Across Gloucestershire, many disabled people and people with mental health conditions need more than financial support. They may be struggling with debt, benefits, fuel costs, housing issues or accessing the services available to them. 

But knowing where to turn for help is not always straightforward. 

In recent years, we made changes to how people access our Grants for Individuals programme. While these changes helped ensure funding reached those most in need through trusted local organisations, they also highlighted that some people still faced barriers to accessing support. 

Through a partnership with North & West Gloucestershire Citizens Advice, the Advice & Access Team was created to help address that challenge. 

How it started 

Our Grants for Individuals programme plays an important role in supporting disabled people and people with mental health conditions across Gloucestershire.  

A few years ago, we started to notice that demand for funding was significantly outstripping our available budget and, by 2022, things had become increasingly difficult to manage.  

To cope with the volume of applications, we were only able to award opportunities grants to people with certain conditions. This was not an inclusive approach we wanted to take, and we knew we needed to find a better, fairer way of ensuring support reached those who needed it most. 

In response, we moved to a referral-only model in September 2023. Instead of individuals applying directly, applications would come through a network of Community Partners – local charities, voluntary organisations and housing associations already supporting people in their communities.  

This approach helped us better manage demand, but it also came with some unintended challenges, creating a gap for people who were eligible for our funding but were not already connected to a Community Partner. 

 At the same time, our  Individual Grants Team continued to  receive a lot of calls from people looking for support. This increased the need for signposting and safeguarding responses, while also creating frustration for people who felt unsure where to turn.  

Introducing the Advice & Access Team 

In 2025, we piloted a new approach.  

Working in partnership with North & West Gloucestershire Citizen’s Advice, we launched a triage-style service designed to create a clearer route into support for disabled people and people with mental health conditions. 

The idea was simple: to provide a single point of contact where people could receive advice, explore other sources of support and, where appropriate make an application for our Individual Grants. 

Over the course of the pilot year, the impact was really encouraging: 

• Over 400 individuals were supported who were not already receiving help elsewhere. 

• The team submitted over 100 applications to Barnwood Trust’s Grants for Individuals programme in 2025. 

• Around 41% of those applications supported access to enjoyment and enrichment opportunities -a key priority for us. 

• Around 16% of people who did not meet our criteria were successfully supported to access help elsewhere. 

Alongside helping people access funding, the Advice & Access Team also supported people with a range of wider issues, including debt, benefits and fuel costs, helping ensure they received the support they were entitled to. 

For those using the service, having someone guide them through the process has made a real difference.

Looking ahead 

Following the success of the pilot, we presented the findings to our Board, who agreed that this partnership should continue. The team has since grown to meet the increasing needs of disabled people and people with mental health conditions across the county.  

The partnership has also given us a better understanding of who is accessing support, the challenges people are facing and where gaps remain across the county. This learning will help us continue improving access to support and reaching people who may otherwise be overlooked.  

Together with the Advice and Access team at North & West Gloucestershire Citizens Advice, will continue working to ensure disabled people and people with mental health conditions can access the advice, support and opportunities they need to thrive.