Procedure Manual for Crisis Loans and Grants London Borough of Sutton

Procedure manual for Crisis Loans and Grants

London Borough of Sutton

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Index and quick links

1. Pre checklist and information on our scheme Page 3

2. Making a claim Page 7

3. If request turned down and debt advice Page 8

4. Discretionary sign off process Page 9

5. Referring cases of suspected abuse Page 11

6. Inform resident of loan/grant and update reporting spreadsheet Page 13

7. Organise payment and method Page 14

Procedure for The Vine Project Procedure for PayPoint Procedure for Morrison’s Procedure for out of hours Emergency Duty Team – Adult Procedure for negotiating a loan repayment agreement

8. Credit Union Process Page 26

9. Reconciliation of accounts Page 34

10. Checklist Page 35

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1. Pre checklist

Before completing the application process and considering their claim, the person requesting the Crisis Loan or Grant must be in receipt of at least one of the following benefits (Use the pre claim checker tool):

 Income support  Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance  Employment and Support Allowance (income-related)  Pension Credit  Universal Credit  Housing Benefit  Council Tax Reduction

If an applicant is due to leave an institution or care home within 6 weeks and are likely to get one of the above benefits they would be eligible providing they meet the remaining conditions.

Any prisoner that meets the residence criteria set out in Annex 18 to the Homeless Code of Guidance for Local Authorities immediately before entering custody; that is; that (s)he was resident in the local authority in question for 6 month of the 12 months, or 3 of the 5 years, before going into prison, will be eligible to apply to the crisis loan and grant scheme provided by that local authority.

In addition the person must satisfy all of the following conditions:

 You must be aged 16 or over (Individuals under the age of 18 must be responsible for the household they live in i.e. registered for rent or can demonstrate a new liability for rent or Council Tax)  You must be ordinarily resident in Sutton (and have lived here for six weeks prior to applying) or have been placed in housing outside the borough by the London Borough of Sutton within the past 6 months  Your must use your savings to help you out of the situation or crisis before your application will be considered for a grant or loan.  Your social network will also be considered if they are able to support you out of the situation or crisis e.g. family and friends  You must not be a person subject to immigration control  You must not have received a DWP Social Fund or Grant award or a Council Crisis Loan and Grant in the borough within the past 6 months  You must not have received a DWP Social Fund or Grant award or a Council Crisis Loan and Grant for the same reason in the past 12 months  You must be without sufficient resources which would cause serious of hardship to your own, or your family, which could affect your household’s health or safety

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The Situation

There are seven categories of situation for which a community care grant/crisis loan will be paid, these are: 1. Help people establish in the community following a stay in institution or care home in which they receive care. E.g.

a. hospital or other medical establishment b. care home c. hostel d. staff intensive sheltered housing e. local authority care f. prison or detention centre.

Not only must you be leaving one of these places, you must be establishing yourself in the community. One of the factors taken into account when deciding this is the length of time you were in the accommodation in which you received care. But the most important factor is the level of individual care and supervision you had while you were living there.

2. Help people remain in the community rather than enter an institution or care home in which they will receive care One of the factors we will consider is how immediate is the likelihood of going into such accommodation, and whether the type of item or service you need would prevent this happening. E.g.:  help with expenses for improving your home to maintain living conditions  help to move to a more suitable place to live or to be nearer someone who will give you care and support.

3. Help people set up home in the community, as part of a planned resettlement programme, following an unsettled way of life. For example, you may have stayed in a night shelter before you were on a resettlement programme. You are more likely to be eligible if you have had an unsettled way of life for a long time.

4. Help people to care for a prisoner or young offender on release on temporary licence Support would be towards living expenses until Department for Work and Pensions income benefits were awarded

5. Help people with expenses to make certain journeys such as attending an interview for paid employment.

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6. Ease exceptional pressure on you, yourself or your family e.g. sudden bereavement or serious accident

7. Emergency or Disaster Expenses, to avoid serious risk to the health or safety of you or your family. Some examples of expenses, in terms of specific items and services, are:  living expenses - food/ heating/ clothing/ toiletries  Furnishings – mattresses/ curtains/ towels  travel expenses when stranded away from home  repaying emergency credit on a pre-payment fuel meter  Lost giro – with the condition that the individual will open a bank account to prevent further loss.

