Renfrewshire Council

Who can ask for a review

If you're the person who applied for a Crisis Grant or Community Care Grant, you need to ask for the review of our decision.

If you have asked someone you know to help you, we'll check with you that you have consented for them to do this on your behalf.

If a professional, like an advisor or support worker, is helping you, they will let us know this when they ask for the review.

What you can ask for

You can ask for a review from us if you disagree: 

• about your eligibility 
• with the priority given to your application 
• with the level of support given. 

Or you can ask us to review it again if you think we did not have enough information or evidence to make a decision when you applied for the grant.

This is called a first-tier review.

We cannot review the decision if we don't have enough budget, or there are other people who are in greater need of help.

How to ask for a review 

Email your request for a review to scottishwelfarefund@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

You'll need to tell us:

• why you want a review or why you think the decision was wrong
• the date of the original decision  - you'll find this on the first decision letter we sent you
• any changes in your circumstances since the decision
• if the review is for you or you're asking for someone else. 

You need to do this within 20 working days of the original decision.

We'll look at:

• your application
• the evidence you gave us
• any new information that you have since you applied.

We'll then decide if we: 

• were right in our original decision
• if we should award the grant
• change the details of what we awarded. 

We'll let you know the result of our review within: 

• two working days for a Crisis Grant
• 15 working days for a Community Care Grant.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the review

If you are not satisfied with our decision you can ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) for an independent review. This is called a second-tier review.

The SPSO are independent of the Council and the Scottish Welfare Fund Independent Review service is free.

You must wait until you have received our decision before asking them for an independent review.

You need to do this within one month of receiving our decision. 

In some circumstances you can ask for a review after a month of receiving our decision. Contact the Scottish Welfare Fund Independent Review for advice.