Welfare%20Rights%20and%20Debt%20Advice%20Service

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Welfare Rights and Debt Advice Service
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Mission Statement

• Our core purpose is to reduce poverty and
  inequality, and enhance the quality of life of
  the people of Salford, through providing a
  professional
• Welfare Rights Service - which promotes rights
  to benefits and maximises benefit take-up and
• Debt Advice Service which provides practical
  assistance to people in managing debt and
  promotes debt awareness
• and influencing policies which have a direct
  impact on the lives of those living on low
  incomes within the City.

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• We achieve this by
• providing free, impartial and confidential
  advice on welfare benefits and debt to
  Salford residents regardless of means
• informing, advising, assisting and
  representing individuals to secure their
  benefit entitlements and resolve their debt
  problems
• publicising and promoting benefit take-up and
  debt awareness amongst key target groups
• providing consultancy, training and support to
  a wide range of staff and organisations
• working in partnership with other agencies in
  particular other advice providers, other
  local authority directorates and primary
  health care providers
• influencing social policy
• consulting residents in the development of the
  Service
• giving a specific focus to those who are most
  socially excluded
• contributing to the Anti-poverty Social
  Inclusion Strategy.

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What Is Welfare Rights Advice?

• Assists people to maximise their income from
  social security and local authority benefits
• Involves
• identifying missing benefit entitlements
• protecting existing entitlements
• calculating 'better off ' scenarios e.g.
• - in/out of work
• - choosing between different benefits/claimants
• completing claim forms within time-limits
• appealing and challenging decisions
• researching relevant law, case-law etc.
• outlining legal requirements re overpayments,
  changes in circumstances etc.
• representation where appropriate e.g. at
  tribunals and Social Security Commissioners
• targeted 'take-up' work and maximising the
  benefit income of vulnerable, under-claiming
  groups

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What Is Welfare Rights Advice?

• Outcomes
• protection of existing income
• maximisation of income with enhancement to
  quality of life
• simplifying the complex inter-relationship of
  benefits
• enabling claimants to more effectively interact
  with the complexity of the benefit system

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What Is Debt Advice?

• Assists people to regain control of their
  financial situation
• Involves
• income maximisation
• checking liability
• drawing up a financial statement
• - acts as a budgeting tool
• - allows clients to prioritise debts
• - show how much money is available for creditors
• explaining creditor's powers power of recovery
• ensuring creditors comply with relevant
  legislation
• - Consumer Credit Act
• - Administration of Justice Act
• negotiating with creditors
• completion of relevant court forms
• representation at court where appropriate

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What Is Debt Advice?

• Outcomes
• helps people make sense of financial chaos
• lifts the weight of indebtedness
• protection to debtors
• affordable repayment
• effective solutions to debt problems through
• ? independence
• ? confidentiality
• ? specialist knowledge

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Key Elements Of The Service

• Welfare Rights
• Telephone Advice Line
• Casework
• advice ? claiming ? review ? appeal ?
  Commissioner ? judicial system
• Primary Health Care - appointment sessions
• Take-up and benefit promotion - leaflets,
  targeted campaigns, talks etc.
• Training
• Partnership working

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Key Elements Of The Service

• Debt Advice
• Telephone Advice Line
• Casework
• advice ? negotiation ? payment plan/other
  strategy ? court ? judicial system
• County Court Duty Rota
• Debt resolution/awareness - training, leaflets,
  talks etc. including schools and credit unions
• Training
• Partnership working

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Outputs - Key Measures

• Welfare Rights
• Number of telephone advice sessions
• Number of calls/people dealt with
• Number of new clients assisted
• Number of benefit issues dealt with
• Additional benefit secured or protected for
  client
• Additional income through charging policy and
  SSA
• Feedback from clients through regular
  questionnaires
• Number of training units delivered
• Number of talks given
• Number of events attended to promote the service

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Outputs - Key Measures

• Debt Advice
• Number of telephone advice sessions
• Number of calls/people dealt with
• Number of new clients assisted
• Number of debts and benefit issues dealt with
• Number of homes protected
• Amount of debt written off for client
• Feedback from clients through regular
  questionnaires
• Number of training units delivered
• Number of talks given
• Number of events attended to promote the service

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Achievements - 2000/2001

• Welfare Rights
• Telephone advice - 180 sessions conducted (91)
• - 1,112 calls/people dealt with
• New clients - 1,332
• Benefit issues dealt with - 5,731
• Extra benefit (client) - 3,013,627
• Extra income (charging policy and SSA) -
  460,694
• Training units delivered - 254
• Talks given - 13
• Promotional events attended - 19

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Achievements - 2000/2001

• Debt Advice
• Telephone advice - 113 sessions conducted (75)
• - 485 calls/people dealt with
• New clients - 175
• Debt issues dealt with - 1,227
• Debt written off/extra income - 153,826
• Homes protected - 32
• Training units delivered - 122

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Cost of the Service

• 594,250

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Current/Future Issues

• Community Legal Service (CLS) - Quality Mark
• Structure that
• reflects the priorities of the Service
• more efficient and effective Service
• meets the requirements for the CLS QM

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Areas of Work
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New Service Structure