Restrictions

The Council has limited funding therefore, to support families and individuals in most need, it is necessary to place restrictions on the amount of loan or award granted.

Depending on the nature of the application restrictions will be placed on the duration of the support and conditions will need to be met to validate the individual’s commitment to change their circumstances longer term.

 The maximum grant is set at £1,000 (previously £2,000), this is based on the understanding that this would furnish a 3 bed house with recycled or 2nd hand goods.  Applications above £350 will be treated as a loan, with the first £350 being a grant.  Time of Disaster/ Emergency – Support will be calculated and provided on the basic needs required to cover short term crisis situation only.  Lost Giro – If eligible support will be calculated to cover basic needs until the next Giro will be received with a condition to open a basic bank account or Credit Union account and have further Giros paid directly to that account.  Household Expenses – Condition to put a certain amount aside each week to save, opening a Credit Union account to save.  Repeat applications – the number of awards are limited to 2 a year but not allowed two for the same reason

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What needs are not covered by the fund?

 an educational or training need including clothing, meals and travel  expenses in connection with court (legal proceedings) such as legal fees, court fees, fines, costs, damages, subsistence or travelling expenses  removal or storage charges if you are being rehoused following a compulsory purchase order, a redevelopment or closing order, a compulsory exchange of tenancies, or under homelessness legislation  domestic assistance and respite care  any repair to council property and any repair to property of housing associations (you should contact your the Council’s Housing Advice Team for advice)  a medical, surgical, optical, aural or dental item or service (needs under all of these headings can be provided free of charge by the National Health Service)  debts to government departments  investments  costs of purchasing, renting or installing a telephone and of any call charges,  holidays  Non essential electrical goods e.g. television  any expense which the local authority has a statutory duty to meet  costs of fuel consumption and any associated standing charges (except in an emergency/ disaster).  housing costs, other than minor repairs and improvements  council tax, council water charges, arrears of community charge, collective community charge contributions or community water charges  daily living expenses, such as food and groceries, except in emergency/ disaster situations.

What kind of support will we provide?

We will decide on the type of support needed and how this support is delivered based on the information you provide us with.

Some of the ways in which we will choose to offer support will include:

 Vouchers for a local supermarket  Referral to a local second hand furniture provider for paid-for furnishings or white goods  Providing a travel warrant or travel tickets  Charging of utility account keys or payment on account made to utility providers  Payment cards or vouchers for certain shops  Cash, in exceptional circumstances

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2. Making a claim

Complete the application form by completing all Sections of the application process.

If the eligibility checker states they could be entitled, please start the assisted interview.

Any questions answered in the checker will be transferred to their claim and so the service user will not be asked the same question twice.

Once application is complete, please read this declaration to claimant over the phone.

Please see Section 7 in terms of working out award and organising payment.

After application completed

An award letter will be produced and sent to inform the applicant of the decision. If their application is turned down, the letter will give them their reconsideration rights.

If reconsideration is received, this will be dealt with by another Assessment Officer within 24 hours. If the second officer upholds the original decision, a letter will be sent informing them of the decision and advise them of the second stage complaints procedure. If an appeal is received in terms of Crisis Loans and Grants, this will go through the Councils Complaint process and be dealt with within 20 days.

All letters will be in W2 as templates for you add in the specific details of their grant and loan and include their reference number. The reference number can either be the one in the system, benefit claim number or Council Tax account number.

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3. If request is turned down

A letter must be sent informing them of the decision and right to reconsideration.

Please consider if a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) or Hardship Fund (HF) could be paid to the applicant. If yes, please follow the normal procedure of awarding a DHP or HF in consideration with our 2013/14 DHP/HF Policy. We can use the CL&G application form to make this decision. There is no need for the resident to complete a DHP/HF form.

