Example
Mr A applied for a community care grant for two sofas, as his current seating was old, unsightly and in poor condition. He explained that he suffered from mobility issues, has a wheelchair, a Zimmer frame and carers who assist him twice daily.
The council assessed Mr A met the eligibility, qualifying criteria and necessary priority level. However, they awarded one three seater sofa at initial stage as they considered this was sufficient for his need. Mr A submitted a first tier review request explaining he had refused deliver of the three seater sofa as it did not fit into his living room. The council considered this information but did not change the decision and so no award was made to Mr A.
Mr A asked us to carry out an independent review request, we received the file from the council and agreed with their assessment that Mr A was eligible for a grant and met the qualifying criteria and priority level. However, we changed the council’s decision and assessed that Mr A should be awarded one two-seater sofa, as considered this would assist with the support services who visit him at home and meet his need (4.46 of the guidance). We provided feedback to the council as we did not consider that they had followed the SWF guidance when assessing Mr A’s first tier review request nor did their decision letters provide sufficient information.