement the
scheme ready for go-live date of 02/04/2013
• Named as Crisis and Care Award Scheme
What remains in the Social Fund?
• Budgeting loans will continue to be
available until UC is fully rolled out. As
customers migrate to UC they will have
access to a new system of budgeting
advances.
• Sure start maternity grants
• Funeral payments
• Cold weather payments
• Winter fuel payments
General information
• Will be a telephone and web based service only,
there will be no face to face provision
• Moving away from paying out cash awards,
instead purchasing goods and services as
required on behalf of the customer
• Working with charitable partners to look into reconditioned goods where possible
• Web based application which can be completed
by customer over the internet, completed by an
advisor on behalf of a customer over the
telephone or used by external partner
organisations
General information - continued
• Signposting to other
departments/organisations will be a big
part of process whether an award is
made or not
• Emergency funding only, not used for
budgeting
• Maximum household award of £1500 per
application
• Maximum award of £1500 per household
per year
Background continued
• These new awards will not be loans
• This will help to relieve hardship in the
longer term and hopefully break the
cycle of repeat claims, especially when
coupled with signposting to outside
support organisations/charities etc, as
well as helping with immediate short
term need
• Budget of £835,074 for 2013/14 so
careful monitoring of expenditure
required
Crisis Awards
• Available to anyone (whether on
benefits or not as long as they meet
eligibility criteria)
• To help those who cannot meet
immediate short term need due to
emergency or disaster
• Must be able to prove/provide evidence
of need
Crisis awards – eligibility quick
guide
• Must be aged over 16
• Must not have received financial
assistance from another source for the
same reason
• Must be without sufficient resources to
meet immediate short term needs of
self/family
• Must not be excluded person (i.e. in
hospital, care home, prison)
• Must not be a person subject to
immigration control
• Must not be for an excluded item
Care Awards
• Assistance to help people remain in the
community
• Help with the care of a prisoner or
young offender on release on a
temporary licence
• Ease exceptional pressures on families
• Help people setting up home as part of a
resettlement plan
Care awards – Eligibility quick
guide
• Must be in receipt of qualifying benefit
• Must not have access to funds or capital
in excess of £1500
• Must not be a person subject to
immigration control
• Care award must not be for excluded
item
• Must have a local connection (however
this may be waived in certain
exceptional circumstances)
Crisis & Care awards – some
excluded items
• Outside the UK
• Educational or training need (including
clothes and tools)
• Travelling expenses to or from school
• School uniform
• Expenses in connection with court
proceedings
• Domestic assistance and respite care
• Work related expenses
• Investments
• This list is not exhaustive
Any questions?
• Over the next few weeks more details will
be published on the Council’s website:
www.cornwall.gov.uk/crisisandcare
• From 2 April 2013 a dedicated team of
advisors will be available on 0300 1234
121 (press option 2)
Cornwall Council
County Hall
Truro TR1 3AY
Tel: 0300 1234 100
www.cornwall.gov.uk