Please also consider sending the applicant our Advice booklet or directing them to www.sutton.gov.uk/crisisloansandgrants.

You would have received training in March 2013 on debt advice, please refer to the summary of agencies (pages 6-9 in Advice booklet) residents can contact in terms of debt advice. Please spend time familiarising yourself with these companies, as you can then offer advice to residents on where to go if they are facing financial difficulties.

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4. Discretionary sign off procedure

If applicant is not on listed benefits, but you feel they should be offered financial help, please complete the Discretionary form (Appendix A) and pass to Benefits Team Manager for 1st sign off. If Benefits Team Manager agrees, they will countersign the form and pass to either the Head of Revenues and Benefits or Processing and Transactions Manager for authorisation. If agreed follow section 7 in terms of organising payment.

This is not being advertised but is there if you come across a situation that you feel warrants help in a crisis.

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Appendix A Discretionary form for Crisis Loan and Grant

Name

Address

Number of children in household (include ages)

Any known disability

Yearly household income £

Reason Officer believes resident should be granted help

What is being requested and why

How much is being £ requested?

Officer name

Date

1st authorisation Team Manager Signature

Date Name

2nd authorisation Signature

Processing & Transactions Manager/ Head of Revenues and Benefits

Date Name

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5. Referring if you suspect abuse

You have all undertaken safeguarding training and during the Crisis Loan and Grant process, you could come across residents that are being abused.

What is Abuse?

Abuse occurs when someone's human and civil rights are violated by someone else. There are many different forms, including:

 Physical abuse  Sexual abuse  Psychological abuse  Financial or material abuse  Neglect and poor care  Discriminatory abuse  Institutional abuse

An adult who is being abused might not tell other people about their situation; this could be for a number of reasons. They may be:

 unaware that their situation counts as abuse  unaware of the support that is available  embarrassed  afraid of telling others about the person causing the harm, particularly if it is someone that they know

There are signs that you can look out for, which may indicate that someone you know is being abused:

 Changes in the person's behaviour or mood/personality  Unexplained injury or a series of injuries  Signs of fear or distress  Signs of neglect  Theft, fraud or unexplained financial worries

If you or someone you know is being abused you can:

Phone: Social Services on 020 8770 4565

Or email the following form (Appendix B) to: [email protected]

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Appendix B Vulnerable Adult’s Name: Vulnerable Adult’s date of birth:

Vulnerable Adult’s Address:

Phone Number:

What happened or what are you worried about?

When did it happen (date and time)?

Where did it happen?

Your name:

Phone Number: Date form sent:

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6. Inform resident of loan amount and process to complete

If the applicant has been successful, the system will show the amounts assigned to each item. Adding these together will calculate the amount to award based on the information provided, the award must also be entered into Crisis Loan and Grant spreadsheet. All sections of the spreadsheet should be completed in order to help with the daily reconciliation of spend and reporting.

The items and amount should also be placed on the award letters, this can be copied and paste from the system when you are in the summary screen at the end. Development and Support are currently working on these letters so that you will be able to choose from drop down menus.

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7. Organise payment and method

The following section will take you through the procedures for arranging vouchers.

For furniture awards - The Vine Project For utility/clothes awards - PayPoint For food awards - Morrison’s

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THE VINE PROJECT - PROCEDURE TO SENDING ORDERS/RECEIVING INVOICES

We are working exclusively with The Vine Project in terms of providing furniture for crisis loans and grants. www.thevineproject.org.

The prices that are already in the system are direct from The Vine Project and is what they state they can source the items for.

If The Vine Project cannot source a piece of furniture, they will let us know and we can order that piece of furniture over the internet using our Crisis Loans and Grants credit cards – These are held by Paul Garlick, Mark Halls, Helen Burkwood and Kathy Seller. Please see procedure for using these cards (Appendix J).

All furniture will be second hand; apart from service users will have the choice of brand new white goods with a 6 months warranty. They can opt for cheaper second hand white goods if they want.

