How To Apply
Applications for SWF grants are made by telephone. Inverclyde Council’s Discretionary Payments Team can be contacted on 01475 714444, Monday to Friday from 9am to 3pm. Calls are charged at a local rate however call backs will be offered.
Applications can be made by the individual or by a regulated support provider as agreed by Inverclyde Council.
Paper applications can also be accepted where an applicant may have difficulty in making an application by phone. You can request an application form by contacting the team on the number detailed above, or by downloading direct from the documents section of this webpage. These application forms should be returned to: discretionarypayments@inverclyde.gov.uk or Scottish Welfare Fund, Inverclyde Council, Finance Services, Wallace Place, Greenock PA15 1LY.
Direct line free phones are available for members of the public to use in local HSCP public offices at Hector McNeill House, Clyde Square, Greenock; Wellpark Centre, Regent Street, Greenock; and Princes Street House, Princes Street, Port Glasgow. Use of the phone within Hector McNeill House is based on the availability of meeting rooms. A free phone intercom system is also available within the Town Hall Carriageway at Inverclyde Council Municipal Buildings, Clyde Square, Greenock. Instructions on how to use the intercom system are available from the Customer Service Centre.
Customers who may have difficulty in applying via telephone due to sensory impairment or disability and who require assistance may also apply via face to face. Those requiring assistance should present to Inverclyde Council Customer Service Centre, Municipal Buildings, Clyde Square, Greenock PA15 1LZ where a member of the Scottish Welfare Fund team will be able to assist.
You will normally be expected to apply for a grant to your own Local Authority. If you are from outwith the area, the Council can refer you on to your own Local Authority. In exceptional circumstances, the Council may consider applications from people out with the area if it judges that it is necessary at that time. Prisoners and young offenders should apply to the Local Authority where they intend to reside upon release rather than the one where the prison or institution is located.
How long do decisions take?
Crisis Grants – shall be processed no later than the end of the next working day
Community Care Grants – aim to process completed applications in 15 working days
How will you be notified of the decision?
Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by telephone call, SMS message or email. This will be followed up in writing. Support Providers can also be informed of the outcome of an application if this is made clear during the application process.