This project is a short-term grant allocated to Staffordshire County Council and will only be available whilst we have funds remaining. Please note completing the applications does not guarantee acceptance for the vouchers, or utility support all applications will be processed on a first come first served basis.  Please ensure that you have completed the application in full to prevent any delays or an unsuccessful application.  

Professionals Referral Scheme - We aim to have applications processed within 10 working days from receipt. 

Utility Debt Support - We aim to have applications processed within 28 working days from receipt of all documentation required and approval. 

Information for Professionals

Is your organisation supporting residents in Staffordshire direct who are struggling financially?  If the answer is yes and you have been identified as an approved referrer, then this scheme is for you.

The Department for Work and Pensions has announced a further extension to the Household Support Fund, this funding will run from 1st April 2024 to 30th September 2024.  As you can see from within the announcement it states:

Local Authorities have discretion on exactly how this funding is used within the scope set out in the accompanying grant determination and the guidance.  The expectation is that The Fund should be used to support households in the most need; particularly those who may not be eligible for the other support the government has recently made available but who are nevertheless in need.

Who can access these schemes? 

• To complete a referral you must be providing direct support with the household around their debt, finances or personal circumstances.  As the professional and by completing the application/s you will be signing to show that the household is in need and would benefit from the support.  You are also confirming that you know the household and confirm that the claim being made is not fraudulent as you know the households residents and their personal circumstances. 
• These schemes operate for Staffordshire County Council only households for adults, with or without children who meet the eligible criteria.
• If you are a Staffordshire County Council key worker and you are working with a client that resides out of the Staffordshire boundaries, please make this very clear in the comments section to prevent the application being declined.
• Organisations that have been identified through the approved referrers list can refer into these schemes by completing Online Referral form/s.  The link to the online referrals is shared with the approved organisations only.
• Residents can not apply for these funding schemes direct; a referral must be through one of the approved referrers.
• Eligible households can only claim once for these funding schemes during the funding period.  
• As the professional, by completing the applications you will be signing to show that the household is in need and would benefit from the support.  You are also confirming that you know the household and confirm that the claim being made is not fraudulent as you know the households residents and their personal circumstances. 
• Please check that the resident has not already applied or accessed these schemes during this funding period of 1st April 2024 to 30th September 2024.

What is the Household Support Fund Professionals Referral Scheme?

• This scheme operates as a Supermarket eVoucher Scheme.
• Eligible household can only claim once for this funding, following a successful application they will receive £65.00 in total plus an additional £20.00 per additional dependent child or person they care for.   
• The financial support provided will be in a supermarket eVoucher form and will only be for use in the selected supermarket of their choice from the supermarket list provided.  You will need to refer to the preferred supermarket of choice for the terms and conditions of use.   
• Once the voucher has ben downloaded for use, Staffordshire County Council is no longer liable for the voucher and it's use.
• Once a voucher has been purchased we are unable to change the supermarket of choice.

Professional Referral Scheme - Supermarkets available

The supermarkets available for the voucher scheme are: -

Vouchers for the following supermarkets will be provided via 1 x voucher for the total value of the claim.

• ASDA 
• ALDI
• Iceland
• Marks and Spencer
• Sainsburys 
• Tesco
• Waitrose

Vouchers for Morrisons can only be provided in the formats of £5, £10, £15, £20, £25, £30, £35, £40 and £50 values.  If Morrisons has been selected then the household will receive multiple vouchers that total the amount of the claim. 

• Morrisons

Vouchers will be provided direct to the family or professional via email only, please ensure the resident has access to an email account or smart phone to enable receipt of these.  Vouchers will be provided for the total amount of the claim for all supermarkets apart from Morrisons 

What is the Household Support Fund Utility Debt Scheme?

• This scheme operates as a direct grant paid to the utility provider for Gas or Electricity and is aimed at household who are in debt or struggling to pay their gas or electricity bills.
• Eligible households can only claim once for this funding, following a successful application they will receive 1 x £450.00 grant payment made direct to their gas or electricity provider.  
• We are unable to split this grant to make multiple payments, the household will need to identify which utility provider they wish to offset the grant towards.  
• Payments will only be made following a successful application and receipt of the evidence to support the claim, e.g. copy or photo of most recent energy bill.  

Who is eligible?

This funding is limited so we want to ensure that it reaches those households most in need.  To be eligible the household must: -

• Be within one of the eight districts under Staffordshire County Council – to check please visit Find your local council - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Be a household in need, this is determined by the professional and needs to be outlined within the referral

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if the household is not eligible for the schemes?

We will contact the professional who completed the application to inform them that it has been unsuccessful and the rational as to why this decision has been made. 

How much will they receive and when will they receive the payments?

Professionals Referral Scheme - Each eligible household will receive £65.00, plus an additional £20.00 for every dependant.  All vouchers will be processed within 10 working days from receipt of the application.  Applications are downloaded every morning Monday to Friday, if you completed the application on a Monday, this will be downloaded the following working day.

Utility Debt Support - Each eligible household will receive 1 x £450.00 grant payment made direct to the energy provider of either their gas or electricity.  We aim to process all applications within 10 working days following receipt of the documentation required.  Payment are then made and can take up to 28 days to show on the utility account.      

I applied for a household I am working with and I have not received a response?

Due to the volume of applications we receive, we will only inform you if your application has been declined. 

If ten working days have passed since you submitted your Professional Referral Scheme application and you have not received a notification to say it has been declined but the household has not received their supermarket voucher, then please contact the Household Support Fund Team - householdsupportfund@staffordshire.gov.uk 

If you have any queries regarding your Utility Debt Support Scheme application then please contact - financialwellbeing@staffordshire.gov.uk 

How do I apply?

Each approved referral organisation has been sent the link direct to the online applications.  If you are unable to obtain this please contact the Household Support Fund Team who can confirm who this has been sent to.

Please note the information you provide will be processed by Staffordshire County Council in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. You can find out more about how we will use your personal information on the Staffordshire County Council website.