Built within the system is the prices The Vine Project has stated the can source the item for. The white goods prices in the system are for brand new items.

The procedure for grants awarded for furniture

If you decide an award of £350 or less

We must email the order to [email protected] and [email protected].

We must attach the award letter within the email that indicates what items have been agreed, at what prices, expiry date of vouchers and reference number (reference number will be their claim number in the system or use HB claim number/C Tax account number).

Expiry date guidance - please allow 14 days for all claims where the person is already living in the property. If they are yet to move in, please put an expiry date of 14 days from the date they are due to move in.

As this is for a grant (non repayable), we can provide a reference number to the service user and they can go direct to The Vine Project. If we have their email address we can email to them, if not place the letter in the post to them.

When they arrive at The Vine Project, they must present ID; if they have not got ID (possessions lost due to fire or theft) they must quote the reference number and provide name and address. In all cases, items supplied will be delivered to the address on the letter only. If they are picking up one item, they will only be allowed to take away if they can provide ID.

Service user should be directed to the Willow Lane Industrial Estate – See Appendix D

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The procedure for loans

If you decide an award of £351 to £1000

We must email the order to [email protected] and [email protected]. All emails should be sent via the [email protected] mailbox.

You should complete the loan agreement form (Appendix C) with the service user, if they do not agree to enter into a loan agreement, the most we can pay them is £350. Guidance on repayment amounts can be found here.

As this is for a loan, we need the service user to come into reception and sign a loan agreement. They will be able to collect these documents from Reception, Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

Benefits will provide the letter and loan agreement x2 (1 for service user to keep, the other to sign for our records) to Reception and inform the service user to collect these documents.

Once resident presents themselves to Reception, they should obtain a signature on the loan agreement before presenting them with their letter and copy of agreement. Reception staff must also offer the service use Appendix D to help find The Vine Project at the Willow Lane Industrial Estate, Goat Road, Mitcham.

The Benefits Scanning Officers will collect any signed loan forms the next working day at 9am and pass them to the Income Management Team.

Service user should be directed to the Willow Lane Industrial Estate – See Appendix D

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Invoices from The Vine Project

All invoices from The Vine Project should be sent to [email protected] and they will provide the final amount spent. This will never be more than what was awarded but could be less if the service user chooses cheaper items. The Income Management Team will go into the system, change any amounts if necessary and invoice the customer for the new loan amount.

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1. Date of agreement XX/XX/2013 Appendix C

PARTIES: This is a loan agreement between: a) XXX, the Borrower and b) The London Borough of Sutton, the Lender

3. LOAN AGREEMENT The Borrower has been deemed entitled to a Crisis Loan and Grant of £XXX.XX The value of Grant included which the Borrower does not have to repay is £350.00 TOTAL VALUE OF LOAN REPAYABLE UNDER THIS AGREEMENT £XXX.XX 4. REPAYMENT TERMS a) Repayment Period XX Months b) The first payment will become due on XX/XX/2013 c) Repayment schedule: 1st payment £XX due on XX Subsequent payments of £XX due on the XX of each month 5. Prepayment / Early settlement The Borrower has the right to repay the whole outstanding amount at any time without penalty. 6. Offsets The Lender may offset any credits owed to the Borrower against the loan amount under this Agreement to reduce the balance outstanding. 7. Independent Advice The Borrower has been advised by the Lender to seek independent legal and financial advice before signing this agreement. 8. Credit notes Where a voucher has been issued for use at The Vine Project Sutton and the full value is not redeemed, a credit note will be issued to reflect the reduction in the value of this loan agreement, along with a revised repayment schedule.

