Social welfare and legal advice – Taster Sessions
FAO: Social Prescribing Managers, and Social Prescribing Link Workers, Mental Health Community Connectors (ELFT & NELFT), and similar Personalised Care roles
Over recent years your feedback and reporting have shown that a significant proportion of social prescribing and those with mental health issues also have issues with housing, welfare benefits claims, debt, cost of living and similar issues.
This free training has been specially designed for social prescribing link workers and similar roles, such as mental health community connectors and others, in the North East London boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, City & Hackney, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.
It will equip you with a greater understanding of these issues, how to ask your clients about them and how to support your clients to access the right advice in your borough. (Please note: This training is not intended for you to give social welfare advice yourself, rather, how to better support your clients to access the advice they need).
We are delivering free training workshops in four key topics that affect many of your clients:
- How clients can Maximise their Income – On-line (Zoom) Thursday 12th June 10am to 1pm
- Understanding Universal Credit – On-line (Zoom) Thursday 19th June 10am to 1pm
- Understanding Housing Lettings & Medical Priority – On-line (Zoom) Thursday 3rd July 10am to 1pm
- An overview of Welfare Benefits – In person only, with lunch – Stratford – 10th July 9am to 1pm
Please note, no prior knowledge of the topics is needed or assumed.
The training is delivered Island Advice Centre in collaboration with Bromley by Bow Health and is funded by NEL ICS
Booking:
You may book for one or more courses, depending on your interest and availability.
Please use the booking form, link here. https://forms.office.com/e/1P4iZe329R
Course details:
| Course Time | Content |
| 1. Income Maximisation On-line (Zoom) Thursday 12th June 10am to 1pm | Suitable for anyone dealing with service users in financial hardship. Objectives: Complete or support client to do a benefits check and a ‘better-off’ calculation Identify possible benefit entitlements/ commonly unclaimed benefits, know where to refer for help with benefits Have an awareness of other sources of financial help Discretionary Housing Payments, Local Support Schemes, charity payments Have an awareness of budgeting/ financial statements and possible expenditure reduction considerations for people in financial hardship Have an awareness of when and where to refer clients to for help with debts, benefits and or money advice support |
| 2. Universal Credit On-line (Zoom) Thursday 19th June 10am to 1pm | Suitable for those whose clients may be eligible for Universal Credit (including many part time workers who aren’t currently claiming). It gives a basic overview of Universal Credit. Objectives: What is universal credit Who can/should claim UC Understand basic structure and calculating UC Conditionality and sanctions |
| 3. Housing Lettings & Medical Priority On-line (Zoom) Thursday 3rd July 10am to 1pm | Suitable for those whose clients who are seeking to access social housing. The aim of this course is to gain an understanding of how social housing is allocated. Objectives: Identify and understand rules on the allocation of social housing Be able to know how to check how the social housing is applied for and allocated in your borough of work Be able to understand how to check how medical priority could affect your clients housing allocation application Discuss and consider ways to manage your clients’ expectations |
| 4. Welfare Benefits overview In person only, with lunch – Stratford 10th July 9am – 1pm | Suitable for those whose clients may need to claim welfare benefits. An introduction to the system of welfare benefits, with a brief overview of benefits and their qualifying conditions. Objectives: Complete benefits check and a ‘better-off’ calculation. Understand the principles underlying Universal Credit Be aware of legacy benefits and the migration process for transferring to Universal Credit Details of Disability Benefits; Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance Useful resources and where to refer Please note, this workshop is in-person ONLY, at Unex Tower, Stratford, lunch provided. |
Booking:
You may book for one or more courses, depending on your interest and availability.
Please use the booking form, link here. https://forms.office.com/e/1P4iZe329R