During August we
- responded to 56 enquiries
- made 45 decisions
- 10 community care grants
- 35 crisis grants
- upheld 5 (50%) of community care grants and 7 (20%) of crisis grants
- signposted an additional 76 applicants to other sources of assistance. Of these, 82% had contacted us in error, intending to reach their local council. Additionally, 14% told us they faced accessibility barriers when trying to contact their council, such as the lack of a freephone number or needing communication adjustments
- received 14 enquiries from council staff seeking advice
Engagement
This month, we began a new phase of engagement with third sector organisations to raise awareness of our role and the service we provide. We are focusing on areas where review volumes are lower than expected, while also responding to requests from organisations keen to connect. This work is part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring that anyone who wishes to submit a review knows about our service and can access it easily.
Case studies
High most compelling priority rating
C applied for a Community Care Grant to help set up their tenancy after experiencing homelessness, having recently arrived in the UK as a refugee.
The council awarded the items that they assessed met 'high most compelling' priority rating. However, C requested a review on the basis that a sofa was not awarded.
We reviewed the council's file. C advised the council that they had a serious spinal injury which had required surgical screws and supports. They said this still caused them pain and had an impact on their mobility. On that basis, we assessed that a sofa met the high most compelling priority rating due to the health and wellbeing risk associated with a lack of seating.
Recommendations
- We instructed the council to award a two-seater sofa at 'high most compelling' on the basis of C's mobility issues.
Feedback for the council
- The council did not take account of C's health when assessing their request for a sofa.
- The council's notes did not contain sufficient detail about their assessment of the qualifying conditions.
You can find more examples in the searchable case directory on our website.