Telephone 0808 808 0123
Textphone 0808 808 9000
informationline@rnid.org.uk
This factsheet is part of RNID's benefits range. It is written for deaf people in the UK. We use the term deaf people to refer to deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people throughout this factsheet.
Read this factsheet to find the answers to these questions:
The Social Fund provides grants and loans to people on certain social security benefits. It is run by Jobcentre Plus, part of the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP). As well as Community Care Grants, the Social Fund can pay budgeting loans, crisis loans, maternity payments and funeral payments.
This factsheet is about Community Care Grants only and does not include information about these other payments from the Social Fund.
For information about these, read the Jobcentre Plus leaflet Grants and Loans from the Social Fund. You can get a copy from Jobcentre Plus offices or the Benefit Enquiry Line or download the leaflet as a portable document format (PDF) version (external link, opens new browser window) from the DWP website (external link, opens new browser window).
At the end of this factsheet, we give you details of organisations you can contact for further information.
Community care grants are "discretionary" awards to help people live independently in the community. ‘Discretionary’ means you don’t automatically get them for being disabled – you must meet certain conditions.
Applications for grants are dealt with by Social Fund decision makers, who are part of Jobcentre Plus. If you are awarded a Community Care Grant you do not have to pay it back.
To be entitled to a Community Care Grant, you (and your partner if you have one) must meet the following conditions:
Even if you meet these conditions, you may not be awarded a grant. Social Fund decision makers have to take a lot of factors into account when deciding whether to award a grant. We tell you more about some of the qualifying conditions and how decisions are made later in this factsheet.
You may be awarded a Community Care Grant if the item or items you are applying for:
If you are deaf, you are likely to claim for a Community Care Grant to help you remain in the community or reduce exceptional pressures on your family.
Examples include:
This isn’t everything you can apply for – just some examples. If you need something specific, it is worth applying for a grant. But it is up to you to explain why your need for the item is important, and how it will help you to remain in your home or ease exceptional pressure on you or your family.
The rules say that you cannot apply for certain items (‘excluded items’).
You cannot get a grant for:
If you are refused a Community Care Grant because the Social Fund Officer says the item you are asking for is excluded, you should seek advice.
To apply for a community care grant, get form SF300 from your local Jobcentre Plus office or Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), or call the Benefit Enquiry Line (see the Further information at the end of this factsheet for contact details).
You can also download a portable document format (PDF) version of the form (external link, opens new browser window) from the DWP website (external link, opens new browser window).
Estimate the cost of each item you are asking for. If you are applying for a grant to cover the cost of moving home or redecorating, you should get written quotations. Explain in detail how each item you need will enable you to live independently or ease ‘exceptional pressures’ on your family. It may be a good idea to ask a social worker with deaf people, or someone else who understands your needs, to write a supporting letter.
The Social Fund department at your local Jobcentre Plus office is responsible for deciding whether your application is successful. Community Care Grants are discretionary, so you do not have an automatic right to payment.
Decision makers have to follow national and local guidance and they prioritise Community Care Grant applications. The guidance states that people with sensory disabilities, including deaf people, should be given priority. In terms of priority, they should normally:
Decision makers must also take into account:
Every Jobcentre Plus district is given a fixed Community Care Grant budget each year, and they are not allowed to spend more than their budget. However, you should not be refused a high-priority item just because of the local budget. In practice, you may find that your local office’s priority list may be adjusted throughout the year to help them manage their budget. For instance, if their budget is almost all spent they may only be able to award a grant for high-priority items, or if they have more money in the budget they may also pay a grant for medium-priority items.
That depends. The minimum amount for a Community Care Grant is £30 (except if the grant is for travel expenses). There is no set maximum amount. If you have savings of more than £500, or more than £1,000 if you or your partner are aged 60 or over, any grant you get will be reduced by the amount that your savings exceed £500 or £1,000.
If you are refused a grant for a specific item, you cannot apply for the same item for another 26 weeks, unless your circumstances change. You should therefore make full use of the review process.
Unlike other social security benefits, you do not have the right to appeal to an independent tribunal if you disagree with a Community Care Grant decision. However, you do have the right to ask for the decision to be reviewed:
If you still disagree with the decision after the initial review process, you can ask for a Social Fund Inspector to review the decision. Social Fund Inspectors are based at the Independent Review Service (IRS) and are independent of the staff at Jobcentre Plus. You have 28 days from the date of the new decision to apply in writing. Late applications can be accepted if you have ‘special reasons’. You will not normally have to go to a formal hearing, and if the inspector needs any more information he or she will write to you. You should get help from an adviser if you want to take your case to a Social Fund
If you cannot get a Community Care Grant for something you need, you could apply for a budgeting loan. Remember, however, that you have to repay budgeting loans through deductions from your benefit. For more information, the DWP produces two leaflets:
Both can be downloaded from the DWP website (external link, opens new browser window)
Citizens advice bureau (CAB) (opens new browser window)
(external link, opens new browser window)Directgov (opens new browser window)
Disability Alliance (opens new browser window)
Independent Review Service for the Social Fund (IRS) (opens new browser window)
Jobcentre Plus (opens new browser window)
Contact Jobcentre Plus to apply for a Community Care Grant. They can also advise you if you are of working age and want to claim, or are claiming, a benefit. They can also help you if you are looking for work or training.
Law centres (opens new browser window)
Social Security Agency for Northern Ireland (opens new browser window)
See your phonebook for details of your local welfare rights advice centre.
We offer a wide range of information on many aspects of deafness and hearing loss. Contact us for further copies of this factsheet and the full range of our information factsheets and leaflets.
19-23 Featherstone Street, London EC1Y 8SL
Telephone: 0808 808 0123
Textphone: 0808 808 9000
Fax: 020 7296 8199
Email: informationline@rnid.org.uk
We have offices throughout the UK. For more local advice if you live in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales, please contact:
Tudor House, 16 Cathedral Road, Cardiff CF11 9LJ
Telephone: 029 2033 3034
Textphone: 029 2033 3036
Fax: 029 2033 3035
Email: rnidcymru@rnid.org.uk
Wilton House, 5 College Square North, Belfast BT1 6AR
Telephone: 028 9023 9619
Textphone: 028 9031 2033
Fax: 028 9031 2032.
Videophone: 028 9043 8354
Email: rnidni@rnid.org.uk
Empire House, 131 West Nile Street, Glasgow G1 2RX
Telephone: 0141 341 5330
Textphone: 0141 341 5347
Fax: 0141 354 0176
Email: rnidscotland@rnid.org.uk
If you are a benefits adviser, please contact the RNID Casework Service.
RNID Casework Service, 19-23 Featherstone Street, London EC1Y 8SL
Telephone: 0808 808 0123
Textphone: 0808 808 9000
Fax: 020 7296 8199
Email: caseworkteam@rnid.org.uk