the volume of awards should be included in Table 3 row 2 (Volumes) column a and row 2 column b based on the information the Authority has been capturing to split the volume of awards spent across these categories. 118. Authorities should ensure that they consider and put in place suitable controls when making use of vouchers as part of The Fund. Sandwell Council has. Popular names for this fund also include; Welfare Assistance Scheme. Household support grant application form. 7. 73. This guidance sets out the required collaboration between the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), LAs, including their delivery partners (such as District Councils as well as any charitable or third-party organisations) to successfully meet the policy intent within the agreed framework. As with District Councils, Authorities should make arrangements with any TPOs as quickly as possible. 119. The fund will close on 31 March 2023 . Authorities have the flexibility within The Fund to identify which vulnerable households are in most need of support and apply their own discretion when identifying eligibility. 4. The fund has been extended to 31 March 2023 with an additional 500 million of funding which will be used by local authorities to support vulnerable households. Failure to return the MI by the deadline may result in a delayed payment or a payment being refused. These include for example: small IT changes, for example, to facilitate MI production. These could be redeemable at a number of food outlets including supermarkets or food banks. The Authority directly provides vouchers to vulnerable households as a result of the Authority proactively identifying the recipients. 80. It was first introduced in September 2021 and was. 104. 17. Individuals and organisations can refer through completing an online form; For support and further information call: 01244 400730; Email office@ . Education support fund. LAs should consider how they could use this data to provide support to this group. By doing this you confirm that the Section 151 Officer has agreed the correctness of spend reported. Please visit our new page for the latest HSF news. Elections. Food voucher amounts can vary depending on how many children reside in the household. There is flexibility on exactly how this can be run, including through third parties rather than directly by the LA. When administering The Fund, Authorities are encouraged to adopt the following principles: Note: this includes payments made, or committed to, by the Authority or any person acting on behalf of the Authority, from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. Updated the guidance for the extension of the Household Support Fund from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. Please do not contact us about the funding, we'll be in touch if you're eligible. Paragraph 52 (previously paragraph 50), has been updated to clarify reporting requirements for Households with Children and Households with Pensioners. We may need the Authority to explain why that is the case and provide supporting evidence. suz-36-ice-white+ 4 () suzukirm 250 2001-2012 Please complete this form with as much information as you can, to help us to process your application. grant funding to a charity that specialises in providing vulnerable children with clothing, establish the amount of that allocation the charity has spent and enter the full amount spent in households with children and the full amount of the grant spent in wider essentials. This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/household-support-fund-guidance-for-local-councils/household-support-fund-final-guidance-for-county-councils-and-unitary-authorities-in-england. Household Support Fund Application Form. the number of households helped should be included in Table 3 row 3 (number of households helped) column a and row 3 column b based on the information the Authority has been capturing to split the number of households helped across these categories. The Household Support Fund aims to help households in most need with food, energy vouchers or essential kitchen equipment. 11. By application-based support, we mean any awards made through a successful application for support made to the Authority by eligible recipients or through third parties who run self-referral support services on behalf of the Authority. There may be groups who are vulnerable to rising prices even though they are supported through these schemes, for example large families or single-income families. Table 3 relates to grant spend, the volume of awards made, and number of households helped in relation to households with children, pensioners, a disabled person and all other households. This will be due to insufficient funds to process all requests. 64. For people with long term health conditions, disabilities and carers contact Richmond AID . An example would be the award of a food voucher on 31 March 2023 to a vulnerable household. This may include, but is not limited to, people who are entitled to but not claiming qualifying benefits, people who are claiming Housing Benefit (HB) only, people who begin a claim or return to payment of a benefit after the relevant qualifying date as well as people who have fuel costs but who cannot access the 400 of energy support from the Energy Bill Support Scheme or the equivalence package confirmed on 29 July 2022. Authorities should take appropriate steps to ensure they take into consideration household income and rent liability which may be requested and reviewed as set out in the grant determination. Therefore, if an Authority identified a group of potential claimants who may be eligible for The Fund from their own records, they can access Searchlight to verify each claimants DWP benefit entitlement (although benefit entitlement is not a condition of support). The funding has been extended to the end of March 2023. If. 66. 8. 46. Part of the Government's package of cost of living support, the Household Support Fund is intended to help low-income households with essentials including heating, food, rent and clothing. Households may be receiving other forms of support, and this should be taken into account to avoid duplicating provision where possible. It includes amounts paid by Authorities and by TPOs on behalf of Authorities. 