Local Welfare Assistance in Suffolk (lwa) guidance v6
Context:
This document sets out guidance on how Gateway organisations are able to
assist people who are seeking help in an emergency or when they require
help to acquire basic essential items/equipment for their home, especially
those who are moving to independent living in the community, after spending
time in an institution or temporary accommodation.
Local Welfare Assistance (LWA) in Suffolk is a local response to changes
contained in the Welfare Reform Act 2012. The result of which means that
some elements of the Social Fund administered by the Department for Work
and Pensions (DWP) no longer exist from April 1st 2013.
These changes mean that people who would previously have had access to
Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans for daily living expenses no longer
have access to this support.
It should be noted that Local Welfare Assistance in Suffolk is not designed to
be a replacement for Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans. It is designed
to ensure that vulnerable people in Suffolk, who have no other way of meeting
essential basic needs are able to have those needs met.
The process which is outlined in this document will place the emphasis on
ensuring that all other sources of assistance are considered before help is
provided from the LWA in Suffolk scheme, this will be done by using a needsled assessment process.
Assistance from the Suffolk scheme will be on a cashless basis. Help will be
provided in the form of vouchers for food and furniture and in exceptional
circumstances, to enable fuel card/key top-ups.
Some limited funding has been transferred to Suffolk County Council from
April 2013. Suffolk County Council have no new statutory responsibilities as a
result of the changes, however it was felt necessary to put in place a system
so the most vulnerable citizens of Suffolk were not left without any source of
support to enable them to meet their essential basic needs.
Accessing help via LWA
A network of Gateway organisations has been established across Suffolk. The
majority of these are organisations who are already working with potential
users of the scheme and who have an established relationship with them.
These organisations are known as 'Fast track Gateways' due to the process
for dealing with applications for essential furniture and equipment from people
who will be re-establishing themselves in the community.
1
Other Gateway organisations will be ‘open’ Gateway organisations. These will
be available to assist those potential applicants who do not have a support
worker or agency working with them.
Eligibility
To be considered for LWA in Suffolk a person should be:

Aged 16 or over and

Permanently resident in Suffolk (or in exceptional cases can establish that
they will be resident in Suffolk within 28 days, such as people leaving a
hostel or prison that is outside of the county) and

In need of emergency support and/or

In need of essential basic items of furniture and equipment to enable them
to set up or maintain their home and

They have no other means of meeting the need(s) presented
Key points

LWA will be a cash free system

LWA will only be able to assist, after an assessment has shown that
there is no other way of meeting the need

LWA can only meet basic essential needs

Items such as travel costs and removal expenses will normally not be
considered under LWA, however it is noted that there may be some
exceptional circumstances in which this may be an appropriate use of
LWA. If you have any individual cases or situations you would like to
discuss email lwa@suffolk.gov.uk
The process
1. Process for local welfare assistance for items (open-gateway organisations)
2. Process for local welfare assistance for items (‘fast-track’ organisations)
3. Process for local welfare assistance for emergency support.
2
1. LWA process for essential items of furniture and
equipment for open-gateway organisations
When an applicant presents to an open Gateway organisation the worker
must follow the following process:
Identify what their presenting need is. This might include considering the
general circumstances of the applicant and the nature, extent and urgency of
the need.
To fully discuss with the customer what options are available to them to meet
their presenting need. This will include:
Could the potential applicant's need be met by Jobcentre Plus e.g. by the
payment of benefit due, or an application for a Budgeting Loan?
Has the applicant got any resources that they can contribute towards meeting
the need? It is expected that any personal money available will be used first,
before consideration can be given for assistance from LWA.
Is their any alternative support that could meet the need? Such as assistance
from family or friends, whether they have furniture in storage, applications to
relevant charities (for instance Family Fund, SSAFA/RBL, local charities etc.).
See resource guide for sources of help in Suffolk.
As a minimum people will be asked to provide a copy of their current bank or
post office account statement and credit union passbook (as applicable). It
may also be necessary to ask for other proof of a person's situation in some
individual cases. Details of this should be recorded on the application form.
If any other source of support is identified, it will be appropriate to redirect the
potential applicant and if necessary make a referral or assist with an
application to facilitate this.
If however no alternative support to meet the need has been identified then
the worker needs to complete the application form outlining what items are
needed by the customer, and the full reasons why there is no other source of
help available
Where items are identified as being essential to the applicant (and/or their
family), but do not appear on the list of basic essential items, you will need to
give full reasons why they are being requested and why they are essential.
For instance, an application from a single person for a washing machine
would not normally be approved, however if that person was unable to access
a laundrette in their area, and was unable to hand wash their clothing for
some special reason, then it may be considered, so you would need to give
details.
If the only way to meet the need is through a specialist supplier, then a copy
of the supplier’s quote with VAT registration number and expiry date for quote
is required.
3
The completed application form is then sent to a Decision-Making Team
(DMT). The role of the DMT is to receive the application form in all
applications for items, equipment from open gateway organisations.
Address to send to: LWA decision making team, West Suffolk House,
Western Way, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 3YU
Enquires: To Michelle Shingles tel. no 01284 757654/757655
Email address – michelle.shingles@westsuffolk.gcsx.gov.uk
The DMT will assess the application including ensuring the following:

Check the application for completion compliance. They will come back
to you if the form has not been filled in properly.

