Grants are available to anyone aged 16 or over and applicants should normally have a low income, for example be in receipt of a benefit such as Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance or Pension Credit. 

However, applicants do not have to be in receipt of a benefit to receive a grant. Anyone who has a low income, or does not have access to their money, can apply. 

No you don't have to have children to get a Scottish Welfare Fund grant.

You are more likely to get an award if you do have children because we want to make sure that children are protected. But, we have changed the Fund to make it easier for people without children to get a Community Care Grant when they are under exceptional pressure.

If you are subject to a sanction or disallowance by the DWP and have had your benefit reduced as a result, you may be considered for a Crisis Grant until you can arrange a hardship payment

If you are making a new claim for DWP benefits, you should try to get help from DWP before you ask us for help. In some circumstances, DWP can give Short Term Benefit Advances to people who are making new claims for benefits.

There are some items that are not part of the Scottish Welfare Fund – such as payments to cover debts, or work-related expenses. There is full list of things that are not available from the Fund on the Scottish Government website. Also, as the Fund is budget-limited, we might not be able to provide the same items for everyone. For example, a washing machine might be essential for one person, but only desirable for another.

No, you don't need to have asked DWP for a Budgeting Loan before you ask us for help from the Scottish Welfare Fund.

If you are unhappy with the outcome of your application, you cannot appeal but you can ask for the decision to be looked at again. This is called a First Tier Review. You need to apply for a review within 20 days of the decision. This time limit can be extended if it is accepted that you have good reasons for not applying on time.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the First Tier Review, you have the right to ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) for an independent review. The SPSO are not part of the council.

You should ask the SPSO for an independent review within one month of receiving our decision. However in some circumstances you may be able to ask for a review after this. You should contact the SPSO for advice on this.

You can ask the SPSO for an independent review over the phone or in writing. If you prefer, they will send you a form in the post, or you can print it off their website or fill it in online.

How to contact the SPSO

• By phone on 0800 014 7299. Calls are free to this number, even from mobiles
• Write to FREEPOST SPSO. You don't need to use a stamp
• www.spso.org.uk

The SPSO can give you information in other languages or formats (such as large print, SMS, audio or Braille). In some cases, the SPSO may be able to meet you in person.

We can't refuse your Crisis or Community Care Grant application because you owe us money, for example council tax or rent arrears or unpaid parking tickets. But, you can't get a Scottish Welfare Fund grant to pay any sort of debt.

Yes and no. 

Scottish Welfare Fund grants are paid out by every Council in Scotland. There may be differences in what you are offered in different areas. For example, you might be given a pre-paid card by one Council and vouchers by another.

But the basis of the scheme is the same across Scotland.

You don't have to take any other help if you apply for a grant. But, we might talk to you about other services that might be able to help you.

The scheme is cash limited, but there's more money for Crisis and Community Care Grants in the Scottish Welfare Fund than there was in DWP's discretionary Social Fund. The Scottish Government added £9.2 million to the money that came from DWP to make sure that the new fund is able to help more people.

There are some rules around repeat applications. For example, you should not ask for the same thing as part of a Community Care Grant or a Crisis Grant in the same month, unless your circumstances have changed. Generally speaking, you will not get more than three Crisis Grants in any one year.

For some Councils, the local foodbank is a part of the way they offer help through the Scottish Welfare Fund. For others, they may suggest you go to the local foodbank, if they cannot help you through the Scottish Welfare Fund. Or they may suggest you go to the local foodbank to get some extra help.