Disabled people and their representative organisations have long campaigned for the re-opening of the Independent Living Fund (ILF), and in September 2023 we received the news that it would re-open in Scotland next year.
First Minister Humza Yousaf, MSP, announced in his first Programme for Government in September that the fund would re-open on a phased basis, with an initial £9 million in the financial year 2024-25.
This will enable up to 1,000 additional disabled people with the most complex needs to access the support they need and deserve to live independent lives.
To prepare for re-opening for applications in April 2024, ILF Scotland staff are working with disabled people, their representative organisations, the Scottish Government and other key stakeholders on the co-production of the re-opened fund.
We are delighted to announce that from Monday 29 April 2024, the Independent Living Fund has fully re-opened to new applicants.
Applications to the re-opened fund should be submitted by local authority social work departments on behalf of disabled people in Scotland. We have issued guidance and information to all local authorities to assist them with this process.
When submitting an application, the local authority will need to make sure that a potential recipient meets the following Access Principles:
All submitted applications will be assessed by ILF Scotland. The maximum award that ILF Scotland is able to pay is £330 per week. Any funding awarded by ILF Scotland will be additional and complementary to the statutory funding provided by a person’s Local Authority.
If you meet the access principles outlined above and would like to consider applying to the fund, you should contact your local authority. You can see the contact details for your local authority on a dedicated website page.
You will also find Frequently Asked Questions, news and updated policies.
If you have any questions about the re-opening of the Independent Living Fund in Scotland, please email reopening@ilf.scot.
Keep up to date with the news about the re-opening at our News section.
*New* Independent Living Fund Re-Opens to New Applicants - 29 April, 2024
Update: Re-Opening ILF in Scotland - 2 April , 2024
Minister Approves Re-Opened Independent Living Fund - 20 March, 2024
We have established a Co-Production Working Group who met for the first time in October 2023. This advisory group includes disabled people, carers, disabled people's organisations (DPOs) and representatives of ILF Scotland, the Scottish Government and health and social care statutory partners.
The Working Group is co-chaired by Iain MacAllister, Deputy Director, Scottish Government, Directorate for Social Care & NCS Development, and Peter Scott, Chief Executive of ILF Scotland.
The Group meet every two weeks to help develop the policies for a re-opened ILF. They consider the access principles of application, the relationship with social work, management of ILF awards and stakeholder engagement.
In February 2024, the group offered their recommendations on the policies for the re-opened ILF to the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport. In March 2024, the Minister approved those recommendations.
Do you have a question about the re-opened fund? Have a look at our Frequently Asked Questions and see if it's been answered.
The feedback from the Co-Production Events was fed back to the Co-Production Working Group.
Using this feedback, the group made recommendations on the policy framework, processes and procedures that will inform the applicant journey. In February 2024, these recommendations went to the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport who approved them in March 2024.
To allow the fund to re-open as soon as possible, applications will be made online by local authority social work departments on behalf of potential recipients. We are finalising the development and testing of our systems to ensure these operate effectively and aim to be in a position to accept online applications from all local authorities mid to end April 2024.
In the near future, consideration will be given to developing an application route that is initiated and led by the individual (or their appropriate representative, which may include charitable organisations already providing support to disabled people in the local community) rather than by their local authority.
Next steps will see those recommendations taken forward to prepare for re-opening.
During December 2023, and January and February of 2024, we hosted a number of co-production events, in person and online, to gather views and help shape the re-opened ILF.
Turnout for these events was fantastic and we gathered a lot of feedback.
While the initial events are now finished, we may hold further events in the future to gather more feedback. Please watch our social channels or bookmark this page and return regularly to be the first to know.
