The Independent Living Fund in Scotland

The Independent Living Fund in Scotland

ILF Scotland is a public body that administers social care funding for disabled people in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

It has two funds – the Independent Living Fund and the Transition Fund.

The Independent Living Fund

Through its Independent Living Fund, ILF Scotland provides an ongoing weekly financial award, paid monthly, to disabled people in Scotland and Northern Ireland. This funding enables people to purchase additional social care support so they can live independently in their communities.

The Independent Living Fund is a discretionary fund that can provide social care support that is additional and complementary to statutory funding that people get from local authorities via a social care support package or Self-Directed Support (SDS) package.

The Independent Living Fund Re-Opens in Scotland

The Independent Living Fund was closed to new applicants in 2010. ILF Scotland took over the administration of awards to existing recipients of the fund in July 2015. In April 2024 this fund re-opened to new applicants in Scotland.

Who is the Re-Opened Independent Living Fund for?

The re-opened fund is for disabled people who:

• live in Scotland
• are aged 16 years or over at the time of application
• receive a social care support package or Self-Directed Support (SDS) of at least £800 per week

We call these our access principles.

How much can ILF Scotland award?

The maximum award that ILF Scotland can pay is £330 per week.

What can the awards be used for?

The Independent Living Fund is designed to enable people who meet the access principles to purchase additional social care support to help them achieve the independent living outcomes that are important to them. During a visit, the potential recipient will agree with one of our assessors how they wish to use the funding.

The Independent Living Fund can help support disabled people to:

• overcome barriers to independent living
• have choice, control and live an independent life
• develop or maintain their physical, mental or spiritual health and well-being
• stay safe and manage any risks inside and outside the home

In most cases, people use their award to purchase additional social care support by employing a Personal Assistant or purchasing support from a care provider to help them to, for example:

• undertake work, learning, or training
• participate in civic society
• be involved in their local community
• pursue personal hobbies and interests
• see family and friends, and attend social activities

Independent Living Fund awards cannot be used as personal income and should be used primarily to purchase social care support. Occasionally, we might be able to fund a one-off cost if we agree that it meets a recipient’s social care outcome.

We will not normally fund support or services that are the responsibility of another provider or source, such as:

• Independent Living Aids
• adaptations to a home or home boundaries
• communication aids
• everyday expenditure such as food or clothing
• medical or nursing care
• care and support currently or previously funded by a local authority or Health and Social Care Partnership

Applying to the Re-Opened Independent Living Fund

Applications to the Independent Living Fund must be submitted by local authority social work departments on behalf of disabled people in Scotland.

All potential applications should already have social care support or an SDS package in place and be known to their social work department.

Each local authority will have its own approach to identifying and prioritising potential applicants.

Find the most up to date contact details for your local authority on our website:

https://ilf.scot/go/la-contacts

Or call us on 0300 200 2022

ILF Scotland will assess all applications received from social work departments to confirm that they meet the access principles of the fund. If they do, we will then visit potential recipients to complete the application process and to determine whether or not ILF Scotland can offer funding.

Transition Fund

ILF Scotland provides one-off, discretionary, grants of up to £4,000 for one year, through its Transition Fund to young disabled people aged 16 to 25, living in Scotland. These grants help young disabled people to:

• become more engaged and active in their community
• enhance their independence and confidence
• help them to spend more time with other people

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Visit https://ilf.scot/transition-fund to find out more about the fund and how to apply.