50. If we respond requesting further information, you. There is no prescriptive definition of essentials. Where Authorities (including District Councils) issue awards directly to vulnerable households they should either obtain information at source or via information or data they have access to, in order to complete the split of spend and number of awards across the reporting categories. However, it is acceptable for vouchers that have been purchased and delivered to households before the end of The Fund to be spent shortly thereafter (see paragraphs 104 to107 on committed spend). Authorities that plan to order vouchers in bulk should attempt to be realistic in the volumes ordered to avoid holding large stocks of unused vouchers at the end of The Fund. 25. The Fund can exceptionally and in genuine emergency be used to provide support for historic rent arrears built up prior to an existing benefit claim for households already in receipt of, advertising and publicity to raise awareness of The Fund, income below the thresholds of 7,400 per year for, those with a Limited Capability for Work indicator within the last assessment period, and, those whose award is subject to the benefit cap, those in receipt of the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy and Local Housing Allowance (available from Autumn 2022), the National Insurance number, names, addresses and contact telephone numbers of those in receipt of Guarantee Credit and/or Savings Credit element of Pension Credit and their appointees if appropriate, as well as for all claimants on income-related, the National Insurance number, names, addresses and contact telephone numbers of customers who are in receipt of, at or below the Free School Meal income threshold, at or below the free prescription income threshold, and, small IT changes, for example, to facilitate. Authorities should ensure that they consider the needs of various households including families with children of all ages, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers and disabled people. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk. There is no requirement for Authorities to undertake a means test or conduct a benefit check unless this specifically forms part of the Authoritys local eligibility criteria. Pay your bill, report a change, find information on bands, exemptions and discounts. This fund is designed to be used to support households in the most need particularly those who may not qualify for other types of government support. For funding during 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023 the criteria are the same as before. You can change your cookie settings at any time. The expectation is that The Fund should be used to support households in the most need; particularly those who may not be eligible for the other support government has recently made available but who are neverless in need. Please make sure you have all the information required to hand, including deails of income and . Apply for the. This cell will automatically populate from the total in table 3. 123. In the March 2022 budget, the Chancellor announced the Household Support Fund extension to make a further 421 million available for Local Authorities in England to support those most in need to help with significantly rising living costs. . The government has announced an extension of the scheme supporting vulnerable households, including pensioners and those with children, with a focus on food and energy costs. Administration costs this includes reasonable costs incurred administering The Fund. For example, any application process should be easy to access and to navigate. The total value of grant spent, the volume of awards made by the charity or voluntary organisations providing the food bank and number of households helped should be entered in Table 3 (The Authority or food bank provider will need to provide the split between household composition to the best of their ability) and column b (Food Excluding FSM support in the holidays) of Table 4. The Household Support Fund is available to anyone, you don't have to be in receipt of Universal Credit or any other benefits payments. Welfare Assistance Loans This is in partnership with City of Wolverhampton Council. Table 6 access route Number of Households Helped: this is the number of individual households helped by The Fund within the eligibility criteria. Household Support Fund | Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (bvsc.org) Published: 18 January, 2022. 49. The Government have announced an extension to the Household Support Fund, to cover the period from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. . Individual awards can be whatever type and amount is deemed appropriate by Authorities for the receiving household, bearing in mind the overall spend eligibility priorities listed above and the risk of fraud and error. Household Support Fund (HSF) The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has allocated funding to administer the HSF scheme and provide assistance to households most in need. In particular, LAs should prioritise those who have not already received additional support for the cost of living. We are working with a range of partners across the county to make sure we can get the right help to those who need it, at the right time. Therefore, Authorities should also use other sources of information to identify vulnerable households, including advice from professionals who come into contact with vulnerable households such as social workers and Supporting Families keyworkers and housing workers. Under the fund, some authorities are offering 100 in free cash to families and up to 60 worth of vouchers for children's clothing while others are offering up to 120 in vouchers towards . If multiple awards are made to the same household throughout the period of The Fund each award should be counted separately. It is important to stress that The Fund is intended to cover a wide range of low income households in need including families with children of all ages, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers and disabled people. However, support is not restricted only to vulnerable households in receipt of benefits. However, this has been replaced by one-off funds for the . 