The access principles (eligibility criteria) of the re-opened ILF now take account of unpaid care.
This is aimed at targeting those applicants who do not currently meet the minimum Threshold Sum of £800 of existing social care support per week, but who would meet this were it not for the significant amount of care and support received on an unpaid basis from a carer who resides in the same household. Please note that all other access principles remain unchanged, and in line with our existing guidance, we will continue to prioritise our funds for those with unmet need, including where there is a risk of residential care or family breakdown due to unpaid carer stress.
Where the above applies, local authorities can submit applications where the SDS budget is less than £800 net but not less than £485 net per week. We will then apply a notional top up to the applicant’s SDS budget by a sum up to £315 per week i.e. the deficit amount required to bring it to the £800 minimum Threshold Sum. We are calling this credit measure the Carer Component.
We will introduce this change to the access principles of the re-opened fund on 27 January 2025. If local authority colleagues would like to submit applications as a result of this change, please confirm the net SDS budget currently in payment, and confirm that:
Should the person lose their unpaid care for any reason, ILF Scotland will sustain the ILF award for a reasonable period, enabling time for the local authority to undertake any re-assessment. Where that assessment results in an outcome of a minimum SDS budget of £800 per week, we will continue the ILF award on existing access principles.
The Carer Component was introduced on 27 January 2025.
The Co-Production Working Group considered feedback that disabled people who have significant support needs that are met through unpaid care within the home, are at a disadvantage in accessing the ILF. This is because of the level of unpaid care they receive means that they do not meet the Threshold Sum of £800 to access ILF.
For this reason, it was decided that ILF Scotland could, in these circumstances, and where there is unmet need, introduce a notional Carer Component to meet the minimum Threshold Sum of £800. This will affect disabled people who receive significant unpaid care from someone who resides in the same home, and who would meet the £800 Threshold Sum required to access ILF if unpaid support were not in place.
By way of illustration, where a local authority funds an applicant at £700 per week, and the applicant lives with an unpaid carer who is eligible for a Carer Support Plan, and who provides a significant amount of unpaid care, then ILF Scotland will apply a notional threshold sum of £100, thereby meeting the application threshold of £800.
The Carer Component is a notional amount applied by ILF Scotland, of up to £315 weekly in recognition of significant resident unpaid care, to effectively bring the budget up to the £800 Threshold Sum. See the above illustration.
It is for local authority staff initially to determine that an applicant is receiving significant care and support from an unpaid carer. Social Work colleagues may prioritise applications where the current level of unpaid care provided is crucial to the sustainability of the overall support package, the extent of the unpaid care is having a critical impact on the carer, and there is a risk of family breakdown or residential care due to carer stress. The unpaid care requires a significance that would attract a budget replacement that would at least equate to £800 SDS budget.
When someone lives in the same house as the applicant, provides significant levels of unpaid care, and would be eligible for a Carer Support Plan. You can find out more about Carer Support Plans from Carers Scotland.
No – the recipient just needs to be eligible to receive one from their local council.
Anyone who receives £800 or more of an SDS budget already meets the threshold to receive ILF funding so they don’t need to have the carer component applied. Therefore, you do not need to tick the Carer Component box when submitting an application.
ILF Scotland would continue to pay the award on a temporary basis until the local authority carries out a revised needs assessment and where that results in a net SDS budget of £800 or more, the award would be maintained.
In this case their Carer Component will no longer apply. They will only continue to meet the access requirements for ILF if their net SDS budget remains above £800.
No – we will temporarily maintain the ILF award for a period that we think is reasonable to allow the local authority to re-assess the person’s needs. Where that assessment results in a revised budget of £800 or above we will continue the ILF award indefinitely. If the revised budget is below £800 the ILF award will stop.
No - the effect of an ILF Carer Component is only to change the way ILF calculates the Threshold Sum for accessing ILF. The aim is to extend access to those disabled people who do not currently meet the £800 Threshold Sum, but they would do, were it not for the level of unpaid care from someone living with them that they rely on.
No payment is made to an applicant or unpaid carer. The Carer Component is a notional sum applied by ILF Scotland to allow the Threshold Sum of £800 for ILF to be met. There is no other impact of the carer component on the status, benefits, or treatment of unpaid carers.
