Example
C asked for an independent review of the Council's decision on their crisis grant. They had applied after spending the majority of their previous crisis grant award on taxis.
The Council declined the initial application on the basis that C had previously applied within 28 days of a previous application to the fund, and they were unable to assess they had experienced a relevant change in circumstances. C requested a first-tier review of the decision but the Council did not change their decision.
We reviewed the Council's case file and spoke with C for further information about their circumstances. C confirmed that they had travelled to be with family because they had experienced a traumatic event, involving a death, followed by a serious flood within a short space of time. These events, which were verified by their housing support worker, had caused a significant deterioration in their mental health. We disagreed with the Council’s decision and assessed that C had experienced a change in circumstances. We also assessed that while C had received three crisis grant awards in 12 months, the circumstances of this were sufficiently different to make C eligible for further assistance. We changed the Council’s decision and provided feedback that they should have made further enquiries prior to arriving at their decision, and around their written communication.