Website and telephone payments Sunday 19 May
Our website and telephone payment systems are unavailable between 9am and 2pm on Sunday 19 May. You will not be able to pay for any council services on our website or over the phone during this time.
The vulnerability threshold is met by clients whose circumstances include any of the following three factors, as confirmed by the council Housing Options Team:
The applicant must have an IQ under 70 or similar diagnosis as assessed by a health professional or have a learning disability that makes him/her eligible for social care services.
The applicant must have a physical impairment as assessed by a health professional which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on their ability to carry out day-to-day activities or have a physical disability that makes him/her eligible for social care services.
The applicant must be receiving a service from NHS Tees, Esk and Wear Valley Mental health teams and/or our mental health teams.
Examples of services:
(If the applicant doesn’t recognise a team/service name, s/he is unlikely to be receiving a service from it)
An applicant receiving a mental health service could be seeing a:
Applicants who are being supervised by the Probation Service, Community Rehabilitation Company or Foundation who are on a resettlement programme following release from prison may apply for assistance from the Fund.
The vulnerability threshold is met if the applicant has been assessed and is receiving support from the Independent Domestic Abuse Service (IDAS) in North Yorkshire.
Someone who receives Carer’s Allowance or a Carer’s Premium. Only one carer for a cared-for individual can apply to the fund.
The vulnerability threshold is met if the applicant has been assessed as having, and are receiving support for, a drug or alcohol dependency through the North Yorkshire drug and alcohol treatment service, currently North Yorkshire Horizons.
An award should be made under this vulnerability to help members of a family to stay together.
What constitutes “exceptional pressure” covers a very wide range of personal circumstances but does not overlap with the other vulnerability criteria. Where this is the case (such as domestic abuse, caring responsibilities, mental health concerns) then the applicant must meet, and therefore apply under, the other relevant criteria.
A family under exceptional pressure must be assessed by, and working with, a relevant support agency, typically the our early help service.
The type of personal circumstances that would constitute “exceptional pressure” may be due to a sudden domestic upheaval imposed by an unforeseen calamity and could include, but is not limited to:
In the types of circumstances indicated above, consider carefully, having regard to all the facts of the case, whether it is appropriate to make an award.
"Family" in this section should be couples and single parents with children and people caring for children. Grants Assessors can use discretion in defining a family. When dealing with families under exceptional pressure:
you need to refer to the support that we provide to carry out its responsibilities under the Children Act 1989 (s.17 providing support – including financial assistance - for children in need) and any other support it provides. Refer to the list of alternative forms of support for this.
As with all other applications for assistance you should expect families under exceptional pressure who apply for an award to look our other sources of support first.