34. Authorities who have signed and returned the relevant section (Annex C) of the current DWP/LA MoU have legal permission to access DWPs Searchlight portal and specific UC, Pension Credit, ESA (IR) and HB only data through a monthly data share for the purpose of The Fund. Check benefits and financial support you can get, Find out about the Energy Bills Support Scheme, If you need support, contact your local council to find out more information and apply for the fund, Household Support Fund (1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023): final guidance for county councils and unitary authorities in England, Household Support Fund management information template, Household Support Fund Grant Determination 2022 No 31/3096, get help with the cost of living through the Household Support Fund from your local council, Cold Weather Payment estimates: 2022 to 2023, Energy Bills Support Scheme GB: payments made by electricity suppliers to customers, Cold Weather Payment estimates: 2021 to 2022, Applying for a Discretionary Housing Payment. Housing costs. DWP will also continue to engage with Authorities throughout the course of The Fund and will provide opportunities to engage with the department and other Authorities to share good practice and work collaboratively. This includes reasonable costs incurred administering The Fund. 77. Applicants who received funding between October and December 2022 will be able to re-apply for additional support, if required. In exceptional cases of genuine emergency, where existing housing support schemes do not meet this exceptional need, the Fund can be used to support housing costs. MI returns must be endorsed by the Section 151 Officer in accordance with their statutory assurance responsibility in order for the grant payment to be made by copying your Chief Financial Officer and Section 151 Officer into the email. Authorities must work together with District Councils to ensure the funding meets its objectives by identifying those most in need. The provision of DWP data to Authorities is under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Department for Work and Pensions and LAs (Access, handling, exchange and protection of DWPs and HM Revenue and Customs data). 29. Authorities should consider household circumstances when making a decision on how to spend this grant. It will be for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate this additional funding. The Household Support Fund (HSF) is provided by the Government and administered by BCP Council. 116. Staffordshire County Council have agreed to use this funding in the following ways: 1. To ensure that the objectives of The Fund are being met during the course of the grant and reduce administration costs for all concerned, including the need for DWP to recover underspend, grant payment will be made in arrears upon DWP being satisfied with the MI returns. If you have already . 54. Authorities are also encouraged to ensure checks are in place to verify the identity of those eligible. Paragraphs 17,18, 87 and 88 have been amended/added to provide guidance where an authority receives unspent TPO funding or expired vouchers after submitting their final management information. 122. If you are not a Dorset Council resident, contact your local council for details of their scheme. You can use the form below to apply for help through LWP and al the value of awards should be entered in Table 4 row 1 column b because it relates to food excluding, the volume of awards should be included in Table 4 row 2 column b because it relates to food, the number of households helped should be included in Table 4 row 3 (number of households helped) column b because it relates to food, the value of awards should be entered in Table 5 row 1 column a because it relates to vouchers, the volume of awards should be included in Table 5 row 2 column a because it relates to vouchers, the number of households helped should be included in Table 5 row 3 column a because it relates to vouchers, the value of awards should be entered in Table 6 row 1 column b because it relates to proactive support, the volume of awards should be included in Table 6 row 2 column b because it relates to proactive support, the number of households helped should be included in Table 6 row 3 column b because it relates to proactive support, critical data is missing, or the data looks odd, or. the total amount you have paid will be the same across the four tables. For example, some disabled people may have increased utility bills due to the usage of equipment, aids or adaptations associated with their disability. It is the amount that will be used to determine the grant funding payment from DWP to cover the full cost of administering the grant in an Authority area. Funding will be used primarily to support households with essentials costs related to food, energy and water bills. Support which can make a quick but sustainable impact on energy costs is particularly encouraged; for example, insulation of hot water tanks, fitting draft excluders to a door, or replacing inefficient lightbulbs or white goods. On 30 September 2021, the government announced that vulnerable households across the country would be able to access a new 500 million support fund to help them with essentials over the winter. On 30 September 2021, the government announced that vulnerable households across the country would be able to access a new 500 million support fund to help them with essentials over the winter. DO NOT CONTACT US ASKING FOR UPDATES. This funding. Rather than focus on one specific vulnerable group, Authorities should use the wide range of data and sources of information at their disposal to identify and provide support to a broad cross section of vulnerable households to prevent escalation of problems. 89. