Departments Directions Social Fund Guide Part 2 - Community Care Grants
Direction 49 - Community Care Grant applications treated as CL applications and vice versa
The Department directs that
(1) Where an applicant applies for a crisis loan and information supplied by the applicant in support of the application indicates that a grant may be appropriate, the decision maker may determine the application as an application for a grant, provided there is no application for a crisis loan, or for a grant, to meet the same need which is being considered by a decision maker, or by a social fund inspector, as at the date of determination.
(2) Where an applicant applies for a grant and the information supplied by the applicant in support of the application indicates that a crisis loan may be appropriate, the decision maker may determine the application as an application for a crisis loan, provided there is no application for a crisis loan, or for a grant, to meet the same need which is being considered by a decision maker, or by a social fund inspector, as at the date of determination.
Applications
3800Although there are separate Community Care Grants and Crisis Loan application forms, since both are subject to the same discretionary basis of decision making, it is possible for an Decision Maker to receive a Crisis Loan application and decide to award a Community Care Grant or vice versa. This involves treating the Crisis Loan application as though it was an application for a Community Care Grant.
3801Decision Makers are not required to consider a Community Care Grants in every case of a Crisis Loan application or vice versa. Such consideration may be appropriate where the information declared by the applicant in support of a Crisis Loan application alerts the Decision Maker to the possibility of a Community Care Grant being appropriate, and where:
an application for a Crisis Loan or Community Care Grant to meet the same need is not being considered by an Decision Maker or Social Fund Inspector at the date of application; and the Decision Maker considers that a Community Care Grant may be awarded in respect of the need specified in the application.
Similarly, an application for a Community Care Grant may be treated as an application for a Crisis Loan where the reverse circumstances apply.
3802Where nothing on the application has prompted the Decision Maker to consider using the power in Direction 49 to convert the application to a Crisis Loan, there is no need to refer to the direction in the decision record. However, where evidence has prompted such consideration but the Decision Maker has ultimately decided to determine the application as a Community Care Grant, the thought-process leading to that conclusion should be documented.
3803Directions and guidance on how to decide Community Care Grant and Crisis Loan applications are in the respective parts of the Guide dealing with Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans.
3804-3839
Budgeting Loans
3840Budgeting Loans should be applied for on the appropriate application form, or in such other manner, in writing, as the Department accepts is sufficient in a particular case, and can only be awarded on the basis of such an application. If a Budgeting Loan application form contains information which would suggest that an application for a Crisis Loan or a Community Care Grant might succeed, the applicant should be invited to apply on the appropriate form.
3841The Budgeting Loan application should then be processed in the normal way (see paragraph 6060).
3842-3999
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