Further help with the Social Fund can be found from The Independent Review Service (IRS) at:
http://www.irs-review.org.uk - useful information about the social fund, as well as details of how to apply for an independent review.

Social Fund

This benefit is dealt with by Jobcentre Plus. The Social Fund provides lump sum payments, grants and loans. Loans and Community Care Grants from the Social Fund are discretionary and not for a standard amount. Savings of £500 or more (£1,000 for those aged 60 or over) may affect how much you get. You may be able to get help from the Social Fund for important costs that are hard to pay for out of your regular income.

If you are leaving residential or institutional accommodation, need help to stay in your own home, have had an unsettled way of life, or are facing exceptional pressure, you may be able to get a Community Care Grant.

(Residential or institutional accommodation means a place where you get a lot of care or supervision, like hospital, prison or residential care and nursing homes.)

If you need things for your home or other things that you cannot pay for in a lump sum, and you get Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or Pension Credit, or payment on account of one of these benefits, you may be able to get a Budgeting Loan.

If you need immediate help with day-to-day living costs or something else in an emergency, you may be able to get a Crisis Loan.

If you need help to buy things for a new baby and you or your partner get a low-income benefit or tax credit, you may be able to get a Sure Start Maternity Grant.

(We use partner to mean a person you are married to or a person you are living with as if you are married to them).

If you get a low-income benefit or tax credit and need help towards paying for a funeral, you may be able to get a Funeral Payment.

If you or your partner are getting Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or Pension Credit, and have a child aged under 5, or you are disabled or aged 60 or over, you may be able to get a Cold Weather Payment.

Winter Fuel Payments are paid to eligible households that include someone aged 60 or over to help with their winter fuel bills.

Definitions
The European Economic Area (EEA) is made up of all European Union (EU) countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom (UK), plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Switzerland is not a member of the EEA, but as a result of an agreement with the EU that came into force on 1 June 2002, the EU rules on social security also apply to Switzerland.

UK means England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland but not the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

Great Britain means England, Scotland and Wales

Information taken from Department of Work and Pensions under Crown Copyright

Funeral payments: 

You are entitled to a funeral payment if:

You, or your partner, have been awarded a qualifying benefit at the time of your claim (income support, income-based JSA, working families tax credit, disabled person’s tax credit, housing benefit or council tax benefit); and

You, or your partner, accept responsibility for the costs of a funeral (ie you have paid or are liable to pay for them), which takes place in the UK ( or other European Economic Areas where agreements have been made); and

The deceased was ordinarily resident in the UK when she/he died; and

You claim within the time limits; and

You do not have to much capital; and

You fall into one of the groups of people who are eligible to claim.

You can only claim if you fall into one of the following groups;

You were the partner of the deceased when he/she died, or before either of you entered residential or nursing care (ie you were married, or unmarried and of the opposite sex and living together as husband and wife).The deceased was a child you were responsible for and there is no ‘absent parent’ (unless he/she is getting a qualifying benefit), or the deceased was a stillborn child.You were a ‘close relative’ or a close friend of the deceased. Close relative means parent (or parent-in-law), son (-in-law), daughter (in-law), brother (in-law), sister (in-law), stepson/daughter (in-law) or step parent. You can only get a payment as close relative or friend if it is reasonable for you to accept responsibility for the funeral costs, given the nature and extent of your contact with the deceased. You cannot get a payment , however, if; The deceased had a partner; orThere is a parent, son or daughter of the deceased who is not either getting a qualifying benefit; or in prison or hospital immediately following a period on a qualifying benefit; or under 18; or aged 18 and in full time education; or a fully maintained member of a religious order; or someone who was estranged from the deceased; or

There is a ‘close relative’ (see above) of the deceased aged 18 or over who was in closer contact with him or her than you were ( or had equally close contact and is not getting a qualifying benefit, or has over £500 capital ( and more capital than you have £1000 if h/she is aged 60 or over)

How much:

The following costs can be met:

In the case of burial, the necessary cost of purchasing a new burial plot with exclusive rights plus necessary burial fees or, in the case of cremation, necessary cremation fess, including medical certificates and fees.The cost of documentation required to release the deceased’s assets.The reasonable cost of transport for the portion of the journey in excess of 50 miles, undertaken to transport the body within the UK to a funeral directors premises or to a place of rest and to transport the coffin, bearers and mourners in two vehicles to the funeral.The necessary costs of one return journey from your home, for you or your partner to arrange or attend the funeral, if you are responsible for the funeral costs.