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. We will not be able to accept. If an Authority feels that the payment arrangements will create significant cash flow problems, please notify DWP as soon as possible with supporting evidence. Authorities may find this information useful in identifying those most in need. 51. To help us improve GOV.UK, wed like to know more about your visit today. 87. Information has been supplied by Citizens Advice Peterborough. The different elements of the MI template are shown below together with guidance on how to complete them. The Chancellor spoke in the House of Commons on Wednesday, March 23, and announced that he is doubling the Household Support Fund to 1 billion, to give local authorities the support they need to help people in their local area. 44. the standard lookup code for your authority, The second telephone number (if applicable) of the, If appropriate the surname of the Personal/Corporate Acting Body as reported on the, If appropriate the forename of the Personal/Corporate Acting Body as reported on the, If appropriate the address of the Personal/Corporate Acting Body as reported on the, If appropriate the telephone number of the Personal/Corporate Acting Body as reported on the, If appropriate the second telephone number of the Personal/Corporate Acting Body as reported on the, use discretion on how to identify and support those most in need, taking into account a wide range of information, use the funding from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023 to meet immediate needs and help those who are struggling to afford energy and water bills, food, and other related essentials. how they plan to provide support to vulnerable households, in other words, paying into bank accounts, use of cash and vouchers, provision of goods. 2. When developing your local delivery frameworks, you should ensure people are not disadvantaged or treated unfairly by The Fund. We are currently dealing with a large number of applications and working through early December submissions. This funding covered the period 6 October 2021 to 31 March 2022 inclusive. Authorities should establish eligibility criteria for their application service and should communicate with residents to ensure that their scheme and the mechanism for applying is clear and accessible. Residents in financial hardship can self-refer to the Household Support Fund for support with food and energy vouchers, or alternative . Authorities are required to make two Statements of Grant Usage and MI returns see the Grant Determination. Local Authority (the name of your Authority), LOCAL_AUTHORITY_CODE (the standard lookup code for your authority), TYF_LA_ID_CODE (the Transfer Your File code for your authority), For each postcode sector (POSTCODE_OUTWARD_CODE) in a ward (WARD_NAME), (WARD_CODE), Number of Households in the ward with UC Limited Capability to Work group (HAS_LCW_LATEST_AP), Number of UC households in the Authority without children (HHS_NO_CHILDREN_IN_LA), Number of UC households in the Authority with children (HHS_WITH_CHILDREN_IN_LA), Number of children in the Authority in UC households with children (NO_OF_CHILDREN_IN_LA), Number of UC households without children in the postcode sector that are below the Free School Meal income threshold and free prescription threshold (HHS_NO_CHILDREN_PRESC_OR_FSM), Number of UC households without children in the postcode sector that are below the Free Prescription income threshold (HHS_NO_CHILDREN_PRESC), Number of UC households without children in the postcode sector that are below the Free School meal income threshold (HHS_NO_CHILDREN_FSM), Number of UC households with children in the postcode sector that are below the Free School Meal income threshold and free prescription threshold (HHS_WITH_CHILDREN_PRESC_OR_FSM), Number of UC households with children in the postcode sector that are below the Free Prescription income threshold (HHS_WITH_CHILDREN_PRESC), Number of UC households with children in the postcode sector that are below the Free School meal income threshold (HHS_WITH_CHILDREN_FSM), Number of children in UC households in the postcode sector that are below the Free School Meal income threshold and free prescription threshold (CHILDREN_PRESCRIPTIONS_OR_FSM), Number of children in UC households in the postcode sector that are below the Free Prescription income threshold (CHILDREN_PRESCRIPTION), Number of children in UC households in the postcode sector that are below the Free School meal income threshold (CHILDREN_FSM). The award was not made as a result of an application nor proactive support. https://www.gov.uk/cost-living-help-local-council. The funds should not be used for any economic undertaking. Every area must operate at least part of their scheme on an application basis. Responsibility for MI reporting rests with Authorities. Your council may have chosen a different name than Household Support Fund. confirm they intend to spend the total unspent amount against the same category of spend for the same group. The amount of MI available will vary considerably across each TPO. Table 4: Total Value of Awards Split by Category. Priority is given to supporting Food and Fuel, however other household essentials can be considered. If you are not a tenant of one of the organisations listed above, then please apply for the Household Support Fund by visiting grantapproval.co.uk. Each MI return must include your Section 151 Officers name and email address to provide assurance on validation of funding spend. Services The rules around immigration status have not changed. 421m has been made available to County Councils and Unitary Authorities in England to support those most in need to help with global inflationary challenges and the significantly rising cost of living. This is not an award made directly to vulnerable households by an Authority. They may also have additional heating, water or transport costs. The funding is part of the government's Household Support Fund. who has reached State Pension age at the time of award, 70. Although this is considered an extension to the previous two Household Support Fund schemes, it is a new grant subject to its own grant conditions as is set out in the Grant Determination letter. Dont include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details.
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