Scottish Welfare Fund review
If you don’t agree with our decision on your Community Care Grant or Crisis Grant, you can request a review.
The review process is split into two stages.
Stage one - First Tier review
Due to the urgent circumstances, if you are requesting a review of the decision of a Crisis Grant application, you should phone 0300 100 1800 to request a call back appointment.
If you are requesting a review of a Community Care Grant application, your request must be in writing. This can be done by completing our online form.
You should request a review within four weeks (20 working days) of the date of your original decision letter, although we may use our discretion to allow later applications.
You should explain the reason for your request and include:
- the date and reference number from your letter
- the reasons why you do not think the right decision was made on the application. For example, this might be because you:
- do not agree that you are not eligible for the Scottish Welfare Fund
- do not agree that you do not qualify for a grant
- do not agree with the priority level given to your circumstances, or refused items
- do not agree with the award, or award amount, that has been made
- do not think we took all the relevant information in to account
- think that there has been an error or failure in the decision making process
- there is additional information that you did not give us when you made your application which you think might make a difference to our decision. Phone our Customer Advice and Support Service on 0300 100 1800 to find out more
- information on any changes to your circumstances since the application which might make a difference to our decision
- your signature, if someone is making a review request for you, you must sign the letter giving your agreement for the review to proceed
A decision maker who was not involved in the original decision will then reconsider the original decision, based on a thorough look at the original evidence and any new information that you’ve provided.
We may need to gather additional information or evidence to enable us to fully reconsider your application.
We’ll usually either contact you in writing or by phone with the outcome of your First Tier Review within:
- Crisis Grant - two working days
- Community Care Grant - 15 working days
Stage two - Independent review
If you are still not happy once you receive the decision on your First Tier Review, you have the right to ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) for an independent review. The SPSO can only undertake an independent review if you have had a first tier review that has been refused by the Local Authorities Scottish Welfare Fund.
Find out how to request an independent review on the SPSO website.