Types of assistance6

1

Assistance out of a welfare fund may be provided by way of—

a

a crisis grant; or

b

a community care grant.

2

A crisis grant is assistance for the purposes referred to in paragraph (a) of section 2(1) of the Act.

3

A community care grant is assistance for the purposes referred to in paragraph (b) of section 2(1) of the Act.

4

A community care grant may be provided where it appears to the local authority that the grant will—

a

enable a qualifying individual who falls within paragraph (5) to establish or maintain a settled home and that without the grant there is a risk that the individual will not be able to do this;

b

enable a qualifying individual to maintain a settled home and that without the grant there is a risk of the individual needing to go into a care institution;

c

enable a qualifying individual to establish or maintain a settled home after being homeless or otherwise living an unsettled way of life;

d

enable a qualifying individual to maintain a settled home in a situation where that individual, or another individual in the same household, is facing exceptional pressure; or

e

assist a person to care for a qualifying individual who has been released from prison or a young offenders’ institution on temporary licence.

5

A qualifying individual falls within this paragraph if the individual—

a

has been in prison or a care institution for a period of at least 3 months, any part of which falls within the period of 9 months preceding the date of the fund application in question; or

b

has been in a care institution for two or more separate periods within that 9 month period.