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9. Terms & Conditions a) The terms of the loan are governed by the rules and policies of the London Borough of Sutton and the law of contract of England and Wales. b) Where repayment defaults, in accordance with the terms of this loan agreement the entire balance of the loan will become payable in full. c) No further Crisis Loan & Grant application will be considered until this loan is fully repaid. d) Failure to keep to the agreed schedule of repayments, subject to agreed amendments, may result in the Lender issuing court proceedings in accordance with the Council’s Corporate Debt Recovery Policy. The Borrower will become liable for all legal, administrative and professional debt recovery costs reasonably incurred in recovering the sum owing along with any statutory interest should the debt be enforced through the County Court. 10. Payment Method Please choose your method of repayment Direct Debit Payzone Payment card

Signed

Name (PRINT NAME)

Authorised Officer of the Council

Signed

Name (PRINT NAME)

The Borrower

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Map to find The Vine Project Appendix D

Opening times Monday to Friday 10am to 3pm.

The Vine Project

Unit 3, 24 Wandle Way, Willow Lane Industrial Estate, CR4 4NB

The Vine Project has a shop in St Nicholas Way Shopping Centre, Sutton High Street, but the above warehouse has a bigger variety of items.

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PAYPOINT - PROCEDURE FOR AWARDS TO HELP WITH UTILITY BILLS OR CLOTHES

We are working exclusively with PayPoint in terms of providing vouchers for utility payments and clothes to redeem at local PayPoint outlets.

Utility payments

If an award is decided for utility payments, the PayPoint portal will be used to create a voucher to be passed to the service user. They can then redeem this at one of the PayPoint outlets to top up their utility key.

The process via the portal will be to add the name; address and amount for the voucher and a barcode letter will be produced and printed by the Officer. The service user can then collect the voucher from security and take it to any PayPoint outlet to either charge their utility account, or receive cash for clothes. Appendix E below highlights the most local Paypoint outlets to the Civic Offices and the times they are open.

We have 4 users who have been trained and can order utility vouchers through the portal. In the first instance you should ask Kathleen Hall or Julie Page to order them for you. If they are not in, you should approach Helen Burkwood and if all three are not around, you can approach Paul Garlick to order them for you.

We should only be paying to top up utility account to put them back into credit and out of any emergency provision; we should also consider when they are due to next get their next wage or benefit payment.

On average we should pay around £15 if either gas or electricity needs to be topped up and £30 if both need to be topped up.

All vouchers will have a 7 day expiry date, if they are not redeemed within that period, they will not be replaced.

The award letter and Paypoint voucher should both be taken to Reception to await their collection by the service user.

When they attend Reception, they must show ID and sign a receipt for the voucher.

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Clothes payments

We will only pay money for clothes for the following reasons:

 Ex offenders being released from prison with no clothes  Clothing lost through fire, flood or another disaster  New born mothers that have no clothes for their new born

If an award is decided for clothes payments, the PayPoint portal will be used to create a voucher to be passed to the service user. They can then redeem this for cash at one of the PayPoint outlets.

The process via the portal will be to add the name; address and amount for the voucher and a barcode letter will be produced and printed by the Officer. The service user can then collect the voucher from security and take it to any PayPoint outlet to receive cash for clothes. Appendix E below highlights the most local Paypoint outlets to the Civic Offices and the times they are open.

The following amounts for clothes must never be exceeded:

Ex offenders being released from prison with no clothes - £50 Clothing lost through fire, flood or another disaster - £100 per person in household New born mothers that have no clothes for their new born – if in receipt of SMA should be referred to the DWP for a maternity grant to cover the basics. Where there is no SMA - £100

All vouchers will have a 7 day expiry date, if they are not redeemed within that period, they will not be replaced.

The award letter and Paypoint voucher should both be taken to Reception to await their collection by the service user.

When they attend Reception, they must show ID and sign a receipt for the voucher.

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Map of locations of nearest PayPoint retailers Appendix E

Costcutter Carlton Stores 277 High Street 2 Burgess Road Sutton, SM1 1LD Sutton, SM1 1RW Open 7am to 11pm everyday One Stop Stores Ltd Open 4:45am to 7:30pm 5/7 Lower Road Monday to Saturday, 6am to Sutton, SM1 4QJ 5pm Sunday Open 8am to 11:30pm everyday

Benhill Stores Carshalton News 38 Benhill Avenue 75 Carshalton Road Sutton, SM1 4DA Sutton, SM1 4LH

Open 6am to 7pm Monday to Open 6am to 10pm everyday Saturday, 7am to 3pm Sunday.