Obtain further information if necessary

A priority of the DMT will be to ensure that the ‘gateway organisation’
has provided sufficient detail about what other sources of support have
been considered.
The DMT will inform the finance team who will issue a letter which will act as a
voucher and notify the customer of the outcome of the application. They will
also notify the furniture project that the applicant has chosen.
The voucher that is issued will be valid for 28 days from the date of issue.
Please see the list of essential items of furniture, (appendix one).
Workers should bear in mind that LWA will not automatically issue vouchers
for all these items, they are still subject to the test of what other resources are
available to the applicant to help them meet the need
It is intended that a request for help with furniture and equipment will be dealt
with within 10 working days. A further 5 days will be allowed to issue the
voucher.
4
Process for local welfare assistance for items for fast track
gateway organisations
Please be advised that the ‘fast track’ process does not necessarily result in a
quicker outcome for customers, rather it means that the application bypasses
the decision making team.
It is intended that fast track cases will be where the customer is already
known to an agency or a worker (e.g. support worker or named assessor) and
the provision of local welfare assistance will be the result of an on-going
assessment of their needs. For instance where a person has been living in
hostel accommodation and is now being moved on into independent living, it
is expected that work with have been done with the applicant to identify ways
of meeting their need for furniture and equipment over time. LWA should not
be seen as the first option, it should be the option that is available when all
other sources of help have been exhausted. Therefore integral to this needsled assessment will be to look at what other alternatives have been explored
with the customer to meet their identified needs.
Please note that it is not expected that all basic essential items will be made
available through LWA, they are still subject to the test of what other
resources are available.
Please see also guidance for open gateways above.
For further information on alternative resources see resource guide.
If however no alternative has been found to meet the presenting needs then
the worker will need agreement with the customer to seek assistance from the
local welfare assistance scheme.
The application form should be completed and sent with the list of items
needed by the customer (see form at appendix one) will need to be sent to the
following address:
By email – michelle.shingles@westsuffolk.gov.uk
By post - LWA decision making team, West Suffolk House, Western
Way, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 3YU
Any furniture letter that might be issued will be valid for 28 days from the date
of issue. Only in exceptional circumstances will this period be extended.
Please see appendix one for what is regarded as essential items of furniture.
5
Looking at the decision again
A customer will have 28 days from the date of the decision to ask in writing
for the decision to be looked at again. The decision will be looked at again by
an officer within the Financial Inclusion and Advice Services Team who is
independent of the decision-making team.
2. Process for emergency Local Welfare Assistance
The applicant will present at the Gateway organisation. A worker will then
discuss with the customer what their presenting needs are.
The content of the discussion is likely to include exploring what options may
be considered to meet their presenting need and also some enquiries into
what resources the customer has and whether they can be used to meet the
need. In particular, whether or not there is any support available from family
or friends or other charities and whether there is any benefit due from the
DWP which could be paid, or if a short term benefit advance is appropriate.
If no alternative support is identified and a redirection or onward referral is
not appropriate, then the worker within the Gateway organisation can make a
referral to the local food bank direct and where needed a fuel voucher to the
applicant. If your organisation already has an arrangement with a local food
aid provider to hold food parcels, or you have your own supply, you can carry
on with this arrangement as normal.
A form (see appendix two) will need to be completed for FIAS to monitor
LWA usage. This must be completed in every case where a fuel voucher is
issued.
Workers should bear in mind that the scheme is not intended as long term
support. Where it’s identified that people have received a third instance of
emergency support it is intended that support will be made available to assist
them with identifying any underlying reason why this is occurring and to
identify solutions to remedy this.
However it’s also acknowledged that there may exceptional circumstances
where a need for more than three instances of LWA emergency support
might arise. These will be looked at on a case by case basis.
Fuel vouchers need to be issued immediately by the gateway organisation
and should be redeemed within 24 hours.
The fuel voucher will be either for the amount of £5 or £10 (from April 2015). It
is suggest that the minimum is provided to enable the presenting need to be
met. The maximum amount that can be issued is £15.
We have been working in partnership with East of England Co-operative
Society to assist with the delivery of this scheme. The fuel voucher can be
redeemed at a branch of an East of England Co-op which has a pay-point
facility by which the customer can charge up their fuel key/card. We are
6
actively seeking other partners in areas not covered by East of England CoOp.
The scheme is not intended as long term support. When a customer has
therefore received a third instance of emergency support, support will be
identified to assist them in looking at any underlying reasons why this is
happening with a view to finding solutions to this.
What parts of the Social Fund can still be accessed?
Although a part of the Social Fund will no longer exist, some of it remains and
can be accessed via Jobcentre Plus.
The Social Fund is split into two parts:
The Regulatory Social Fund; which is made up of:




