Business Processing

Helping Clackmannanshire Council to get vital support to people in need

By administering the Scottish Welfare Fund for Clackmannanshire Council, we helped to get grants to the right places when their service came under pressure

The Scottish Welfare Fund offers two types of grants for people on low incomes. Crisis Grants are designed to help people manage an emergency like a flood, burglary or job loss. Community Care Grants are designed to support people to live at home by helping to provide essential furniture or white goods. Both grants can take the form of money, vouchers, travel tickets or items like cookers or beds.

We administered this service for Clackmannanshire Council from 2020 to 2024, assessing 11,184 applications and confirming eligibility for 5,424 grants worth £1,937,919.84. Taking applications by phone and online, we followed national and local guidance to determine eligibility and made decisions within the timeframe set out in the guidance.

Then, each grant – whether cash or goods – was distributed by the council itself.

We were already using NEC’s software to administer the grants, but volumes were increasing which meant we were struggling to manage it in-house. We asked NEC to step in and administer the eligibility service because we knew they had the right experience

BEN WATSON, REVENUES AND BENEFITS LEADER

Our Business Processing team has experience administering local welfare provision for councils across England and Scotland. In Wales, we also deliver it nationally through the Discretionary Assistance Fund, distributing payments and in-kind support such as furniture. For Ben, this depth of expertise meant we could talk to their customers sensitively and get up and running quickly

Right from the start, I was really impressed with the service from NEC. They became an extension of our team, processing applications in line with our own procedures. There’s a lot of discretion involved, which can be hard, but they kept notes on all the decisions they made and kept in regular contact. It gave us real peace of mind

BEN WATSON, REVENUES AND BENEFITS LEADER

When we were struggling with application volumes, NEC helped us to get Crisis Grants and Community Care Grants to the people who need them most. If we ever need this type of service again, I wouldn’t hesitate to give them a call.

Ben Watson Revenues and Benefits Leader