Software and services for welfare provision

The Scottish Welfare Fund offers two types of grants for people on low incomes. Crisis Grants are designed to help people manage an emergency like a flood, burglary or job loss. Community Care Grants are designed to support people to live at home by helping to provide essential furniture or white goods. Both grants can take the form of money, vouchers, travel tickets or items like cookers or beds.

We administered this service for Clackmannanshire Council from 2020 to 2024, assessing 11,184 applications and confirming eligibility for 5,424 grants worth £1,937,919.84. Taking applications by phone and online, we followed national and local guidance to determine eligibility and made decisions within the timeframe set out in the guidance.

Then, each grant – whether cash or goods – was distributed by the council itself. Ben Watson, the council’s team leader for revenues and benefits, explains why they asked for our help:

“We were already using NEC’s software to administer the grants, but volumes were increasing which meant we were struggling to manage it in-house. We asked NEC to step in and administer the eligibility service because we knew they had the right experience.”

Expert support that’s available fast

Our Business Processing team has experience administering local welfare provision for councils across England and Scotland. In Wales, we also deliver it nationally through the Discretionary Assistance Fund, distributing payments and in-kind support such as furniture. For Ben, this depth of expertise meant we could talk to their customers sensitively and get up and running quickly:

“Right from the start, I was really impressed with the service from NEC. They became an extension of our team, processing applications in line with our own procedures. There’s a lot of discretion involved, which can be hard, but they kept notes on all the decisions they made and kept in regular contact. It gave us real peace of mind.”

Flexible and responsive services

Over the course of the four years, we flexed the support we provided, matching the number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) to the pressure the council faced. Then in 2024, after recruiting a number of additional team members, the council decided to bring the service back in house. Throughout the contract, we provided regular and in-depth reports, which is something Ben is now looking to replicate internally. His team is performing well, but if circumstances change in the future, he knows we’re ready to help.

For more information on the services NEC Software Solutions offers visit our Business Processing and Local Welfare Provision pages. or get in contact with us on our Contact page.