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PROCEDURE FOR FOOD VOUCHERS FOR MORRISON’S

We will start our crisis loans and grants scheme by working exclusively with Morrison’s as the vouchers they supply cannot be spent on tobacco products or alcohol.

The following table indicates amount of money per day to be provided; it is up to the Assessment Officer to decide the amount to offer dependant on when their service user will receive their next wage or benefit payment.

Applicants household Amount offered per day 7 day amount

Single applicant or couple with no £10 £45 children Household with one child £15 £75

Household with 2 or 3 children £20 £100

Household with 4 or more £25 £130 children

Morrison’s are open Monday to Saturday from 7am to 10pm and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays, so only Morrison’s vouchers will be provided; cash for food will only ever have to be given out for out of hour’s cases. Please see Appendix F which is a map of where Morrison’s is situated. Appendix F should be provided to the resident only if needed.

The award letter and vouchers should be taken to Reception.

We need the service user to come into reception and sign for the vouchers. The service user will be able to collect these documents from Reception, Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

Once resident presents themselves to Reception, they should obtain a signature as receipt before presenting them with their letter and vouchers. Reception staff must also offer the service use Appendix F to help find Morrison’s if needed.

The vouchers for Morrison’s will be kept overnight in the Investigation Office, a red cash box has been ordered to store the float of £200 of vouchers. A reconciliation of vouchers will have to be undertaken at the end of the day.

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Appendix F Morrison’s Supermarket, Sutton High Street opened till 10pm Monday to Saturday, 4pm Sunday.

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ADULT EMERGENCY DUTY TEAM OUT OF HOURS PROCEDURE FOR CRISIS GRANT SUPPORT FOR FOOD

If the Duty Social Worker at the Emergency Duty Team decides a voucher/cash is needed for a resident for food, they should ring Security on 020 8770 5170 to inform them of the following information:

 Name of resident  Date of birth of resident  Address of resident  Amount of cash/voucher that should be provided  Agreed time for resident to pick up

This information should be written directly onto the form by security staff while on the phone – See Appendix G.

The following table indicates amount of money per day should be provided; it is up to the EDT Team to decide the amount to offer and whether cash/voucher should be provided.

Applicants household Amount offered per day Single applicant or couple with no children £10 Household with one child £15 Household with 2 or 3 children £20 Household with 4 or more children £25

Morrison’s are open Monday to Saturday from 7am to 10pm and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays, there are 3 local garages that are open 24 hour and provide more food than normal regular petrol station. Please see Appendix H which is maps of where Morrison’s and the local 24 hour petrol stations are. Appendix H should be provided to the resident if needed.

A folder with copies of Appendix G and Appendix H will be provided to the Security Team.

If any resident making a claim is not expected to arrive at Civic Offices until after 9pm Monday to Saturday £10 cash should be given for the first night and then vouchers if additional days support are required. More days will only be required if they present themselves to EDT on a Friday or Saturday evening to carry them over the weekend (and bank holiday if applicable).

Security will hold a float of £100 cash and £150 Morrison’s voucher in their booth – a red security box will be provided with two keys.

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The float will be regularly checked and if necessary topped up by Helen Burkwood, Paul Garlick or Mark Halls. A full audit reconciliation of the box will take place on an ad hoc basis to ensure cash/voucher amount in box if correct and to ensure there is sufficient provision for evenings and weekends.

Once resident presents themselves to Security, they should ensure Appendix A is fully completed, obtain a signature on the form before presenting them with their cash or voucher. Security staff must also offer the service use Appendix H to help find the local places to get their food.

The Benefits Scanning Officers will collect any completed forms the next working day at 9am and then scan to the W2 system.

Housing Benefit officers will contact the service user on the next available working day to complete an application form for Crisis Loan and Grant support and to determine whether further help is needed.

If a resident presents themselves during the evening and are awarded a crisis grant for food and we provide further assistance or support the next working day; this will only count as one award.

