Example
Mr C applied to the council for a community care grant as he had been released from prison and he did not have clothes that fitted him.
The council refused his application because they noted he would be returning to his partner's address where his clothes would have been kept while he was in prison, therefore he did not meet the qualifying criteria. They upheld this decision at first tier.
Mr C applied to the SPSO for an independent review of the council's decision. We took into account all the relevant facts and circumstances. Mr C advised that he had been experiencing an unsettled way of life, having been in and out of prison and being homeless which meant that his clothing was limited. He stated that he moved in with his girlfriend not long before going into prison and only had a small stock of clothing. He advised that he had put on in excess of three stone while in prison for four months and as a result, any clothes he did have at his partner's house no longer fitted on his release. We assessed that Mr C met the criteria relating to leaving care or prison (section 8.5 of the SWF guidance) as he had been in prison for over three months and we considered that lack of clothing would impact on Mr C's ability to re-establish himself in the community on release from prison. We therefore upheld his review request on the basis that the available information had been correctly interpreted. We determined that an award for £70 should be made, based on information that he had a few items that fitted, and that he had access to footwear so a sum was not included for this. We also provided feedback about the quality of the council’s written communication.