IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR REFERRING PROFESSIONALS

A referral is a request for UKeff to assess the client’s circumstances. It does not guarantee that the client is eligible for support or that any particular assistance will be provided.

Please do not promise or advise a client that UKeff will provide a supermarket voucher. Supermarket vouchers are not issued automatically. UKeff will decide whether support is appropriate and, if so, what form it will take. This may include a crisis food parcel, essential items, advice, signposting or, in exceptional circumstances, a supermarket voucher.

Where a suitable crisis food parcel is available, this may be offered instead of a voucher. A client’s preference for a voucher will be considered but does not determine the outcome of the assessment.

Referring professionals are expected to undertake an initial assessment, provide sufficient details and distinguish between:

• circumstances they have verified;
• information reported by the client but not independently verified; and
• information that remains unknown.

UKeff may contact the client, referrer or other relevant service to clarify or verify the information supplied.

Evidence required for food support

Any referral requesting emergency food support must include:

• complete bank statements covering at least the most recent 30 consecutive days for every account held by the client;
• the same evidence for the client’s partner and any other adult who forms part of the same financial household, including adult children where relevant;
• the client’s latest full Universal Credit statement, including all award elements, deductions and payment information;
• evidence of any other income, benefits, savings or financial resources; and
• evidence supporting the stated cause of the crisis, where applicable, such as a benefit sanction, delayed payment, loss of income, homelessness or emergency expenditure.

Bank and Universal Credit statements must be original PDF downloads. Photographs, screenshots, cropped pages, edited documents or transaction lists will not be accepted. Documents must clearly identify the account holder and cover the full required period without missing pages or transactions.

Where a statement does not display the client’s current address, separate recent official evidence of the address must be supplied.

If the client states that they do not hold a bank account or cannot obtain a required document, the referrer must explain why and describe the checks undertaken. Alternative evidence will only be accepted at UKeff’s discretion.

Incomplete referrals will not be assessed for supermarket voucher support. UKeff may request additional evidence where necessary.

NOTICE

Please note that due to extremely limited funding, we have had to significantly tighten our eligibility criteria for the provision of carpets and other household items. Where resources are unavailable, eligible clients will continue to be added to our waiting list for future support.