Housing Benefits will email a form (Appendix I) to EDT Team at [email protected] for any resident that has had two grants/loans to keep on their records.

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Crisis grant payment Appendix G

Security to complete form for every Crisis Grant application for food awarded by the Emergency Duty Team (EDT). Scanning Officer will collect at 9am the next working day and scan to the W2 system.

Please complete all sections of this form

(Use BLOCK CAPITALS)

Date

Time arranged for vouchers to be picked up

Name of resident

Date of birth

Full address

Mobile number

Home number

Email address

Cash Voucher

How much was given £ £

Name of resident………………………………………

Signature of resident…………………………………. Date/Time…………………………

Name of Security officer…………………………………

Signature of Security officer………………………………….

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Appendix H Maps to help you find places to buy food BP Garage Morrison’s Supermarket, Sutton High 322 Carshalton Road, Carshalton, Surrey, Street opened till 10pm Monday to SM5 3QB Saturday, 4pm Sunday.

24 hour petrol stations BP Garage

BP Garage 32 Brighton Road, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5BN Green Wrythe Lane, Carshalton, Surrey, SM5 2DR

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Appendix I

CONFIDENTIAL

ALERT to the ADULTS EMERGENCY DUTY TEAM (AEDT) Kingston, Merton, Richmond and Sutton Services. This message will be kept for a maximum of one month. Referrer : Service User:

Allocated/Key Worker: Address/es:

Borough:

Team: Date of Birth/Age:

Contact Nos: Contact Nos:

Link People- personal and professional.

(wherever possible please include GP, and for MH referrals also include RC and NR)

Date of alert:

Relevant Information:

Messages to be e-mailed to [email protected] by 17:00 hours. (Most preferred alert route)

When e-mail fails, faxes can be sent to Sutton Civic 020 8770 5318 OR Careline 020 8891 7736. To contact the duty social worker out of hours: Richmond - 020 8744 2442 Or Sutton/Merton & Kingston - 020 8770 5000 To contact the Adults EDT in office hours 9am – 1pm then answerphone, tel: 020 8831 6277 Adults EDT, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Services for Adults, Civic Centre, 2nd Floor, Twickenham TW1 3BZ

Guidance for Crisis Loans repayment terms

There is no set limit for repayment amounts for crisis loans as it is based on the individual’s circumstances and their ability to repay. Review the customer’s income and expenditure details from their loan application to determine the most appropriate repayment terms. The maximum loan amount that can be awarded is £650.00. Since most, if not all customers will be in receipt of benefits, then consider payment plans based on the current overpayment recovery rates. Based on these rates, all loans would ideally be repaid within at least 14 months or 60 weeks, even for customers who are unemployed. When calculating the loan repayment consider the value of the loan and the period of time to allow for repayment, along with the customer’s ability to repay, For example, if a loan was granted for £200.00 and the customer was unemployed, you could consider the following repayment terms: Loan amount £200

Repayment £10.80 per week £46.80 per month

Length of time to repay 19 weeks 5 months

Repayment £3.85 per week £16.66 per month

Length of time to repay 52 weeks 12 months

Where you have information that shows the customer will have difficulty in repaying the maximum amount then review their income and expenditure information provided on the loan application form.

Where possible, avoid offering repayment terms which are lower than the basic rates of £10.80 per week (£46.80 per month). This does depend on the customer’s circumstances and their ability to repay.

Where the loan amount is quite small, for example, £100, then you can consider repayment terms lower than the basic rate over a slightly longer period of time.

Avoid loan repayments which are very low, for example £5 per month on a loan of £650. This will take the customer 10 years to repay this loan and will prevent them from being able to use the Crisis Loan and Grant scheme during the whole period of the loan

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repayment period.

Do not offer repayment terms of less than £20 per month unless the customer has exceptional circumstances.

