SWF – The Potential to Make a Meaningful Difference

Douglas Proudfoot

Recognition of potential

• Substantial commitment from major stakeholders and genuine partnership

• Customer group are some of Scotland’s most vulnerable

• Many customers would be accessing other services already

• Not just about processing a grant application• Opportunity to do much, much more with

resource

Supporting Accessibility & Linkages

• Number of application channels / customer touch points

• Signposting and early intervention (including DWP)

• Other sectors involved• Awareness of other services and crossover• Continued link to communications strategies

(local, national & DWP)

Joined up Delivery & Alternative Options

• Collaborative approach to implementation and ongoing development

• Targeted support and advice• Goods alongside grants• Applicant will be customer even if no award• Procurement muscle, ability to make the public £ go

further and help more – even more with re-use• Scotland Excel, CRNS, Zero Waste Scotland, Post Office,

PayPoint, Allpay & others involved in providing practical delivery alternatives

Scottish Welfare Fund – Accessibility & Delivery Map

OTHER INTERVENTIONS OR SUPPORT ROUTES

Money Advice

Tenancy Support

Care Package

Charitable Support

S12 / S22 / DHP DWP

VERIFICATION & DECISION MAKING

CIS Checks Scheme Criteria

Identity Checks

Prioritisation

No award - grant assistance not part of support provided

Grant award

Grant award

DELIVERY OPTIONS (JOINED UP PARTNERSHIP APPROACH)

National /Local Goods

Re-use

National Procurement

Local Procurement Post Office Food

VouchersSmart Cards

Travel Vouchers Pay Point FST

Payments

Resource Availability

Telephony

Application Form

(Digital / Hard Copy)

In Person (Supported)

ACCESSIBILITY (JOINED UP PARTNERSHIP APPROACH)

Early issues

• STBA / benefit transition / budgeting loans / DWP signposting and “bounce”

• Activity levels and spend• Consistency of decision making

Medium Term

• Development of draft Bill and supporting regulations running simultaneously with on-going development of interim arrangements

• Enhanced supported accessibility, improvement in infrastructure, quality of signposting and support

• Opportunities to target locally and cross sector specific areas of take up.

• Improved decision making and experience• Iterative improvements in joined up delivery

arrangements.

Medium Term

• Take more advantage of flexibilities & discretion – reinforced by updated &enhanced national guidance.

• Resources (Programme and Delivery), distribution, augmentation of the fund, the costs vs. benefits of being holistic

• Movement towards more CCGs as opposed to CGs• Further shared procurement• Reporting & monitoring

Medium Term

• 2nd tier review / role of lay members? / reduction of scale?

• Fraud prevention & governance• Impacts of other Welfare Reform, UC, direct

payments• Addressing consistency of decision making /

case sampling and sharing best practice• Maximising our shared advice resources

Longer Term

The longer term

• “Interim” scheme will become statutory• 2nd tier review – a difficult area but needs to

deliver?• Can we get local collaboration to work

consistently?• What happens after 18 September 2014?• Central vs. local? Opportunities for sharing

services?

How will we take things forward?• Continue joined up collaborative approach & SG

partnership– Develop accessibility arrangements, joined up working and

delivery alternatives iteratively across and utilising all the partnerships that we can.

– LA visits / case observations / sharing best practice– Fraud prevention but in the context of a “can do” culture– Continuing to update documentation / influence guidance– Shaping the permanent scheme– Development of full monitoring reports

• Consultation on draft Bill

Summary

• Particularly vulnerable customer group• The SWF is and must be an enabling fund• Small service that can bring together a whole

host of supports across all sectors.• Collectively we have the potential to make the

scheme successful for the customer… there is plenty to do and roles need to be respected… but shared aspirations and a collective responsibility to deliver.