The 'go to' organisation for Local Government improvement in Scotland

Scottish Welfare Fund

Delivery of the Scottish Welfare Fund was selected as a pilot for the PCI in recognition of the increasingly vital role councils play in their local communities in delivering key services to families in financial need.

The process is data-led, using the LGBF to identify areas where improvement is required, and where peer collaborative improvement could be offered as an approach to help tackle performance challenges which exist. The Scottish Welfare Fund pilot involved Falkirk Council as the host authority, and Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire and Midlothian Councils as the peer reviewers. COSLA also participated on the peer review team, helping to strengthen links between local practice and national policy development.

Following a positive PCI process, the host authority identified a range of actions to drive improvement in their delivery of Scottish Welfare Fund for their local community. The evaluation from the pilot offered valuable learning which we have used to adapt our approach as we embark on further pilots.  It also provided clear evidence of the value gained during the Scottish Welfare Fund pilot, both for the host authority and for the peer reviewers.

Documents

Falkirk CMT Report
This report outlines the process, key findings, and recommendations from the Peer Collaborative Improvement Review of Falkirk Council's Scottish Welfare Fund.

The following documents were shared with Falkirk Council by the peer reviewers during the peer collaborative improvement for the Scottish Welfare Fund.

Inverclyde Finance Update Nov 2023Updates to Committee on several matters progressing within Inverclyde's Finance Service, including specifics on the Scottish Welfare Fund.

Inverclyde Discretionary Payments Assessor
Job description for the Discretionary Payments Assessor position at Inverclyde Council.

Inverclyde Scottish Welfare Fund Support Script Desk Aid
Guidance and a script around call handling for the Scottish Welfare Fund.

Inverclyde Scottish Welfare Fund Monthly Budget Template 2024/25
A template for tracking figures and monitoring of the Scottish Welfare Fund.

Inverclyde Scottish Welfare Fund Payments Made Tracker Template
A template for tracking the payments that have been made from Inverclyde Council from the Scottish Welfare Fund.

Inverclyde Scottish Welfare Fund Weekly Statistics 2024/25 tracker template
A template for tracking applications on a weekly basis.

Midlothian Corporate Solutions Performance Report 2023/24
An update from Midlothian Council on several areas including the Scottish Welfare Fund.

Midlothian Council Revenues Officer Job Description
Job description of the Revenues Officer position at Midlothian Council as part of the Scottish Welfare Fund.

Midlothian Council Scottish Welfare Fund Assessor Job Summary
Job summary of the Scottish Welfare Fund Assessor position at Midlothian Council.

Midlothian Corporate Solution Performance Report 2023/4 (Presentation)
Update of several council services including the Scottish Welfare Fund at Midlothian Council.

Midlothian Local Government Workers Payrates 2024/25
Pay scales for council workers at Midlothian Council.

Housing voids

Tackling housing voids is the second pilot of the peer collaborative process that is currently ongoing as of Spring 2025. It was determined that this area for improvement would be particularly informative, given the current housing emergency being faced by several local authorities across Scotland. The current housing voids pilot involves Aberdeenshire Council as the host authority, and South Lanarkshire, Highland and Perth and Kinross Councils as the peer reviewers.