Weekly Monthly Circumstances repayments repayments Claimants who do not work and do not receive charitable or voluntary payments or war disablement/war widows pensions e.g. claimants on JSA/IS £10.80 £46.80 Single claimants who work £13.30 £57.63 Couples, where art least one is working £15.80 £68.47 Where the claimant or partner is working and is entitled to:- £20.80 £90.13 · a disability premium · a sever disability premium · a higher pensioner premium Single parents who work £23.30 £100.97 Where the claimant receives earnings from one of the following employments £20.80 £90.13 · a part-time fire-fighter · auxiliary coastguard · part-time crewing or launching a lifeboat; membership of a territorial or reserve force Where a claimant or partner is working and is entitled to a carers premium £20.80 £90.13 Where the claimant or partner receives a charitable or voluntary payment £20.80 £90.13 Where the claimant receives a war disablement pension or a war widows pension £15.80 £68.47

Where a customer is not able to afford any of the above repayment terms then consider reducing them by up to 50% or consider a longer repayment term not exceeding 2 years.

Loan agreement must be signed before any vouchers are handed to the service user.

Remember, the customer is unable to apply for another crisis loan and grant until the previous loan has been repaid.

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8. Credit Union Process

Credit unions are savings & loans co-operative businesses that are committed to promoting saving rather than borrowing. Anyone who saves with a credit union becomes a member. The members' savings are pooled to form a sum of money from which members can borrow at those times when they need to. As a co-operative they are owned by the members, rather than outside shareholders so the services are driven by the members' needs rather than the drive to make high profits.

Usually, anyone who borrows from a credit union must continue to save as part of the 'Saver Loan Scheme'. This means that as the loan is cleared the member continues to save, so next time they can use their savings rather than borrow. Evidence shows that over time members borrow less and save more. Every pound saved provides further loan capital to help others needing to transfer high interest debts, or deal with one of life's emergencies.

Membership:

Membership of credit unions is open to anyone aged 16 or over who lives, works or studies within a geographically defined area. CMS Credit Union covers the London Boroughs of Croydon, Merton and Sutton.

When considering a Crisis Loan and Grant application, encourage the customer to join the CMS Credit Union. For those customers who apply for a Crisis Loan and Grant, the London Borough of Sutton will pay the admin fee for that customer if they join and complete a pre-approved membership form (currently £1 for unwaged and £5 for waged customers). Customers must save with the CMS Credit Union for at least three months for to benefit from the paid membership.

Complete the membership (Appendix K); ensuring the customer signs the first page. The second page is for the customer’s bank details (where applicable) for the customer to make regular savings at an amount they choose.

The signed form should then be passed to the Income Management Team who will arrange for the CMS Outreach Officer to collect them each Friday.

A record of the customer will be recorded on the Reconciliation spreadsheet to monitor the number and value of admin fees paid by Sutton Council.

Further information about the CMS Credit Union can be found on their website www.cmscu.co,uk or they can be contacted on 020 8760 5711 or [email protected]

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9. Reconciliation of accounts

This is still a work in progress as we need to see what reports can be produced via the system.

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10. Checklist

As a checklist, the following should be completed for each application:

If a grant is paid

1. Application form completed 2. Onward referral and advice offered if applicant facing financial difficulties. 3. Organise voucher pick up if needed or email sent to The Vine Project if relevant 4. Letter and voucher taken to Security, along with Advice booklet if needed 5. Case referred to Social Services if abuse suspected. 6. Crisis Loan and Grant spreadsheet completed.

If a loan is paid

1. Application form completed 2. Onward referral and advice offered if applicant facing financial difficulties. 3. Loan agreement completed 4. Organise voucher pick up 5. Letter and loan agreement taken to Security, along with Advice booklet if needed 6. Case referred to Social Services if abuse suspected. 7. Crisis Loan and Grant spreadsheet completed.

If an award is turned down

1. Application form completed 2. If application refused, consider a DHP/HF award. 3. Onward referral and advice offered if applicant facing financial difficulties. 4. If discretionary sign off agreed, paperwork is fully completed and authorised. 5. Letter sent of decision made if no award. 6. Debt advice booklet sent if necessary. 7. Case referred to Social Services if abuse suspected.

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