Social Fund reform: debt, credit and low-income households
Background
This consultation sets out a package of reforms for the social fund scheme. It applies to England, Wales and Scotland. It has a number of proposals and discussion points including:
'encouraging' people who use the social fund 'to take more responsibility' for managing their finances and planning their future
reducing frequent applications to the fund
providing 'goods and services' instead of cash for community care grants
introduction of a standardised resettlement grant to assist people in meeting the costs of setting up or re-establishing their home - possibly through the regulated social fund
consideration of devolution of aspects of community care grants system to the Scottish Government
instituting a simplified budgeting loan structure
examining ways to increase social fund debt recovery
improvements to the administration of social fund funeral payments
help for students under the social fund funeral payments scheme
examine the possibility of access to affordable credit for low income households
provision of financial health checks to customers
proposals for changes to the system for credit card repayments
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advisers 
