Discretionary Social Fund

Are you in need of financial help due to a crisis or are you resettling into the community and in need of financial help?

The Council's Discretionary Social Fund scheme offers financial assistance to residents who are in a crisis and require financial assistance to help deal with their situation. The scheme can also assist vulnerable residents where financial help is required to settle them into the community.

Social Fund cannot assist with general cost of living pressures experienced by residents. The government is providing cost of living payments. The fund also does not cover housing costs such as rent or mortgage payments, lost money or school uniforms.        

You may be able to claim Household Support Funding to assist with cost of living pressures.

There are two areas of assistance:

Daily Living Assistance​

This is for people who are in short-term significant financial crisis and require assistance to be able to meet basic essential needs, such as food, gas/electricity or clothing.

Resettlement Assistance

This is for vulnerable adults who require assistance to settle into the community or people who have been victim of a disaster, such as fire or major flood or domestic violence, and require assistance to purchase white goods (e.g. fridges and cookers) and/or furniture (e.g. beds and sofas).

The social fund policy is available to view below:

Eligibility for assistance will be on the merit of each application received. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council will have sole discretion in deciding Social Fund awards.

I've been advised to claim. How do I do this?

Claim online and tell us as much information as you can about your situation and the help you need.

If you don’t have internet or a computer visit one of our libraries which offer free computer access and WiFi. Or ask a friend or relative if they can assist you.      

I am in a crisis that involves the safety of a child    

If you have a crisis or emergency situation involving child protection, child care, mental health and other adult service matters, the Emergency Duty Service will provide a point for advice and where necessary immediate service to individuals and families who are experiencing crisis in their lives. 

The Emergency Duty team can be contacted by telephone 01642 524552 or by minicom (01642) 602346 and have trained interpreters if required.

I want to talk to someone about making a social fund claim.

We have a small team dealing with claims with limited capacity to answer telephone calls. If you urgently need to speak to us you can call us on 01642 771276.