Up to £600 for other funeral expenses (£100 if you have a pre-paid funeral plan which does not cover these expenses).

The following amounts are deducted from an award of a funeral payment (you should also note that a funeral payment is recoverable from the deceased’s estate):

Any capital you , or your partner, have above £500 (£1000 if either of you is aged 60 or over). Capital is worked out as for income support, except that a widows payment (£1000) is ignored for 12 months after your husbands deathAny of the deceased’s assets which are available to you without probate or letters of administration;Any lump sum due to you on the death of the deceased from an insurance policy, occupational pension, war pension, burial club or similar scheme;Any contribution towards the funeral costs from a charity or relative of your’s or the deceased’s;

Any amount from a prepaid funeral plan or similar scheme.

Note that any payment from the MacFarlane or Eileen Trusts or the Fund are ignored.

How to claim: Claim on form SF200 (available from the DSS) You must claim at any time from the date of death up to 3 months after the date of the funeral. If you are waiting for a decision on a qualifying benefit, you should still claim within the time limits and then re-claim within 3 months of being awarded a qualifying benefit.

Cold weather payments:

You are entitled to a cold weather payment of £8.50 when;

The average temperature recorded or forecast over 7 consecutive days by the designated weather station for your area, is 0 degrees celsius (freezing) or less; and

You have been awarded income support or income-based JSA and you are responsible for a child under the age of 5, or you are getting one of the pensioner or disability premiums (including the disabled child premium).

You are not entitled to a payment if you live in a residential care or nursing home and receive a residential allowance with your IS or income-based JSA.

You do not need to make a claim. Payment should be made automatically by the DSS.

Winter fuel payments:

This is a tax-free single payment intended to help people aged 60 or over with winter fuel bills. For winter 2000/2001 the government will increase the payment from £100 to £150 for each eligible household.For winter 2000/2001, you will generally qualify for a winter fuel payment if in the week beginning 18.9.00 you are aged 60 or over.

Some people cannot get a winter fuel payment, for example those who in the week beginning 18.9.00 are not ordinarily resident in Great Britain, or have been in hospital for 52 weeks or more, or are serving a prison sentence, and some people living in residential care. Nor can you get a payment if you are ‘subject to immigration control’.

How much:
The amount you get depends on your household circumstances during the ‘qualifying week’ beginning 18.9.00.

You get £150 if you are the only person in your home aged 60 or over (who qualifies for a payment).

A couple who receive IS or income-based JSA in the qualifying week, will get one payment of £150. Other couples both of whom are aged 60 or over will get £75 each.

Otherwise if you live with one or more people aged 60 or over (who also qualify for winter fuel payment), each person who gets IS or income-based JSA gets a £150 payment, and others get £75 each.

If you are in a residential care or nursing home you can only get a £75 payment and only if you do not receive IS or income-based JSA. You only count as living in residential care if you were there for at least 13 weeks by 24.9.00 ignoring any temporary absences. Otherwise what you get is based on your home circumstances.

For most people there is no need to claim, payments will be made automatically. But if you have not received a payment and think you should have, you must claim before 31.3.01. To get a claim form phone the Winter Fuel Payment Helpline on 08459 151515.

Previous winters:

The government introduced these annual winter fuel payments in the winter of 1997/98 for people aged 60 or over in receipt of income support or income-based JSA, and people over pension age (60 for women and 65 for men) in receipt of other benefits. In December 1999, the European court of Justice ruled that the exclusion of men age 60 - 64 not receiving IS or income-based JSA, constituted unlawful discrimination. Following the ruling, the government announced that the scheme would be extended to those age 60 or over, and that payments to those newly eligible would be backdated to the start of the scheme.

Appeals:

If you disagree with any decision relating to ‘grants available by right’, you can appeal to a tribunal.