Introduction

What is the Hardship Fund?

The Hardship Fund (the(‘the Fund)Fund’) is a discretionary fund available to provide some relief from financial hardship for very low paid workers who are temporarily unable to work becauseas theya weredirect result of being a victim of a violent crime of violence and theirwhose injuries aredo not coveredfall bywithin the tariff of injuries in the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 (the Scheme)..

The Fund isseeks discretionary and is designed to ease the financial hardship of peoplethose who have no recourse to other helpsources withof moneyfinancial fromassistance their- employerfor orexample fromthose public-funds,who suchdo asnot receive Statutory Sick Pay (SSP).

A The payment from the Fund is based on the current weekly rate of SSP. It will coverprovide financial support, from the 4thfourth to the 28th day of absence, ifprovided the applicant has been unable to work for ata leastperiod 7of daysseven inconsecutive a row .days.

The maximum payment is capped at the equivalent of four weeks’weeks SSP,SSP minus(less the first 3three days.days).

The Fund applies to peopleinjuries injuredsustained in England and Wales and is capped at £500,000 inper total every year.

The Fund iswill be administered by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA)(‘the afterAuthority’) following the referral of an application isbased assessedon byan Victiminitial Supportassessment andof theneligibility referredby toVictim CICA.Support.

Eligibility

TheCircumstances crimein andwhich youryou injurymay be eligible for a payment

You couldmay get a payment if youyou:

• sustained werean injuredinjury in England or Wales on or after 27 November 2012 becauseas youa wereresult of being a direct victim of a crime of violence.

  violence. A direct victim is someone who was directly injured by an assailant. Annex B of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 describes whatthe istypes aof crimecrimes of violence forwhich thecan purposelead ofto thisan Fund.

  Youinjury mustand reportis yourto injurybe applied to thethis policeFund. asIf soonyou aswere possiblethe andvictim weof mustany receivecrime anin applicationScotland toor thehave Fundbeen withinbereaved 8by weeksa ofcrime thethat dateoccurred ofthere, theyou incident.

  Yourmay injurybe musteligible havefor stoppedsupport youunder beingthe ableVictims’ Fund;

• were unable to work for a period of at least 7 consecutive days inas a row.

  Ifconsequence yourof an injury is(physical eligibleor formental) compensationsustained underas thea Schemeresult youof cannotbeing geta moneydirect fromvictim theof Fund.a crime of violence;

  Your

• earn criminalless record than the minimum amount needed to qualify for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP);

• Ifare younot havein receipt of SSP or an unspentequivalent criminalemployer-provided convictionscheme anythis means that if you are eligible for payment mayunder SSP or an equivalent employer-provided scheme you would not be witheldeligible orfor reduced.payment under this Fund.

• Annexdo Dnot ofhave theany Schemeunspent explainscriminal convictions which under the typeCriminal ofInjuries criminalCompensation convictionsScheme which2012 would preventbar you from receivingan moneyaward. fromA eitherpayment under the SchemeHardship orFund will not be made to an applicant who on the Fund.date Theof mostapplication commonhas examplesan areunspent conviction which resulted in either a custodial sentencessentence andor a community paybackorder orders.(see Forfurther, lessAnnex seriousD of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012). In the case of other unspent convictions, a payment will be reduced or withheld unless there are exceptional circumstances.

  Applicants willwith not generally have their payments reduced if they have motoring offences andfor which the only penalty imposed was one or more of an endorsement, penalty points or a fine under Schedule 2 to the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988.1988 are exempt from this provision and will not generally have their payments reduced.

Your finances

You must earnreport lessyour thaninjuries to the minimumpolice amountas neededsoon toas qualifyis forreasonably Statutorypracticable Sick(but Paynormally (SSP).within You48 alsohours mustof notthe incident taking place) and we must receive SSPan orapplication ato similarthe schemeFund throughwithin youreight employer.weeks of the date of the incident.

IfPlease note if you receive,are in receipt of or have applied for,for Employment Support Allowance (ESA), you will need to tellinform the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) of your change in circumstances immediately.

You can do this by contacting them direct on 0845 602 7301. Any payments made from the Hardship Fund will be consideredtaken into account when decidingconsidering the level of income-related ESA that you receive.

Further eligibility requirements

You cannot get a payment if:

• you were injured before 27 November 2012;

• you did not report the incident to the police as soon as reasonably practicable (normally within 48 hours of the incident taking place);

• you did not make an application to the Fund within eight weeks of the date of the incident;

• you sustained an injury which is eligible for compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 (i.e. one that falls within the tariff of injuries in that Scheme).

How todo you apply for a payment?

WeApplications onlyto considerthe applicationsFund that are referredby way of referral following an initial assessment of eligibility by Victim Support.

Support. They will assessassist you in making your eligibilityapplication. firstWe andONLY canconsider helpapplications youthat apply.are referred by Victim Support.

Victim Support is an independent national charity for people affected by crime. They giveprovide free and confidential supportsupport, and practical help to victims and witnesses of crime. You can contact them by visiting their website at www.victimsupport.org.uk or telephoning 08 08 16 89 111.

YouIt is your responsibility to prove that you are eligible for a payment and you will need to givesupply the following informationevidence to Victim Support to supportallow them to make an initial assessment of your application:eligibility:

• aA police crime reference number - this will help Victim Support and CICA to confirm that you were a victim of a crime of violence which was reported to the police;

• aA pay statement or letter from your employer to show that your average weekly earnings are less than the minimum amount needed to qualify for SSP (before tax);

• ifIf you are self-employed, a copy of your most recent tax returns to show that your income is less than the minimum amount needed to qualify for SSP (before tax);

• aA copy of a certificate (Fit Note) from your medical practitioner which shows you have been unable to work for at least 7 consecutive days as a direct result of being a victim of a crime of violence.

IfPlease younote werethat absent for 7absences daysof in7 aconsecutive row,days, you will still need to provide a copy of your Fit Note from your medical practitioner. A copy of your self-certification form will not be accepted.accepted as evidence by Victim Support or by us.

WhenOnce Victim Support have assessedmade youran claiminitial assessment they will complete an application and ask you to giveprovide a signed consent for the release of all recordsrecords, evidence and other relevant information about you and the circumstances of your injury. This iswill thenbe sent to us to assess.process.

How we will deal with your claim

WhenOnce we receivehave received a fully completed application from Victim Support,Support we will will:

• contact the police to confirm details of the incidentincident; and

• conduct a criminal records check yourto criminalestablish record.if you have any unspent convictions which will have to be taken into account.

WhenFollowing wereceipt receiveof thisall the information fromdetailed theabove, police, we will aim to makeprocess aapplications decision within 6 working days (Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays) of receiving all thenecessary information we need.documentation.

We will tellinform you of our decision on your claim as soon as it is made. If we have reduced or refused a payment,payment (if, for example, you have unspent convictions), we will tell you why.

How we will make a payment

We will only accept an instruction to make a payment to you. This will be paid directly into your bankbank/building or building society account.