Departments Directions Social Fund Guide

Part 2 - Community Care Grants

How much to award

When to award the lowest price

3371A CCG award may be for a single item or expense or a number of items and expenses added together. There are no Directions restricting the total amount that may be awarded as a CCG. However, Decision Makers should bear in mind that the scheme is cash (budget) limited. Paying a grant at an amount greater than is required by the customer in order to purchase what they need means that there is less funding for other high priority CCG applications.

3372 Therefore irrespective of the amount requested by the applicant, Decision Makers are advised to:

use high street chain retailers and/or catalogue outlets that are available locally to determine the amount to be awarded;
make best use of CCG funding by awarding the lowest price where that will still meet applicant needs;
consider the cost of delivery and fitting charges, for example, although a retailer, especially in the case of white goods, may not offer the lowest price, if the price includes free delivery and/or fitting, it may be better value for money than awarding these separately
remember that A-rated efficiency goods, if more expensive, may not always be appropriate. This is because we are trying to help as many people as we possibly can with the limited funds available.

When the lowest price may not be appropriate

3373 Decision Makers should bear in mind that the lowest price may not always be enough to meet an individuals needs. This may be, for example, where an item has to be of a particular type or to be specially adapted; or a higher specification is required in order to meet the individual needs of the applicant or their family. For example, an award of a higher amount may be appropriate where:

a disabled person needs a cooker with special adaptations
the size of the family means that their needs will be better met by goods of a higher specification
delivery and/or fitting is included in the price and this would be cheaper than providing for these separately.

Where the applicant doesn't ask for enough to purchase the item requested

3374 If the applicant has asked for an amount that appears to be too little to meet their need, consider awarding a higher amount unless the Decision Maker is satisfied that a guaranteed servicable item can be obtained for the lesser amount. If necessary, contact the applicant to confirm who is providing the item, and to establish its age, and condition.

3375 Although used (second hand) white goods generally do not offer long term value for money, for other household items and furniture it may be appropriate to award the amount requested by the applicant to buy used items providing there is no reason to doubt their serviceability. Sometimes, further enquiries (e.g. as above) will be needed and Decision Makers must always take account of individual circumstances. Exceptionally, it may be appropriate to ask the applicant if they have written estimates, see para 2071.

3376 If, based on the information obtained, the Decision Maker decides to award the low amount requested he/she should warn the applicant that it is their responsibility to ensure the goods are of servicable quality and are safe. If the Decision Maker makes a higher or lower award than that applied for, the reasons for this decision must be fully documented.

Restricting award amounts solely for budgetary reasons

3377 It will be rare to make an award below the lowest price for a standard basic item as provided by the catalogue outlets and high street retailers. Exceptionally, the Decision Maker may consider doing so in appropriate circumstances, if the item is of guaranteed servicable quality, such as where the evidence indicates that the budget is under extreme pressure to meet all high priority needs and the applicants need is extremely compelling. The main source of evidence about the state of the budget is information provided by the ADM ( see Direction 40 and Part 5 - The Budget).

3378 The lower amount may be justifiable from the budgetary evidence. Also, it must be sufficient both to cover the cost of the item/service needed and to fulfil the aims of Direction 4.

3379 You must fully document the reasons for the reduced award, in particular highlighting the budgetary evidence.

3380 Below is an example of considerations under paragraphs 3371 to 3373 and 3377 to 3378

3381 For example:

3382 The applicant is 75 and has been discharged from care after 6 months. The application is for an electric cooker £275 and a high quality single bed £550. The applicant has severe back problems, which mean that he will be bedridden during some days. The hospital consultant has recommended a bed of particularly high quality because of the amount of time he is likely to spend in bed and his back problems.The applicant's son, who is a qualified electrician, will connect the cooker.
The Decision Maker finds that the conditions of Direction 4(a)(i) are met.and that help to meet the applicant's needs is not available from elsewhere.
Given the applicant’s health problems, age and vulnerability he decides that an award for a cooker and bed is urgent and it will have a substantial and immediate effect in helping him establish himself back in the community and in resolving or improving the circumstances of the applicant. He accords them both a high priority.
At the time of the decision, the Area Decision Maker’s guidance states that high priorities can be met to the extent the budget allows. Athough the budget is being spent roughly as planned, the budgetary information provided by the ADM indicates that decision makers have been awarding the lowest amounts possible solely for budgetary reasons. Demand for CCGs shows no sign of falling off. Therefore it is clear that if spend is to continue as planned, all awards must be made with budgetary constraints in mind.
The decision maker finds the budget can meet this applicant's particular high priority needs and decides the amounts to award as follows:

The decision maker finds that the need for the cooker can be fully met by a basic standard item and considers the amount of £275 requested for the cooker is currently among the lowest prices for a basic standard item in the high street. Normally the decision maker would award this amount but, because of the pressure on the budget, he decides to restrict the award to £225 which is the price one local reputable dealer is currently offering on a basic electric cooker.He decides that this will fully meet the applicant's needs under direction 4.. The justification for this is fully documented.
The decision maker then goes on to consider the amount to be awarded for the bed. The amount requested is not for a standard basic item but for one of higher specification.The decision maker concludes that the bed needed is of a higher specification and quality as recommended by the hospital.The specification is of key importance in meeting the aims of Direction 4. The decision maker accepts that £550 is an appropriate amount in this particular case for the additional serviceability that is required in respect of the item. A lesser amount to provide only for a standard basic item would not fully meet the aims of Direction 4.

3383 The above is to illustrate the points in paragraph 3371 et seq only. It is not guidance on what amounts to use in a range of prices nor on how to document a whole Community Care Grant decision.

3384-3399