Discretionary assistance fund: April to June 2024
For the period April to June 2024, discretionary assistance fund statistics, analysed by age and local authority.
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What is the discretionary assistance fund?
The Discretionary Assistance Fund (DAF) is a program run by Welsh government which provides payments to people in an emergency or who need help to live independently. Payments are split into two types depending on which category they fall into:
- Emergency Assistance Payments (EAPs) help pay for essential costs, such as food, gas, electricity, clothing or emergency travel.
- Individual Assistance Payments (IAPs) help people live independently in their home or a property that they are moving into.
The most up-to-date data on the DAF, as well as additional monthly breakdowns, can be found on StatsWales. To help users interpret the data more information on data quality can be found in the DAF quality report.
Main findings
- Between April and June 2024 there were 68,500 payments with a total value of £7,965,000.
- 65,900 of these payments were EAPs with a value of £5,160,000.
- 2,600 of these payments were IAPs with a value of £2,804,000.
- The average (mean) value of an EAP was £78 and the average value of an IAP was £1,070.
Figure 1: Value of EAPs and IAPs for April to June in 2023 and 2024
Description of Figure 1: This bar chart shows the value of EAPs and IAPs in April to June 2023 and for the same period in 2024. There was 5.2 million pounds of EAPs in April-June 2024 an increase of 0.8 million compared with the same period in 2023 and 2.8 million pounds in IAPs, a decrease of 1.4 million.
Source: NEC Software Solutions UK data April to June 2024 (collected on behalf of Welsh Government).
The differences in the total values of EAPs and IAPs between quarters was driven by a change in the number of payments. For EAPs there was 17% increase in the number of payments in April to June 2024 compared with the same period in 2023. For IAPs there was a 40% decrease. The number of payments for each quarter (and month) is available on StatsWales.
EAP figures show seasonal variation and so comparisons between subsequent quarters should be treated with caution. There is no clear picture on seasonal variation for IAPs. Further details can be found in the DAF quality report.
Local authority
Figure 2: Value of EAPs and IAPs in each local authority between April to June 2024
Description of Figure 2: This bar chart shows the total value of EAPs and IAPs paid in each local authority between April and June 2024. The total value of EAPs paid varied between £685,000 in Cardiff to £46,000 in Ceredigion. For IAPs the total value of payments varied from £397,000 in Cardiff to £19,000in Ceredigion. Note that these results have not been adjusted for the difference in population between local authorities.
Source: NEC Software Solutions UK data April to June 2024 (collected on behalf of Welsh Government)
The average value of a payment varied between £78 and £79 for all local authorities for EAPs and from £1,170in Pembrokeshire to £910 in Ceredigion for IAPs.
The number and value of payments, per month, for each local authority can be found on StatsWales.
Age of recipient
Figure 3: Value of EAPs and IAPs by age group between April to June 2024
Description of Figure 3: This bar chart shows the value of EAPs and IAPs awarded by age group between April and June 2024. The 30 to 39 year old age group received the highest value of both EAPs and IAPs, with the 16-29 year age group the second highest. For older age groups the money received from both EAPs and IAPs decreased with age.
Source: NEC data April to June 2024 (collected on behalf of Welsh Government).
Those aged 30 to 39 received, in total, £1,758,000 from EAPs and £1,031,000from IAPs. Those in the 16 to 29 age group received £1,462,000 and £697,000 from EAPs and IAPs respectively and those aged 70 and over received £46,000from EAPs and £3,000 from IAPs. Note that these results have not been adjusted for the difference in population between age groups.
For EAPs the value of the average payment varied between £79 for those aged 16 to 29 and £77 for those aged 70 and over. For IAPs the value of the average payment varied between £1,120 for those aged 60 to 69 and £820 for those aged 70 and over.
Quality and methodology information
The average EAP values are rounded to the nearest pound, average IAPs are rounded to the nearest 10 pounds and all other monetary values are rounded to the nearest 1,000 pounds. Number of payments are rounded to the nearest 100. The data presented in this report has not undergone the same level of quality assurance as official statistics and the data may be revised in future. Further information on what to keep in mind when interpreting these statistics can be found in the quality report.