Sure Start Maternity Grants,
Funeral Payments,
Winter Fuel Payments and
Cold weather payments.
These can still be claimed in the normal way. (See www.gov.uk for more
detail).
Budgeting Loans
Budgeting Loans can still be applied for now (subject to the applicant meeting
the entitlement conditions, see below). They will also remain in operation for
‘legacy’ benefit claimants once Universal Credit is rolled out. Universal Credit
claimants will be able to claim Budgeting Advances.
Workers should consider whether claimants seeking help could have their
presenting need met via a Budgeting Loan application. To be eligible for a
budgeting loan a claimant (and/or partner) needs to be:

In receipt of a qualifying benefit; Income Support or income based JSA
or income based ESA or Pension Credit guarantee and have been
receiving one of them throughout the previous 26 weeks. Gaps of up to
28 days are ignored

Not be disqualified from receiving JSA under s14 of the Jobseeker's
Act 1995 (trade disputes)

Must not have too much capital; £1000 (or £2000 if you/your partner is
over 61)

The minimum award is £100 and the maximum can never be more
than £1500. (Less any outstanding social fund loans).
7

Repayment is normally set at 104 weeks. But the repayment rate can
be reduced if the applicant subsequently has difficulty paying it back

They are interest free and normally repaid by deductions from on-going
benefits.
To apply for a Budgeting Loan ring 0845 603 6967and ask for form SF500.
Download from www.dwp.gov.uk or www.gov.uk
Send the completed form to: Jobcentre Plus, Chesterfield BDC, Brightside
Lane, Sheffield, S99 1AN.
Short-term benefit Advances
Crisis Loans have been abolished from 1st April 2013 and interim payments
have also been replaced.
Short-term benefit Advances have replaced these payments.
Short-term Advances of benefit are available to claimants of any contributory
or income-related social security benefit. Short-term Advances of benefit will
help claimants through a period of financial need (e.g. before receiving their
first payment of benefit) by providing an advance of their future benefit award,
which will then be recovered from subsequent payments of benefit.
Short-term Advances will also be available to claimants who have
experienced a change of circumstances that will

increase the amount of benefit to which they are entitled;

where the first payment of benefit is made in respect of a period shorter
than that in respect of which subsequent payments will be made (e.g.
the first payment is made in respect of a week and the next payment is
due to be paid in two weeks’ time and will be made in respect of those
two weeks); or

in cases where it is impractical for benefit to be paid on the due date
(e.g. due to a technical problem in processing the claim or payment).
Decision Makers’ guidance will also provide for a maximum repayment period
of three months, which may be extended to six months in exceptional
circumstances.
8
Appendices:
1. List of essential items; for single person without children and families with
children
2. Emergency assistance monitoring form
Appendix 1: List of essential items/equipment when applying for help for
LWA for gateway organisations (either fast track or open gateway)
Local welfare assistance in Suffolk: list of essential items.
Please note, this list is intended as a guide only, there may be individual cases in
which items not listed here would be regarded as being essential. Please see
guidance notes for more detail.
Single person/ couple without children – essential
Item
Required
Not
required
Required
Not
required
Table top cooker or microwave (specify)
Cooker connection (where table top cooker not appropriate)
Fridge or fridge freezer
Arm chair or sofa
Bed (please state if single or double bed)
1 sets bedding per person
Families with children – essential
Item
Cooker
Cooker connection
Fridge/freezer
Washing machine
Sofa
Bed/cot (please state if single or double bed)
1 set bedding per person
9
Appendix 2: Emergency assistance monitoring form
Local Welfare Assistance in Suffolk – Application for emergency fuel
voucher 2015/16 – v6.
Date of application
Organisation name
and department
Referrer name
Contact number
Email address
Applicant name
National insurance number (NINO)
Address (including post code)
Other household members (if
applicable)
Partner’s name and NINO
Number and age(s) of children in
household
Reasons for approval of emergency assistance.
(Please tick those that apply.)
Additional caring responsibilities
Benefit suspended
Benefit sanctioned
Change of circumstances –
benefit not yet adjusted
Benefit ceased
Change of circumstances – in
employment
DWP error causing delay
Fire
Not managing income
Other household disaster
Other reason
Person from abroad without funds
Theft
Waiting for first benefit payment
10
What action have you taken?
Applied for a Short term Benefit Advance
Challenged the Sanction/suspension
Applied for a Hardship Payment
Applied for a Budgeting Loan
yes no n/a
Please provide further information
about why emergency assistance has
been approved.
Provide details of the other means of
support that have been considered.
Applicant’s declaration
I confirm that the information recorded above is correct. I understand that the
details that I have provided may be shared between organisations providing
local welfare assistance in Suffolk.
I understand that you will deal with all documents relating to this application in
line with the Data Protection Act 1998.
Signed:
Dated:
LWA Fuel voucher number:
LWA Fuel voucher amount:
Applicant signature:
Adviser signature:
Checked by (as appropriate):
Email to lwa@suffolk.gscx.gov.uk or post to lwa, FIAS, Block 1, Floor 1,
Endeavour House, Russell Road, Ipswich, IP1 2BX
11
12