There has been an 11% drop in the number of applications to Scotland's council for crisis grants, according to new figures.
Local authorities received 259,355 applications for help under the Scottish Welfare Fund and made 160,595 awards, 14% fewer than 2022-23.
Despite paying out less than 2022-23 - down from £55.9 million to £49.9m - this still represents an overspend of £14.3m or 129%.
Scotland’s councils were given £38.7m for the scheme, but 24 went over their budget, including Perth and Kinross which spent 215% of their allocated amount.
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The Scottish Welfare Fund is supposed to act as a safety net for families and individuals facing financial crisis.
It was set up in 2013 to provide both crisis grants to those in need of emergency assistance, and community care grants, which which can be used to help those who have been homeless, in care, in prison or who are fleeing domestic abuse to live independently.
Spending on crisis grants totalled £18.5m, down by 13% from the previous year.
Grants in 2023-24 included just over £11m to help households buy food, with a further £2.7m going to help those struggling to heat their home.
Spending on community care grants was also down by 9% to £31.4m.
Over the year, a total of 86,020 applications for help were made, 9% less than in 2022-23, with 41,460 of these granted – 15% less than the previous 12 months.
Citizens Advice Scotland Social Justice spokesperson Stephanie Millar said: “In a food insecurity project we ran recently 38% of people who accessed our help told us they did not want to make an application for a Crisis Grant.
“Anecdotally, our advisers considered the reasons for this that people had had negative experiences doing so in the past, e.g. complicated admin, long waits.
“Many also don’t have the necessary skills or access to the internet, or bank accounts. These are all barriers to applications. “We would urge anyone who does need help to contact us in the CAB network. Our advice and support is free, impartial and confidential.”
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Eradicating child poverty is a central mission for the Scottish Government.
“Child poverty levels in Scotland have been consistently below the UK average in recent years, with our policies estimated to keep 100,000 children out of relative poverty in the year ahead.
“The Scottish Welfare Fund (SWF) was established on April 1 2013 and remains an essential source of occasional support for those most in need.
“That is why we took the decision to maintain the SWF budget at £41 million, despite significant fiscal pressures.
“Since April 2018 more than 544,000 households have received Scottish Welfare Fund awards totalling more than £281 million.
“We will continue to closely monitor spend and demand trends for the SWF, and continue to work closely with local authorities who are delivering the SWF within challenging times.”
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