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 currently completing the final testing of our systems and processes and hope to be in a position to accept online applications mid to end of April 2024. Applications to the re-opened fund should be submitted via local authority social work departments. We are currently compiling a list of contacts for each local authority area which will be continually updated ahead of full re-opening.
The recommendations approved by Maree Todd MSP, Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport include:
Guidance and information for Local Authorities ahead of the re-opening has been issued to all councils.
Please see all our latest policies on our ILF Scotland Policies page.
The most up-to-date information on the re-opening of ILF will be posted on this page and on our social media channels or email reopening@ilf.scot.
Keep up to date with the news about the re-opening at our News section.
*New* Update: Re-Opening ILF in Scotland - April 2, 2024
Minister Approves Re-Opened Independent Living Fund - March 20, 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.
